Good morning... I am grateful God allowed me to sleep in today, until about half an hour before my 8:00 am meeting. Had I crafted our morning message in the wee hours of the night, it would not have been this one, and this one is exquisite, for all the ways you will discover. "I thought you would [...]
Good morning... As we gathered for communion in a small church in the woods, the pastor extended gentle words of invitation: "The will of God is the way of life, and we want to get all wrapped up in it." Jotting the sentence in my bulletin, I return to the statement now. If the will of God is [...]
Good morning... Getting up regularly in the wee hours of the night, I often drift to sleep when we sit down to watch a movie. This weekend we watched About Time, a 2013 film that tickled my heart, waking up my full attention. Enjoy these smiley quotes from this endearing movie. Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; [...]
Good morning... "That 'letter' is very well done," one of you wrote to me after yesterday's post, Someone You Know Needs This. "What many people don’t understand is that the sadness is also a liar. And a really good liar. And the sadness will surely tell the person it is living in that all of those people would be [...]
Good morning... "Sue, I’m sorry so much tragedy has visited you, your family, and so many other people you love," a subscriber wrote yesterday. "Your post today brought to mind the Pieta, the amazing sculpture by Michelangelo in St. Peter’s Basilica. I’ve seen it three times, and on each occasion the rendering of Mary holding Jesus’s body caused [...]
Good morning... “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?" asks Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30, in the Message translation. "Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I [...]
Good morning... "The unseen Spirit of God was real to Betsy Anderson," said the minister with delight. Betsy captured breadcrumbs of Spirit-led living, compiling over her nine decades a coveted document called "Betsy's Bullets." Each person who attended Saturday's celebration of life service got a bright yellow copy of Betsy's words of wisdom, "learned here, there, and everywhere [...]
Good morning... At Lenbrook Senior Community on Saturday, we honored the flamboyant life of Betsy Anderson, the mom of Corinne Adams, a dear friend to many. I have never put in so much time deciding what to wear to a celebration of life service, since the traditional black garb simply would not do. I chose my brightest blue [...]
Good morning... Last Monday's post set off a creative chorus of responses. Our post, A Little Boy's T-Shirt, ended with an invitation. "If the joy of the LORD is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10), what song lyrics well up in your brain when strong emotions get all steamed up? P.S. If you feel compelled, send me your brain’s knee-jerk reaction and [...]
Good morning... "We have each come from a unique past, and the life surrounding us now is chocked full of potential," my sermon on Sunday continued God's encouragement. "Right now, at this very moment, one of my mentors in the faith, Richard Rohr, is talking candidly with Oprah Winfrey. 11:00 am Sunday, June 2nd. This very same moment, I [...]
