Good morning... "Sue," she texted yesterday. "It struck me in your speaking about kindness in this morning's blog - I wonder if you have seen the billboards with Dolly Parton. As I was driving back from the beach there was a horrendously congested intersection of construction - with long lines of cars and trucks - everyone doing their [...]
Good morning... With so much strife and pain around, one of our superpowers is kindness. A small, kind act can ripple out to share the love of God. ...the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we [...]
Good morning... Yesterday's blog post included one of my favorite Bible verses. Before leaving earth for heaven, Jesus told his followers, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NIV). I [...]
Good morning... After waking from my second sleep, I re-read our post crafted in the wee hours of Saturday morning, Born To Be With Us. Our blog ended with this truth: "Amid all of the tremendous tragedies we face along our journey, from life through death into eternal life with God, Jesus was born to be beside us." [...]
Good morning... "I get overwhelmed by everything," she said in our spiritual growth group yesterday. Then the Holy Spirit stirred within her a new thought. "I only need to find a path, I don't have to clear the wilderness." The rest of us get overwhelmed too, so, touched by what she said, we had her repeat the sentence. [...]
Good morning... In yesterday's blog post, I shared about The Dawn Of Advent, introducing you to the daily devotional gift of Dr. James Johnson, our Discipleship Director from Northside Church. By mistake, I gave you the wrong link to sign yourself up to receive these morning messages throughout the season of Advent. The link I gave somehow returned [...]
Good morning... All week last week, Steve visited with his 94 year old mom in rural Pennsylvania. Cold. Windy. Harsh. He experienced a different kind of beauty found in our family's favorite summertime spot. Also last week, as my sister was preparing the traditional family Christmas calendar for [...]
Good morning... I've told you about Martha Kimbel, our friend who had taught beloved fitnesses classes at Northside Church for twenty-five years. Eight years ago her husband's Alzheimer's worsened and she needed to stay home as his full time caregiver. Two years ago, her husband, Chris, went to heaven. Martha feared her dancing days were over, but, in [...]
Good morning... "Our psalm for the week is 31," she wrote, "and this was in the devotional I received from the church this morning. Thought I’d share." ****** Psalm 31 reminds us that trust isn’t a feeling; it’s a decision made in the middle of fear. It’s the steady rhythm of naming what’s hard and choosing to believe [...]
Good morning... Six weeks ago the Spirit of God moved, undeniably. It happened after an energizing walk and talk through the neighborhood of my longtime friend, Martha Kimbel. She and I were sitting at her kitchen island drinking water after our walk when, out of the blue, I felt nudged to ask, "Martha, would you ever consider coming [...]
