Good morning... Almost flippantly, she said something really profound. I captured the Holy Spirit wisdom in my blank journal. "We try to add and add and add," she commented, "but God multiplies magically." Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot [...]
Good morning... After a fun filled weekend, God just woke me from sleep around 1:00 am, nudging me to read two emails which waited patiently in my inbox. "As you know we are studying Discerning the Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer," wrote a loyal leader of our Banquet Bible study, the longest running study at Northside Church, [...]
Good morning... "When you say, 'I believe in God,' what do you mean?" asked the final page of our assigned reading. I sketched my answer, this boat riding stick figure. The God I trust has three parts. God the Creator is like the ocean, endless water buoying me. God the living Christ surrounds me tangibly like a sturdy, [...]
Good morning... "Gratitude attracts more reasons to be grateful," whispers one little card. "Heaven is breaking through the veil all day, every day," echos The Hidden Life Awakened by Kitty Crenshaw and Dr. Cathy Snapp. "Hot coffee, warm fire, beautiful sun diamonds on the river, eyes of love looking into yours, animals, children, art, grass, cool breeze, changing [...]
Good morning... "Coping is something we do when we are overwhelmed," says the single note I took at our therapeutic community group at PAWkids yesterday. Instead of searching for the words in the puzzle above, I decided to search my heart, pondering the given list of helpful coping skills. Smile. Clean. Exercise. Walk. Water. Sing. Relax. Turtle. Laughing. [...]
Good morning... "God leads us with cords of human kindness," says Hosea 11:4. The God Almighty uses people - weak, vulnerable, powerless people - to guide us with reigns made of love. I am reminded of the book bag tag given to each child at church before the start of the school year. Weak, vulnerable, powerless kids can [...]
Good morning... "I woke with a strong prayer this morning," she texted first thing yesterday. "I'm praying to remember that each of my to-do/to-serve opportunities is a pure gift. God offers me a partnership in God's work. It is only 'too much' if my ego and my eagerness to do it all perfectly and efficiently take over. And [...]
Good morning... Before we say, "Come, Holy Spirit, come. Set this autumn season ablaze," we prepare our calendar like we build a campfire. Exploring the forest floor, we calmly collect firewood, piece by piece. Just enough for us to carry with our own bare hands, we gather armloads of possibility, trip by trip. Resting beside the fire circle, [...]
Good morning... "What is Labor Day?" my husband asked some of his high school students last week. "A day off to honor the military," one girl replied. "No," said another, "I think it's about mothers who have given birth naturally." Still another said, "I think it has something to do with unions." My personal answer is even weirder [...]
Good morning... I was delighted to receive the photo above from LaTonya Gates, founder and director of PAWkids, a vibrant non-profit in downtown Atlanta. "Let the ladies know THEY blessed her greatly," LaTonya texted yesterday from Krakow, Poland, where our written word ministry helped support her trip to deliver Crates for Ukraine. Last Saturday, before LaTonya left [...]
