Joliene grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and is proudly the 6th generation of her family to live here. Born and raised in San Mateo, Joliene is “hella Bay;” She has spent her life living and studying in San Mateo, San Jose, Berkeley, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and the San Lorenzo Valley.
Joliene grew up in a non-religious family with Irish Catholic and Mormon roots. She considers the cultures of these traditions part of her upbringing. Joliene began studying religion independently as an adolescent and formally at university. She joined the United Church of Christ, a progressive Christian denomination, in 2006.
Joliene’s multi- and non-religious upbringing in a working class family placed in a multi-cultural and economically diverse environment, gives her a unique perspective and ability to “translate” theological ideas and concepts to those of us who don’t spend our lives studying spirituality. She is passionate about bringing mainline Protestantism out of the 1960s and into the 21st century.
Joliene believes strongly that a spiritual practice can elevate all aspects of your life. She is an avid reader and learner and is passionate about helping others find resources for their own spiritual journey and practice, as well as updating spiritual practices to meet our modern moment.
She also pastors Divergent Spirit Church, a spiritual community in Boulder Creek, CA. We worship on Sundays at 11:00 a.m. at ____.
Joliene’s ministry helps fund spiritual and emotional literacy for youth by distributing educational materials to churches and families with financial need. Knowing God’s love and preference for the disenfranchised and impoverished, she believes firmly in working for a better world.
Monday, March 30, 2020
Saturday, March 28, 2020
Why I Am Working on Lessons
(besides the fact that I am creating them to use at work)
In trying to teach progressive Christian lessons to children, I have found a few problems:
Of course none of us can solve all of the world’s problems, but I think I have found a space in which many churches are under-serving our children and youth, not for lack of care, but for lack of resources.
Additionally, many parents desire ways to talk to their children about God and spiritual themes and stories, but feel ill-equipped to do so and reluctant to bring their child to church, whether due to their own unfortunate experiences in church, the lack of a good fit for their family nearby, or simple scheduling difficulties. The typical American family no longer has a stay-at-home parent, standard 9-5 hours, or easy commutes, yet our churches are still designed for this world.
I’m not here to convince you to go to church. Don’t get me wrong-- I love church, but I know how boring and lame so many are, even when they aren’t horrifyingly offensive in the kinds of things they teach.
These are designed to be useful: many correlate to particular times of year-- not just religious holidays, but cultural moments like “Black History Month” and LGBTQ+ Pride.
They are designed to be inclusive: Most lessons do not require children to be able to read, though their experience is often elevated when they are literate.
The crafts are also designed to be accessible for children who aren’t yet masterful artists (and for teachers and parents that may not be, either!).
The lessons are progressive. I aim to use inclusive language that does not shame or degrade your child’s identity. I do not use gendered language for God (I don’t call God “He.”). While some of the materials and books do use such language, I encourage you to replace “he” with other pronouns to expand your child’s understanding of divinity and the inherent worth of different genders.
The lessons are also progressive in their theology. Bible stories are weird. I do not intend to “fix” texts that are uncomfortable, nor do I aim to tell anyone “how” to think about God. I try to approach these stories with a scholarly background, a firsthand experience of many holy land sites, a respect for the text and its authors and subjects, and an open way of understanding these stories. That said, not every subject or scholarly explanation is understandable to children. I aim to tell the choose and tell stories in ways that help your children learn and grow in the spirit without shaming or boring them.
I want there to be room for differences in the ways we understand God and experience God’s presence, not to dictate anyone’s understanding. I hope that the lessons, stories, and crafts can help you and your child/ren explore God’s presence and role in your lives.
So Maybe Try It?
I don't know if these are right for you and your family, but the kids I work with have fun and the families are pleased with the material.
Also: the picture books are pretty awesome. I have found some amazing authors and illustrators whose work will hopefully encourage a love of reading in your kids while telling stories of value.
In trying to teach progressive Christian lessons to children, I have found a few problems:
- Many Sunday School lessons are designed for specific age groups, but many Sunday School classes are K-5 (or higher). This means that practically, lessons may be too difficult for some children or uninteresting to others.
- Many Sunday School curricula are expensive, while many churches have limited financial resources.
