Mama Mondays

God did not promise that our lives would be easy,  or pain-free, or without enemies, or unshaken by tempests.  But God did promise:  in the belly of the beast? God will be there. Because God was already there, with us,  for us,  each of us,  all of us,  always.  And so the blessing of God,  Who is both the storm, and the shelter, ready you, bless you, and keep you,  in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.   Amen.    -Lizzie McManus-Dail   This is from a wonderful article to check out about 12 Christian women shaping the world in 2025. https://sojo.net/articles/12-christian-women-shaping-church-2025 You will love reading about each and every woman here.

https://youtu.be/bQu1CzAwDmQ?si=9zRRWIAbcs5EPxRa The music director at our church is putting together a Lenten playlist, and this was one he added last week. Here is what he said about it:  "We all tend to internalize the lies that are told to us (or by us) about ourselves; for any number of reasons, we listen to the most critical voices and block out the ones that remind us of our inherent worth. I love that this song reminds us not only to reject those lies, but to return the goodness we receive tenfold into the world." The Returner- Allison Russell  Now I let go Everything that I've known Let it go on, let it roll out With the tide I can't think of a thing That hasn't been shot through with pain Like a nightingale's Song in the dead of the night Goodbye, so long, farewell, all I've been Ooh, oblivion Throw me in the ocean Ooh, see if I can swim I'm wild again, I'm a starchild again I've come ten million miles, ooh, I'm burning I'm a ...

  Such good theology below as we get ready for Easter!  (not just for kids!!)  Kids + Faith / Meredith Miller ( Meredith Miller is a children's pastor and she recently wrote a book called Woven:  Nurturing a Faith Your Kid Doesn't Have to Heal from)  Hello! I'm SO EXCITED about today's newsletter. While I'm not a kids pastor anymore, I still share a sentiment from that time:  it’s never too early to start thinking about Easter! Everyone is thrilled think about Christmas. Twinkle lights! Babies! It’s all good. Then Easter hits. Violence! Fancy theological jargon about what it means! Less good. Add to that how many of us were given a heap of theological assertions that we were told  are the way  to understand Easter. Then we tell kids those answers. Here are the 5 key questions and the answers I hear over and over and over, from Easter lessons to kids Bible stories.   1: What is Easter? Easter is when Jesus died for our...

  "At times I have had mixed feelings about Ash Wednesday, for the sense of guilt that can sometimes be associated with it. Particularly the words spoken over me as the ashes were placed on my forehead: “from dust you came, and to dust you shall return.” At various times in my past I’ve been part of church contexts where the implication of those words was that I should be humbled by my own insignificance, to not think too highly of myself because I was no better than dirt due to the weight of my sin. More recently I’ve adopted a different view of these words, “from dust you came, and to dust you shall return.” I now see them not as an admonition directed at myself, but rather as a testament to the creativity and love of a God who sees infinite potential in the most meager of materials. This phrase spoken over us is an encouragement to remember our own uniqueness and beauty as people created in God’s image; to trust that God’s creative work is still at work within us, shaping us ...

  A beautiful reflection below for Lent this week…. A Year of Fasting This year I am giving up “should” and this will make more room to discover… God, my authentic self, my joy, that my burden is easy and my yoke is so light, that I am loved for who I am, period, that the risks of vulnerability and truthfulness are greatly outweighed by the depth of love, friendship and compassion that taking these risks allow, that I will suffer much less, that I will live more fully in the moment, that I will become more accepting of myself and of others. So I’m warning you now, in a year, you may barely recognize me -            Clarence Heller   💜💜💜💜💜 and a 17-minute video from the beloved Henri Nouwen to go with this.... https://youtu.be/trG7Oh_PopM? si=PE-FzrxLi1O6GXVz