Good morning... I will always remember one phrase shared in our young moms' class this semester: "I would rather be late than be yelling." I ponder the roots beneath the fruits of this statement. The ancient Greeks had two words for time, chronos and kairos. Chronos refers to clock time, time that can be measured in seconds and minutes, [...]
Good morning... As I wrote a reminder email to my Tuesday class yesterday morning, I included the following quote from this week's chapter. In the afternoon, we settled into my living room. We shared thoughts and learned collaboratively. As we talked candidly about the things that get in the way of our whole hearted living, we read these words [...]
Good morning... Instinctively, we know, "It's time to slow down." For me, tangible indicators begin to pile up. 1) Often we get sick. Itchy ears. Scratchy throat. Fever and cough precede complete congestion. A full blown fall cold invaded my body last week. 2) Loved ones notice our need. As I scurried around last weekend, my husband said, "You [...]
Letting down our guard and sharing our true self is easier said than done. Our guard is an important part of us, serving us well until it doesn't anymore. We are handmade uniquely in our Creator's image (Genesis 1:27) and filled with the living breath of God (Genesis 2:7). Freshly formed from our Father's fingers, we each come into [...]
Good morning... As I prepared to speak at the kickoff gathering for the Moms in Prayer group at the Lovett School, I gathered pens for a writing activity. Pens from around my house. Pens from inside my purse. Pens from crazy crevices in my messy car. Instead of just gathering pens like a fiend, God nudged me to slow [...]
Good morning... "I waken this morning as one being taught." This sentence coaxes me to awareness from my sleeping state. Next a prayer dawns, "LORD, give us a teachable spirit." As we hone the art of early morning listening, LORD, help us to crave the wisdom You teach. Poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning then breaks into my consciousness, adding her [...]
Good morning... "OK REALLY??" she wrote after reading my blog post yesterday. "I am not kidding - this is the devotional I read first today (as I was awaiting yours) and then... I get the cherry on top, the COULD HAVE HAD A V8! I just love it. God is so good. To give me a double dose of how [...]
Good morning... I ran across a fun translation of an encouraging scripture. Seize life! Eat bread with gusto, drink wine with a robust heart. Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure! Dress festively every morning. Don’t skimp on colors and scarves. Relish life with the spouse you love each and every day of your precarious life. Each day is [...]
Good morning... Yesterday, three of us were talking about different types of wake up calls. One preschool mom said, "When my son wakes up each morning, he calls in a sing-songy voice, 'Hellooo... It's meee...'" The other mom of adult children said, "Whenever my daughter woke up as a little girl, she would loudly yell 'Juice!' 'Juice!' 'Juice!' or [...]
Good morning... "I have discovered that all the unhappiness of men arises from one single fact, that they are unable to stay quietly in their own room," astutely observed Christian philosopher Blaise Pascal in the 1600's. Oddly, staying quietly in my own room was always my favorite form of discipline as a child. When I was reeling and wound [...]
