Good morning... Audrey DeShelter has lived in my deepest prayers since she was diagnosed with cancer at age five. She is now an amazing young woman, a spectacular student heading into her senior year of high school. Her mom, Jennifer, was in my Bible study at the time Audrey's neuroblastoma was detected, and we have been closely bonded, [...]
Good morning... On behalf of friends going through very challenging circumstances, I crave the healing presence of God. I yearn for God, the all-powerful God, to show up in undeniable ways, ways we can see, sense, surrender into, fully. Just like a deer that craves streams of water, my whole being craves you, God. My whole being thirsts [...]
Good morning... My friend has a cat who companions her beautifully. Our little dog is a lot like her cat. Our precious pets teach us so much about love, about life, about God's gentle presence. I was recently nudged to email my friend: "This poem made me think of you, rocking with your cat curled on your lap, [...]
Good morning... After we shared deeply about the pain she was enduring, one friend prayed for another friend over the phone. Capturing the compassion in my journal, I jotted down many of her vulnerable words. Now in the middle of the night I revisit my notes, piecing together this heartfelt prayer. Dear gracious God, Raw and in process, [...]
Good morning... Four thousand neighbors and me, we still have no internet. So, once again, no blogging in the middle of the night. Still stirred awake in the wee hours, I was drawn to another form of creativity. Accessing the healing power of pansies! Yesterday, I had cut some pansies from our neighborhood's dying patch before they are [...]
Good morning... She texted me the photo above after enjoying yesterday's post, Power Drained Out Of Me. Having gone with her church to the Holy Land the day after our group returned from our trip in March, she wondered, "Did you guys go to this church (please don't ask me where) in Israel with this painting of the [...]
Good morning... Last night power drained out of me, as I taught a roomful of women at a nearby church. The requested topic? The Enneagram, an ancient personality test used by Christian mystics. My source of exhaustion? A new group of people, a plethora of information, tons of creative energy expended. The greatest grace experienced? Afterwards, I had [...]
Good morning... As I woke in the middle of the night, I opened an amazing gift which has been many years in the making. I watched the touching talk seventeen-year-old Audrey DeShelter shared with a large audience at a recent fundraiser for the fight against childhood cancer. Audrey has been the focus of a handful of our blog [...]
Good morning... After snapping a photo of still branches silhouetted in purple gray, I revisit a quote shared by a friend before the dawn of a new day. "Sit with it. Sit with it. Sit with it. Sit with it. Even though you want to run. Even when it’s heavy and difficult. Even though you’re not quite sure [...]
Good morning... In our weekly therapeutic community group at PAWkids, we gather with men and women from different backgrounds, with different skin colors, different ages, different life stages. What do we all have in common? We all face various challenges in our daily lives. We all need God's healing power. We are all constantly learning what it means [...]
