Welcome to my new, monthly-ish newsletter format. Each month and season I will offer a curated list of faith formation resources for many ages. And, I am excited to announce that I will also offer a corresponding book recommendation list through Bookshop, an online bookstore that supports independent shops. This is an affiliate link as are many below. When you shop at Bookshop.org, I may receive a small commission which supports the ongoing maintenance of this site.
Books for Talking About Lent and Easter with Children:
I, like many of my colleagues who work with children, want to share resurrection hope from a place of love and grace, not fear. I am always on the lookout for books like these that meet children where they are.
The afternoon Ash Wednesday service for all ages that I planned last year became an important opportunity for children to safely explore loss, beauty, and what it means to be human. Just days later we began to shelter at home. The word’s of one child’s Ash Wednesday response to Stars Beneath Your Bed: The Surprising Story of Dust have stuck with me all year: “it is ok to be sad when things we love get broken.” Ash Wednesday offers an opportunity to reflect on what it means to be both human and what it means to be marked as Christ’s own forever.
Lent and Easter Resources:
Last year I compiled all my resources into one Lent and Easter Planning Guide. I’ve updated it with at home ideas and will continue to add to it in the coming weeks. Check your email for the link or sign up here to receive this free resource. In it you will find art ideas, lists of devotionals, at home activities, and more.
Can Listening Be a Theme for Lent?
I haven’t yet chosen a theme for Lent, but I am drawn to those devotionals that engage art, poetry, and the spiritual practice of listening. Some listening focused resources I have found:
Holy Listening Stones from Leanne Hadley
Spiritual Conversations with Children by Lacy Finn Borgo
Silence, a picture book which invites exploration by Jerome Berryman
Wild Hope is a Lenten book about endangered species that engage older children and adults in listening to Creation.
Would Table Tents Be a Helpful Tool for Lent?
Leave a comment if you would be interested in purchasing downloadable table tent discussion starters on the theme of Listening. Each one would offer a lectionary reading, listening prompt, discussion questions, and short prayer. Above is a sample of what they might look like.
Ash Wednesday coloring pages, psalm prayer stations, online discussion starter images, and my book Sheltered at Home: Family Prayers for Living and Loving might also be helpful in Lent. They are available for purchase in my Etsy shop.
Christine V Hides 
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