"All religions, arts, and sciences are branches of the same tree"
Albert Einstein
Dear Aspen Chapel Families,
Tomorrow we spring forward! Don't forget to change your clocks! Hopefully we'll all be motivated to get an early start now that the sun is finally shining! In Sunday school we are continuing our inquiry into World Religions. Obviously as our children get older and take Social Studies classes, they'll learn the history behind so many religions, what the roots were that religions around the world were born from, the cultural and political implications of various religions, the geographic origins of religions, and all the varieties of religions that have branched off into smaller belief systems. The goal at this young age is to instill a sense of tolerance and respect for people who believe differently. When we share answers to questions or our thoughts, just in our little circle of young people at the Aspen Chapel, the diversity of thought is evident. When we create a safe place to question, wonder, share, make mistakes, speculate, and disagree, this sets children up for an open-minded approach to life as they meet new ideas, people, and experiences. The goal is not to have them memorize religions, symbols, or rituals. It's merely to open them up to the fact that we share our our planet with millions of people, and despite our different religions, we share many similarities. Tomorrow the Sunday School children will continue discussing the idea of different beliefs, then they will draw images that represent what they believe, getting them used to the idea that they may have different images/beliefs than their neighbor, friend, or sibling! We'll then have story time and conclude with a guided meditation. Speaking of World Religions, I will not be at the Aspen Chapel for the next two weeks (17th and 24th). I will be leading a student trip to Mumbai and a remote village called Chinchoti. In Mumbai we'll visit the Gandhi museum, visit a Jain temple, and work with Hindus and Muslims in a community center in the slums. My host family in Chinchoti wakes in the very early morning to honor Hindu Gods with marigolds, candles and incense. I'll be excited to share pictures and stories with the Sunday School children upon return. We are honored to have Drew Sorenson, our former Sunday School teacher, and Perrin Elisha, a parent and congregation member, teach Sunday School. Also, due to an illness, we are postponing our rehearsals with Dan Sheridan until I return. He was unable to rehearse our song with the Sunday School last Sunday, the 3rd, so they're not ready to perform tomorrow. We will set a new date and I will keep you informed about the students singing for the congregation!! Have a wonderful weekend and we hope to see you all tomorrow! If you ever have any questions regarding our services or your children's needs, please email me at michelle@aspenchapel.org In Peace and Blessings, Michelle Skagen Aspen Chapel Youth Coordinator |
Saturday, March 9, 2019
March 9, 2019
Saturday, March 2, 2019
March 2, 2019
"If we take the world's enduring religions at their best, we discover the distilled wisdom of the human race" ~Huston Smith
Dear Aspen Chapel Families,
In a time when tensions around the world are mounting, nationalist movements are growing in resistance to human migration, and as our own nation becomes more polarized, we must find a way to instill tolerance and respect among our children. Identification with religion can be a root cause of conflict and misunderstanding among people, but as Huston Smith suggests, we are more similar than we are different if we examine the basic elements of each belief system.
As a person who grew up in a progressive, new age Christian church, I like to believe that I am very open-minded to all religions. But when I honestly examine my assumptions and stereotypes of different beliefs and practices, I can see I have a lot to learn in order to avoid generalizing and setting groups of people apart. This requires an effort not only to identify what the symbols and traditions are, but to understand the true wisdom behind each religion. If we are to move into a more tolerant and united civilization, I think we have an obligation to expose our children to the best aspects of all religions and cultures, helping them see how much we have in common with people all around the world.
This Sunday we will begin an inquiry into world religions. The kids will have an opportunity to share what religion means to them and their prior knowledge of different religions. We'll discuss some of the very basic beliefs and traditions of well-known religions, and do a project called "Pieces of the Pie", which shows visually how all these different religions make up a whole. The differences are seen in the outer edge of the pie, with symbols, traditions, foods, dress, etc. The similarities are found in the middle, which is where the underlying wisdom resides. If we have time, we'll read God's Dream by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Sunday School students are invited to perform a song with Dan Sheridan on March 10th at the Sunday service. He will be joining us toward the end of our session tomorrow to practice the song, "To Love, Serve, and Remember" by John Astin, which can be pulled up on YouTube. It would be great if kids could practice this over the next week. I look forward to seeing you and your children tomorrow!
