Good morning... In the middle of this special night, our wind chimes are going crazy. I step out into the darkness to experience the blustery air. The tall trees are creaking, swaying, aching in the gusty breeze. Wow. What a wild, windy Ash Wednesday! The power of our living God is completely undeniable. Today is the start of [...]
Good morning... This week many of us went to one or both of the services celebrating the lives of two faithful men from our Atlanta community. On Thursday morning at Northside Church, we honored the life of Jim Caswell, husband of Robbie. "Jim lived a full and blessed life," reads his obituary. "He was a grateful man that [...]
Good morning... Life gets busy for all of us. Schedules fill up. Routines settle in. It is very easy for weeks to pass without spending quality time together. Distance hinders. Commitments clash. Time can evaporate without meaningful connection. For our family, last night was different. At Christmas time, we gave the gift of Mamma Mia tickets at the [...]
Good morning... "When you read the four biographies of Jesus in the New Testament, one thing is painfully clear: Jesus' life template was based on a rhythm of retreat and return, like breathing in and out," writes John Mark Comer on page 57 of Practicing the Way. "Jesus would retreat: He would slip away from the noise and [...]
Good morning... After our recent post, one dear friend responded, "I think it took retirement for me to Pause. Breathe and Expand!" I thought to myself, "Choosing to retire is so different than hearing the harsh words, 'You're fired.'" I think of all the hard workers who have lost their jobs this month, their work-lives reduced to a [...]
Good morning... In our therapeutic community group downtown, the leader shared a quote from Victor Frankl, the author of the book we are discussing on Sunday afternoons, Man's Search for Meaning. "Between stimulus and response," she quoted Frankl, "there is a space." "Expand that space and invite the Holy Spirit into it," she encouraged us. "Pause. Breathe. Expand." [...]
Good morning... Before I leaving my parents' villa to visit my mom in the hospital, I looked down on their table to see two simple items. A small wooden reminder, "In all things give thanks." And a card with a butterfly, black and white, yellow and orange. I did not know if my mom, unresponsive in the ICU [...]
Good morning... Today, my friend will bury her son. Dying an untimely death at age 23, Josh was her only child, the love of her life. Her Josh and our Jeremiah were on the same wrestling team in high school, so the thought of burying her son today hits very close to home for me. Josh's obituary chronicles [...]
Good morning... Last Sunday, our class discussed Man's Search For Meaning by Victor Frankl. On Monday, I blogged about the beloved book in our morning message, We Suffer and Survive. On Tuesday, I got two emails, back to back, highlighting Frankl's wisdom again, encouraging us to Savor Life's Soup from the bottom of our soul. Then, on Wednesday [...]
Happy Valentine's Day... We all love love, but love is messy. In a week that began with our niece going into early labor, from childbirth on life is filled with messy moments. In the after-school enrichment program at PAWkids, the kids collaged their response to the question, "What does love feel like to you?" We also made spin-art [...]
