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If you didn't receive the September edition of "iTeach", please enjoy this encore mailing of the newsletter.
By Betsey Heavner
Marjorie was a wise role model for me when I was a young adult living far from home. We had long conversations. Her liturgical designs inspired my artistic sensibility. We cooked together at the homeless shelter. I remember her guidance as I wrestled with God to find adult faith that could be my own. Marjorie was a spiritual guide.
We who teach and lead Christian education are teaching and influencing others by our walk through life, just as Marjorie influenced me. Christian spirituality is about the way we live our daily lives to grow in awareness of God. From birth to death, humans are shaped and formed by the people and experiences. Every person and event becomes a teacher. One respected Iowa teacher, Myrtle Felkner, has told stories of the ways students through the years have shaped her faith. Her stories are inspirational (see below). The first step to everyday spirituality is pausing throughout the day to reflect on your awareness of God. Like any habit you are trying to develop, it is hard at first to remember to do. It helps to connect this new practice to an existing habit. For example, every time you wash your hands, ask yourself, "Where have I seen God since the last time I washed my hands?" As you steadily pause to reflect on your awareness of God, you will discover that God is increasing present to guide you. You will begin to see God's Presence in new and often unexpected ways. To encourage daily spiritual habits, Saint Ignatius invites us to daily "examen" for a bedtime review of the way we live our lives. Sleeping With Bread is a helpful introduction to this practice. With increased awareness of God in your daily life, you can develop other formal and informal ways to be in relationship with God and the world. Some formal, regular practices include daily devotional reading, prayer time, formational Bible reading, and worship wherever you are. Some informal practices include praying for others whenever you hear a siren, using the time of standing in line to pray for the people around you, and watching for opportunities to pass on kindness and courtesy. How do you choose what to do and how enriching it is? Ask yourself:
Betsey Heavner is Director of Congregational Leader Formation at the General Board of Discipleship. 
A Guide to Prayer for All God's People by Rueben P. Job and Norman Shawchuck. (Upper Room Books, 1990). Gathered in the Word: Praying the Scripture in Small Groups by Norvene Vest. (Upper Room Books, 1997).
I Knew Them All By Heart: The Legacy of a Sunday School Teacher by Myrtle Felkner (Discipleship Resources, 2006).
Leading in Prayer: What Every Leader Needs to Know by Betsey Heavner. (Discipleship Resources, 2005).
Sleeping With Bread: Holding What Gives You Life by D. Linn, S. F. Linn, and M. Linn. (Paulist Press, 1995. ISBN 0-8091-3579-5).
Openings: A Daybook of Saints, Psalms, and Prayer by Larry J. Peacock. (Upper Room Books, 2003).
Way to Live: Christian Practices for Teens, Dorothy C. Bass and Don C. Richter, eds. (Upper Room Books, 2002).
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