Good morning... On the first Christmas morn, what was born? Our personal adoption into the family of God. "Think of it this way," explains Galatians 4:1-7 (NLT). "If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their [...]
Good morning... "I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths," begins the devotional my friend texted me in a screenshot on the day she received her difficult news. "I know how confused you sometimes feel - and how you long to find your way forward. You have tried many different things; you have [...]
Good morning... In our final Listening Group of the semester, I intended to unwrap Chapter 3, but by "mistake" I read aloud excerpts from Chapter 4, a chapter entitled "God's Compassion for the Rebellious." I shared aloud these introductory words before we slowly read, reread, and reflected on the parable of the prodigal son found in Luke 15:11-24. "You [...]
Good morning... Inside the funeral bulletin silently rested a powerful insert. I have returned to the words again and again, intrigued by their challenge. ****** Excerpt from The Tree of Life by Terrance Malick Job imagined he might build his nest on high - that the integrity of his behavior would protect him against misfortune. And his friends thought, [...]
Good morning... She taught me her favorite "breath prayer," a centering word or a short phrase which can be said within a single breath. Inhaling deeply we request, "More of God." Exhaling fully we release, "Less of me." Slowly, methodically we breathe in then out, "More of God. Less of me." Again and again we request and release, "More [...]
Good morning... “I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it," writes Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple from Putnam County, Georgia. Purple. Why does purple so ignite the passion of God? I google the meaning of purple and streamline a ton of fascinating facts. Purple combines the [...]
Good Morning... "This is not sustainable," whispered the stunning sentence waking me from sleep on October 20, 2017. Journaling with God in dark, wee hours. Blogging daily and responding to subscribers. Co-shepherding the Women's Ministry at church, praying, teaching, guiding. Being an attentive wife and mom, a loyal friend and daughter. Peacefully providing spiritual direction to those seeking to hear [...]
Good Morning... As I soaked in the stillness of the Ignatius House Retreat Center, choice words of reflection came to rest upon my page. "Safe. Secure. Simple. That was my old unblemished life. Through a series of large, crashing waves, God separated me from the life of my childhood dreams. Clarity, comfort, connection all tumbled, tumbled, tumbled away. With God saying 'no' [...]
Good Morning... I wake the morning after our "With God Weather Life" retreat. I miss the women who experienced with me calming waves of candlelit, colorful sand and shells, Scripture and silence, sacred reading and solitude's rest. For one night and two days, we weathered waves and waves of transformative wisdom. By the Bible, select authors, and one another's [...]
Good morning... In an unusual act, I set my alarm for just before 3:00 am, intending to pause and to change the message I had pre-programmed very early in the morning. A fifty-five year old husband, father, and friend to many was laid to rest yesterday, four days after he died in a freak car accident. I wanted to [...]
