REALITY CHRISTIANITY

Experience the connection of LIFE and FAITH

LifeCrossings resources begin with the premise that connecting Christian faith with the daily challenges of life in American society is best done within the Christian community.

From Here to Community: Enhancing Christian Community in Today's Society

(Table of Contents)

During a discussion on “our everyday Christian walk” a young woman blurts out that she had a baby and wasn’t married then.  How will the others in the small group deal with her confession?  Will they tell her not to come back again?  These questions are encountered in “Forgiveness”, one of the true stories about life’s choices.

Only in a community that is intentional about providing safety and acceptance in a loving and forgiving atmosphere will people be able to share the stories where life crosses faith.

From Here to Community helps you create such a place as it takes you on Twelve Journeys from individualism to community as you:

	Move from me/us to God and God’s community.
	Make your community a safe place for discussion, learning, sharing, support, and “refueling”.
	Are stimulated to action in church and society.

This is a great resource to help folks within a small group or adult education class to experience first hand the joys of Christian community and also build a stronger church community. 

This LifeCrossings course, From Here to Community,  … is designed to be a resource for moving individuals and congregations from being “a gathering of strangers” to being community.  The authors, Dick and Judy Reuning, have created a course with a companion Leader’s Guide that enables the participants to grasp the vision and to take concrete positive steps towards its realization.  They have drawn on a rich reservoir of sociological, psychological, and above all theological sources.  The twelve sessions invite participants on a journey complete with “food for the journey,” “encounters along the way,” and “notes for the travel log.” from the Foreword by Walter R. Bouman, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology

SEASONS OF CHRISTIAN LIFE Series

Autumn: Finding Meaning and Joy Amid Change and Loss (Table of Contents)

George and Margaret, healthy and active at ages 93 and 86, are being encouraged by their sons to move from their home to a retirement/independent living community.  Pros and cons of the move are debated in an Encounter called “Autumn: Twenty-eight years and counting”.

 Sarah is looking forward to retirement and travel with her husband when she finds herself sandwiched between responsibilities for her son who has bipolar disorder and her mother seriously ill in a nursing home.

This six-session series helps all generations ponder the years before and beyond retirement and to make plans.  What’s life all about?  Am I ready for the future whatever it holds?  Will there be a plentiful harvest or scarcity?  Should I move?  Is there no escape from change?  Why suffering?  Why loss?  Where is God in all of this?  Is there a role for the Christian community?  What wisdom can I share with other generations?   

Autumn: Finding Meaning and Joy Amid Change and Loss has six sessions or journeys to help people of all ages make plans and good choices now for later life. Rich Bimler from Wheat Ridge Ministries writes in the Foreword, “A powerful part of this discussion resource is that it helps each participant to look seriously at the changes, the losses, the sufferings that we all endure, but it does so by first looking through the Cross and the Resurrection of Christ Jesus! This is a book about hope and joy …”

 Winter: The Generations Consider Difficult Choices (Table of Contents)

A grandmother on life support needs kidney dialysis now.  What should the family do?  Where can they go for help?  What would Grandma want?  What would I want?  How would my family know?

A young mother is terminally ill with cancer.  How can the family care for her?  How can she continue to be a part of her children’s lives?  How can she help her family prepare for life without her?

These are a few of the questions posed in Winter where death and dying are faced head on.  Participants in the study will find deep spiritual reflection plus practical suggestions and resources for end-of-life planning and for reaching out to those who are suffering.

The seven sessions of Winter: The Generations Consider Difficult Choices look at end of life issues from the viewpoint of the care-receiver and the care-giver and help individuals discover the gifts of the Christian community to and from those who are in Winter.  It explores the medical, ethical and spiritual aspects of end of life choices.  “The kind of study and reflection this course offers is a way to prepare.  It is a chance to take counsel with one’s own thoughts and absorb the contributions of others before being thrown into an end of life situation, too tired and emotionally drained to function.” from the Foreword by James Childs, Trinity Lutheran Seminary professor.

Spring and Summer are on the horizon.  VISIT US AGAIN!


LifeCrossings - Publisher of unique learning resources

	Brings societal issues out of isolation in sensitive discussions with a good measure of hope and joy
	Targets small groups, adult education classes, retreat settings.
	Sets a new standard for Christian education.
	Includes true stories plus readings from NRSV Bible and well-known contemporary authors.
	Draws from theological, psychological, scientific and sociological sources.
	Tackles issues that require human choices in the midst of ambiguity.

Resources for learning within a community

	User-friendly books designed for individual as well as group participation, plus digging deeper between sessions.
	Companion leader's guide for each session.
	Convenient, efficient teaching plans for leading purposeful, productive sessions.
	Field-tested in small town, urban, and suburban settings.
	Reviewed by advisory board with diverse Christian backgrounds and professional expertise.

Retreats for enhancing skills in leading discussions

	Experience LifeCrossings materials as a participant and as a leader.
	Discover how adults learn.
	Learn how to lead discussions.
	Try out new teaching techniques.
	Relax and reflect with the retreat community.