News reports about the New York Police Department’s intensive surveillance of Muslims after 9/11 shock me, but particularly reports that just attending a Mosque made someone a target for observation. License plate numbers were taken from cars in the lot. They wanted an informant in every mosque. As a clergy-person, that bothers me. Houses of [...]
We did it: took the kids out long past their bedtime for Ash Wednesday. It was too much work to schlepp them downtown to the church we attend right now, so given the choices of churches I’ve never attended in our neighborhood, I went Lutheran. I think the Lutherans are good at Lent. Plus, while [...]
Shrove Tuesday run: a full on illustration of why I need a season of re-examination. I’m not proud of how this all went down. (Future pastor search committees: if you thought I’d be a good fit for your pulpit because you wanted someone who was a lot like Jesus, you’ll probably be moving on to [...]
My previous post laid out some of my theoretical thinking about how to talk to kids about difficult bits and pieces of theology. Here’s how that theory plays out for me in talking about death (sadly, a big topic around here in the last year). And then, some ideas about how I’m planning to talk [...]
I’m still going ahead with plans to take the kiddos to Ash Wednesday worship, even if it’s late, even if it’ll be a hassle (even though Erik realized, after my last post, that he’d committed to a professional engagement on Wednesday night, meaning I’ll be flying solo). My friend Meika (who has three beautiful daughters) [...]
My efforts to find an area church with AshWednesday worship at a reasonable hour for children are coming up dry. The church we attend has a noontime and a 7:30 pm option. Which is great for my husband, and other people who work near there: he can pick between lunch-break ashes or stop in if [...]
A year ago tonight, Erik and I were headed to the hospital (first for a false alarm: turns out I’m a little dense at telling when I’m in labor; in the wee hours of the morning for the real thing). Abram pulled off the rare feat of being born on his due date. Which has [...]
There’s something about the last few days of being pregnant, where you are bursting with possibility (OK, there’s something about reflecting on the last days of pregnancy: at the time, you just feel like you’re bursting…). A year ago, I hugely pregnant. Abram’s birth was only 3 days away (my grandmother had a massive stroke [...]