- Many Sunday School lessons are heavily theological in their interpretations of the stories told. While many of us whom have grown up in the church may not notice this, I believe this removes much of the creative thinking and mystery that can be engaging and wonder-provoking for children. It also makes them less usable for the diverse settings of our congregations.
- Many lesson plans require significant training and/or preparation, while many churches lack the resources or staff to accommodate such requirements.
- There are few progressive curriculum, in general, let alone that can accommodate churches with fewer than 200 members (a small number of children, spanning the elementary school age brackets), a small budget, and a limited staff, which is many (if not most) mainline protestant churches and many non-denominational churches.
- Many progressive, value-driven families aren’t even going to church.
Of course none of us can solve all of the world’s problems, but I think I have found a space in which many churches are under-serving our children and youth, not for lack of care, but for lack of resources.
Additionally, many parents desire ways to talk to their children about God and spiritual themes and stories, but feel ill-equipped to do so and reluctant to bring their child to church, whether due to their own unfortunate experiences in church, the lack of a good fit for their family nearby, or simple scheduling difficulties. The typical American family no longer has a stay-at-home parent, standard 9-5 hours, or easy commutes, yet our churches are still designed for this world.
I’m not here to convince you to go to church. Don’t get me wrong-- I love church, but I know how boring and lame so many are, even when they aren’t horrifyingly offensive in the kinds of things they teach.
TL;DR: WTF is this?
I’ve aimed to create “lessons,” which is to say: a story and activity you can do with your children at home or in a classroom. Each lesson is designed around a Bible story, includes a modern picture book story which can help explain and elevate the moral themes of the Bible story, and a craft that also explores the theme.These are designed to be useful: many correlate to particular times of year-- not just religious holidays, but cultural moments like “Black History Month” and LGBTQ+ Pride.
They are designed to be inclusive: Most lessons do not require children to be able to read, though their experience is often elevated when they are literate.
The crafts are also designed to be accessible for children who aren’t yet masterful artists (and for teachers and parents that may not be, either!).
The lessons are progressive. I aim to use inclusive language that does not shame or degrade your child’s identity. I do not use gendered language for God (I don’t call God “He.”). While some of the materials and books do use such language, I encourage you to replace “he” with other pronouns to expand your child’s understanding of divinity and the inherent worth of different genders.
The lessons are also progressive in their theology. Bible stories are weird. I do not intend to “fix” texts that are uncomfortable, nor do I aim to tell anyone “how” to think about God. I try to approach these stories with a scholarly background, a firsthand experience of many holy land sites, a respect for the text and its authors and subjects, and an open way of understanding these stories. That said, not every subject or scholarly explanation is understandable to children. I aim to tell the choose and tell stories in ways that help your children learn and grow in the spirit without shaming or boring them.
Story
The picture books that correlate with each lesson are not necessarily “biblical.” We don’t live in a world of burning bushes and temples and our biblical figures didn’t live in a world with cars or the internet. The picture books lift up biblical themes in ways that I hope can help young people think about Bible stories differently-- in ways that lift them out of the dust and sand they seem to live in within our imaginations.I want there to be room for differences in the ways we understand God and experience God’s presence, not to dictate anyone’s understanding. I hope that the lessons, stories, and crafts can help you and your child/ren explore God’s presence and role in your lives.
Craft
Each lesson has a craft designed to help your children enjoy learning about the material, use different skill sets and media to engage various learning processes, and create something to remind them of their own divine spark. The crafts vary slightly in their complexity and cost, but are designed to be affordable, easy, and fun. We know not everyone can afford a $25-per-child curated craft each week. Most of my supplies are from the dollar store, second hand store, or a closet.So Maybe Try It?
I don't know if these are right for you and your family, but the kids I work with have fun and the families are pleased with the material.
Also: the picture books are pretty awesome. I have found some amazing authors and illustrators whose work will hopefully encourage a love of reading in your kids while telling stories of value.
Friday, March 27, 2020
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Friday, March 20, 2020
Thursday, March 19, 2020
I Made a Website
So I am trying to start developing my ministry and I'm starting to see how it might come together. Meeting with our conference minister to start the ordination process next month.