If you ever have any questions
regarding our services or your
children's needs, please email me
at michelle@aspenchapel.org
In Peace and Blessings,
Michelle Skagen
Aspen Chapel Youth Coordinator
In a time when tensions around the world are mounting, nationalist movements are growing in resistance to human migration, and as our own nation becomes more polarized, we must find a way to instill tolerance and respect among our children. Identification with religion can be a root cause of conflict and misunderstanding among people, but as Huston Smith suggests, we are more similar than we are different if we examine the basic elements of each belief system.
As a person who grew up in a progressive, new age Christian church, I like to believe that I am very open-minded to all religions. But when I honestly examine my assumptions and stereotypes of different beliefs and practices, I can see I have a lot to learn in order to avoid generalizing and setting groups of people apart. This requires an effort not only to identify what the symbols and traditions are, but to understand the true wisdom behind each religion. If we are to move into a more tolerant and united civilization, I think we have an obligation to expose our children to the best aspects of all religions and cultures, helping them see how much we have in common with people all around the world.
This Sunday we will begin an inquiry into world religions. The kids will have an opportunity to share what religion means to them and their prior knowledge of different religions. We'll discuss some of the very basic beliefs and traditions of well-known religions, and do a project called "Pieces of the Pie", which shows visually how all these different religions make up a whole. The differences are seen in the outer edge of the pie, with symbols, traditions, foods, dress, etc. The similarities are found in the middle, which is where the underlying wisdom resides. If we have time, we'll read God's Dream by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Sunday School students are invited to perform a song with Dan Sheridan on March 10th at the Sunday service. He will be joining us toward the end of our session tomorrow to practice the song, "To Love, Serve, and Remember" by John Astin, which can be pulled up on YouTube. It would be great if kids could practice this over the next week. I look forward to seeing you and your children tomorrow!
If you ever have any questions
regarding our services or your
children's needs, please email me
at michelle@aspenchapel.org
In Peace and Blessings,
Michelle Skagen
Aspen Chapel Youth Coordinator
Saturday, February 9, 2019
February 9, 2019
"You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection." ~Buddha
Dear Aspen Chapel Families,
Somewhere along the way as we were conditioned by our families, our peers, our education, media, economy, and culture, many of us were taught NOT to love ourselves. We've been taught the virtues of selflessness and humility. We have a hard time accepting compliments and feel guilty if we take care of ourselves or take a day off from our responsibilities. As we deny the flow of love for ourselves, we seek love from others and are disappointed and resentful when people don't love us the way we expected them to.
What if this new generation of children could learn EARLIER to love and honor themselves? Perhaps if we teach them to honor their own needs and love themselves unconditionally, they could be fulfilled no matter what's going on in their lives externally! What if they loved themselves enough to listen to their inner-wisdom and could learn to say no in the face of peer pressure or a desire to please others?
Tomorrow in Sunday School we'll talk about the importance of loving ourselves and practicing self-acceptance. We'll read Giraffes Can't Dance, which illustrates the idea of embracing our individuality instead of denying who we are in order to fit in. And children will make a Valentine for themselves, using images from magazines to create a self-care collage. And we'll again close with a meditation, which is a practice that over time can help us develop self-love.
I still have a long way to go in the self-love department. But I did buy myself some yellow roses yesterday. I even asserted my need for help without using passive-aggressive communication techniques, like sighing. I hope that you, as parents, will do something good for yourselves today, as an example to your children that we can become better at loving when we start with ourselves.
Happy Valentine's week and I do hope to see you all tomorrow.
If you ever have any questions
regarding our services or your
children's needs, please email
me at michelle@aspenchapel.org
In Peace and Blessings,
Michelle Skagen
Aspen Chapel Youth Coordinator
Somewhere along the way as we were conditioned by our families, our peers, our education, media, economy, and culture, many of us were taught NOT to love ourselves. We've been taught the virtues of selflessness and humility. We have a hard time accepting compliments and feel guilty if we take care of ourselves or take a day off from our responsibilities. As we deny the flow of love for ourselves, we seek love from others and are disappointed and resentful when people don't love us the way we expected them to.
