Good morning... “The accumulated sorrows of your exile (your being barred from comfort, your being kept from closeness, your inability to feel completely at home) will dissipate,” whispers the LORD through the pen of an Old Testament prophet. Zephaniah 3:19-20 in the Message translation continues: “I, your God, will get rid of them, your sorrows, for you. You’ve carried [...]
Good morning... I love the contemporary worship service at Northside Church. I am welcomed each week by singers and musicians gifted in ways I am not. Music can disintegrate the thin veil between earth and heaven. Yesterday morning, my imperfect voice joined in praise with the live band, merging my heart and with the heart of our God. Enjoy [...]
Good morning... We are told: "...problems and trials...they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation" (Romans 5:3-5, NLT). The one word shimmering for me now is salvation. So, I google "What is the root word for salvation?" In Latin "salvus" means whole and safe, healthy and uninjured, and [...]
Good morning... Hurricane Matthew has affected the lives of millions this weekend. The messy photos of wreckage from high winds and water tug at our hearts. Chaotic. Uprooted. Torn apart. We all lift prayers for the rebuilding of rummaged lives. Even inland here in Atlanta, the ripple effects are everywhere. Eerie skies and windy rain. Horrendous traffic traveling north [...]
Good morning… If true friendship grows out of "What? You, too? I thought I was the only one," as C.S. Lewis so wisely teaches, then true love is bound to grow from the same sacred spot. CNN ran a story a few days ago chronicling the life and the love of Katie and Dalton, a young couple who bonded [...]
Good morning... When are shattered like we have never been before and the life we knew lies in a thousand pieces on the floor, we are rushed into heart surgery. The Great Physician promises, "I will give them one heart [a new heart], and put a new spirit within them. I will take from them the heart of stone, [...]
Good morning... Sharing the devastating effects of an extramarital affair, heartbroken and hurting she wrote to me for support: "My 16-year-old niece said, 'Who will walk me down the aisle when I get married? I don't want someone who cheated doing it.'" The LORD gave me these words to give to my friend: "Your niece could walk down the [...]
Good morning... Three thoughts pop to mind as I re-watch the moving video I shared with you yesterday (if you missed it, please enjoy it today at https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=olSyCLJU3O0). First, "What will my kids remember from their childhood years?" Will they recall my best parenting moments, my worst parenting moments, or some conglomerate of the two? Often times, photographs help [...]
Good morning... My post from 4.25.16, "Run toward the roar," has created a lot of great dialogue, face to face and through email exchanges. One long time friend, who has lived through an immensely painful loss, wrote: "Hey Sue. Wow, this one is powerful and hits me deeply. As I think about it I don't see myself having run [...]
Good morning... My friend shared her request, "I am praying that God will break me out of this downward spiral." I ponder her concern, lifting it to God, and I am drawn to page 176 in The Hidden Life to deepen and widen my prayer for my friend. Betty Skinner, my now ninety year old friend, explains: "Year after [...]
