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, [...]
Good morning... On our walk and talk last week, my friend earnestly asked, "Do you really believe it's true? Do you really believe Jesus lived, died and rose from the dead? How can we know that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is absolutely true?" Take a moment now. How might you, yourself, honestly answer my friend's candid question? [...]
Good morning... One week ago today . . . . . . "Nineteen kids came romping up the golden staircase, taking two steps at a time, sprinting toward the mother-of-pearl gates," writes beloved blogger Sean Dietrich. "It’s a wonder they didn’t knock Saint Peter over onto his Blessed Assurance. The children all smelled like little-kid sweat and stinky [...]
Good morning... "Though the cherry trees don't blossom (Habakkuk 3:17, MSG); though the bank account, the bed, the chair, and the calendar are empty; though the grave dirt may be heaped; and though the lungs ache with the weight of breathing through the drowning waves, in Christ what matters forever is always forever safe," explains the Ann Voskamp [...]
Good morning... I read aloud this powerful poem as we entered into the crucible of Lent. I invite you now to savor deep wisdom. Slowing. Silently. Soulfully. Which words sparkle most in the eyes of your maturing heart? ****** It Takes Time by NOEL DAVIS FROM “HEART GONE WALKABOUT” It takes time to bake a loaf of bread, [...]
Good morning... It is as if we have endured two long years of winter, holed up inside this worldwide pandemic. Signs of spring are starting to show. Buds of new life are bursting free. As many of you know, for years we have hosted at Northside Church our annual Women’s Lenten Communion Service the Tuesday night before Ash [...]
