Big girl/boy Bed Blessing

There are big changes happening in my house. Yesterday my oldest daughter got a new bed for her birthday which comes with her own room. The problem is, that room has been occupied by her baby sister who is no longer a baby. At 3 1/2 it is now time for her to move out of her crib (adjusted for toddlers) and into a big girl bed, but she is not having it. Last night as she realized all that would be unfolding she went into an hour long tear fest about how she didn’t want to say goodbye to her bed. And honestly, I don’t really want to either. I said to my husband last night, no matter how we prepare for these moments (we have been talking about the room/bed switch for months) when it happens it always feels so rushed. So last night we put the breaks on and everyone slept in their current bed and room and tonight we will take this transition seriously with a blessing of the beds.

Blessing of the Beds

God of rest and God of growing

This was the first bed I ever had. My mom would wrap me up and lay me right in the middle and now I am so big I can touch each part if I stretch like this (stretch out!)

In this bed I have had good nights and bad nights, good dreams and scary ones (share a dream you remember) – but either way I knew I was loved by you and my family.

In this bed I have taken naps and I have played (and I have played when I was supposed to be taking a nap!) I have played with (name activities or stuffed animals) I am thankful that I had this bed to lay on and play on.

I am bigger now and am moving to a new bed.

*Take pillow and favorite stuffed animal into new bed

This new bed will be a place to lay on and play on, I will have good nights and bad nights, I will rest and I will grow but no matter what changes God I know you love me and know me and will continue to grow with me.



Under threat

Dear Kirk,
As schools across the Denver area are cancelled due to a threat to our children, terror is winning today. I am afraid. I imagine many of you are as well. I am afraid for my children. I am afraid for your children. I am afraid for OUR children. I am afraid for the evil that exists and the power our fear gives it – power in weapons and power in energy.
I don’t know how this story will play out this week, all I know is God’s story. It is a story of love in the face of fear. It is a story of courage in the face of threat. It is a story of life in the face of death. 
So as our community braces in the face of threat, violence, fear and death – may we be bold enough to, on this Holy Week, emulate Jesus. Offering love, taking the next step in courage, and embracing life. 
Terror might win today but in the Story of God that we all are walking in, we know that ultimately LOVE WINS! And when we breathe in “love wins” and breathe out “love wins” the power of fear diminishes.

Today, breathe with me and pray with me.
Breathe in: Love wins. 
Breathe out: Love wins. 
Breathe in: Love wins. 
Breathe out: Love wins. 
Breathe in: Love wins. 
Breathe out: Love wins.

Love wins. Love wins. Love wins.

wRight To Be…

Choosing a blog name is not for the faint of heart. I could do an entire post just with all the ideas that got cut, but when I wanted to use my last name, thereby incorporating “right” it made it a bit of a challenge. The word “right” when used in the church leads one to think of judgmental and sanctimonious Christians, and that is not what this blog will be.

I don’t have all the answers. I don’t even have all the questions, but it is there in the questions that I choose to dwell. It is in the questions that we get to wonder and wander, in the questions we wrestle and imagine, in the questions we hold our hopes and our fears together. That is real life. That is what it is to be, and we all have the right to be.

This blog is not a cultural anomaly. Many of my friends and colleagues are also mothers and ministers and they brilliantly share their reflections on life and church and current events, and their words impact my living and my theology. But I am doing this anyway because we need more of all that they offer. More progressive christian voices speaking on behalf of our faith that is radically inclusive, loving, spiritual and religious, justice seeking and actively engaged in the world.

There are a growing number of progressive faith communities but we are not as loud as those that spew exclusion, fear and hate. And so here I am, reminding us that we have the right to be:

The right to be… broken
The right to be…whole
The right to be…weary
The right to be…powerful
The right to be…wise
The right to be…fed
The right to be…accepted
The right to be…challenged
The right to be…curious
The right to be…loved.

This is not about civil rights (though it should be) but these are God-given rights, our God-given right to be. And as we make our way through this journey, I give thanks that we have the right to be…together.