So I made a website. It advertises things that aren't yet happening, but I'm trying to start putting things into the world. So:
Divergent Spirit Ministries
So I made a website. It advertises things that aren't yet happening, but I'm trying to start putting things into the world. So:
Divergent Spirit Ministries
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
I Fixed It 2.0
Okay, so slightly revised headcanon for GoT:
The series re-opens shortly after the events of Season 8, with Daenerys' body nestled with dragon eggs and nurtured by Drogon.
They are in Valyria. The priestess from Qarth prays and performs rituals in a nearby cave.
Daenerys is resurrected by fire when the baby dragons hatch. 4?
Daenerys lives, but is weak. The priestess takes her out of old Valyria on a boat (a la Jorah and Tyrion) with the baby dragons as Drogon flies above....
oooooooh, where are they going?
..
Bran is a crap king BECAUSE HE IS EVIL and his cabinet is crap. I mean, why is Bronn master of coin?
Winter is not leaving King's Landing. Things continue to cool and Winter continues in the South. Bran starts squabbles with Sansa about where boundaries and borders are and about resources.
Meanwhile, Sansa is arranging a political marriage with Gendry and Gendry is planning to secede and join kingdoms with House Stark.
--
Arya make landfall WEST OF WESTEROS and finds Daenerys living among the egalitarian tribes of SuperWestLand with her adolescent dragons.
One of the tribespeople-- a teenage girl-- is a warg. She is able to control the dragons and is able to talk to them and communicate with them in a way that has domesticated them, or at least made them controllable/trainable. They fly freely, they hunt from wild herds, and they have designated animals raised for agriculture.
The red priestess and Daenerys have converted members of the tribe to the Lord of Light.
After a short time in the new land, Arya returns to find Jon Snow and tell him what has become of Daenerys.
...
When Arya arrives in the North and finds Jon Snow, she finds that the North is warming... essentially, the climates of the North and South are shifting in a new age in which the South becomes cold and the North warm.
Sansa also arrives shortly after Arya to enlist the help of Jon and the Wildlings in keeping their freedom and resources by joining forces against Bran, who is coming for their lands (especially now that the North is becoming more temperate). There is some drama regarding Sansa's pending marriage with Gendry, but Sansa assures Arya that the arrangement is purely political and Arya concedes that she still has no interest in settling.
Jon agrees to go with Arya to SuperWestLand and he brings some other fun friends.
They successfully enlist the help of Daenerys and her new people. It takes some time for them to engineer and build the ships to bring their numbers to Westeros.
Jon starts developing a relationship with one of the women in the people of SuperWestLand.
----
Meanwhile, Bran is spying on Sansa with animals and learns of what is happening. He begins to weaponize animals. He tries to turn Nymeria and her pack against Sansa, but Nimeria is able to resist once he tries to make her attack Sansa. She protects Sansa from the wolfpack and Bran is no longer able to control her and he finds that he is unable to control magical animals.... because....
----
[[Warg Girl from SuperWestLand]] is able to communicate with animals and among magical animals, has created a sort of culture/allegiance to the Lord of Light and Team Daenerys/Stark.
----
When Daenerys, Jon, Arya, and company arrive back in Westeros, they're in time to help Sansa and Nimeria battle Bran and company. Gendry loses his territory, but Winterfell is not lost.
Gendry is all feelings when Arya returns and Sansa begins to fall for Daenerys. He is jealous of Daenerys, though his relationship with Sansa is formal (though friendly and loving), and he still pines after Arya, who is content to hook up with him, but isn't interested in settling down and making babies.
Sansa and Daenerys develop a deep relationship. It appears that Sansa is also unable to have children as she and Gendry continue to be unable to have children.
Arya takes Brienne hostage.
And...
Arya becomes pregnant by Gendry. They decide to hide her in the crypts during her pregnancy and claim the child as that of Sansa and Arya.
----
However, while Arya is out of commission, Bronn sneaks into Winterfell and kills Brienne. OHHHHHHHHH I know.
-----
Anyway, Arya, Sansa, Jon, and Daenerys (and Drogon and babies) defeat Bran and Company (yes, including Tyrion), but Jon gives his life in the process and a couple baby dragons go, too (PRINCE WHO WAS PROMISED?). Sansa raises Arya's baby and Arya goes back to her travels. Sansa and Daenerys' relationship is an open secret. Gendry is sad about Arya forever.
