Good morning... Reflecting back over this first week in October, I see the love of God fanning out like a rainbow. I notice James 1:27 (MSG) taking up more real estate at the center of our soul. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in [...]
Good morning... Her son, Finn, was born on 9/11/04, three years after so many innocent people lost their lives on one horrible day. Finn himself died on 8/14/21, taking his own life. Sharing a poem yesterday, on would have been Finn's 18th birthday, this grieving mom embodies the art of being with someone who is gone. ****** A [...]
Good morning... The gift of my flat tire extended into the following day. With my car at the tire store, I climbed into the driver's seat of my husband's wheels. Beside me, I noticed a printed page resting on the passenger's seat. I picked up the piece of paper and felt drawn to read the following article from [...]
Good morning... I rushed into a busy morning before God seemed to say, "Cut free." Cut free from non-essentials. Cut free from way too much. Cut free with clear permission. Just sit. Just rest. Just be. God's wispy whisper felt like a drop of water sinking into my thirsty sponge. This actually happened yesterday. "Cut free," surprised me, quiet [...]
Good morning... Many of you were drawn alongside me toward an astronomical shift we gleaned from yesterday's post, My Mom Is Home. "Behold. This is not a problem to be solved. This is a person to be loved." When we shift our focus off of the problem at hand and consider the person sitting right in front of [...]
Good morning... At 3:24 am, I finished yesterday's post and pushed send on our message, A Peacemaker Prays. The Henri Nouwen quote highlighted was sent by Ignatius House Retreat Center earlier in the week, along with the calming song and images. Our blog ended: "We actively pray, 'Lord, make me a peacemaker.'" I climbed back into bed for [...]
Good morning... "A peacemaker prays," writes Henri Nouwen. "Prayer is the beginning and the end, the source and the fruit, the core and the content, the basis, and the goal of all peacemaking. I say this without apology because it allows me to go straight to the heart of the matter, which is that peace is a divine [...]
Good morning... Sustained by our prayers through March, April, and May, my mom miraculously opened her eyes in the ICU and came back to life at the sound of my father's voice. Recovering from a surgery to repair her broken femur following a fall in early March, my mom's health had nosedived quickly. Within 24 hours, she had [...]
Good morning... My twenty-three year old daughter laughed at me recently, "Mom, why are you getting so into this vote thing?" This "vote thing" on May 24th will determine whether our village of Vinings, Georgia becomes a city. Last month, I went to a gathering held by Cobb County leaders discussing our decision. Last week, I went to [...]
Good morning... Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace (Colossians 3:15, NIV). I ponder this Scripture verse at the end of Henri Nouwen's morning message from yesterday. Now I am drawn back to our four word prayer. Here. Now. Accept. Allow. In my mind, "allow" [...]
