Lighting A Fire

Lighting A Fire

By Bryant RussReligion & SpiritualityEducation
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Lighting A Fire episodes

  • The Gift of Wonder - with Christine Aroney-Sine

    What if God delights in play? What if sledding down a snow-covered hill or having a water balloon fight could be acts of worship? What if Jesus laughed with his disciples, and still laughs today? Bryant talks with Christine Aroney-Sine about these questions and more as they discuss her beautiful new book, The Gift of Wonder, Creative Practices for Delighting in God.


    A description of The Gift of Wonder from godspacelight.com:


    Can you imagine a God who dances with shouts of joy, laughs when you laugh, loves to play, enjoys life, and invites us to join the fun? I couldn’t until recently. I grew up with a very serious, workaholic God. Even when my theology changed, I struggled to live into my new way of thinking. Then Jesus words Unless you become like a child you cannot enter the kingdom, began to resonate in my head.


    What childlike characteristics shape us into the people God intends us to be? I posted my question on Facebook and was amazed at the response. Curiosity, imagination, playfulness, creativity, awe and wonder, compassion, love of nature, trust and many more emerged. I chose 12 and explore them in The Gift of Wonder encouraging us to develop fresh spiritual practices that engage all our senses and help us to live a new kind of spiritual life that embraces the wonder and joy that God intends for us. The chapter ends with a creative spiritual exercise based on the characteristic discussed in it. These exercises are designed as both individual and group activities and encourage us to think outside the box and enjoy the presence of the fun loving, joy filled God we follow.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    28 min
  • The Importance of Knowing Yourself - with Chuck DeGroat

    What does seeking to better understand yourself--your motives, hurts, and desires--have to do with being a Christian school teacher? Join today's conversation with Chuck DeGroat, counselor, pastor, professor, author, and all-around-awesome-guy, as we explore the importance of self-knowledge.


    Today's episode is brought to you by Western Theological Seminary. Western Sem is a graciously evangelical and ecumenical community of faith and learning rooted in the Reformed tradition. Through academic excellence and whole-person formation, it is the goal of faculty and staff to equip women and men for Christ-centered, biblically based, theologically integrated, contextually engaged, mission-focused ministry.  Learn more at www.westernsem.edu


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    31 min
  • A Conversation with Actor Jonathan Roumie - Jesus from The Chosen
    What did Jesus look and sound like? How did he and the disciples interact with one another? What did they talk about around the fire? The Chosen--a multi-season series about the life of Jesus and his disciples--helps us imagine the gospels like never before. Join us for a conversation with Jonathan Roumie, the actor who so dynamically portrays Jesus in the series that's transforming hearts and minds around the world.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    45 min
  • Humor, Creativity and Engagement
    "The Story of Funny" (episode 2) ended with a question: How do YOU use humor to engage students in the classroom? In today's show, Bryant shares some of the terrific responses he's received, has a conversation with a teacher who's created her own alter-ego to help teach science, and even raps about taking his daughter to the grocery store (spoiler alert: it didn't go well).

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    13 min
  • Teaching Christianly with Dr. David Smith

    How does being a Christian influence the way I go about being a teacher?

    What does Math, or History, or French have to do with the Kingdom of God? 

    What kind of story is my classroom telling? 


    Dr. David Smith explores these questions and more in today’s show!


    Resources talked about today's show:


    What If Learning

    http://www.whatiflearning.com/


    Digital Life Together (book)

    https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Life-Together-Challenge-Technology/dp/0802877036/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=david+I+smith&qid=1598922870&sr=8-1


    On Christian Teaching (book)

    https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Teaching-Practicing-Faith-Classroom/dp/080287360X/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=david+I+smith&qid=1598922895&sr=8-2


    Teaching for Transformation

    https://www.teachingfortransformation.org/


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    34 min
  • The Story of Funny

    In today’s “wonder” episode, Bryant’s five year old daughter asks the question, “what makes something funny?” Join Bryant as he learns about humor through multiple lenses in conversation with Humor Research Labs founder Dr. Peter McGraw (6:40), Harmon Brothers CEO Benton Crane (22:42), and Lansing Christian Head of School Wendy Hofman (31:00).


    Today’s episode is sponsored by CACE (Center for the Advancement of Christian Education). Specifically, CACE's Teaching for Transformation framework. Teaching for Transformation is a design framework for the creation of authentic formational learning experiences that are rooted in a transformational worldview with a focus on inviting, nurturing and empowering teachers and students to play their part in God’s story through their everyday learning. The core practices of Teaching for Transformation are being used in over 100 schools worldwide to create learning experiences that empower teachers and students to explore their role in the Kingdom story.

     

    Learn more at teachingfortransformation.org


    Resources mentioned in today's show:

    Peter McGraw's book Shtick to Business: https://www.petermcgraw.org/books/shtick-to-business/

    Squatty Potty commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbYWhdLO43Q&t=2s

    LCS Frozen Parody: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGk6PryOD84


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    40 min
  • "What are they going to learn this year?!"
    Is anyone else feeling incredibly overwhelmed as the school year approaches?! In this episode, Bryant answers a news anchor's discouraged question--"What are they going to learn this year?"--by reflecting on the unique potential for education in challenging times. Also, listen to the end for a sneak peek at upcoming episodes! 

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    12 min

About Lighting A Fire

From the publisher's feed

“Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire” - W.B. Yeats


We love to learn. And since God is the Creator of all things, we believe that…