Good morning... Traveling into a hard day, a hard decision, a hard dialogue? Open or closed? The choice is ours. "As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village," says the Bible in Luke 10:38-42 (MSG). A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before [...]
Good morning... A "breath prayer" can be lifted any time, any where, alone aloud or silently in a crowd. Usually nine syllables or less, breath prayers can calm our anxious thoughts. Richard Foster, Christian author and theologian in the Quaker tradition, writes: “Commenting on breath prayers, Theophane the Recluse notes, ‘Thoughts continue to jostle in your head like mosquitos. To [...]
Good morning... I touched "Read more" to experience the first blog posted on my brand new site. It took me straight to a blank page bearing these words: "Oops, This Page Could Not Be Found." My soul smiled and shook her head, "Nothing new is easy." “Only God could say what this new spirit gradually forming within you will [...]
Good morning... Did I tell you that in January God brought a dog walker-whisperer into our Tuesday afternoon Bible study? Let me paint you the picture. We got our 8-week old puppy last June from Adopt-a-Golden Rescue and, when I began hosting daily classes in my home in September, Tate's puppy-ness was full-blown. She was an all-out-crazy bundle of [...]
Good morning... Because I did not grow up catholic and I have never wrestled competitively like my husband and our sons, I have never fasted. Until yesterday. A few weeks back, I happened upon these words in the book we are reading for our Spiritual Direction training program. Saint Ignatius of Loyola "spoke not of extended fasts but rather [...]
Good morning... Prayerfully reflecting on our intimate conversation, God exposed my own fearful coping mechanism. In the face of tearful, grieving pain, I talked too much. I took up too much space in the room. Stuck in my head, I rambled on. An excessive amount of words poured out of my mouth, as I tried to explain God's big [...]
Good morning... A friend coined a new phrase for me yesterday, an important phrase for all of us to consider. As my cell phone rang, I saw her name pop up. I picked up immediately, no thought, just response. Her familiar, sweet voice was upset, unsettled. "Do you have a quick minute for an emergency?" "I have a long [...]
Good morning... One of my blog posts from this week felt meaningful when it was crafted around 3:00 am, but when I re-woke and re-read the words, my soul crinkled her nose, "This one is a dud." I told myself, "Everyone has times when hearing God is a real stretch. I think these words came from me, not from [...]
Good morning… I received many encouraging emails hoping for a meaningful, memorable meal after yesterday's post, 'Our 6:00 am birthday party.' Truthfully, our family's early morning celebration was a complete dud. Annoyed, sleeping siblings hugged a halfhearted "Happy birthday," before climbing back into bed for an extra hour of sleep. No pancakes were eaten. Most of the eggs were [...]
Good morning... On the spur of this moment, I am planning a 6:00 am surprise birthday party. My son turns 22 today. My daughter turns 20 tomorrow. Snow is predicted to shut down Atlanta this afternoon, wreaking havoc on our Plan A birthday plans. So, unbeknownst to my sleeping family, eggs and pancakes, and birthday cake and presents will [...]
