Good morning... After yesterday's sermon, our 17-year-old son said, "I really liked the preacher's story about the boy in his youth group who said, 'If you ever feel like snuffing out your light, don't. The world is dark enough.'" I agreed. That was my favorite takeaway too. Then in the afternoon, I opened an email from a friend, an [...]
Good morning... Opening time and space in these first wee hours, I wait for God to whisper. Who knows what will bubble up and spill on my journal? As I wait, quietly attentive, I strangely feel drawn to doodle. I doodle my memory of 93-year-old Betty Skinner's room in her assisted living facility in Florida. I sketch her [...]
Good morning... What was my best birthday gift of 2019? All six of our family members coming into town to enjoy a Sunday brunch at West Egg on the westside. Our 24-year-old son brought back from his Campus Outreach beach trip one question that sparked an animated discussion: "When in your life have you been closest to dying?" [...]
Good morning... As we walk on the road God calls us to travel, we are encouraged by the verse ending yesterday's post: And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences (Ephesians [...]
Good morning... Well. Your cascade of comments over the past twenty-four hours has been fascinating to me. Popping though the soil of our online community are a plethora of profound perspectives. As I sit back and witness God growing a gorgeous garden among us, I see four life-giving take-aways written in our collective handwriting. 1. We all make [...]
Good morning... "Did you read Sue's devotional? I thought it was unfortunate that she chose an unflattering story about Bryant Skinner after his death," read one text that came into my phone after yesterday's post. Oh no. I felt dread. Self-doubt. Embarrassment. What had I written that could be seen as unflattering? Had my prayed-over words been a [...]
Good morning... This morning in extra measure my soul lifts loving prayers for 93-year-old Betty Skinner. Today she and loved ones will lay to rest Bryant B. Skinner, Sr., a lifelong resident of Jacksonville, Florida, who died on March 10, 2019 at the age of 96. As Bryant's obituary reads: "He married Betty Walthour of Birmingham, AL, in 1948. They [...]
Good morning... On Friday morning, our "I Feel Overwhelmed" post resonated with many of you. Some of you responded to me with kind, short, loving words. One of you texted me a beautiful picture bearing this Eckart Tolle quote: "Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you have chosen it." On Sundays as an online community, [...]
Good morning... Yesterday's post highlighted a life-giving email from a friend. Her additional notes continue to shape me, calm me, guide me. ****** 3 Things To Do When Overwhelmed - notes from lecture by Trevor Hudson, 3/7/19 1) Consider the flood and Noah’s Ark: When an overwhelming flood comes, Noah builds an ark with great attention to its shape. [...]
Good morning... A wonderfully wide array of women filled the Chapel at Northside Church last night as we gathered for our annual Women's Lenten Communion Service. We experienced a heartfelt talk before breaking bread to dip into wine, feeding upon Christ's sacrificial love for all: through brokenness we are made whole. Let me share with you highlights from [...]
