Good morning... As the Women's Ministry Director at Northside Church, I love visiting with people who are facing unique challenges. Disease. Divorce. Depression. Difficult decisions. Death of a loved one. One person who has been a vibrant part of our ministry for years has also become the Pastoral Care Executive Assistant at our church. Through a freak accident, [...]
Good morning... This week I have become increasingly more grateful for two things I often take for granted: A solid roof above my head. A chance to come in out of the rain. Many people in our world do not have these two simple luxuries right now. Physically, emotionally, collectively, [...]
Good morning... "Sue," she texted yesterday, "we are also at the beach on St. George island. This morning we watched the sun rise in the east and to the west we saw dark threatening clouds moving across our beautiful island. But looking up between the light and the darkness was a full rainbow celebrating God's promise of his [...]
Good morning... "Hi Sue," she wrote the day after Betty Skinner died. "Sending you a quick email. I am always amazed how the Upper Room seems to fit those moments in my life . . . connecting to mutterings and thoughts. Please see below. With the passing of Betty . . . and the prayer for spiritual mentors [...]
Good morning... "Gratitude is a seed you plant," said the minister at the celebration of Eliza's twenty-eight year old life. "This seed grows up into joy. Radiant joy comes from planting small seeds of daily gratitude." Though her body was riddled with cancer, Eliza's radiant joy was unmistakably contagious. This week Henri Nouwen also encourages us to plant [...]
Good morning... Is it possible to be cheerful each day, filled with cheer, with joy, with gladness regardless of the circumstances into which we wake? This Father's Day morn, Scripture quietly whispers to us in surround sound. A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit (Proverbs 15:13, NIV). Every day is a terrible day [...]
Good morning... Above the upside down photo dumping out all of my dreams hangs a Corinne Adams original. For Corinne, for you and for me, God is the ultimate Dream-giver. The LORD's higher, healing ways generously overflow into our ordinary lives. This is how the Bible explains God's life-giving process. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, [...]
Good morning... "This has got to be it," she texted me this Alice Neel painting after reading our post, At First I Hated It. "This title says Flowers of Mourning, but the Whitney Museum lists it as Still Life, Rose of Sharon... a biblical term from Song of Solomon - I am a rose of Sharon, a rose [...]
Good morning... Yesterday I unpacked this quote in our blog post, What Is Joy? Remember, my friend sent me the photo above along with these words: "Thought you would like this. From a wonderful collection on the Black experience. She has a beautiful poem by the same title." So I googled the title and pulled up the poem, [...]
Good morning... "Thought you would like this," a friend texted me the photo above. She continued: "From a wonderful collection on the Black experience. She has a beautiful poem by the same title." I was intrigued by the quote. "Joy is an act of resistance." To be honest, joy and resistance somehow seem like opposites to me. Oil [...]
