Good morning... I left our home yesterday to prepare for a week of work, one delightful week fully focused on bringing to life this semester's study Waking Up Whole: Mind, Body, and Soul, which begins on January 22nd. (By the way...for those who live nearby or far away, if you would like to register for this class or [...]
Good morning... When God overwhelms me with an audacious sunrise or a mind boggling sunset, I often snap a photo on my iPhone. Before I shared with our online community the photo of yesterday's sunrise above, I personally texted the image to four sun-loving friends. Very quickly, I got my first response. "We all need this today," she [...]
Good morning... The morning after the U.S. 2020 election results were confirmed by blending the voices from red and blue states, I woke up to a text. "Good morning!" wrote a forever friend. "This story made me think of you! We all need some violets in our world right now!!!" Then I read aloud to myself the pages [...]
Good morning... As I pulled out my phone's camera to snap a photo of the rising sun, I thought, "How do we response to the dawning of light?" We can't stop it or deny it or contain it for ourselves. We can only notice it. Admire it. Expect it. Reflect it. Appreciate it. Hope for it. Bask in [...]
Good morning... Over the phone, she describes in detail her favorite painting of the newborn Jesus with his mom and dad. She notices the image as her guide for this unusual Christmas. She begins, "It's a dingy stable room instead of a soft warm space. The setting reminds me of the small, one room apartments we would encounter [...]
Good morning... From a handful of people whom I love dearly, I was forwarded the following email over the past week. The Christmas Star appearing this year on December 21 is making news. It is amazing that this occurrence is in the year 2020. In the year when Jesus was born there was violence, chaos, political and social [...]
Good morning... Tonight Northside Church presents Christmas Candlelight Vespers 2020. Tune in from the comfort of your home on Sunday at 6:00PM. No registration required. This evening of Christmas choral music and carol arrangements will include a professional chamber choir joined by a string quartet, pianos, and organ. Our theme, "Christ’s Light, Eden’s Bloom,” will bring music of [...]
Good morning... As I shared with you earlier, this week I enjoyed the privilege of recording a podcast on grief with Ginna MacFarling, seasoned hospice nurse, and James Johnson, our lively and talented Adult Discipleship Director at Northside Church. James edited down our voices into bite sized segments, entitling our life-giving conversation Unwrapping the Gift of Grief: Grief, [...]
Good morning... Picking up medicine at the CVS pharmacy, I passed by the notebook aisle and saw the journal above. "Start by Starting," encouraged the cover. I felt drawn to it, the nudging words, the golden rings, the waves of pink, peach, purple. I picked it up and tacked it onto my purchase. I didn't think another thing [...]
Good morning... "Thought this was rather lovely," she texted me yesterday morning. "Wanted to share it with you." I touched on the link below and thoroughly enjoyed the captivating experience. Cozy candles. Meditative music. Soothing scripture. At the same time, I noticed my inner critic rising up with a vengeance, "Why do you even do a measly morning [...]
