Joy After Death

Good morning... God continues to teach us about the joyful power which exists beyond death. I am intrigued by the words which came into my inbox yesterday. ****** DAILY MEDITATION | SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 A Death for Others by Henri Nouwen The great mystery is that all people who have lived with and in the Spirit of God [...]

By |2021-09-29T08:49:25-04:00September 29th, 2021|Death And Resurrection, Joy, Mystery|

Life’s Most Important Days

Good morning... "This will be one of the most important days of your life," she said to her 10 year old son when he returned home from school on September 11th, 2001. Later that night she thought to herself, that was a stupid, terrible thing to say. The morning of September 12th, she apologized to her young son. [...]

By |2021-09-14T06:34:53-04:00September 13th, 2021|Family and Friends, God's Love, Joy|

An Adult Time Out

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, [...]

By |2021-09-10T03:20:58-04:00September 10th, 2021|God's Love, Joy, Pain|

How To Increase Your Joy

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 [...]

By |2021-09-01T10:21:24-04:00September 1st, 2021|Gratitude, Joy, Light In Darkness|

The Muddle Of Mourning

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 [...]

By |2021-08-22T03:03:37-04:00August 22nd, 2021|Death And Resurrection, Grief, Joy|

Seeds of Gratitude

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 [...]

By |2021-07-03T08:32:52-04:00July 3rd, 2021|Gratitude, Joy, Organic Growth|

Be Cheerful Each Day

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 [...]

By |2021-06-20T21:29:05-04:00June 20th, 2021|Everyday life, Joy, Peace|

Higher Than My Dreams

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, [...]

By |2021-06-12T15:13:15-04:00June 12th, 2021|Everyday life, God's Plan, Joy|

The Joy Outside Our Fishbowls

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 [...]

By |2021-06-04T08:41:31-04:00June 4th, 2021|Community, God's Love, Joy|
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