Good morning... "For the joy set before him (Jesus) endured the cross," explains Hebrews 12:2b (NIV). This is a good thing to remember as we walk into Lent. We all have different crosses to bear. The cross of grieving a loved one who has left this earth. The cross of a scary diagnosis and its various treatment options. The [...]
Good morning... Monday was a dud of a day for me. It began with me feeling self-consciously down after a phone call that activated the critics in my head. It continued with news of another teen suicide, a sudden death of a beloved father, and an awareness that hard anniversaries for grieving friends are just around the corner. Then [...]
Good morning... A new truth dawns on me. Beauty has nothing to do with age or weight, body type or hair style. Beauty has everything to do with radiance. Whenever our college-aged daughter comes home for the weekend, she loves to go to Passion City for worship. Last Sunday, she and I enjoyed the 9:30 am service. As the [...]
Good morning... "Shame hates it when we reach out and tell our story. It hates having words wrapped around it - it can't survive being shared. Shame loves secrecy. The most dangerous thing to do after a shaming experience is hide or bury our story. When we bury our story, the shame metastasizes" (p. 9. in Brene Browne's The [...]
Good morning... I ran across a fun translation of an encouraging scripture. Seize life! Eat bread with gusto, drink wine with a robust heart. Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure! Dress festively every morning. Don’t skimp on colors and scarves. Relish life with the spouse you love each and every day of your precarious life. Each day is [...]
Good morning... God is able to communicate with us on multiple levels every single day. After I posted yesterday's blog in the middle of the night, "The gift of the gold finch," I saw several of gold finches while on my 9:00 am walk with a friend to and from the horse farm. Walking round and round the familiar [...]
“Mommy, are you a good sew-er?” my youngest son asked as he entered the dining room. Without looking at him, I said nonchalantly, “I know how to sew a little bit. What do you need?” “Mommy, are you a really good sew-er?” his trembling voice made my eyes dart up. That’s when I saw tears in his eyes, the head [...]
Bath water pours into the tub, inches-up the solid sides, and levels the powerless lip before it overflows onto the bathroom floor, flooding, flooding, flooding the room. The Almighty showers down on me, fills my heart with Spirit, and levels my powerless lip before God overflows into the lives around me, flooding, flooding, flooding the room. Such spiritual [...]
