Good morning... The healing power of the rippling river is our only hope. When flow from the heights is bullied and blocked, stifling sediment collects. Over years this happens between us. Division builds up. Loving expression slows down. Dry. Hard. Unmoving. Exposed is an ugly rock bed, separating "us" from "them." Within arms length, each side has stones [...]
Good morning... God is weaving wonderful wisdom through our daily blog right now. If we are to enjoy the passage of time, we need to empty ourselves of poisonous anger, follow in Christ's forgiving footprints, and notice God's unconditional love expanding to heal everything, within us and around us. Prayerfully pondering our past posts, I can sense what God [...]
Good morning... Even with our best intentions, glitches fall through our cracks. We cannot catch every ball, juggle every commitment, do every little thing perfectly, each and every day. Being flawed sucks. Accepting flaws sparks growth. After sending out yesterday's post How Do We Forgive? I received several kind emails identifying an error. I went back to the message I [...]
Good morning... On this week when eleven innocent people were gunned down in a Jewish synagogue, how did God know that our class would read aloud these touching words, revealing our immense capacity to forgive? ****** Excerpt from Paula D'Arcy's Seeking With All My Heart While living in Boston, I studied the Old Testament with a gifted rabbi [...]
Good morning... "What is essential is invisible," whispered yesterday's post. We wake to a time of visible unrest. Hurricane devastation. Senseless violence. Political bullying. As the world looks out-of-sorts, God remains the same. Today and every day, how might we invest in the invisible? Love. Roots. Trust. Hope. Spirit. God's Word. Faith. Senses. The living Christ. When we [...]
Good morning... Facilitating a book study in Florida, she sent me her favorite quote from the week: “The purpose of radically ordinary hospitality is to take the hand of a stranger and put it in the hand of the Savior, to bridge hostile worlds, and to add to the family of God.” (Rosaria Butterfield's The Gospel Comes With A [...]
Good morning... "...you answered my prayer when I shouted for help," said Psalm 31:22 as yesterday's post ended. Soon after I re-read these words written by Paula D'Arcy. ****** Excerpt from Seeking God With All My Heart The unexpected gift of my work in prisons has been occasional moments of unequalled poignancy. Once, following a general evening talk, a [...]
Good morning... I drink comforting coffee from my "melt-me-more" mug as I ponder the purpose of a revealing exchange. Recently sharing a genuine hug, I said, "I appreciate you," and at the very same time he said, "I love you." I felt the mismatch of emotional expression, much like the uneven awkwardness from a Bachelorette episode. For years [...]
Good morning... Gravity says, "What goes up, must come down." Planted bulbs promises, "What goes down must come up." A wise father encourages, "Plant rapid-rising radishes with your slow-growing carrots so, seeing green growth, you will not give up hope." And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will [...]
Good morning... When life crumbles all around us, we cling to the God who gives us breath. During our Friday morning class, I read aloud these convicting words. ****** Excerpt from Paula D'Arcy's Seeking God With All My Heart On retreat in Indiana, I listened to a tape recording of a talk by Henri Nouwen. Nouwen was challenging [...]
