Is the art of meaningful conversation dying?  You bet it is. Conversation is yet another casualty of our digital world.  Did you know that there is a section of Wiki How devoted to teaching the basics of creating meaningful conversation??  I’m not joking!

Ellen Martin, a wife and mother of 5 boys, with a Masters of Arts in Christian Education and Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary, has been troubled by this communication trend as well.  As a former Children’s Pastor, she loved children’s sermons.  On her website she explains that she loved working with kids “because I got to make ‘adult’ things make sense to kids. With five kids of my own, I’ve had lots of conversations with kids, not just discipline and life management, but conversation.”

Ellen began work on a book she recently published, called “A Life Shared: Meaningful Conversations With Our Kids.”  As we visited with Ellen I was struck by her wisdom and insight as she navigated our questions and concerns regarding meaningful conversation.  It was clear that she has had years of experience in this field and has very normal kids and a very normal life full of challenges and trials.