Our New Selves

Good morning... Yesterday, in the middle of the night, I felt drawn to write about the metamorphosis of a butterfly. Then by midday, I read for the first time the following words in our assigned book chapters for this week. ****** Excerpt from God's Joyful Surprise by Sue Monk Kidd Not long ago my daughter received a butterfly [...]

Is Change Good?

Good morning... As we walked the streets of Asheville, North Carolina last weekend, we happened upon three words etched in sidewalk chalk. I just had to snap a photo. Change is good. Really? I'm not sure what I think about this statement. Part of me loves it. We are always changing. Always growing. Always evolving. Part of me [...]

By |2025-10-02T02:42:28-04:00September 30th, 2025|Abundance, Death And Resurrection, Letting Go, Transformation, Trust God|

Her Heart Stopped

Good morning... A friend reached out yesterday. "Good morning Sue - I know your heart is very heavy, sending prayers for peace and comfort. I am sending you a video link. I saw it right after the devastating flood tragedy in Texas earlier this summer. Pastor Levi Lusko shared his perspective of God moving mountains in light of [...]

By |2025-09-24T10:36:51-04:00September 24th, 2025|Death And Resurrection, Everyday life, Grief, Trust God|

Life’s Dance Goes On

Good morning... "I often think I don’t know how people endure the unimaginable," my friend wrote, "but then I realize I actually really do know - only God. And I see evidence of that in so much devastating heartbreak time and time again. I think of that Steven Curtis Chapman quote, spoken after losing his young daughter suddenly [...]

By |2025-09-23T04:01:39-04:00September 23rd, 2025|Death And Resurrection, Everyday life, Gratitude, Grief, Trust God|

Mourning Benji’s Life

Good morning... At church this week, I stopped in the hall and talked a while with our Director of Student Ministries. I told him that I had heard he had done a really good job supporting the students who came to youth group on Sunday night. The night before, one of our own, sixteen year old Benji Reiser [...]

By |2025-09-19T06:07:32-04:00September 19th, 2025|Community, Death And Resurrection, Family and Friends, Grief, Healing|

Suffering Changes Us

Good morning... As thirty of us gathered at Mend Coffee last Tuesday morning to meet with author Katherine Wolf, she told us about the massive brain stem stroke that nearly ended her life at age twenty-six. As Katherine was fielding questions about her book Hope Heals, one woman said, "When you were unable to speak for a long [...]

By |2025-09-16T03:38:28-04:00September 16th, 2025|Death And Resurrection, Gratitude, New From Old, Transformation, Trust God|

This Hard, Heavy 9/11

Good morning... As we prepared to celebrate my husband Steve's thirty years of service to the Lovett School community, I found our wedding photo album from 1987. I snapped this photo of the photo of my dad walking me down the aisle. I was 24 years old. He was 51. Fast forward to today, September 11th, a day [...]

By |2025-09-11T10:18:48-04:00September 11th, 2025|Aging, Death And Resurrection, Family and Friends, Grief, Trust God|

We Learn By Paradox

Good morning... To the light of the full corn moon, let's ponder a poem shared by a friend. As we read it now, slowly and aloud, what word sparkles most? ***** Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the [...]

He Welcomed Her Grief

Good morning... As we near 2:00 am, I take outside our little dog Gracie and stand barefoot in the wet, cool grass. As I look up, thick clouds surround the waning moon. Stretched wide and thin, the white vapors open space, a breathing room for blue. Blue. Cloudy. Stretched wide and thin. These descriptors animate the text string [...]

By |2025-08-13T03:07:59-04:00August 13th, 2025|Death And Resurrection, Family and Friends, God's Love, Grief, Prayer|

In Awe Of Audrey

Good morning... The Westminster Class of 2024 hosted a gathering to honor the memory of Audrey DeShetler on Wednesday, August 6th, celebrating her impact on their class and our community far and wide. The next day, I texted with Audrey's mom. Me: How was the gathering, Jennifer? Jennifer: I literally started crying before the service even started. I [...]

By |2025-08-08T08:22:57-04:00August 8th, 2025|Community, Death And Resurrection, God's Love, Home, Trust God|
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