Good morning... Discussing our constant need for prayer, one friend paraphrased a Max Lucado quote like this: "Anxieties, fears and regrets land on our windshield but then comes the wiper of prayer that causes them to depart." Later, another friend shared with us the exact quote in its entirety. ****** Let God In by Max Lucado When we [...]
Good morning... I have been delightfully out of cell service for 90 percent of the past three days. Traveling with my husband on his new venture with the Lovett School, we have loved bonding with our group of sixteen, mostly strangers who are becoming fast friends. Steve is creating of an adult trip program, and I get to [...]
Good morning... In yesterday's summertime Zoom book study, our conversation was rich and enlivening. The word "stone" stood out as a symbol to remember. In The Practice of the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence writes on page 37: "As for my set hours of prayer... Sometimes I consider myself there as a stone before a carver, whereof he [...]
Good morning... Yesterday a friend shared a poem entitled Utopia. Together, let's read slowly and ponder the meaning of this story. ****** “Utopia” by Louise Glück When the train stops, the woman said, you must get on it. But how will I know, the child asked, it is the right train? It will be the right train, said [...]
Good morning... When I am left without answers to the anxious questions stirring in my heart, I can totally relate to the words of Psalm 13. How long will I store up anxious concerns within me, agony in my mind every day? (Psalm 13:2a, CSB). For a few freeing moments, the clarifying voice of Alisa Turner helps me [...]
Good morning... "Sue, the full moon is setting over the water this AM in Cape San Blas," texted my friend yesterday morning. "Not a bad spot to spend the week of work!" Her gorgeous photo made me excited all day, looking forward to seeing the nearly full moon from our back porch tonight. Curious, I stepped out to [...]
Good morning... As I sat in the airport waiting to fly to Ohio for my dad's 88th birthday weekend, I got a text from a long time Northside Church member. She was on her way to pick up her husband from the hospital after his recovery from a scary emergency surgery. Airport. Hospital. Our interaction reminded me of [...]
Good morning... Today, my dad turns 88 years old. From Atlanta, Georgia to Olmsted Falls, Ohio, I send my early morning "Happy Birthday" wish to the man who most regularly reads our daily blog. My dad also loves to read newspaper articles, especially ones written by Terry Pluto, columnist for the local paper, the Cleveland Plain Dealer. This [...]
Good morning... "I hate to be the one to tell you, but she really doesn't like you, Sue," one friend said to me about a person I actually considered an important friend. "She's talking badly about you," another woman said at a different time and place. Of all of the mixed emotions I have wrestled with this Lenten [...]
Good morning... One morning meditation draws us into intimacy with God. When we feel overwhelmed by life, it is time to deeply trust. ****** A Simple Act Of Trust by Henri Nouwen O Lord, all you ask of me is a simple “yes,” a simple act of trust, so that your choices for me can bear fruit in [...]
