Good morning... Along with sharing Henri Nouwen's words of wisdom, the Henri Nouwen Society has been counting down to this day: GivingTuesday. In researching the concept, I learn from Wikipedia that "GivingTuesday, often stylized as #GivingTuesday for the purposes of hashtag activism, is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving in the United States. It is touted as a 'global generosity [...]
Good morning... Okay, so you know I tried a new thing yesterday. I did not write a blog post, on purpose. It was Sunday, the very first day I intentionally practiced the art of Sabbath-keeping, setting apart the seventh day of the week as a day of rest, honoring the sacred rhythm set forth by God at the [...]
Good morning... "Sue," she emailed me after yesterday's message, Pause And Restore. "Thank you for your post today! As someone who too often equates productivity with value, it’s hard for me to rest. I focus on my never ending to do lists and all of the things I should be doing. It’s nice to be given 'permission' to [...]
Good morning... On the seventh day—with the canvas of the cosmos completed—God paused from His labor and rested. Thus God blessed day seven and made it special—an open time for pause and restoration, a sacred zone of Sabbath-keeping, because God rested from all the work He had done in creation that day (Genesis 2:2-3, VOICE). "God’s rest on [...]
Good morning... "Discernment is first of all a habit, a way of seeing that eventually permeates our whole life," explains our post from yesterday, Angels Among Us. "It is the journey from spiritual blindness (not seeing God anywhere or seeing him only where we are expecting to see him) to spiritual sight (finding God everywhere, especially where we [...]
Good morning... In cleaning our home to welcome our guests later this afternoon, I ran across a book I had totally forgotten about. Underlined. Highlighted. Circled and starred. A few years back I devoured each page during my two year training to become a spiritual director. Guided by the Spirit, I am now drawn to dog-eared page number [...]
Good morning... I nestle into my quiet time spot, a mug of coffee beside me, to unpack my bag from last night's "Day of the Dead" party. Annually, a group of about twenty of us gather on November 1st at a mutual friend's home. In her living room we set up small altars with candles, photos, and symbols [...]
Good morning... She asked me to write an 800 word article for our November newsletter at Northside Church. She knew the story of how God has organically grown our ministry to women. She shared with me the Scripture verse for the month: Base your happiness on your hope in Christ. When trials come endure them patiently, steadfastly maintain [...]
Good morning... "Hi Sue!" she emailed after yesterday's blog post. "I absolutely love this statue! I wish this were our symbol for Christ! Risen and victorious rather than defeated hanging on the cross. I heard a priest say one time that wearing a cross as a symbol of Jesus is kind of like wearing a symbol of an [...]
Good morning... "Life wins," she said quietly. We watched green, vibrant growth crawling all over a fallen tree. Walking the trail at the Ignatius House Retreat Center, we noticed other tangible evidence of God's undeniable truth. "Life wins." We admired a tiny, tenacious fungus bursting from the center of another decaying tree. "Life wins." [...]
