Good morning... I wake early this morning, remembering Julie. Julie Harlan, a dear friend, was a longtime member of our Friday morning class and a committed attender of our young moms' studies at Northside Church. Julie was humble and faithful, a prayer warrior extraordinaire. Shockingly diagnosed with stomach cancer at age forty-one, Julie battled through harsh treatments for [...]
Good morning... This morning around 10:30 am, women on our Friday morning roster will walk down the sidewalk to the left of our home, pass through our wooden gate and into the warmth of our cozy basement. We will begin our deep dive into Paula D'Arcy's Sacred Threshold: Crossing the Inner Barrier to Deeper Love. Our class has [...]
Good morning... "I love your post today!" she wrote yesterday after experiencing our morning message Just Show Love. "I posted one of your quotes to my Instagram. So cool. God is really talking through you these days!" Look at God's love shining through my creative friend. As I have told you before, I do not Instagram, [...]
Good morning... After pushing through our post Pregnant With Worry, around 2:15 pm yesterday little Lucy breathed her first breath. She now joins her family and friends on the adventure of her lifetime. I was overjoyed to receive the birth texts and first photos shared with loved ones. When it comes to parenting newborns and toddlers, "Retrospect is [...]
Good morning... On January 6th, 2022, the Spirit of God spurred me to write an email to a pregnant young mom in our church family. As her due date came closer my regular prayers for her intensified, giving birth to the email exchange I share with you now. "Hello there," I wrote, and the following words tumbled onto [...]
Good morning... He was in my youngest daughter's high school graduating class. She's now twenty-two, he, twenty-three. This morning we will go to his funeral at the school where the kids attended and both of his parents have taught for years. As friend, colleague and school chaplain, my husband will officiate while I am quietly present, bearing witness [...]
Good morning... "Dear Sue," she emailed me yesterday. "I think today was a God moment as I read Henri Nouwen's post Know that You Are Welcome and then moved on to your message, You Are Welcome Here. As we emailed back and forth, I shared that I was also so surprised by the synchronicity of the Spirit. After [...]
Good morning... "Your post about 'Welcoming Spirt' made me think of this song," she texted. "We sing it frequently at church. Anyway, many different versions but, regardless of who sings it, the words are so powerful." When I had a quiet moment I thoroughly enjoyed Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes singing live the song Holy Spirit. Then I [...]
Good morning... This eighteen inch wooden Willow Tree woman is the symbol I bought for myself the day I began serving as the Women's Ministry Director at Northside Church in January of 2008. Her name is "Welcoming Spirit," and she silently sits beside me in the wee hours of the night as I craft each blog post. As [...]
Good morning... The gathering at PAWkids tonight has been loosely planned. Given a brief description of the needs for the night, "snacks and drinks," an excited group of us stepped forward to provide refreshments as the police officers in Grove Park hold open the blue house to provide safety and loving care for the hungry and the homeless [...]
