Good morning... Pictured above, I saved this "peace lily plant" years ago when the previous owner was throwing her in the trash. After I tenderly nursed her back to life, she now rests just over the threshold of our front door, bathed in sunlight, welcoming in guests. She has lived in our home for years and years, but [...]
Good morning... "I don't think I have hated anyone like this before," she said. "I can't stand being around her. I just feel so unsafe, like she might attack me with her words at any time, belittling me in front of everyone, making me feel horrible. I know we are supposed to love our enemies, but I don't [...]
Good morning... My old iPhone 5-S died. I posted about that yesterday. As the day unfolded, it became clear: our morning message was not about my phone. It was about our shared sense of losing touch. Stripped by the chaos of Corona, our economic breakdown, and the unrest of injustice, collectively we have lost a lot. As manmade [...]
Good morning... In a recent post, I sheepishly admitted "I am not drawn to connect through Zoom." As it turns out, I am not alone. "I am SO thankful that you have not zoomed our classes, as I would have felt compelled to “not miss out," one subscriber wrote. "THANK YOU for allowing us to have some perhaps-at-times-uncomfortable [...]
Good morning... Just after sending you yesterday's photo of the frigid, frozen Norwegian landscape outside one subscriber's front door, I opened Henri Nouwen's morning message to be greeted by the luxurious photo above. What a gorgeous contrast. Land, white snow versus green grass. Sky, winter grey versus springtime blue. Feeling, chilly cold versus welcoming warmth. God's breathtaking beauty [...]
Good morning... A friend sent me beautiful words shared by her church on Sunday. Instead of the traditional "Passing the Peace" portion of worship, during this season of social distancing her church family is developing a new habit called "Passing Our Prayers." ****** Today's prayer comes from Elizabeth Shows Caffey: Now I say to you in conclusion, life [...]
Good morning... Following yesterday's post, Spread Calm With A Palm, many of you sent me pictures of God's green growth on your front door. One of you said, "Instead of the red blood of an unblemished lamb on that first Passover night, maybe these green branches on our doors symbolize our prayers for the virus to pass over our [...]
Happy Palm Sunday... I received this announcement earlier in the week. Now I turn around to share it with you. God's green branch of peace surpasses our human understanding. Wherever we wake this Palm Sunday morn, may we unite as the calming body of Christ, physically isolated but spiritually inseparable. The next day, the news that Jesus was [...]
Good morning... "God, my shepherd!" says Psalm 23:1-4 in the Message translation. "I don’t need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I’m not afraid when you walk at my side." [...]
Good morning... To end our Zoom gathering, he gently read to us a poem, a poem I had never met. ****** The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may [...]
