Good morning... I am taking my time dismantling December this year. I ponder meaningful memories as I quietly pack up our decorations. From December 2021, I am savoring many firsts. I cherish the photos from a gathering in Ohio with twenty-two of our extended family members the weekend before Thanksgiving (the first time we were all together since [...]
Good morning... "Sue," she emailed after yesterday's blog post from Jacksonville, Florida, "that verse from Isaiah is one of my guiding verses: And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me" (Isaiah 6:8, ESV). I am reading Dane Ortlund’s book [...]
Good morning... Many of our readers enjoyed the touching video about Scott Harrison's life shared in our blog post from yesterday. Thirst: A Story of Redemption, Compassion, and a Mission to Bring Clean Water to the World is also a book chronicling the global ministry God is inspiring through Scott, a non-profit called charity: water. "This is one [...]
Good morning... Sometimes a song sings just what we feel. I am hoping this music video adds another dimension to our ongoing discussion about the will of God. Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:9b-10, KJ21). ...Sue... [...]
Good morning... My spiritual director opens our phone conversation with a sacred reading each month. Through her surrendered spirit, God channels life-giving words. This month's poem woke up my wonder. ****** TRILLIUMS by Mary Oliver 'Every spring among the ambiguities of childhood the hillsides grew white with the wild trilliums. I believed in the world. Oh, I wanted [...]
Good morning... Too much to say. There's just too much to say. How do I center myself down, Lord, to sense your concise, caring message for this unique day? I could write all about our incredibly meaningful morning at PAWkids yesterday. I could write about yesterday's moving retirement celebration for a loving pastor I have partnered with at [...]
Good morning... "This poem plays beautifully with your post about radical empathy," she wrote. Remember? Radical empathy is "actively striving to better understand and share the feelings of others. To fundamentally change our perspectives from judgmental to accepting, in an attempt to more authentically connect with ourselves and others." I agree with my friend. This powerful poem plays [...]
Good morning... "Hi Sue," she texted, "the above image, shared by a friend but photographer unknown, is evocative of Lent and these lingering grey days. It may resonate with your artist/writer soul." Inviting my soul to dance, this photo is fantastic, mysterious, ethereal. A snow covered prayer labyrinth. The pointy tips of a cathedral in the hazy fog. [...]
Good morning... For me, tonight quietly signifies another invisible loss. Since 2007, each Tuesday night before Ash Wednesday we have hosted our annual Women's Lenten Communion Service. For fourteen straight years, God has prepared our hearts for the season of Lent by gathering at church with a standing-room-only crowd, listening to a life-changing, God-revealing story from the ordinary [...]
Good morning... "Parked at a local church, I found my car window shattered," remembers my dear friend Corinne Adams. "I was distraught…until I saw the beauty of the broken glass. I knew I had to take it home. Slowly and surely, the little glass nuggets made their way into cuffs, pendants, belt buckles, rings and earrings. These unique [...]
