Good morning... I happened upon a book and felt drawn to a handful of words. ****** Excerpt from Poems from the Thin Places by Monica R. Lavia "My peace I give you," said Jesus. I want that. Not the kind of peace that is the opposite of war, but the kind of peace that is the opposite of [...]
Good morning... This week, I took pictures of two trees in our back yard. The first photo in each set was taken on Monday. The second in each set was taken on Thursday. Will I open the wooden gate of my innermost self to notice the [...]
Good morning... On this All Saints' Day weekend, when we honor the lives of those who have left earth for heaven, I sat on the back porch of a friend whose husband passed away eight weeks ago. We marveled at how quickly time has passed and how slowly, surely God's peaceful strength has built a home within her. [...]
Good morning... "Every time I see this cross on my wrist, I am reminded we are not perfect people," she wrote after yesterday's post. "Even with our imperfect selves we strive to get it right, to shine through darkness, and to live behind the smiles with a generous spirit. My cross is not perfect and it reminds me [...]
Good morning... "We cannot come to the altar in conflict," said yesterday's Betty Skinner quote. "But, God, hadn't we just written the opposite?" I thought to myself. Our post, Quiet The Voice Of Despair, had just revealed our honest truth: The voice of despair and the voice of "I love you" play tug-o-war in us sometimes. This common [...]
Good morning... "The post is beautiful - just beautiful," my dear friend wrote after yesterday's message, When Our Strength Runs Out. "Seeing his obit in the paper this morning made it so real." She shared a red broken heart emoji. "It's a beautiful obituary," I texted back. "Simple. Straightforward. In keeping with his strong, loyal presence." My friend [...]
Good morning... My dear friend's husband died on Sunday night after a long, excruciating battle with a rare disease. He was just sixty-four years old. I am grateful this friend turned me onto the brilliant work of author Kate Bowler. It gives me great comfort knowing we both savored this holy blessing as we woke yesterday. ****** A [...]
Good morning... "After we let go, what do we do with our own emptiness?" a woman privately asked after my Let Go. Let God. talk with the Lovett Moms In Prayer. "Emptiness - we naturally feel it," I think I said. "Emptiness - we patiently endure it. Emptiness - we quietly wait for God to fill us." Ours [...]
Good morning... One of my favorite fall commitments, year after year, is speaking at the kickoff gathering for the Lovett School Moms In Prayer group. Yesterday around 8:00 am, about seventy-five of us collected in the Lovett scout hut to receive an encouraging word as we begin this new school year. I was kindly introduced. Sue Allen. Mom [...]
Good morning... "Good morning, Sue," she wrote after yesterday's blog post, Letting A Child Go. "A friend sent this article to me right before we sent our oldest son to college. I have since shared it with many friends who have been encouraged by the wisdom, so thought I’d pass it on to you in case you think [...]
