Good morning... This week a song is gently marching through my mind. God personalizes the chorus. "I will send out an army to find you in the middle of the darkest night. Sue, it's true, I will rescue you." Lauren Daigle's voice repeats over and over again. As I rest. As I wake. As I drive. As I [...]
Good morning... After a fun filled weekend, God just woke me from sleep around 1:00 am, nudging me to read two emails which waited patiently in my inbox. "As you know we are studying Discerning the Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer," wrote a loyal leader of our Banquet Bible study, the longest running study at Northside Church, [...]
Good morning... Queen Elizabeth II. Hurricane Fiona victims. Ukrainians and Russians killed in senseless war. Floods in central Italy. An earthquake in Taiwan. Wildfires blaze wildly out west. Gun violence steals lives across our nation. So many friends have recently lost loved ones to disease, to cancer, to addiction, to suicide, to overpowering riptide currents. It seems that [...]
Good morning... "Sunset tonight as raindrops are falling on the lake," she texted on Sunday night from the coast of Oregon. "Sabbath blessings indeed!" "And then this happened," she witnessed God's WOW. "Power belongs to you, God, and with you, Lord, is unfailing love" (Psalm 62:11b-12:a, NIV). Such full bodied transformation reminds me of a quote [...]
Good morning... Tonight's full moon lights the dignity of the dying roses centered on our kitchen table. I sift through yesterday's ashes to give breath to eternal embers. First my waking heart wrote these words on my blank journal page. Is it enough to root and bloom, to thrive and share love, to live daily life the best [...]
Good morning... "Campfire..." one reader began her follow up email. "A theme used to celebrate the life of my Tia Sue. She was my dad's sister, who I was very close to. I may be going in a different direction with the campfire idea, but the poem really spoke to me, which is why I shared your recent [...]
Good morning... "I woke with a strong prayer this morning," she texted first thing yesterday. "I'm praying to remember that each of my to-do/to-serve opportunities is a pure gift. God offers me a partnership in God's work. It is only 'too much' if my ego and my eagerness to do it all perfectly and efficiently take over. And [...]
Good morning... "I'm going to Ukraine on the 29th," said LaTonya Gates, founder and director of PAWkids, as we sat together yesterday. "I'm excited about serving outside of our community. This 'Crates for Ukraine' project reaches so far outside of Grove Park to help people in great need." "What can we do to best support you?" I asked. [...]
Good morning... "Loved your reflection, Sue," after yesterday's post, The Perfect Getaway. "The amazing power (His not ours) of being still and truly listening! And now God speaks in stereo as I screen shot the verse I happened upon late last night." "The LORD will fight for you; you need only be still," says Exodus 14:14. In stillness, [...]
Good morning... "Wow!" read her email heading after yesterday's post, Facing Life's Uncertainty. "God knew that I needed your words today. I am paralyzed by uncertainty right now and didn’t even realize it. I’m stuck in the mud of self-pity instead of planting whatever seeds will allow me to find God’s future choices for me. Thank you for [...]
