Sarah Arthur's Blog, page 5

The latest Muppet News Flash from the desk of Sarah Arthur–whom you may have suspected dropped off the planet after the December Hobbit madness. Truth be told, the Arthurs have dubbed this the Worst Winter Ever, complete with two rounds of the stomach flu, various colds, a croupy toddler, too much traveling, and (drum roll) an exhausting early pregnancy. Yep, Baby #2 is on the way, due July 23!

Meanwhile, my eighth book is finally here: Mommy Time: 90 Devotions for New Moms (Tyndale) is a devotional memoir reflecting on the first three months of my son’s life, told in a similar tone to The One Year Coffee With God. It arrived at my door yesterday and will be coming to a bookstore near you April 1. It’s my first-ever hardcover gift edition, perfect for baby showers and Mother’s Day. You can pre-order the book now through most major online retailers as well as on my humble little Shop page–which is the only place you can get signed editions. An excerpt and other details can be found here. Enjoy!

Many thanks to the 770-something people who signed up for my giveaways through Goodreads and my blog! And congratulations to the six lucky winners: Bilbo would give a toast in your honor.

The winners from my blog were selected through a highly scientific process involving printing a sheet of email addresses, cutting them into tiny slips, putting all the slips in a bowl, and inviting my two-year-old to pull out one slip at a time. Considering he was promised no external reward for this mysterious task, and the stickiness of his fingers threatened to derail the whole venture, I’d say it was fairly successful. In fact, we just might have to do it again sometime. I’ll keep you posted.

For those who–like me–never win anything, you can still get a taste of Walking with Bilbo by reading this excerpt posted on RELEVANT magazine’s blog. Be sure to “like” it on Facebook when you’re done and help spread the word!

Blessings to all this Christmas.

Three awesome things happening this week (well, in addition to the undisputed awesomeness of The Hobbit movie THIS FRIDAY, woohoo!!!)

My publisher is giving away FREE Kindle editions of Walking with Bilbo on Amazon all week, from Dec. 9-15. Yes, that’s right: absolutely free! As a way to thank Tyndale, once you download your free copy and have a chance to read it, could you please write a brief review on Amazon? The more voices, the merrier.
I’m running a Hobbit Q&A on Goodreads from Dec. 10-24, and I’d love to hear and respond to your questions. This is your chance to ask me what I think of the movie, what I hope the second & third movies will contain, why I think it’s important to explore spiritual themes in Tolkien’s works, and anything else that comes to mind (Hobbit-related, of course, although I will also entertain Qs about, say, what kind of toothpaste I use).
Last but not least, I will be signing my books at The Bookshelf in Holt, Michigan from 11 AM to 1 PM on Saturday, Dec. 15. It’s a fun way to make Christmas gifts special for all those Hobbit-lovers out there. The store is also carrying copies of my devotional The One Year Coffee With God . Stop by at 2417 S. Cedar Street and say hello. For more info call the bookstore at 517-699-1010 or email [email protected].

The Road goes ever on and on…

There are two ways to win FREE copies of “Walking with Bilbo: A Devotional Adventure through The Hobbit,” all in celebration of the forthcoming Hobbit movie this December! Giveaways end Dec. 15, so be sure to enter soon.

First, you can enter your email to subscribe to my blog (see the second “Subscribe” heading in the column at the right) between now and Dec. 15, and you might be one of three randomly selected winners to receive a signed copy. Winners will be notified by email, so please confirm that you are entering the correct address.

Second, if you are on Goodreads, there’s a Bilbo giveaway going on right now. I’ll also be hosting a Hobbit Q&A on Goodreads Dec. 10-20.

Enter both contests, if you wish! That’s a total of 6 free signed copies. May the odds be ever in your favor.

Hi friends & readers,

After a busy summer and fall attempting to parent a toddler and write a devotional book about parenting (!), I’m now back online, fresh from the Front, so to speak. Here are some important updates & general miscellany:

