Good morning... We deepen down into the statement, "When we emerge from this global pandemic, we will be either a drunk, a hunk, a chunk or a monk!" Do we see the two-sided invitation of each temporary state? The drunk may be driven to surrender, craving an intimate connection to our Higher Power. The hunk may get caught [...]
Good morning... Each time I go on a trip, the question is not, "Will I forget to pack something?" The reliable question has become over the years, "What did I forget?" As I shared in our morning message from Sunday, I am spending the week working to finalize this semester's study with God, Waking Up Whole: Mind, Body, [...]
Good morning... As vulnerable babies, we are born in relationship, born into the experience of Genesis 2:25: In those days the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed (VOICE). Then our innate self centeredness elbows others out of the way. Our "Me. Mine. I." begin to run our show. We devour what is not [...]
Good morning... Fifty-eight years ago today, my husband Steve surprised his parents by arriving three weeks early. From the pulpit as a Presbyterian minister, his father was able to announce a double meaning at each Christmas Eve service, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given!" Fast forward to now. Do you remember that [...]
Good morning... Over the phone, she describes in detail her favorite painting of the newborn Jesus with his mom and dad. She notices the image as her guide for this unusual Christmas. She begins, "It's a dingy stable room instead of a soft warm space. The setting reminds me of the small, one room apartments we would encounter [...]
Good morning... She said, "I'm relating more keenly to Mary and Joseph this COVID Christmas." She went on to explain her line of thinking. After a long, uncomfortable, cross country trek, jostling on a donkey nine months pregnant, Mary and Joseph finally arrived at the inn. Their stopping place. The end to their grueling journey. Relieved to have [...]
Good morning... At Goodwill, pre-pandemic, I was drawn to the ugliest necklace I have ever seen. Gaudy and overcrowded. Heavy and weighed down. Haphazardly strung together and hanging on by a thread. As I picked up the necklace, examining the creation more closely, I admired the individual stones. Natural, God-made gems. Each gemstone was unique, size, shape, and [...]
Good morning... I found this unique cross at Goodwill years back. It hangs on our bedroom wall, reminding me that our broken pieces are mended mysteriously by the grace of God. I have pointy pieces, shattered shards, childhood chips. So does everyone I love and everyone I sometimes hate. The question for each of us becomes, "How might [...]
Good morning... My husband and I watched a couple taking engagement photos on the beach. The rising sun peaked out of the clouds. The waves ebbed and flowed in sync. The perfect dreams of these young strangers were played themselves out before our eyes. Thinking back to the day before, Steve had performed a wedding for another beautiful [...]
Good morning... He has made everything beautiful in its appropriate time. He has also put obscurity in their hearts so that no one comes to know the work that God has done from the beginning to the end (Ecclesiastes 3:11, MEV). "Imagine that you're unwell and in a foul mood, and you're driving through some lovely countryside," writes [...]
