Happy New Year, my friend... I wake thinking to myself, "Yesterday, the last day of 2018, summed up well the peaks and the valleys of my entire year." Thinking back over your own yesterday, how did that one day encapsulate your whole year? Observation #1: I woke in Grayton Beach, Florida in the cozy home of a generous [...]
Good morning... I happen upon an old quote from one of my favorite books. "Experiment with different forms of still and quiet," encourages well-loved author and speaker Brene Brown. "We all need to find something that works or us. To be honest, I'm never more open and emotionally clutter-free than when I'm walking alone outside. It's not technically [...]
Good morning... At the break of dawn, the Light of life enters our darkness. The darkness of grief, anxiety, depression. The darkness of fear, loneliness, uncertainty. The darkness of anger, illness, conflict. The all-powerful God, Creator of heaven and earth, squeezes His whole self into the tender skin of a baby, to bring us the beacon of inextinguishable [...]
Good morning... Our morning messages catch seeds of thought dropped in the wee early hours. So many times the small seeds grow roots and sprout in an expansive way throughout the day. Often, God draws me back into our morning message, editing it, developing it, making it more. That is exactly what happened with yesterday's post. The Holy [...]
Good morning... We sat in the palpable presence of Jesus discussing our Martha-like tendencies. We marveled at how quickly, unexpectedly, without warning, our controlling human nature can rear her biting head. By the end of our conversation, we sensed our mad Martha uncovering an important question: "Why do I invite Jesus into my home, then disconnect from my [...]
Good morning... The word "sabbath" in Hebrew means rest, cessation, to cease from labor. We are told in Genesis 2:2-3 (AMP) And by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested (ceased) on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. So God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it [as [...]
Good morning... Another Mary has come into my life this holiday season. A subscriber wrote: "Sue, your readers may enjoy 'Making the House Ready for the Lord' by Mary Oliver. It's a favorite of my poetry group at St. Anne's Terrace." So I took his advice and I checked out this poem, written in 2006, by this new-to-me Mary, [...]
Good morning... The day she left a wrapped gift on my doorstep, I could not wait to rush home to feel with my fingers this fresh fractal of God from my friend Lisa West. Lisa had diligently worked for years preparing to self-publish her book Fear Not! The True Story of a Cancer Survivor Who Was Healed and [...]
Good morning... For our opening devotional, we read out loud a picture book entitled If Jesus Came To My House. It was such a delight, sparking sweet discussion, so with you I now share as we prepare to welcome Jesus into our homes. Envisioning yourself as an excited child, enjoy these words in silence or read them aloud [...]
Good morning... "LORD!" he began our gathering reciting words from Christian mystic Evelyn Underhill. "Give me courage and love to open the door and contain You to enter, whatever the disguise You come in, enter before I fully recognize my guest." "Come in!" he whispered aloud. "Enter my small life." "Lay Your sacred hands on all the common [...]