The first of three Hobbit movies finally premiers Dec. 14–hooray! I’m super excited that my award-winning youth devotional Walking with Bilbo: A Devotional Adventure through The Hobbit will reach a new generation of Tolkien fans. Help spread the word by visiting my Bilbo page on Facebook to “like” and “share” with friends.
I’m giving away FREE signed copies of Walking with Bilbo next month. Simply subscribe to my blog by entering your email address between now and Dec. 15, and you might be one of three randomly selected winners to receive a signed copy. To enter, visit the right-hand side of my homepage and enter your email address under the second heading that says “Subscribe.” You will be notified by email on Dec. 17 if you are a winner: at that time I will request a shipping address for one-time use. NOTE: You are not automatically subscribed to my blog if you already subscribe to my newsletter; they are separate lists.
For members of Goodreads, there will be a giveaway for signed editions of Bilbo starting Nov. 15 through Dec. 15, plus a Hobbit Q&A that runs from Dec. 10-Dec. 24 on spiritual themes in The Hobbit. Stay tuned, and be sure to check out my author page.
For Lansing area folks, don’t miss my book-signing on December 15 from 11 AM to 1 PM at The Book Shelf in Holt, MI (2417 Cedar St, across from McDonalds). I will have seen The Hobbit movie by that time, so come ask me in person what I think of it.
I’m on Twitter! Yep, I finally gave in. My handle is @HolyDreaming, and I would love to connect with you.
I also created an official Sarah Arthur page on Facebook. I’m shooting for at least 200 “likes” by Dec. 31, so hop on over and give me a click–and feel free to “share” my page with your friends.
You can also find me on my updated Amazon author page, where you can watch my author video and shop for e-editions of nearly all my titles.
Please note that my youth ministry resource The God-Hungry Imagination is now (finally!) available on Kindle.
I enjoyed being the subject of a “celebrity interview” on Teen Ink this summer: just a fun glimpse into my musings on the writing life.
And last but not least, I’m excited to announce my forthcoming book, Mommy Time: 90 Devotions for New Moms, scheduled for release around Mother’s Day, 2013. It will be my first hardcover and is slated for an endcap in over 150 Babies-R-Us stores, so I’m super excited. Stay tuned!

Best,

Here’s a list compiled by myself and Liz DeGaynor, ThD in Practical Theology at Duke Divinity School, of resources for those in youth ministry (see previous post):

The God-Hungry Imagination: The Art of Storytelling for Postmodern Youth Ministry, by Sarah Arthur (Upper Room Books).
Book, Bath, Table and Time: Christian Worship as Source and Resource for Youth Ministry, by Fred Edie (The Pilgrim Press).
Shaped by the Story: Helping Students Encounter God in a New Way, as well as Enter the Story (the curriculum) by Michael Novelli (Zondervan/Youth Specialties). Michael uses a missionary technique called “biblical storying” that can be used in youth groups. He also hosts really excellent week-long biblical storying events for high school students and their leaders: http://www.mergeevent.com/home.html.
A mild caution: Because the stories are being paraphrased into the cultural context, important details (or too many superfluous details) and theological bias can creep in. If one wishes to go this route, it’s important to run the paraphrase by others with biblical & theological training (and/or folks from a different cultural background) to point out any red flags or blinders. But of course this is a potential pitfall to the Godly Play/ Catechesis of the Good Shepherd model (see below) as well as the new “The Story” resource from Zondervan (see below).
Godly Play / Catechesis of the Good Shepherd – based on the Montessori method, this is a powerful way to engage children in liturgical worship and biblical storytelling. Through hands-on “props”, they help tell the biblical story/parable and then reflect on the story through art. What Michael Novelli is doing for youth groups could be considered the youth edition of Godly Play, but coming from a more conservative evangelical mega-church background.
I’m intrigued by “The Story” resources that Zondervan is publishing (Zondervan also publishes Novelli), although I haven’t reviewed or piloted any myself. Would love feedback from folks who are doing it in their congregations.
Anne Streaty Wimberly’s Soul Stories: African-American Christian Education – one of the elements in her model is engaging stories from the African-American heritage (e.g., Sojourner Truth, slave narratives, spirituals) alongside biblical stories; she suggests putting those stories in conversation with the local community’s story in order to problematize a situation/concern that the community faces.
CREDO Confirmation resources from Cokesbury
Claim the Life , Volume: STORY (Cokesbury Sunday school curriculum)
IMMERSE Journal of Youth Ministry – Definitely check out their blog.
Shaped by God: Twelve Essentials for Nurturing Faith in Children, Youth and Adults, edited by Robert Keeley, with chapters by Fred Edie and Sarah Arthur (Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2010).
The Literary Study Bible, ed. Leland and Philip Ryken (Crossway Bibles, 2007)
Patterned by Grace: How Liturgy Shapes Us, by Daniel T. Benedict, Jr. (Upper Room, 2007). Contains storytelling elements that I use in confirmation.
Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation, by James K. A. Smith (Baker Academic, 2009). Begins with the philosophical anthropology that human beings are primarily passionate entities and explores the idea of “cultural liturgies” such as shopping malls.
Why Narrative? Readings in Narrative Theology, edited by Stanley Hauerwas and L Gregory Jones (Eerdmans, 1997; revised edition by Wipf and Stock Publishers).
The Christian Imagination: The Practice of Faith in Literature and Writing, edited by Leland Ryken. Revised edition. (Shaw Books/WaterBrook Press, 2002).
NOBS (Network of Biblical Storytellers) – www.nobs.org
Backyard Bard – bible storytelling ministry out of Melbourne, Australia that has some interesting videos on YouTube. http://www.thebackyardbard.com/
Walking with Bilbo: A Devotional Adventure through The Hobbit, by Sarah Arthur