The series re-opens shortly after the events of Season 8, with Daenerys' body nestled with dragon eggs and nurtured by Drogon.
They are in Valyria. The priestess from Qarth prays and performs rituals in a nearby cave.
Daenerys is resurrected by fire when the baby dragons hatch. 4?
Daenerys lives, but is weak. The priestess takes her out of old Valyria on a boat (a la Jorah and Tyrion) with the baby dragons as Drogon flies above....
oooooooh, where are they going?
..
Bran is a crap king BECAUSE HE IS EVIL and his cabinet is crap. I mean, why is Bronn master of coin?
Winter is not leaving King's Landing. Things continue to cool and Winter continues in the South. Bran starts squabbles with Sansa about where boundaries and borders are and about resources.
Meanwhile, Sansa is arranging a political marriage with Gendry and Gendry is planning to secede and join kingdoms with House Stark.
--
Arya make landfall WEST OF WESTEROS and finds Daenerys living among the egalitarian tribes of SuperWestLand with her adolescent dragons.
One of the tribespeople-- a teenage girl-- is a warg. She is able to control the dragons and is able to talk to them and communicate with them in a way that has domesticated them, or at least made them controllable/trainable. They fly freely, they hunt from wild herds, and they have designated animals raised for agriculture.
The red priestess and Daenerys have converted members of the tribe to the Lord of Light.
After a short time in the new land, Arya returns to find Jon Snow and tell him what has become of Daenerys.
...
When Arya arrives in the North and finds Jon Snow, she finds that the North is warming... essentially, the climates of the North and South are shifting in a new age in which the South becomes cold and the North warm.
Sansa also arrives shortly after Arya to enlist the help of Jon and the Wildlings in keeping their freedom and resources by joining forces against Bran, who is coming for their lands (especially now that the North is becoming more temperate). There is some drama regarding Sansa's pending marriage with Gendry, but Sansa assures Arya that the arrangement is purely political and Arya concedes that she still has no interest in settling.
Jon agrees to go with Arya to SuperWestLand and he brings some other fun friends.
They successfully enlist the help of Daenerys and her new people. It takes some time for them to engineer and build the ships to bring their numbers to Westeros.
Jon starts developing a relationship with one of the women in the people of SuperWestLand.
----
Meanwhile, Bran is spying on Sansa with animals and learns of what is happening. He begins to weaponize animals. He tries to turn Nymeria and her pack against Sansa, but Nimeria is able to resist once he tries to make her attack Sansa. She protects Sansa from the wolfpack and Bran is no longer able to control her and he finds that he is unable to control magical animals.... because....
----
[[Warg Girl from SuperWestLand]] is able to communicate with animals and among magical animals, has created a sort of culture/allegiance to the Lord of Light and Team Daenerys/Stark.
----
When Daenerys, Jon, Arya, and company arrive back in Westeros, they're in time to help Sansa and Nimeria battle Bran and company. Gendry loses his territory, but Winterfell is not lost.
Gendry is all feelings when Arya returns and Sansa begins to fall for Daenerys. He is jealous of Daenerys, though his relationship with Sansa is formal (though friendly and loving), and he still pines after Arya, who is content to hook up with him, but isn't interested in settling down and making babies.
Sansa and Daenerys develop a deep relationship. It appears that Sansa is also unable to have children as she and Gendry continue to be unable to have children.
Arya takes Brienne hostage.
And...
Arya becomes pregnant by Gendry. They decide to hide her in the crypts during her pregnancy and claim the child as that of Sansa and Arya.
However, while Arya is out of commission, Bronn sneaks into Winterfell and kills Brienne. OHHHHHHHHH I know.
-----
Anyway, Arya, Sansa, Jon, and Daenerys (and Drogon and babies) defeat Bran and Company (yes, including Tyrion), but Jon gives his life in the process and a couple baby dragons go, too (PRINCE WHO WAS PROMISED?). Sansa raises Arya's baby and Arya goes back to her travels. Sansa and Daenerys' relationship is an open secret. Gendry is sad about Arya forever.
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
God Thought 8
Each of us is called to serve the Universe in a different way. We have to find the song we can't keep from singing-- the passion we can't help but pursue. It will be different for each of us. It is a sacred meeting of time, place, and your gifts and passions. If you can align them well, your life cannot help but have meaning for you and others.