What if this new generation of children could learn EARLIER to love and honor themselves? Perhaps if we teach them to honor their own needs and love themselves unconditionally, they could be fulfilled no matter what's going on in their lives externally! What if they loved themselves enough to listen to their inner-wisdom and could learn to say no in the face of peer pressure or a desire to please others?
Tomorrow in Sunday School we'll talk about the importance of loving ourselves and practicing self-acceptance. We'll read Giraffes Can't Dance, which illustrates the idea of embracing our individuality instead of denying who we are in order to fit in. And children will make a Valentine for themselves, using images from magazines to create a self-care collage. And we'll again close with a meditation, which is a practice that over time can help us develop self-love.
I still have a long way to go in the self-love department. But I did buy myself some yellow roses yesterday. I even asserted my need for help without using passive-aggressive communication techniques, like sighing. I hope that you, as parents, will do something good for yourselves today, as an example to your children that we can become better at loving when we start with ourselves.
Happy Valentine's week and I do hope to see you all tomorrow.
If you ever have any questions
regarding our services or your
children's needs, please email
me at michelle@aspenchapel.org
In Peace and Blessings,
Michelle Skagen
Aspen Chapel Youth Coordinator
Saturday, February 2, 2019
February 2, 2019
| "We've been infected with this idea that love is an emotion only felt between two people. But love is universal. An energy. A contagious force. A gift. To offer money to a homeless man is love. To save a worm from the sun is to love. To smile at a stranger is to love. To be grateful, to be hopeful, to be brave, to be forgiving, to be proud, is to love." A.R. Lucas Dear Aspen Chapel families, February is here! The love month! It's evident in City Market and in all the storefronts that it's the time of year for heart candies, red heart boxes, red outfits, chocolates, and Valentine's Day decor! So it's only appropriate that at Sunday school we celebrate the idea of Love for the month of February. The commercial version of love that's displayed in all the supermarkets, window displays, and advertisements for Valentine's Dinner specials implies that love is all about romance and the love between two people. In Sunday School, we want to expand the idea of love and broaden its definition. When we are operating from our highest mind, which is typically accessed when we take time to be silent and grateful, we tap into the love that resides within all of us. The expressions of this love can be observed in everyday actions: from making sure our pets have clean water to spending quality time with someone. Tomorrow we'll start our February theme by discussing what love is, words that describe love, talking about how others show love, and when we feel love. We'll then do an art project that illustrates how love plays a role in each of our lives. Following our project we'll read a story and go into a guided meditation. I hope you'll be able to join us tomorrow! If you ever have any questions regarding our services or your children's needs, please email me at michelle@aspenchapel.org In Peace and Blessings, Michelle Skagen Aspen Chapel Youth Coordinator |
Saturday, January 19, 2019
January 19, 2019
"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." -Martin Luther King
Dear Aspen Chapel families,
I think this quote is so powerful and can apply to any situation and any age group. Whether we're starting ski school, doing a school project, performing in a play, taking on new responsibilities, or even coping with trauma or change, stepping into it without knowing the outcome is where we find and grow our faith.
This Sunday we'll be connecting ourselves with who and what we have faith in. As we grow up, we'll encounter so many people and situations that either strengthen our faith or weaken it. Some people cheer us on and mirror our strength and confidence. Others might do and say things that knock us off our path with discouraging comments or actions, which can create self-doubt. This starts right away in early childhood, as young as pre-school when children are learning to work alongside each other. Over the years I've tried to listen in on my kids' playdates, to make sure there's emotional and physical safety. I've observed friends who bring out the best in my kids, making them long for more time together. I've also seen and heard my kids get deflated by comments, which you can see in their face. These doubts can follow us as we grow, causing us to fear failure so much that we sometimes don't take the first step toward the top of the staircase.