For those of us in youth ministry, it’s exciting to see places like Duke Divinity School hosting low-residency programs for folks serving on the front lines. Here’s a snapshot of Duke’s Youth Ministry Cohort, led by the intrepid Fred Edie, director of Duke Youth Academy for Christian Formation, and assisted by my friend Liz DeGaynor, ThD student in Practical Theology. Picture the kind, wise, if occasionally flighty Albus Dumbledore and the sharp, brilliant, if occasionally uncompromising Minerva McGonagall, all on webcam with a cohort of eager Hogwartsians (plus a guest…perhaps Molly Weasley?). The guest would be me (Liz arranged for me to join the session via webcam yesterday), a lesson in multitasking that overpowered my laptop’s camera but inspired a great conversation with the class.

The class was discussing my book The God-Hungry Imagination, which was one of their assigned texts, and to which several students had written response papers. Conversation ranged from excitement about the possibilities of engaging the imagination and scripture-as-story to concerns that we were throwing out the doctrinal baby with the bathwater. I tried to articulate a distinction between first-order and second-order Christian discourse, which I explain in this .slant33 blog post, as a way to distinguish between the worshipping community’s primary practices as opposed to its reflection on those practices. In youth ministry, I argue, too often we engage youth in second-order discourse–that is, teaching doctrines or ideas, with scripture merely used to illustrate some other (ostensibly more important) “point”–when what youth really need and rarely get elsewhere is engagement in those first-order practices.

That’s Fred’s concern in his vital youth ministry text Book, Bath, Table, and Time, which locates worship as the source and resource of youth ministry–and of course, Duke Youth Academy is structured on a continual feedback loop of practices and reflections. So to engage youth in narrative is not superfluous: it is primary. But we don’t throw out theological reflection and doctrinal teaching, either. For more reading on this, check out my chapter “Distinguishing Dragons: The Importance of Story in Faith Formation” in the anthology Shaped by God: Twelve Essentials for Nurturing Faith in Children, Youth and Adults, edited by Robert Keeley.

We then spent some time discussing the unique space that the creeds occupy as both liturgical moments (first-order discourse) and hermeneutical guides (second-order discourse). Conversation then ranged briefly into how faith communities establish what narratives are normative, and what such communities do when the narratives become distorted by cultural blindness or biases. Some articles I’ve written for IMMERSE  journal came to mind as potentially helpful: “Daring to Improvise” (2011) and “Telling a Better Story” (2010).

We wrapped up the discussion far too soon–right as I was starting to notice the handy webcam emoticons, in fact–leaving me with the feeling that I said everything that was least important, saving the best for a last that never happened. To salve my sense of incompleteness, Liz has helped me compile a list of helpful resources for those wanting to explore the conversation further. They appear in the next blog post. Whether you were a member of the class, or just interested in being part of the conversation, I’d love to hear your comments!

She’s back! Yes, the busy summer of writing is over, and it’s now time to (a) edit my forthcoming devotional book for new moms, Mommy Time; (b) hyperventilate about the first of three Hobbit movies, coming this Christmas; and (c) reconnect with readers & fans. To that end, I’ve created my first-ever author video, now up on my Amazon author page. You didn’t know English majors could be this tech-savvy, did you?

For those of you involved in youth ministry (whether paid staff or volunteer), here’s a great way to deepen your theological training without leaving your setting. It’s Youthfront’s Learning Cohort, which takes place over the 2012-2013 year, led by my colleagues Mike King and Erik Leafblad. The theme is “The Pastoral Vocation of the Youth Worker,” and guest theologians include Andy Root, Kenda Creasy Dean, Ian Cron, and (drum roll, please), yes, yours truly. It’s an honor to be part of such a stellar team, and I look forward to meeting the cohort participants! For more information and online registration, visit YouthFront’s website.

Okay, it’s that time in the writing of a manuscript in which I have to establish radio silence, install the blackout curtains, enforce a curfew–in short, impose a military state so I can get this thing done. My apologies in advance, dear reader, if you don’t hear from me much this summer. When it’s all over, God willing, I will hand in the shiny clean draft of a devotional book for new moms. Details TBA.