Good morning... "How many of us find ourselves taking the weight of the world on our shoulders?" Last Sunday afternoon, we read aloud this paragraph from page 198 in our small group study of The Great Spiritual Migration by Brian D. McLaren. "We need to solve climate change. We need to stop nuclear war. We need to end [...]
Good morning... Last week, she shared the tumultuous story of her own grief. "I think I shared this after my Dad passed away last year," she wrote. "It was two days after Dad had passed, and I was managing very difficult family dynamics with my siblings and a painful dementia diagnosis for my mom. I was exhausted and [...]
Good morning... "Why bother?" asks Sean Thomas Dougherty. Then, he answers his own question. "Because right now, there is someone out there with a wound in the exact shape of your words." Painful wounds and healing words meet at the right moment. Here, at the crossroads of wounds and words, God's presence is palpable. Might the power of [...]
Good morning... As our spring semester draws to an end at Northside Church, all of our Bible studies for women channel into one Zoom study for the summer. Here are this year's details. ***** Summer Reading Group 2024 A Longing to Belong: Reflections on Faith, Identity, and Race by Michelle Lee-Barnewall A blend of memoir and theological reflection, [...]
Good morning... "I thought of you when I received this today." On early Saturday morning, a faraway friend emailed me the colorful Bible verse above. She said, "Reminds me a little bit of your post today, Be Guided By Grace." In the VOICE translation, Ephesians 4:2 sounds like this. Be humble. Be gentle. Be patient. Tolerate one another [...]
Good morning... "He says it best!" wrote one dear friend from our church family. "This United Methodist minister from Arkansas has stated it best. The interior of the church as seen at the end of his statement looks exactly like our sanctuary at Northside United Methodist Church." This minister passionately shares his prayerful perspective. In highlighting his thoughts, [...]
Good morning... Last week, I posted a poem shared by a friend from our Friday morning class. ****** some types of sadness by Cleo Wade some types of sadness appear and vanish a quick hello & goodbye some types of sadness linger like a moon cycling through its phases in your being full half a sliver barely there [...]
Good morning... "Thought of you and the Holiday Gathering you are doing," she texted along with the clever image above. She made me smile. She made me chuckle. She made me feel loved and supported. "A disco ball is hundreds of pieces of broken glass put together to make a magical ball of light," reads the Judi Holler [...]
Good morning... After our Friday morning discussion of Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor, I looked down and saw the strange sight above. A cut out, curled up magazine page caught randomly in the corner of our patio where the fourteen of us had just finished class. From where did this image blow in? [...]
Good morning... Several of you have said, "Sue, don't blog this weekend. Just give yourself a break to fully experience your son's wedding." On most levels this advice makes complete sense. "Give yourself a break." Except on one very core level. The challenge is this - I live off of these God's given words. I am deeply nourished, [...]
