Good morning... As we consider the possibility of spiritual transformation, it is good to be reminded: "We're supposed to change." When staying stuck hurts more than total surrender, we take the risk. Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and [...]
Good morning... What does freedom really look like on this complex fourth of July? In the Message translation, 1 Peter 2:16-17 simplifies our answer. Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government. Now my thoughts are drawn back to our [...]
Good morning... I am empowered by the deep wisdom I gleaned from our Ignatius House retreat about Mary Magdalene. Mary had sensed God's inner voice all of her life, a relentless whisper which clashed with the loud male voices in her everyday world. Her father. Her brothers. The powerful men in leadership. Instead of becoming a young wife [...]
Good morning... Yesterday was a historic day. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, sending the authority to regulate abortions back to the states. Regardless of our position on these important issues, might we still our souls in the quietness of this moment? The Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says to the [...]
Good morning... I shared with her my retreat insight. I am carved out to carry the light of Christ. Nutshell by nutshell. Day after day. She asked, "Have you ever read the poem entitled Mother Wisdom Speaks?" Since I had not, she emailed it to me later. I savor it now for a second time with you. ****** [...]
Good morning... Slowly walking through the woods, I noticed a nutshell. Small. Sliced open. Simply symmetrical. Secreted in our depths is the dawning awareness: The shape of Christ is the design of me. When life slices us open and our "Big I" begins to die, our true self begins to come to life: I am made to mirror [...]
Good morning... Cuddling into our couch with my first cup of coffee, I pull out the notes I jotted yesterday on the paper ticket ushering me home to Atlanta, Georgia from my parents' place near Cleveland, Ohio. Coming back from my mom's 84th birthday and my parent's 62nd anniversary celebration, I watched a fascinating documentary on the short [...]
Good morning... As I wake early to travel to Ohio for a visit with my parents for my mom's birthday, I think of the Anne Lamont quote: “I am all the ages I've ever been.” Turning 84 years old today, my mom is all the ages she have ever been. She is a living bundle of memories from [...]
Good morning... One week ago today . . . . . . "Nineteen kids came romping up the golden staircase, taking two steps at a time, sprinting toward the mother-of-pearl gates," writes beloved blogger Sean Dietrich. "It’s a wonder they didn’t knock Saint Peter over onto his Blessed Assurance. The children all smelled like little-kid sweat and stinky [...]
Good morning... Following last week's widely discussed post, We Differ Politically, one loyal subscriber sent me a copy of a speech presented in 1944. Highly respected Judge Learned Hand (1872-1961) shared keen words of wisdom during the "I am an American Day" celebrations. "The fifth paragraph blows me away," our regular reader wrote. Pondering the grounding wisdom, I [...]
