A Grab Bag Full of Play Inspiration

I've got one more week before my Digital Media for Ministry course kicks off at Princeton Seminary. Get ready for more thoughts on how media making and internet culture intersect with the usual themes of this newsletter.

In the meantime, I thought about revisiting last week's character formation post as we vote our way to November 5. I promise I'll have more to say about character formation, but honestly this week didn't feel like a time for more essays and arguments.

Instead, I thought I would fill up your pillow case or plastic pumpkin head with a few fun links and quotes to play around with. Enjoy!

I recently got turned onto the interesting newsletter Hello Ruby by Linda Liukas via the even-more-up-my-alley newsletter by author the charming author and technologist Robin Sloan. In a recent edition, Liukas shares notes, inspirations, sketches and more from designing a very cool playground. I don't have anything brainy to say here, I just think it's a cool playground and you should check out but the unveiling post and especially the post about the evolution of its design.

Speaking of playgrounds, I don't think I've mentioned here the fantabulous City Museum in St. Louis. I first encountered this gem of a place at the rehearsal dinner of a particularly wonderful wedding, and then later studied it a bit in my instructional design course at Teachers College.

I remember a pal saying "There's no way a place like this could exist on the East Coast. Too crowded and too litigious." In any event, I'm glad it does exist, and I can't wait to make the drive to STL and take our little there someday.

I couldn't find video of the fun stomp-ing based Easter troparion, but it occurred to me that the most fun I ever had in litturgy may have been the Easter Vigil at St. Gregory of Nyssa in San Francisco.

In fact, despite my love of a super-solemn vigil, I've been won over by the even greater power of playful ones. Bible skits? Yes. Silly songs? Yes. Baptisms in pet-washing tubs? Yes. The vigil is a canvas for co-creativity alongside and through the story of God's saving acts of redemption.

Something I'm chewing on appreciatively:

[P]lay is the best way of characterizing our final relationship with God. Play is the form that praise, adoration, worship and participation in the divine life actually take. Speaking in the language of play has the advantage of emphasizing the joyfulness, the freedom, the dynamic interactivity and the friendship that is intrinsic to this attunement. Characterizing the divine-human relationship as playful provides a contrast with other expressions of the relationship that are characterized more by work and outcomes than the fun and the apparent purposeless of play. (p. 46, emphasis mine)

–Brian Edgar, The God Who Plays

Finally, on a more timely note, wanted to make sure you had the chance to get your fill of the classics if you haven't already partaken.

Wish I could communicate to you the delight my daughter takes in shaking her fist with Dracula and shouting "MASH GOOD!" at the end.