Here and about- Greenfield Village-- Part 2

Late summer is a great time to visit here

 when everything is in full bloom.

a bit about this Village:
The Henry Ford is a large indoor and outdoor
 history museum complex and a
 National Historic Landmark
 in the Metro Detroit Suburb of Dearborn, Michigan.
Named for its founder, 
the noted automobile industrialist
 Henry Ford, and based on his desire 
to preserve items of historical significance
 and portray the Industrial Revolution, 
the property houses a vast array of famous homes,
 machinery, exhibits, and Americana.
 The collection contains many rare exhibits
 including John F. Kennedy's presidential limousine,
 Abraham Lincoln's chair from Ford's Theater,
 Thomas Edison's laboratory, 
the Wright Brother's bicycle shop,
 and the Rosa Parks bus.

Our outing day included mostly walking by
 and viewing some of the homes and shops
 moved to the Village.

This home also has much of the original furniture

 of the Wright family

 set up exactly how they used it.

The Wright Brothers Bicycle shop

They built the plane they flew at Kitty Hawk

 in the back of this shop.

This plane was assembled in pieces

 in the back of the bike shop.

This was so amazing----

 still thinking about this and the time line

 for their genius.

This house was built on land owned

 by Stephen Foster's father and moved here in 1934.

Also included in the Village are:

 Luther Burbank's office,
  
the growing up home of Noah Webster,

the Logan County, Illinois Courthouse where Abraham

 Lincoln practiced law,

a replica of Thomas Edison's Menlo Park

 laboratory in New Jersey

 and Robert Frost's home. 

Auntie Jess and Griffin

Thanks!
for the delight of a day here
together.

Here and About- Greenfield Village- Dearborn, MI.- Part 1

The Cotswald Cottage- 

GreenfieldVillage- Dearborn, MI

A piece of England brought to Michigan

You can't go wrong headed here
 for Tea on a beautiful afternoon.
(full tea- $12 per person)

especially if it means spending the time
 with daughter Jessica

and her nephew- Griffin

Where iconic still lifes have formed

by moving the homes or pieces of American History 

to one location to be enjoyed by many folks

When a century melts away in the blink of an eye

This working farm still tills the soil and reaps the harvest

The windmill waits for stirring breezes.
The park also has:
The Cape Cod Windmill, also known as the Farris mill,
 is considered one of the oldest in America. 
It was originally built in 1633 on the north side of Cape Cod.
 It was moved several times around Cape Cod
 until it was gifted to Henry Ford from the Ford Dealers Association, 
and installed in Greenfield Village in 1936.

And water stills the day

 for feeding geese along the edge

As yellow tilts the sunshine meter to full tilt.

When a walk across a bridge
 melts away the years

Check out more info about this
 Historical Family place to visit:
the henry ford village

Next post: some of the historical places gathered here



A special thanks to Linda Torbert Meier for making this outing happen for all of us.

eformation-When you Need Expert Help

eformation-#12 in the series (and the last)

Thanks for hanging in there for this whole series.

 Had no idea how many posts this might be-

 guess there is a bit more to say about

 electronic spiritual formation

 than I might have thought.

Certainly know more about it than 5 years ago.

But, it is time to give you a few references

 and links to some "Professional" help. 

Our church District and some individual churches
 workwith a professional social media expert.

That is a BIG TIME help.

It is important for a technical helper

 to meet you right where you are and then

be very honest about where you need to move to,

 and how you can get there.

Highly suggest this for any organization

 looking to add a social media focus.

Can save you a lot of heart ache in the long run.

Bold Whisper---and Jennifer Einolf
Jennifer Einolf---Check out Jennifer Einolf on Pinterest

Some para church organizations
 are taking the plunge into social media
 and are willing to bring you along on the journey.
Want to learn more?
Mark your calendar--- 
The date for the eformation 2015 conference
 is the first part of June again,
in Alexandria, Va for next year.
Here is the program from the 2014 conference-
eformation-2014-program

 Check out some
 books and resources about the
 Church and Social Media,
 or frame your own social media ministry calling.
 I have collected the resources
 I used in my research project
 from this past year.
(for completion of a Master's at Concordia Chicago-
 in Church and Community Leadership)

Here is the Pinterest board -Church-social-media-gospel.

