Good morning... "Love this as a reminder from all our conversations," she texted yesterday, sharing the simple chart above. When we feel rushed, pushed, frightened, confused, worried, obsessed, or condemned, it is wise to remember, "This is not the voice of God." Instead, God's voice stills us, leads us, reassures us, enlightens us, encourages us, comforts us, and [...]
Good morning... I received her email after I woke from my second sleep. "Dear Sue," she wrote yesterday. "This post (Give Kindness, Not Advice) really struck an accord in me. During my now four weeks of being a patient undergoing cancer treatment, I experience that some of my friends actually drain my energy by telling me how I [...]
Good morning... Typically, for the classes I teach, our winter/spring semester concludes just before Holy Week. This winter, with Easter being so early, our final classes are scheduled for the last week of March. "We don't want to end that early," my Thursday class protested. "Can we do another book together in the month of April?" I agreed [...]
Good morning... "Part of hearing God is listening," she said, filled with Holy Spirit wisdom. Those in our monthly spiritual growth group automatically responded, "That's profound. Can you say the sentence again?" "Part of hearing God is listening," she repeated herself. I typed the six words into my phone, knowing I might share them with you. "Words can [...]
Good morning... In yesterday's post We Experience Epiphany, I shared the spiritual practice of choosing a star word to guide us into the new year. Journalist Marissa Hermanson explains, "Star words are given out to the congregation in early January on Epiphany Sunday as a way of remembering the story of the Magi following the star to find [...]
Good morning... Last night was the final New Moon of the year. Dark. Dark. Dark. For three straight nights we experience great darkness. Tomorrow night is the winter solstice, marking the exact moment when half of Earth is tilted the farthest away from the sun. This God-ordered, natural phenomenon creates the shortest day, the day with the least [...]
Good morning... As we gathered for class on Sunday afternoon, I asked a friend, "How are you today?" "I'm really tired," she replied, not knowing that "tired" was where our opening poem would begin. Together, we sat outside in the sunshine and listened to David Whyte read his beloved poem "Sweet Darkness." We unpacked the thoughts stirring within [...]
Good morning... We each find our way with puppies and with people. Grounding ourselves with God, we each find our own way to feel, to form, to flourish. In yesterday's post, Meet Our New Puppy, I shared about our horrible first night together and how we began to find our own way to a nurturing rhythm with God. [...]
Good morning... These words came to me and stayed. "You don't have to rush to be loved." Grow at your own pace. You are worthy, already. Patience is a quiet kind of miracle. There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because [...]
