I subscribe to communications from Renovare, an organization that
I subscribe to communications from Renovare, an organization that

TfT Bulletin #4  |  October 23, 2024

I subscribe to communications from Renovaré—an organization that “imagines a world in which people’s lives flourish as they increasingly become like Jesus.”
A recent post reflected on the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery—Kintsugi. I am sure many of you are familiar with it. Writer Grace Pouch celebrates the beauty of the repaired pottery while also lamenting that these beautifully repaired pieces most often become items of display while no longer serving their original purpose.

While Kintsugi is often used as a metaphor for God’s work in our lives (rightfully and beautifully so), this passage from Pouch reminds me of God’s invitation for us to be more than a display piece:
God’s an Artist, to be sure. His ability to repair our deepest cracks and wounds is worthy of wonder. But as much as our mended lives testify to his skill, he has even more in mind for us than display. His ultimate aim in human history is to take all his broken people and repair us for loving communion with himself and others. We are to be his partners in setting things right in the world . . . co-artists in his “kintsugi kingdom,” as Katelyn Dixon calls it. 
Indeed, we have important work to do, mended cracks and all. I can imagine a classroom with the Storyline of Kintsugi Kingdom, a space that invites learners into some exciting formational experiences.


FLEx Cards

Sharing stories is an important practice within Teaching for Transformation. It is core to the TfT Bulletin: we share stories for the purpose of inspiring, reinforcing, and encouraging.
Towards the end of the last academic year, we played with a new format of storytelling—the FLEx card. Immediately, the feedback was quite positive from the TfT network. So we are excited to continue with the rollout of the FLEx card this year.
Today, we share our first two examples:

TfT Masterclass Roundup: Secondary FLEx

We continue to highlight work that stems from this summer’s TfT Masterclasses. This Bulletin highlights the Secondary FLEx Masterclass led by Matt Berka of Southwest Christian High School.
Participants in this masterclass shared an overview of FLEx work that had worked in their classrooms. This overview demonstrates projects across the curriculum that invite students into various “real work, real people, real needs” learning experiences. We are grateful to the participants for sharing their work via the TfT Bulletin.

Inviting Students into FLEx

We continue the series Inviting Students into FLEx created by Elizabeth Benscoter, Instructional Coach at Grace Community and TfT Masterclass facilitator.
This week Elizabeth shares K-12 FLEx examples that were launched from student ideas as they were unpacking either the classroom Deep Hope or the Storyline. Click into the individual stories of each FLEx to see the details of how these FLEx projects invite, nurture, and empower learners to play their part in God’s story.

The TfT Tips Trio

Within TfT, we define Storyline as a compelling vision of the Kingdom that connects the learners and the learning to God’s Story.
This week’s tips seek to help learners make explicit connections between God’s Story and their Storyline, using Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration as a framework. Learners within the classroom will have different degrees of familiarity with God’s Story, and even those who are very familiar benefit from the opportunity to explore the story again–this Good Story is worth revisiting over and over!
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