Good morning... One thing I love most about being the Women's Ministry Director at Northside Church in Atlanta, Georgia is creatively learning about God with a variety of women. Semester-by-semester, collaborative learning feeds our souls and transforms us gradually into the likeness of the living Christ. Now is the time to sign up for our 2021 Winter/Spring classes. [...]
Good morning... "The grass isn't always greener on the other side," whispers my most recent Goodwill find. The grass isn't always greener on the other side of losing a job, releasing a loved one to heaven, facing life following an accident, an illness, physical diminishment. The grass isn't always greener on the other side when an alcoholic can't [...]
Good morning... "If you were a pancake," the interviewer asked over the phone, "where would you be on the stack? Top? Middle? Bottom? Why?" Seriously. Our daughter, interviewing for a public relations position, was asked this quirky question. With your brain scrambling to speak your own truth, "What would be your answer?" Once you have your [...]
Good morning... I happen upon a German word, "Zerrissenheit," which means "torn-to-pieces-hood." Researching further, I meet some synonyms. Rift. Strife. Disunity. Fragmentation. Brokenness. Disjointedness. Inner turmoil or conflict. "Zerrissenheit," what a perfect word to meet two weeks before Election Day 2020. If feels like we are living in a ragged state of "torn-to-pieces-hood." Some think this, others think that. [...]
Good morning... "Here we go again?," she emailed after yesterday's post, Wow! "Do you still read Jesus Calling before you write or is this one of those God moments?" Hers was a really good question. Let me tell you the two most important reasons I adored her enlivening email. First, she took me back to where our daily blog began. [...]
Good morning... I was so mad. I was completely caught off guard. Her biting response felt unfair, unjust, underhanded. It was abrupt. It was painful. It was a slap-in-the-face, end-of-discussion. But she had the power. I did not. My anger made it hard to sleep, as Ephesians 4:26 (AMP) explains: Be angry [at sin—at immorality, at injustice, at ungodly [...]
Good morning... After writing yesterday's controversial post, A Mother's Perspective, I climbed back into bed, hoping for more sleep. That's when the wisdom of Ecclesiastes 5:3 (CEV) filled me full, integrating my mind, my body, and my soul. If you keep thinking about something, you will dream about it. If you talk too much, you will say the [...]
Good morning... "God, my shepherd!" says Psalm 23:1-4 in the Message translation. "I don’t need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I’m not afraid when you walk at my side." [...]
Good morning... As my husband was brushing his teeth yesterday morning, I walked into the bathroom and said, "Happy Ash Wednesday!" "I'm not sure those words really go together," he said. "Happy." "And Ash Wednesday." So I deepened my voice and dragged down my candescence, "Dreary and dreaded Ash Wednesday to you." Later in the day, as our [...]
Good morning... When my husband was in college, he took a trip to Israel with a small group of students and his favorite professor. Something important awakened in Steve as he walked the steps of Jesus, read Bible stories in the places they actually occurred, and collaborated on the questions of faith brewing in his heart. Walking and [...]