The idea is to foster our children's inner-faith. That they see themselves as divine beings with divine potential. Once they develop this inner faith in themselves, they can meet encounters with all people with confidence. We'll always have people in our lives who cheer us on. But there will also people people who project their own self-doubt onto us. The more connected we are to our divinity, the easier it becomes to keep stepping up toward the unknown.
Our children might not fully understand this right now. It can take a lifetime to integrate these ideas, but my goal each Sunday is to plant seeds. I hope to see your children tomorrow!
Also, I want to remind you that for Martin Luther King Day, the chapel is hosting a community dinner for the homeless. You and your children are invited to join us anytime between 3:30 and 6:00 to prepare the meals and tables. It is not necessary to come for the whole time, if you need to come a little later. Then at 6:00 we'll enjoy a community dinner together. It should be a heart-opening experience!
If you ever have any questions regarding our services or your children's needs, please email me at michelle@aspenchapel.org
In Peace and Blessings,
Michelle Skagen
Aspen Chapel Youth Coordinator
Dear Aspen Chapel families,
I think this quote is so powerful and can apply to any situation and any age group. Whether we're starting ski school, doing a school project, performing in a play, taking on new responsibilities, or even coping with trauma or change, stepping into it without knowing the outcome is where we find and grow our faith.
This Sunday we'll be connecting ourselves with who and what we have faith in. As we grow up, we'll encounter so many people and situations that either strengthen our faith or weaken it. Some people cheer us on and mirror our strength and confidence. Others might do and say things that knock us off our path with discouraging comments or actions, which can create self-doubt. This starts right away in early childhood, as young as pre-school when children are learning to work alongside each other. Over the years I've tried to listen in on my kids' playdates, to make sure there's emotional and physical safety. I've observed friends who bring out the best in my kids, making them long for more time together. I've also seen and heard my kids get deflated by comments, which you can see in their face. These doubts can follow us as we grow, causing us to fear failure so much that we sometimes don't take the first step toward the top of the staircase.
The idea is to foster our children's inner-faith. That they see themselves as divine beings with divine potential. Once they develop this inner faith in themselves, they can meet encounters with all people with confidence. We'll always have people in our lives who cheer us on. But there will also people people who project their own self-doubt onto us. The more connected we are to our divinity, the easier it becomes to keep stepping up toward the unknown.
Our children might not fully understand this right now. It can take a lifetime to integrate these ideas, but my goal each Sunday is to plant seeds. I hope to see your children tomorrow!
Also, I want to remind you that for Martin Luther King Day, the chapel is hosting a community dinner for the homeless. You and your children are invited to join us anytime between 3:30 and 6:00 to prepare the meals and tables. It is not necessary to come for the whole time, if you need to come a little later. Then at 6:00 we'll enjoy a community dinner together. It should be a heart-opening experience!
If you ever have any questions regarding our services or your children's needs, please email me at michelle@aspenchapel.org
In Peace and Blessings,
Michelle Skagen
Aspen Chapel Youth Coordinator
Saturday, January 12, 2019
January 12, 2019
Dear Aspen Chapel Families,
I hope this first week of getting back into a routine has felt as wonderful to you as it has for our family! As lovely as the holidays are, I find that my own children are far happier when the days are predictable and when they have a sense of purpose and responsibility.
I ended up getting sick at the tail end of the holiday break, and felt frustrated at first, and resentful of how far behind in my responsibilities I became. But through meditation (which was restored once the school bus arrived;)), I came to realize that sometimes it's okay to experience CONTRAST. When we are experiencing lack of productivity and motivation, or even depression or sluggishness, it provides an opportunity for us to fully appreciate the contrast once we get back on our feet. It's like recovering from a cold, and finally breathing through our nostrils without congestion. We promise ourselves that we'll never take that for granted again! This can be a great way to help kids move through their own frustrations. Conditions are never permanent, and sometimes CONTRAST or feeling the opposite of how we WANT to feel is our best teacher.
