Good morning... Peace is a patchwork. Each and every day, we are designed to creatively fill in our part. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Jesus both agree. "I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never [...]
Good morning... Up in the middle of the night, I research Kate Bowler's new book, Good Enough: 40ish Devotionals for a Life of Imperfection. Let's unpack three of the book quotes I love most. “Blessed am I when I strip away all the extra. When I see the world as it really is—broken, tender, fragile, beautiful. These are [...]
Good morning... In the middle of this big moon night, I spend time with the beautiful bulletin from the celebration of life service for Mary Lynne Hamilton. I am inspired by her smiling face, her joyful essence, and her passion for the truth of God. I think I love this sentence most: "Mary Lynne is more alive now [...]
Good morning... Today, January 6th, we celebrate Epiphany. As I treasure hunt in these early morning hours, I learn some interesting things. The term Epiphany, based on the Greek word meaning “manifestation” or “revelation,” is a time to celebrate Christ’s revelation to the world. In the Bible, the Epiphany is Jesus' visit from the Magi, aristocratic men from [...]
Good morning... "Death is not an end," said Andrew Young, as he paid tribute to his long time friend, Jimmy Carter, who died yesterday at 100 years old. "It's a transition, a time of separation, a time of grace and mercy. Jimmy was a man who lived a wonderful life obedient to the still small voice of God [...]
Good morning... As the sun rises on this new day, there are layers and layers of crowded needs. Where do we begin? We deepen into a poem which has guided the lives of many for over a decade. ****** The Work of Christmas by Howard Thurman from Bread for the Preacher, Dec. 2009 When the song of the [...]
Good morning... "Your greatest gift is not your gifts, but your surrendered yes to be a space for God," writes Ann Voskamp in The Greatest Gift. "The miscarriage of Christmas begins when anxieties crowd out the space within simply to carry Christ. Make room; be a womb. Be a womb to receive Christ everywhere, and it is He [...]
Good morning... "This kind of ‘says it all’," a friend wrote this week. "...my wishes for you and all those I love!" ****** December's Gentle Grace by Etheric Echoes This holiday season, I'm wishing for the kind of wealth that money could never buy - the gentle peace of a quiet mind, the warmth of laughter echoing through [...]
Good morning... A fun poem I met earlier in the week came to life at the PAWkids Christmas party. As a complete surprise, I was presented with a dozen red roses from the After-School Program Director. She was thanking me for all of the incredible Christmas bags our Northside Church women shared with the families of Grove Park, [...]
Good morning... When we met for our class Christmas lunch and our final discussion of Choose Joy by Kay Warren, one friend read aloud a thought-provoking poem. ***** I Asked God by Claudia Minden Weisz I asked God to take away my pride, And God said, “No.” He said it was not for Him to take it away, [...]
