Good morning... "The winter solstice, also called the hibernal solstice, occurs when either of Earth's poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun," explains Wikipedia. "The winter solstice is the day with the shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year." Sitting outside on this dark, windy night, I hear my computer "ding," signaling the [...]
Good morning... Sometimes songs unwrap our deepest questions in a creative, life-giving way. Carrying forward our connection with the Pentatonix from yesterday's blog post, we ponder the question, "What did Mary know as she prepared to give birth to God's baby boy?" Enjoy this moving rendition of a well-loved classic, as we prepare to celebrate the birthday of [...]
Good morning... Two women in our Monday group have lost their sons this year. One young man was forty-three, the other was eighteen. For these grieving mothers, Thanksgiving was quite hard. The absence felt so loud. As I happen upon this poem, I wrap my prayers for these two moms in the communion feast of silence. ****** The [...]
Good morning... On Friday night I enjoyed quality time with a friend whose husband died eight weeks ago, then on Saturday morning I walked and talked with a friend whose husband died about eight years ago. Between these two soul-filling conversations, I crafted our early morning message When Our Nest Feels Empty. Our message concluded, "As we tenderly [...]
Good morning... After journaling with God about the reflection question posed in yesterday's blog post, Monet This Morning, I emailed my church friend to thank her for the permission to share her photos of the stunning gardens of Monet growing just outside of Paris. As we exchanged emails, I was touched by the generosity of the Spirit blowing [...]
Good morning... "When you say, 'I believe in God,' what do you mean?" asked the final page of our assigned reading. I sketched my answer, this boat riding stick figure. The God I trust has three parts. God the Creator is like the ocean, endless water buoying me. God the living Christ surrounds me tangibly like a sturdy, [...]
Good morning... God set our new semester ablaze as we gathered to study one tiny book, Simple Faith by Margaret Silf. As we have seen the horrific images of the mass graves found in Ukraine this week, I have pondered one long sentence from our class reading. "She will learn to distinguish between those things in life - [...]
Good morning... I was delighted to receive the photo above from LaTonya Gates, founder and director of PAWkids, a vibrant non-profit in downtown Atlanta. "Let the ladies know THEY blessed her greatly," LaTonya texted yesterday from Krakow, Poland, where our written word ministry helped support her trip to deliver Crates for Ukraine. Last Saturday, before LaTonya left [...]
Good morning... We email one another often as she processes her profound grief. Our back and forth exchanges are life-giving, exposing God's healing edge. This week she shared a Dietrich Bonhoeffer quote from his Letters and Papers from Prison. "Nothing can make up for the absence of someone whom we love," writes Bonhoeffer, "and it would be wrong [...]
Good morning... As if panning for valuable chunks of gold, I sift through a New York Times opinion piece to discover some very important nuggets. Author Anne Lamott, wise and sassy, provokes the potential of authentic prayer. "Prayer connects us umbilically to a spirit both outside and within us, who hears and answers." "Prayer says... 'I am tiny, [...]
