Good morning... Like morning manna falling for the first followers, God rains down the nourishment we each need for this day. When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground. The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. “What is it?” they asked each other. They had no idea what it was (Exodus 16:14-15a, [...]
Good morning... Several months back I read aloud to a Sunday school class the Message translation of John 15:4. I asked people to ponder, "What word or phrase most tickles your heart and grabs your attention?" “Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear [...]
Good morning... Millions of people around the world turned out for hundreds of simultaneous gatherings on Saturday. More than one million people joined marches in the United States, including hundreds of thousands in Washington, D.C., for the Women’s March on Washington. “Peaceful protests are a hallmark of our democracy,” President Trump tweeted. “Even if I don’t always agree, I [...]
Good morning... Clinging to our heart's desire can keep us from God's abundant life. When Paula D'Arcy lost her husband and her young daughter to the carelessness of a drunk driver, she was three months pregnant. In deep despair she was forced to give birth six months later. The one thing her heart desired most was a natural childbirth, [...]
Good morning... I wake with a Christmas song dancing in my head. "Still. Still. Still." I know this first word, but I can not come up with the next line. So, I crawl out of bed. I plug in the tree lights and silently scoop coffee before brewing a small pot. I choose my cobalt blue 'Whistler' mug (a [...]
Good morning... God's wisdom echoes. “Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys [...]
Good morning... Donning my name and address, a padded, manila envelop arrived at my doorstep. Doesn't everyone love an unexpected gift? I took time to carefully open the seal, and my heart smiled big as I pulled from the protective package my personal copy of The Hidden Life Awakened, a freshly reprinted, expanded version of one of my all [...]
Good morning... It seems to me, we have a choice to make. We can mindlessly let time take us or we can prayerfully learn the art of taking time. In Ephesians 5:11-16 (MSG), I discover a clarifying call to action. Don’t waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness (unconsciously numbing, going through the [...]
Good morning... “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest,” says Jesus as we pick up the story in Mark 6:30-44 (NIV). Ahhh. Sweet rest. After all of the chaotic comings and goings, Jesus invites his close friends to rest and rejuvenate. So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary [...]
Good morning… After I spoke at a recent gathering, I was given a precious "Thank you" gift, a pack of tiny cards bearing scripture verses and a miniature cardholder. The gift now lives in my guest bath, and I change the position of the twenty-three cards regularly. This morning, the card in the front bears this Bible verse. "I [...]
