Happy New Year... "I cannot pray at night in bed," many people confess to me. "I just end up falling asleep. I feel so bad falling asleep on God." In response I always say, "The way I see it, there is no better way to fall asleep." Drifting to sleep sharing thoughts with God, what could be better? In fact, [...]
Good morning... Fears. Finances. Future plans. What worries wake you in the tiny hours of the morning? Hopes. Have-to's. Hard decisions. Anxieties arouse us, stirring us from sleep. Regrets. Repeat obsessions. Relationship tensions. As our mind reels, our conflicted heart feels. That is why this quote recently sent to me by a friend touches a tricky truth. Personally, [...]
Good morning... This morning as I spend quality time with God in the little chapel of my soul, I think about the invisible expectations filling each room we enter, especially during the holiday season. The mysterious matrix we quietly step into is made up of unmet wants (our own and others), subtle and not-so-subtle demands, and deeper aching [...]
Good morning... If I had one superpower I think I might choose the ability to control time. Wouldn't it be cool to turn back time, returning to a day we would love to last forever? Wouldn't it awesome to speed up time, fast-forwarding through a dark, hard season to get to our bright future? Wouldn't it be empowering [...]
Good morning... Do you get nervous when you wake up on the morning you are scheduled to be the speaker? I do. I really do. I really do, and here is why. I do not know what I am supposed to say. I do not know what others need to hear. I do not know what joys and sorrows [...]
Good morning... "I don't understand anxiety and depression," she said after returning home from a funeral. Our daughter's 22-year-old brain was trying to process why her good friend's mother would take her own life. We both agreed. Because it is not happening to us, it is impossible for any of us to comprehend the swirling storm of anxiety [...]
Good morning... "Life is all about practicing for heaven," says Richard Rohr (Falling Upward, 101). "We practice by choosing union freely - ahead of time - and now. Heaven is the state of union both here and later. As now, so will it be then." In my mind God translates this quote into a three word directive: "BE ONE [...]
Good morning... When I look at ordinary people of faith, I marvel at God growing uncanny strength, from inside out. In the past 24-hours I witnessed the resilience of a down-to-earth family who has endured a lot of heartache over the years. Certainly, their cancer journey has taken an exhausting toll, but more than weathering them weak, I [...]
Good morning... Through one intimate image our God speaks volumes. What did each of us need to hear from this captivating picture shared in yesterday's post? "In this picture Jesus is barefoot, coming to me. His hand slices through the transparent barrier between heaven and earth. He sees me in my drowning state and has the strength and [...]
Good morning... “Hi Sue, I hope you are well,” wrote a friend from last year’s Sr. Moms Study. “I have prayed over whether to share the news of this latest suicide with you. While mine and my family's lives have been touched by several of the other incidents in our community, this one hits the closest to home. [...]
