It was the ‘90s, and Liz Rasley recalls her mom “living her best life.”

“She was in her 40s and tan and would rock this yellow sundress with yellow matching shoes,” Rasley says. “And she wore these BIG yellow chandelier earrings before chandelier earrings were even popular.”  

While her mom never outright described herself as fun, she did claim to be playful, boldly creating spaces and atmospheres that were inviting and enjoyable.

“That’s just who she was,” Rasley says.

At 42, Rasley is a mother now and finds herself thinking of ways to bring more play back into her life as well as the life of others. Especially as the Pandemic has us living in a sameness of sorts with little diversity from day-to-day, she asks:

What brings connection? Connection to your heart, God and others.  What activities help you shed the heaviness of the world – even just for a bit.

That is play.

In the Beginning

In addition to being a mom, Rasley has worked with children in church settings for the past seven years, as both a pre-school and vacation Bible school (VBS) teacher. It was here, the intersection of her childhood as well as her history of being churched, began to take form.

She admits that Bible stories and theology can become dry and boring, if we approach them in that way - even for adults. And it was her imaginative thinking and empathy for the children in these structured spaces, that led her to breathing life into the system.

“I’ve always been pretty much a Type A person,” Rasley says. “So it was interesting that through loosening up in these moments where I was innovating ways for Bible stories to come alive, for them (kids) to really experience the stories, that I began to connect to my faith in a deeper way.”

She calls these innovations “her wild theories,” and the wildness seems to work.

Get A Move On

The kids at VBS found it challenging to sit still, and Rasley found it challenging to convey the Bible story of Jesus calming the storm through words alone. They wouldn’t listen. Something needed to give - to move, so she drove to the hardware store to purchase some painters’ tape.

“I made an outline of a ship with the tape and assigned everyone roles,” Rasley says. “As I read the story, each of the kids took turns being different characters in the story - disciples, Jesus and the fish.”

By offering this full-body experience, the whole room came to life, with the children wanting to play the various roles over and over, multiple times, particularly being drawn to the role of fish!

It was in this moment that Rasley recalls finding her groove and a solidified interest and perhaps a call, to continue forward on this path called play.

A Sermon, A Transformer and a Barbie

Fast forward about four years, and Rasley found herself in a church closer to home. And before she knew it, she was doing a five-minute bit, or children’s sermon once a month on Sundays.

In her Presbyterian tradition, this is a familiar part of the liturgy - a children’s teaching on the Gospel and scripture readings for that day, before the service pivots to the adult teaching. She had taught children before in Sunday school but not taught to a room full of kids that also had adults in it. This part was new.

“I was a little nervous about the theology aspect of things, like my lesson wasn’t churchy enough,” Rasley says. “But the truth is, my church values freedom to teach and express, and they were very supportive. I fell in love with this part of Sunday.”

One Sunday in particular, Rasley used a Barbie and Transformer to depict the story of David and Goliath. Over time, her portion of Sunday mornings brought life and vibrancy to families, and she started to realize that adults very much connected to this teaching style as well as the kids.

“You have all of these families packed in the pews,” Rasley says. “Just because someone is over 18 doesn’t mean that they have an easy time entering into Bible study and scripture. I began to notice that my 5-minute children’s sermon provided an entryway for some folks to connect to church and the Bible in an accessible way.”

Everyone’s Invited

Just because people grow up does not mean they lose the ability or desire to play, and while children use play as their primary means of communication, adults might need it just as much.

“Play allows us to drop the facade, and allows us to interact - human to human, and it is very inclusive.” Rasley says. “It kind of reminds me of an old-fashioned, neighborhood baseball game - you get on first base, she’ll go in the outfield, I’ll play catcher, everyone is invited.”

Play certainly has the ability to serve as a great equalizer. And, while playful invitations might surround us, it can also be hard to discover or even recognize. Lots folks might think of play as a playground slide or swing, or a craft class - which, yes, are forms of play, the their are plenty of other non-obvious ways to let loose.

Rasley gives us some examples of everyday play:

• Reading a good book

• Discussing a book with a trusted friend

• Dancing to music while cleaning

• Writing

• Doing a craft activity

• Working on a puzzle

• Woodworking

• Cooking and sharing a meal with neighbors

Anything that brings enjoyment is the noun definition of play, and Rasley recommends taking a closer look at your routine to see what invitations to engage in play already exist in your life. She also reminds us to steer away from a punitive view of play. Be open to how the Holy Spirit might lead you. It make take time to identify what type of play is resonate to you.

“The whole idea, that oh I can go hang out with my friends once I finish all of my work and chores can be damaging,” Rasley says. “Try giving yourself breaks. Just like kids, we are really not designed to sit all day for 8 hours without movement or enjoyment, so consider ways to combine play with work - cleaning and dancing to music is a great example.”

Beginning, February 2, monthly on the second and third Tuesday at noon, Rasley will offer “Play and Pray,” via ZOOM for Retreat House Spirituality Center. Participants will be given a chance to explore their childlike senses and enter into a time of prayer through:

• Movement of body including hands

• Use of Play doh

• Processing emotions including sadness and joy. Email Liz to request your package of clay. When asked about incorporating prayer as play and vice versa, Rasley responds:

“I for sure think play can be a form of prayer,” says Rasley. “I’m not a minister, and do not have a theological answer, but I do know I am always looking for ways to enter into relationship with God, and many times this happens when I’m not performing or trying to accomplish something – like dancing in my living room or reading a good book.”

It seems that to some degree, and very much right now, many of us are trying to catch our breath, and Rasley has found this respite through things like puzzles, crafts and Play doh, and she’s looking forward to opening up some share sacred space for others to do the same.

“A lot of times when I stop to catch my breath, I didn’t really know it was the breath I needed,” she says. “I hope Play and Pray might be that for some of the folks at Retreat House.”

LIZ RASLEY is a writer, editor, elder, and an occasional Sunday school preschool teacher who finds joy in connection with others, in just about any way possible. A leader in her church in Texas, she is constantly exploring the ideas of play, redemption, hope, and faith at lizrasley.com and in her essays, which have appeared in The Presbyterian Outlook and Fathom. Her latest book is “Levity: Humor and Help for Hard Times” and can be found on Amazon.

Liz says she is attracted to the word levity for many reasons and explains that she loves it even to describe play.

- Liz Rasley

Register for Play and Pray here.

Liz recommends A Play-Full Life by Jaco Hamman for those interesting in learning more.

Press Play with Liz Rasley was written by Writer and Trained Spiritual Director Emily Turner. You can read more of her writings and work in spiritual direction here.