Good morning... I recently met a poem that helps me to hold onto what is of utmost importance. ****** HOLDING by Phyllis Cole-Dai The intelligence of my five fingers working together to lace into the intelligence of yours— all the computing required of our brains. AI: actual intelligence. O, let us make our hands instruments for good! Catch [...]
Good morning... Still. Quiet. Pampered. As the recovering women awake this morning on their spiritual retreat at Ignatius House, I am asking God to meet them in profound, new ways. Each time we can truly "be still" and know on a deeper level that God is God (and we are not), we uncover fresh facets of our genuine [...]
Good morning... This image of a homeless person resting on a bench lives in the foyer of the Ignatius House Retreat Center. The humble figure draws my attention every time I enter the sacred space. Arriving on the gorgeous grounds yesterday around 5:30 pm, I found that the doors were locked to the library where I usually place [...]
Good morning... When our new Associate Pastor, Rev. Dana Ezell, spoke to our Morning Mission Circle last Tuesday, she talked about two ordinary women who followed the call of God and changed the course of history. She shared with us this fascinating story from Exodus 1:15-20 (CEB). The king of Egypt spoke to two Hebrew midwives named Shiphrah [...]
Good morning... Twenty-five years ago, our son Jeremiah was born on June 5th in Atlanta, Georgia. Two weeks later, our family was transplanted to New Wilmington, Pennsylvania with our youngest and his siblings ages 2, 4, and 6. Three months later, the terrorist attacks of September 11th shocked our nation. At the time, Jeremiah was the same age [...]
Good morning... Fires and floods. Earthquakes and wars. Disease, division, and death around the globe. Closer to home, our nearby neighbors face poverty, hunger, and homelessness. In our own families, we struggle with divorce, depression, and debilitating addiction. In recent days, it feels like hard things are happening everywhere. What do we do with all this pain? Henri [...]
Good morning... While at Northside Church on Sunday morning, I received a sad text from my dad in Ohio. "I just received a message from Margit," he wrote. "She said, 'I am very sick, and I probably won't make it home.'" Margit, a long time friend who lives in Norway, is journeying with pancreatic cancer. Margit stayed with [...]
Good morning... This week, two friends are heading into surgery. They will step through the anxious uncertainty to arrive on the other side ready to heal into wholeness. Right away, God's healing power will be actively at work. Hang on to that thread. This week, two of my dear friends will be going through divorce mediation. The dream [...]
Good morning... Sharing how she felt about her recent break up after six years of dating, our daughter began reading aloud a quote she had just posted. "Give it everything you've got, then let go. Show up fully. Take the risk. Have the hard conversation..." her voice trailed off into tears. "You read it," she said. So I [...]
Good morning... "I love the image of Jesus’ outstretched hand ❤️," she wrote after yesterday's post. "Right now I have had some devastating weeks with complications after my cancer treatment. Slowly recovering and welcoming all medical and psychosocial support. 🙏 Been in hospital for 9 days surrounded by love and dedication. Love, Margit." You might remember Margit, my [...]
