Ep 125 - Creativity, Faith, and Early Brain Development with Dawn Rundman

Dawn and Ruth welcome Dawn Rundman, a publishing professional at Augsburg Fortress since 2002 who also happens to have a PhD in developmental psychology. Her book Little Steps, Big Faith dives into using what we know about early childhood development to nurture children's faith through rituals, language, music, symbols, and worship. Dawn's suggestions for churches are practical and brilliant: upgrade those sad nurseries, provide higher-quality worship activity bags (not just broken crayons and photocopied sheets), create intergenerational making opportunities, and actually showcase children's art instead of hiding it away.Dawn also talks about creativity and discipline: how she leaves home to write because inspiration isn't enough, you need structure. She connects creativity and spirituality through communal worship traditions, showing how the practices that shape little brains also shape our own capacity for wonder and connection.This episode is for parents, church leaders, anyone who works with children, or anyone who's ever wondered why some environments nurture creativity while others shut it down. Because luck might be the residue of design, but good design starts with understanding how humans actually develop and thrive.LINKS: learn more about Dawn Rundman's work: https://www.dawnrundman.com/Join our Patreon community: patreon.com/u1107241700:17 Welcome And Weekly Catchup00:57 Yacht Rock Flashbacks02:03 Discern By Doing Business03:50 Patreon Community Momentum04:51 Meet Dawn Rudman08:23 Little Steps Big Faith10:28 Screens Boredom And Faith11:53 How Creativity Begins16:24 Church Spaces For Kids18:41 Kids Art On Display19:18 Beyond Art Creativity20:21 Adults Need Permission21:20 Small Steps To Start23:02 Creative Inspirations27:48 Life At Augsburg Fortress29:24 Coaching A Team Well32:35 Discipline Beats Inspiration34:15 Writing Space And Routine35:34 Creativity And Spirituality