Good morning... I love the way God bubbles up to blossom between us. The Holy Spirit nudged a loyal friend to share encouragement with our class yesterday: "Thinking of each of you and your families this 3rd Sunday in Lent. What a beautiful reflection below from my ever-favorite Henri Nouwen." ****** The Spring of Living Water by Henri [...]
Good morning... For thirteen consecutive years, our Women's Ministry at Northside Church hosted an annual gathering each spring. We called the well-attended evening event the "Women's Lenten Communion Service." Each year, we would invite a different woman from our faith community to share an uplifting talk about some pressing issue we might face in our lifetime. Together we [...]
Good morning... "Soak with me a while," I sense God whisper, as I snap this photo on a busy afternoon. The dark and the light. The cream and the color. The wet and the dry. The simple and the sacred. When the Spirit leads, opposites melt together. Within us and around us, opposites melt together. It doesn't take [...]
Good morning... She shared with us a photo when we met for class, a photo from St. Luke's church in Baton Rouge (her husband's parents' church) that burned last weekend. We marveled at the cross standing strong amid the fiery devastation. As I later read about the fire, I was struck by this hopeful line shared by Father [...]
Good morning... We live through death. The death of a dream. The death of a special someone. The death of a life phase we so dearly loved. After the death of her son to suicide, Rosemerry tenderly expresses how it feels to still be here. ****** Still Here by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer After I did not die the [...]
Good morning... In the presence of God, we have been here before. In the beginning, God created everything: the heavens above and the earth below. Here’s what happened: At first the earth lacked shape and was totally empty, and a dark fog draped over the deep while God’s spirit-wind hovered over the surface of the empty waters. Then there was the voice of God. God said, "Let there be light." [...]
Good morning... We are on a journey. "It's a journey that includes paying attention to yourself over a period of time, being curious about your reactions to situations, and reflecting on your inner world," encourages Marilyn Vancil on page 48 of Self to Lose, Self to Find; Using the Enneagram to Uncover Your True, God-Gifted Self. "It is, [...]
Good morning... At 7:15 pm, her text came in with the image above and these two sentences: "Friend just shared this. I know you'll love it!!!!!!" She's right. I love it. Sometimes it hurts to open our eyes. Sometimes taking a deep breath feels impossible. Sometimes it's really hard to move our feet from the bed to the [...]
Good morning... Her blog post was sobering, surrendering, soul-touching. Sifting through a pile of powerful words, she unleashed life-giving song lyrics, "Don't waste today being scared of tomorrow." ****** Excerpt from Elizabeth's PostHope blog post, February 1, 2024 Too much heaviness. Too much weight. Too much pain. Too much fear. Too much wondering. Too much waiting. Too much [...]
Good morning... I met a humble, hopeful prayer. ****** P R AY E R by Grahame Davies Spirit, use me today, not in some miracle that would make others marvel and would make me proud. Not in the word of wisdom that would stay in the mind and make me always remembered. Not in the heroic act that [...]
