Tuesday, 21 of May of 2013
Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
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Edgewood Camp and Conference Centre is now accepting applications for the position of Executive Director. Applicants may be from the pastoral or lay communities.
Camp Edgewood is a Christian organization which welcomes all to experience growth and development in the midst of God’s creation at our year round camping and retreat facilities.
The Executive Director position reports to the Board of Directors and is responsible for management Read more »
Sunday morning is a good chance to pass on all kinds of tips for parents. Perhaps it’s even just a line in the bulletin. Here’s a story that demonstrates the value of one safety trick parents may not have considered: giving your kids a code word so they know that the person picking them up from school or an activity has actually been sent by their parents.http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/10-year-old-ontario-girl-uses-code-word-to-thwart-attempted-abduction/article9989954/
This being Lent, what is meant as a time of focused contemplation, here’s a great article about what not to do if you want to be happy. In the end, it boils down to the central lesson of the gospel: love others as you want to be loved. But here are some specific tips to get there. http://lifehacker.com/5991218/want-to-be-happier-stop-doing-these-10-things-right-now
Last October, a young woman named Malala Yousafzai was heading home from school in Pakistan with her classmates when two masked men boarded the bus. They asked for her by name, and when they identified her, they shot her twice in the face. The men belonged to the Taliban, and they had tried to kill Malala because she had been speaking up for the right of girls in Pakistan to get an education. She had been blogging anonymously for this cause with the BBC, but her identity was figured out. Malala almost died for her efforts. Read more »
It’s hard to think of a time in which parents have been more focused on their children – providing them with the best opportunities, the best chance at a good education, the best extra-curricular activities. The term helicopter parent describes this new perspective: moms and dads flying around and over their kids making sure they are getting all the benefits. There are many factors behind this trend: Read more »
Happiness is a hug when you get home? We have a pretty clear rule in my family: when someone arrives home, it’s expected that the rest of us will stop what they are doing and greet them at the door, with a hug and at least a hello. Who wants to come home to a house where nobody acknowledges your arrival? Just last week, my eldest son interrupted a facetime with a friend to give his mom a hug when she got in from work – it turns out his friend has just done the same way with his mom. But this small consideration has fallen by the wayside is some busy households: an American study reports that in 40 per cent of arrivals by mom, and 50 per cent by dad, there was no greeting at all: just crickets. “Honey, I’m home,” certainly has an old-fashioned note to it , harkening back to the days when everyone was dutifully waiting for dad walk through the door. Now, in most families, everyone comes home at random times – and usually goes out again in rapid succession. Still, life is short, and a hug at the door takes, what, 30 seconds? That’s 30 seconds to make someone feel like they have come home to a family that values their presence over whatever activity is occupying them at the time. However tight time may be, that seems like a pretty good investment.
Today, children across the province of Ontario are wearing pink clothing to school. It is part of an anti-bullying campaign. The youth of our province and our country are committed to causes closely tied to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This weekend 16 youth are gathering to spend 40 hours together in an Eastern Synod congregation. Their time will be spent developing a greater understanding of who they are and what they stand for. Bullying is on the rise while character education is on the decline. With increased demands on parents at work and financial realities facing our school systems, faith communities have an opportunity to feed a need in our society. tothisday
The August program is two weeks long for young people who wish to explore life and leadership at the intersection of faith and culture. It is for ANY young person (not just Anglican or Lutheran) who is interested in the program aims. The August program has many new components to it, including a three-day adventure training expedition – water, air and land. The cost structure has changed too – successful applicants are given full scholarship to attend, but must provide their own travel. Again, visit the website for details and applications process. www.askandimagine.org
If you have any questions about the programs, please write to us at director@askandimagine.org
Last week when the restaurant Applebee’s tried to set an 18 per cent tip for a meal, the Atlanta pastor who’d dined out, crossed it out, gave no tip and wrote a note: “I give God, 10 %, why do you get 18?” The waitress posted it online and earned a pink slip. The pastor has been widely derided. Of course, as the following article in Slate points out, the minister’s math is fuzzy: a waitress is getting a portion of a restaurant bill; tithing is based on income – so it’s not like the waitress is getting more in the end. But the article goes on to make some interesting points about why tips have gone up, while tithing has dropped. Not all of it applies to Canada, where mega churches are not the norm, but still an interesting read. http://www.slate.com/articles/life/faithbased/2013/02/alois_bell_applebee_s_tip_why_do_americans_tip_more_than_they_tithe.html
Have you thought recently about the lessons you’d like to leave with your kids, or the other young people in your life? Here’s an excellent sampling of some parental wisdom, that even adults could stand to remember. This letter from a mom turning 40 has gone viral online. (And by the way, if some of the lessons sound familiar – tomorrow is a new day, help someone else, set priorities – it could be because we’ve all read them somewhere else already. The best advice is still about 2,000 years old.)