If I had a dollar for every time a mother said to me (about parenting) “make sure you enjoy it, because it goes by fast,” ย well, I’d definitely not have to say to Clayton “Not today because mama doesn’t have any dollars in her purse” when he’s asking me to go on that train in […]
Poetry as a Spiritual Practice for Moms (and everyone!) Read More ยป
Today is All Saints’ Sunday, a day when we remember the community of saints who have gone before us and reflect on their meaning in our lives. I love All Saints’ Day for so many reasons. Today at Northwood Presbyterian Church we each brought up flowers and laid them on the front table, remembering and
Junia, John and Clayton Read More ยป
Today, as I’m sitting in a hospital waiting for my mother to come out of recovery for her knee surgery, I’m reminded that today is World Mental Health Day. Here are five things that are on my mind a lot when it comes to mental illness… 1. Mental Illness deserves the same treatment as physical
World Mental Health Day: 5 Thoughts from a Pastor’s Perspective… Read More ยป
This isn’t a mommy blog, but this is a mommy story. I felt like I couldn’tย not tell it. Tonight my two year old child choked on a piece of fruit. By “choked” I don’t mean that he was coughing and sputtering and I said “whoops, careful, honey.” I mean no crying, no breathing, no sounds…
Five reasons I’m telling the awful story about one of the worst moments of my life. Read More ยป
Sometimes the news just seems… loud to me. Death. Violence. Wars. Screaming. Shouting. Bills. Laws. Minority opinions. Majority opinions. It seems to me that the only thing that can break through, sometimes, is art. Today it was quiet enough for me to really see and hear this short poem by Khaled Juma…
I can’t believe my little guys are two and three already! It really is true that the days are long and the years are short. In the book, I have a birthday tradition that is fabulous and it allows children to think about others on their birthday. This birthday blessing idea, though, is one of
Birthday Blessing: A Simple Tradition Read More ยป
Kelly Allen for Moderator www.kellyformoderator.comย OK, warning… this postย might be boring if you are not Presbyterian (USA). I sayย might because it’s also a post mostly about friendship and what it means to be a good friend, which I think applies to everyone. Every other year in the Presbyterian church we all get together and vote
On Friendship, Mentorship, and Kelly Allen for Moderator of the PCUSA Read More ยป
One of the obvious things I do as a pastor is pray. I often feel that my prayers are insufficient or incomplete, but I feel called to continue to do it. I lift up, every day, the needs of my congregation and the concerns they lay before me. It is an honor and a privilege.
A Prayer for San Antonio Parents and Teachers in a Time of Fear Read More ยป
The Saturday before Easter, my lovely congregation will be holding a little Easter Egg hunt with cupcakes, cascarones, music and laughter. Some pastors might argue this is liturgically, theologically or spiritually inappropriate. I don’t think so, and here are four reasons why. 1. The Easter date was chosen to coincide with a pagan festival… there’s
Four Reasons Why This Pastor Encourages Egg Hunts in Churches Read More ยป
I have a terrible sense of direction. What I mean is: it’s impossible to overstate how easy it is for me to get lost. I mean this in a literal sense. Without a GPS or very, very clear directions, I can lose my way to even the simplest of places, even if I’ve been there
Some musings about getting lost, finding my way and wayfinding design… Read More ยป