Names that have been especially helpful include:
Meridith Gould- author
Julie Anne Lytle-author
Elizabeth Drescher-author
Jennifer Einolf- Bold Whisper
Keith Andersen-author
John Roberto- author
Seth Hinz-Web Media Director at the Michigan District - LCMS

Kyle Matthew Oliver-Digital Missioner and Learning Lab Coordinator
in the Center for the Ministry of Teaching at Virginia Theological Seminary

Here is a thoughtful reflection from Kyle:
commentary/reflections-social-media-sermon-

And so we pray:
Heavenly Father, may you use us as 
your vessels to be refashioned, reformed,
 and yielded to the work of the Holy spirit within us.
Help us to let go of pride that stands in the way
 of being useful for your purpose where you
 are already working in your Kingdom.
Give us the grace to start over, try again,
 experiment with something new,
 for the sake of those that do NOT know you yet.
That they may hear your Love Whisper,
 and respond, because we have cared enough
 to keep on keeping on,
for each ONE that you LOVE.  Amen.

This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.

Revelation 14:12

eformation- Deploying Digital Missionaries

#11 in the eformation series

About two years ago I began
 to think about the work
 of blogging, pinning, and tweeting
 as missionary efforts. 

Leaving the parking lot of many churches,

 I often see a sign that says-

Go in Peace

or

  You are Entering the Missionary Field.

The more I thought about it,
 the more I began to see

 the digital world

 as a missionary field.

Then, I connected that to the thought
 that a vacuum always gets filled.

 I was also having a challenging time
finding authentic, 

valid, good Doctrine, sound theology sites
 to follow and recommend.

If, we as Christians,
 are not going to fill the void,

 it will be filled. 

Perhaps it is time for us to add
 GOODNESS
 to the digital world.

I have a small following on my blog.

It was started as a place to encourage my family.

Then, I began to take notice of the AUDIENCE.

This is who is reading this week-


United States---728
Russia----431
Moldova---75
France-17
Ukraine---17
Poland---11
Germany---7
Singapore---6
China---4
Australia---3

On blogspot, it is possible to add
 the widget of Google Translator.
The blog is then read
 in the language of choice.
All around the WORLD. 
I had to look up Moldova.
It is a landlocked country in eastern Europe 
located between Romania to its west
 and Ukraine to its north, east and south.
Moldova declared itself an 
independent state
 in 1991 with the dissolution
 of the Soviet Union.

So, Really?

 People in other countries are looking

 at this spot and the writing?

Seeing what it looks like 

to be a follower of Jesus.

From my living room.

In Virginia.

The United States.

What if we began to raise up writers,

 photographers,

and bloggers that were united

 to do this as a team?

With Kingdom goals in mind?

For the sake of God's plan

 of redemption for His world?

What if we 

deployed

 digital missionaries?

All ages and stages of life.

Through economic levels.

Joining all sorts of life vocations-

TOGETHER.

That is the way I have approached

 my involvement with all digital media.

Social for the sake of the Gospel.

What might our REACH be together?

With the grace of God
 and Holy Spirit leading,

we do not have to control where

 HOPE AND HEALING 

in the name of JESUS goes.

We are simply called to be obedient.

Where might the Holy Spirit

 be asking you to touch the world with

 GOOD NEWS?

eformation- Don't Count the Boomers Out

 #10 in the eformation Series

"The boomers, who have tread new ground

 and changed the landscape of culture and society

 throughout their lifespan

 are rapidly tipping into retirement.

 Being adventuresome, many are on the cutting edge

 of technology. At the same time, they are discovering

 the physical, emotional, and psychological changes

 that occur as they grow older and live longer.

 What does the church offer this group? 

And more specifically, 

what is the role of digital ministry

 in fostering communications, building relationships, 

and exploring spirituality among adults 65-100?"

 Dorothy Lithicum - Program Coordinator and Instructor

 for the Center for the Ministry of Teaching

 at  Virginia Theological Seminary

Every age and stage of life

 is God-ordained and therefore has a purpose.

Some workshop gleanings:

The Unites States has more people 65+

than the entire population of CANADA.

As many people 75+ leave our churches

 as the youth after Confirmation.

This is the reason for the growth of boomers

 becoming internet savvy and learning

 about social media tools-

GRANDCHILDREN.

The fastest growing group of internet users

 is the group 75+

 because of this new generation

 of grands and great-grands.

 Health reasons often become the reason

older adults no longer can attend Bible Studies

 and worship services. 

They are seeking internet resources

 for faith encouragement and spiritual growth tools.

It is no longer a once a month Communion

 visit from clergy 

that keeps them connected to "church".

Having resources for them to "SHARE"

 among friends 

lets them know they are not

 a forgotten slice of the population.

The Passing of Faith from One Generation 

to the Next is the Greatest Gift

 we Give to both the Boomers and the Builders.

Five Practices for Ministries for Boomers

Make it:

Adventurous

Fun

Significant

Educational

Spiritual

                                 John Roberto

Social Media connections can be built in

 as a basic part of Boomer Ministry.

Visual social media- Facebook and Pinterest

are two of the fastest growing sites for Boomers.

