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/u11072417

00:17 Welcome And Weekly Catchup

00:57 Yacht Rock Flashbacks

02:03 Discern By Doing Business

03:50 Patreon Community Momentum

04:51 Meet Dawn Rudman

08:23 Little Steps Big Faith

10:28 Screens Boredom And Faith

11:53 How Creativity Begins

16:24 Church Spaces For Kids

18:41 Kids Art On Display

19:18 Beyond Art Creativity

20:21 Adults Need Permission

21:20 Small Steps To Start

23:02 Creative Inspirations

27:48 Life At Augsburg Fortress

29:24 Coaching A Team Well

32:35 Discipline Beats Inspiration

34:15 Writing Space And Routine

35:34 Creativity And Spirituality

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