Good morning... In the silence of this early morning, which shade of emotion do I pull out and play with, like a pristine ball of pliable play dough? Sensing. Softening. Squeezing, stretching, shaping. God, which emotion of my multi-colored myriad needs tending to right now? As I breathe into this sacred space, God somehow answers. An old favorite [...]
Good morning... Today is Senior Sunday at our church, an annual celebration of the high school seniors raised by our church family. Every year, I love to flip through the traditional glossy trifold bulletin announcing the name, the high school, and the college of choice for each fresh graduating face. This unusual year, I noticed three changes right [...]
Good morning... "Can I get to the finish line on this?" she asked me honestly, facing a heartbreaking set of overwhelming circumstances. "Finish line." Later the phrase popped back in my mind. "Finish line." I thought of the hilarious YouTube video below, shared when our couple's small group laughed through a fun evening for the first time since [...]
Good morning... Quietly reading this poem aloud, I slowly mulled over every word. ***** Lead Me out of My Doubts and Fears by Ted Loder Eternal God, lead me now out of the familiar setting of my doubts and fears, beyond my pride and my need to be secure, into a strange and graceful ease with my true [...]
Good morning... "I read this article and found it really helpful," she texted, "not just for how to handle people on the front lines of the Covid-19 crisis but for any one in danger or in grief. The final message at the end of the article reminded me of something lovely you would say. I don't know if [...]
Good morning... As I cleaned out my home office over the weekend, I came across a year-long calendar of quotes from various writers, two inches thick, a bit larger than a 3x5 card. The spiral bound gift, given a long while back, rested open to these words from July 4th. "In the black night, I listened to His [...]
Good morning... "I think we need to cancel the March women's conference," speaker Dr. Cathy Snapp said over the phone. What? What are you talking about? My mind silently reeled. Cancel the "Awake To Wholeness Women's Retreat" we have been planning for over a year? But so many people have invested so many hours. How can we cancel? As [...]
Good morning... "We are good!" she replied by email. "Definitely have tough days, but who doesn’t?" "I had a mommy meltdown last week," I stepped through her open door of honesty. "I was tired of being primary shopper AND chef (even with four young adults and a kind husband to help). The anxiety of others had snowballed to [...]
Good morning... The following devotional message, written by my husband, arrived in my inbox on the same morning nine of us women from our Monday Bible study group packed two hundred and fifty Super Pack Boxes at the Action Ministries warehouse. Each box was filled with non-perishable goods to help one family of four to supplement their food [...]
Good morning... A friend sent me beautiful words shared by her church on Sunday. Instead of the traditional "Passing the Peace" portion of worship, during this season of social distancing her church family is developing a new habit called "Passing Our Prayers." ****** Today's prayer comes from Elizabeth Shows Caffey: Now I say to you in conclusion, life [...]