It can be a privilege to both find and live out our joys in a way that meets our context, which is why it is our responsibility, once we find that freedom, to help others pursue their own free spirit in a way that beautifies and heals the world.
It is your job to contribute.
It can be a privilege to both find and live out our joys in a way that meets our context, which is why it is our responsibility, once we find that freedom, to help others pursue their own free spirit in a way that beautifies and heals the world.
It is your job to contribute.
Family Evening @ Home/Lesson: First Sunday of Lent
Link to Lesson
1. “Children of God Storybook Bible”
CO-CREATING: Stardust Footprints
Curriculum Texts Used:
1. “Children of God Storybook Bible”
2. “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
Special Text Used:
“God’s Paintbrush” by Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso
CO-CREATING: Stardust Footprints
Materials
- Colored paper
- Glitter
- Scissors
- Tape
- Glue
- paintbrush
craft
We will make footprints to help us think about our own walk with God during Lent.
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Divergent Spirit
Divergent:
adjective
- 1.tending to be different or develop in different directions."PSYCHOLOGY
- 2.MATHEMATICS(of a series) increasing indefinitely as more of its terms are added.
Spirit:
noun
- 1.the nonphysical part of a person which is the seat of emotions and character; the soul.
- 2.those qualities regarded as forming the definitive or typical elements in the character of a person, nation, or group or in the thought and attitudes of a particular period.
Transfiguration Doc Year A
Transfiguration Year A
1. “Children of God Storybook Bible”
Curriculum Texts Used:
1. “Children of God Storybook Bible”
2. “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
Special Text Used:
“The Velveteen Rabbit” by Marjorie Williams
CO-CREATING:
We will make Jesus suncatchers!
Monday, March 2, 2020
God
God
God is perhaps most manifest in love and compassion. Our most authentic “godding” is in acts of compassion and love. We are most in line with Interrelatedness and mutual concern when we act in love and compassion… In being cognizant of interrelatedness, we are most aware of our Godness and thus living in our best potential.
God is perhaps most manifest in love and compassion. Our most authentic “godding” is in acts of compassion and love. We are most in line with Interrelatedness and mutual concern when we act in love and compassion… In being cognizant of interrelatedness, we are most aware of our Godness and thus living in our best potential.
The Third Miracle
What comes after GoT.
Daenarys is resurrected by fire.
The North Begins to warm.
Sansa is at war with Bran/Tyrion WHO WERE EVIL THE WHOLE TIME WTF GUYS
In Arya's travels, she finds Daenarys, who is living among a people like Native Americans. She and Drogon are living there with Drogon's BABY DRAGONS. Arya is like WTF and returns to the North to find Jon and tell him about Daenarys. They go together (with some other fun folk) to find Daenarys and bring her back to fight Bran with Sansa.
Daenarys and Sansa fall in love (they're not related, right?), but of course that's not chill with folks in Westeros, so Sansa is politically married to ... Gendry. And it causes problems with Arya, but like hello, you turned him down and it's politically advantageous. So Gendry's kingdom has aligned with Sansa against Bran and his army of animals that are magically controlled or something.
Return of Nimeria and direwolves and dragons, which are magical enough that they can resist Bran.
Daenarys is resurrected by fire.
The North Begins to warm.
Sansa is at war with Bran/Tyrion WHO WERE EVIL THE WHOLE TIME WTF GUYS
In Arya's travels, she finds Daenarys, who is living among a people like Native Americans. She and Drogon are living there with Drogon's BABY DRAGONS. Arya is like WTF and returns to the North to find Jon and tell him about Daenarys. They go together (with some other fun folk) to find Daenarys and bring her back to fight Bran with Sansa.
Daenarys and Sansa fall in love (they're not related, right?), but of course that's not chill with folks in Westeros, so Sansa is politically married to ... Gendry. And it causes problems with Arya, but like hello, you turned him down and it's politically advantageous. So Gendry's kingdom has aligned with Sansa against Bran and his army of animals that are magically controlled or something.
Return of Nimeria and direwolves and dragons, which are magical enough that they can resist Bran.
Sunday, March 1, 2020
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