Often the Boomers want to be SHOWN HOW

 to use social media tools.

They are not digital natives,

 so find it less intuitive. 

As they have learned that to keep

 in the communication loop, 

they must set out to "KEEP UP",

 they form a highly motivated group.

And they "get it" -

when the church talks about deploying

digital missionaries.

eformation- When the Church Leads

#9 in the eformation Series

Some collected notes here for church leaders
and layleaders

from the eformation conference 2014.
eformationvts

The main purpose of online ministry:

 Educate Encourage and Equip.

The primary audience for online ministry is :

1) existing congregants

2) the other relationships their congregants have.

(The church has said for awhile

 that it is the unchurched,

 but the reality proves that it is relationship driven.

It is the friends of the members.)

The main job of church leaders

 is to get OTHERS

to do the social media.

The ministry markers of
 interaction points include:

the public setting- (worship,
teaching settings, even church meetings)

 email,

 phone, social media,

 back channel-

(private notes on social media)

 and IRL-in real life,
(chatting over coffee at Starbucks).

ALL of these venues become settings

 for conversations and engagement

 that connect to a leader's circle of influence.
ALL of these connections
 can have spiritual forming
opportunities.

 Social media success today depends on 

thinking VISUALLY about goals and message.

Art has always been a gateway to the sacred-

it is effective in social media connections.

Consistent branding across all profiles

 is necessary to build recognizable connections.

Engage a few key participants

 that will participate by sharing posts

 on their own social media sites.

It is important to do tagging

 with keywords and #hashtags.

Pace posts.

A Facebook page that has been dormant

 for a month is as good as nonexistent.

Groups are not necessarily community.

Social media communication

 has disbanded space, time,

 and age boundaries for engagement.

If you are posting-

then it is important to comment on other posts-

after all it is SOCIAL media.

The most critical aspect for planning is to make sure that:

STRATEGY, AUDIENCE, GOAL and MESSAGE

is determined BEFORE:

TACTICS of WHEN, WHERE, and HOW.

The liturgical calendar

 is the best organizational tool

 for bringing help to families in your community.

Think about bringing them faith formation tools 

that are SEASONAL,

 not weekly.

  Be realistic about what families

 might be able to participate in/add to family life living.

In every aspect of social media engagement:

Cover all plans in PRAYER, and

 trust the work of the HOLY SPIRIT.

 Remember that you are doing

 more than sharing information-

you are creating SACRED SPACE online.

Notes taken from sessions with:
Meredith Gould, Sharon Ely Pearson,
John Roberto, Tom Tomaszek

eformation- your online PRESENCE

#8 in the eformation Series

Wading into the write, like, publish, share and

 comment world online takes a bit of

getting used to the rhythm of digital media.

It can have a life of its own.

That can be good and bad-

in the networked super highway.

My dip into the blogging world
 happened nearly five years ago.
(now 10 years ago) 

My early connections were some personal blogs 
that were more like spewing,

 ranting and raving discourses and I quickly left that- 

vowing never to return.

Then, when the visual world

 began to catch up to the written word-

I was drawn in, and hooked.

 Looking for the stories of online PRESENCE-

 that brought HOPE, HELP, 

 with words of encouragement.

Surely someone was online
 already offering that voice?

Women writers…

Lutheran….

single and married…

mommas and not…

on the journey?

It has been a daunting task

 to discover where they are…

to listen for their heart…..
On the right side of my blog is-
 MY  BLOG LIST.
The list of some blogs worthy of following, 
that have a spiritual forming purpose.
They are in order of their most recent posts.

Not all female. Not all Lutheran.
But valid, and valuable voices
 for reading
 and listening
to their small pieces of life-learned lessons.

What I have learned in the three years
(now 8 years)
 of online presence-
is that it is VERY IMPORTANT to decide-
 HOW I will be online.
 Not fake, but always with words that build up, 
and never tear down.
The careful voice of mentoring
 given to 3 daughters growing up,
 applies here online too.
Grace always,
  the beginning and end, in all things shared.

There are always multiple points of view.
 What is one piece of information
 that might change how we see another's story?

What is CHRISTLIKE-
the picture of this transformative journey
 that we have been on since our Baptism?

And finally- do my words bless others?
No other posture is worth the time, energy,
 and space
 in my daily conversations
 or the ones that fill the internet.

 Our spiritual formation
 impacted with digital connections 
is eformation.
May our PRESENCE-
be Christlike,
 bless others, 
encourage and build one another up.

 Don’t use foul or abusive language. 

Let everything you say be good and helpful,

 so that your words will be an encouragement 

to those who hear them.

Ephesians 4:29  NLT

(some updates have been added to share this again)