As I mentioned in a previous email, January can be a time to push the reset button. We'll spend the next three weeks examining Faith: what it is, how to find it, and how it can help us. In conjunction to that, we'll commit time to a guided meditation every Sunday this month. Below is a link to an article in Forbes magazine: Science shows meditation benefits children's brains and behavior. I find that in my own life, with pressures coming from so many directions, that meditation is where I find perspective and heart-centered answers. What a privilege to help kids learn this tool so early on!
I hope to see your children tomorrow and hope you're having a safe, relaxing, and joyful weekend.
If you ever have any questions regarding
our services or your children's needs,
please email me at michelle@aspenchapel.org
In Peace and Blessings,
Michelle Skagen
Aspen Chapel Youth Coordinator
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2016/10/18/the-many-benefits-of-meditation-for-children/#172601eddbe3
I hope this first week of getting back into a routine has felt as wonderful to you as it has for our family! As lovely as the holidays are, I find that my own children are far happier when the days are predictable and when they have a sense of purpose and responsibility.
I ended up getting sick at the tail end of the holiday break, and felt frustrated at first, and resentful of how far behind in my responsibilities I became. But through meditation (which was restored once the school bus arrived;)), I came to realize that sometimes it's okay to experience CONTRAST. When we are experiencing lack of productivity and motivation, or even depression or sluggishness, it provides an opportunity for us to fully appreciate the contrast once we get back on our feet. It's like recovering from a cold, and finally breathing through our nostrils without congestion. We promise ourselves that we'll never take that for granted again! This can be a great way to help kids move through their own frustrations. Conditions are never permanent, and sometimes CONTRAST or feeling the opposite of how we WANT to feel is our best teacher.
As I mentioned in a previous email, January can be a time to push the reset button. We'll spend the next three weeks examining Faith: what it is, how to find it, and how it can help us. In conjunction to that, we'll commit time to a guided meditation every Sunday this month. Below is a link to an article in Forbes magazine: Science shows meditation benefits children's brains and behavior. I find that in my own life, with pressures coming from so many directions, that meditation is where I find perspective and heart-centered answers. What a privilege to help kids learn this tool so early on!
I hope to see your children tomorrow and hope you're having a safe, relaxing, and joyful weekend.
If you ever have any questions regarding
our services or your children's needs,
please email me at michelle@aspenchapel.org
In Peace and Blessings,
Michelle Skagen
Aspen Chapel Youth Coordinator
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2016/10/18/the-many-benefits-of-meditation-for-children/#172601eddbe3
Saturday, January 5, 2019
January 5, 2019
| Dear Aspen Chapel Families, Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday break filled with good health, relaxation, fun, and cheer! The pace of the holidays can make us feel glad to start the new year with familiar routines and healthy habits. If as parents we're modeling how to make resolutions or set goals for the New Year, our children are paying attention and perhaps thinking about their own goals for the year. However, even adults can get discouraged right off the bat when resolutions are broken in the first week due to illness, unpredictable stress at work or in the family, more festive obligations and gatherings, or just the obstacles we face in our daily round. It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the growing list of tasks we must do in order to meet our goals when we get met with setbacks. So if adults can feel discouraged, then kids can feel discouraged as well! They also experience setbacks with school work, illness, friends, siblings, and exhaustion from the holidays. With this in mind, I'd like to start the New Year focusing on the theme of FAITH. It's so easy to start a negative thinking spiral when things don't go our way or when what we want doesn't happen when we want it, but when we have Faith, it builds resilience and the trust required to surrender to the process of life unfolding. We will spend the next few weeks discussing what faith is, what we have faith in, and how we can use our faith to guide us and encourage us when life throws us curve balls. In addition, we'll work on meditation and relaxation techniques as a tool children can use when it's necessary to listen to their inner guide. "Take a leap of Faith and begin this wondrous year by believing. Believe in yourself. And believe that there is a loving Source - a Sower of Dreams -- just waiting to be asked to help you make your dreams come true." - Sarah Ban Breathnach Hope to see you tomorrow! In Peace and Blessings, Michelle Skagen Aspen Chapel Youth Coordinator If you ever have questions regarding our services or your children's needs, please email me at michelle@aspenchapel.org |
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