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... Usually I am not a list maker. But yesterday when I happened upon a few open hours, I prayerfully doodled a list and happily discerned my most pressing "have to's." Bank. Grocery. Flower shop. Goodwill. UPS. Gas station. Check. Check. Check. Tons of important tasks delightfully accomplished. As a person who focuses much of my energy on [...]
Good morning... I had gotten really lax and lazy, neglecting the daily task of transferring my morning posts onto my "sue2you" website. Since I began writing again to you on September 1st, following our "Breathe God Everywhere" Summertime Devotional, I neglected this essential, everyday task, a task which allows subscribers to scroll through old messages collectively, catching up at [...]
Good morning... My husband and I are midwesterners who were both raised in "meat and potatoes" families. Though we have shifted toward fruits and veggies, salads and quinoa, fish and chicken, we still enjoy potatoes at many of our meals. Mashed or diced, sweet or russet, baked or boiled, potatoes appear on our dinner table regularly. As the primary [...]
Good morning... Once I laid eyes on the Message translation of Proverbs 2, my mind, my heart, and my soul fell deeply in love. Here is the heading above these verses: "Make Insight Your Priority." Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom; set your heart on a life of Understanding. That’s right—if you make Insight your priority, and [...]
Good morning... We are told: "...problems and trials...they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation" (Romans 5:3-5, NLT). The one word shimmering for me now is salvation. So, I google "What is the root word for salvation?" In Latin "salvus" means whole and safe, healthy and uninjured, and [...]
Good morning... I learned lots of tantalizing tidbits as I read my two Spiritual Direction books. In passing, one set of authors wrote, "The next time you feel enthusiastic about something, remember that that word means literally 'God within' you" (p. 87 in Hagberg and Guelich's The Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith). With my intrigue sparked, [...]
Good morning... We often miss two words in the following sentence. By the seventh day God had finished his work, and so he rested (Genesis 2:2, CEV). We focus our attention on "work" and "rest," understanding our need to rock between both. Unfortunately, we overlook the words "finish" and "his." When my mind's eye gets tired, I envision two [...]
Good morning... A powerful picture was sent to me by a woman whose heart has been shattered more than once, a soulful friend with whom I have shared many a meaningful conversation. In the picture, I am captivated by a stately lion with tender, almost tearful eyes, a lion overlooking the words, "How we walk with the broken speaks [...]
Good morning... This morning I wake pondering the song "Make new friends but keep the old." So I write to my friend of twenty-something years, a friend with whom I share a two or three hour meal most every month. She keeps in good touch with old friends and family while remaining openhearted to the new friends God brings [...]
