Good morning... I unzip my purse and unfold the church bulletin. I re-read from my Sunday morning scribblings of sermon notes. "When is the best time to plant a tree?" asked the pastor. After being greeted with silence he gave us the answer. "Twenty years ago. Twenty years ago is the best time to plant a tree." "When [...]
Good morning... "Christ is the one whose center is everywhere," says St. Bonaventure, "and whose circumference is nowhere." Intriguing dichotomy, right? Center - everywhere. Circumference - nowhere. As I ponder the possibilities, into the subject line of Biblegateway.com I type this phrase: "center Christ." Three Scripture verses pop up and beg for our attention. All this energy issues [...]
Good morning... I love to browse, to meander, to lose track of time lingering. When I have opportune moments to whimsically waste, I like to stroll the aisles of a Goodwill store. There is no telling what second-hand treasures I might happen upon. What fine find caught my attention last week? A crazily covered canvas hosting these black [...]
Good morning... When I drive solo I drive in silence. No radio. No podcasts. No books on tape. I look around. I think my thoughts. I take in beauty, town to town. I notice. I wonder. I process life. While driving through the colorful hills of North Carolina this weekend, a bumpersticker smiled at me, "Life is good." [...]
Good morning... Morning by morning, I begin empty, open, thirsty. In each day's first hours, I silently pray, "LORD, please fill me up with Your endless love." I envision my mind, my heart, and my soul as three empty jugs. One vessel (my mind) collects timeless truths from the Creator, the Father, the Almighty, the Maker of all. [...]
Good morning... At home in my skin. This is how I feel when I am with Kitty Crenshaw, co-author of my favorite book The Hidden Life Awakened. "Wait right there," Kitty said Friday before disappearing through the sliding glass door into her condo, soon returning to the back porch with her phone. "I have to take your picture. [...]
Good morning... This Sabbath morn, join me as I read quietly aloud the Message translation of Psalm 23. God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right [...]
Good morning... Within a few short hours, yesterday's morning message morphed into more. Witnessing the Spirit expanding among us, touch base with God's organic growth in our past post, In Our In-Between. Listen to me now. Give me your closest attention. Do farmers plow and plow and do nothing but plow? Or harrow and harrow and do nothing [...]
Good morning... After watching the captivating video in yesterday's post, many of you responded, "Surprisingly, I was moved to tears." God lives in our in-between spaces. Between stirring a bit and being fully awake. Between standing far off and accepting a hug. Between ending this thing and beginning what's next. Between noticing beauty and being filled with gratitude. [...]
Good morning... The chapel was nearly full on Sunday night for our Crucial Conversation on MENTAL HEALTH. After two wise therapists shared their compassionate insights, the evening ended with a video of not-so-subtle signs filmed in Italy. Please, please, please give yourself the gift of watching God's love spread through this crowd of ordinary people. Everyone was trying [...]
