Good morning... "I think we need to cancel the March women's conference," speaker Dr. Cathy Snapp said over the phone. What? What are you talking about? My mind silently reeled. Cancel the "Awake To Wholeness Women's Retreat" we have been planning for over a year? But so many people have invested so many hours. How can we cancel? As [...]
Good morning... "Who can use the term 'gone viral' now without shuddering a little?" begins the intriguing article Margit Steinholt sent me from Norway, alongside the photo above capturing the snowy view from her home. "Who can look at anything any more — a door handle, a cardboard carton, a bag of vegetables — without imagining it swarming [...]
Good morning... Before the world began, God hardwired us for abundant life, on earth as it is in heaven. Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out. Is there anyone around who can explain God? Anyone smart enough to [...]
Good morning... "God, why did I scarf down three cookies?" became my deep prayer after my impulsive episode. I must tell you, these were not tiny Girl Scout cookies. These three cookies were mammoth mommas. "What was going on in me?" Fear, worry, anxiety. I faced a hard phone call. I didn't know exactly what to say, how [...]
Good morning... Blinking open his five senses to novel sights, smells, and sounds, the newly born Jesus ...was in the world, the world was there through him, and yet the world didn’t even notice (John 1:10b, MSG). Noticing Immanuel, God's powerful presence with us, does not happen immediately. Often, especially during the hectic of the holidays, we have a hard [...]
Good morning... If I had one superpower I think I might choose the ability to control time. Wouldn't it be cool to turn back time, returning to a day we would love to last forever? Wouldn't it awesome to speed up time, fast-forwarding through a dark, hard season to get to our bright future? Wouldn't it be empowering [...]
Good morning... Often I allow some silence before I pray aloud with a group or when I am meeting with an individual, one-on-one or over the phone. Silence slows the pace; it opens breathing space and curtsies to the God of grace. As I offered closed-eyed silence before I said our prayer, a stream of words naturally bubbled [...]
Good morning... After watching the captivating video in yesterday's post, many of you responded, "Surprisingly, I was moved to tears." God lives in our in-between spaces. Between stirring a bit and being fully awake. Between standing far off and accepting a hug. Between ending this thing and beginning what's next. Between noticing beauty and being filled with gratitude. [...]
Good morning... "Hi Sue," she wrote from Newton County, Georgia. "Saturday I tried and failed twice to message you, so perhaps the delay was providential." Then she told me her story: "Still seeking a new church home, Sunday I attended a nearby independent 'contemporary' church. Since I still love (and miss) singing in a really good choir, it [...]
Good morning... "The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear," say the words on a framed treasure from Goodwill. I stare at the wisdom, thinking to myself, "That sounds really nice, but I have been quiet now for an uncomfortably long time, and I cannot seem to hear one darn, divine thing." Possibilities perks up before [...]
