Good morning... Waking on this Sabbath morn, my muddied heart sits still amid high winds and hard rains of various kinds. Though I am safely up the coast, I feel a prayerful solidarity with those hunkered down in the path of Hurricane Ida. I am praying, minute by minute, for the daughter of a dear friend who finally [...]
Good morning... "I came home from the beautiful memorial service," I wrote in my journal, "exhausted from listening, exhausted from crying, exhausted from socializing. But as I sit still with myself right now, I realize that the most exhausting thing for me is knowing that these could be our grieving children. With their three kids born in the [...]
Good morning... The faithful family of my friend has endured loss after loss, tragedy after tragedy, heartache after heartache, year after year. For decades I have walked alongside as a compassionate, committed prayer warrior. On Sunday, June 13th, I received this text from my forever friend. "Please keep an eye on your phone today," she requested. "We don't [...]
Good morning... I knelt in the prayer chapel at Northside Church, asking God to hold close, to gently lead, to heal whole those facing various forms of agony. I had followed the footsteps of Jesus into this inner sanctuary. Then he withdrew from them a short distance to be alone. Kneeling down, he prayed, “Father, if you are [...]
Good morning... As we head into Holy Week (tomorrow is Palm Sunday), I think Henri Nouwen's meditation from yesterday provides powerful perspective. ****** DAILY MEDITATION | MARCH 26, 2021 - Jesus’ Hiddenness I don’t think you’ll ever be able to penetrate the mystery of God’s revelation in Jesus until it strikes you that the major part of Jesus’ [...]
Good morning... "I am just so grateful for our church, it makes me cry," she wiped her wet cheeks as she was leaving the prayer vigil held at Northside Church. "I can say I am going to pray for our nation, but at home I get distracted, time slips away, and by the end of the day, I [...]
Good morning... "I found it uncanny...after reading your devotional, this article was in the N.Y. Times..." she wrote after yesterday's post, My Prayers For The Church. "So obviously God is in tune with these thoughts and quietly teaching all of us... enjoy!" ****** Eriks Esenvalds: ‘Earth Teach Me Quiet’ Earlier this year, when singing together became just about [...]
Good morning... "Merry Christmas," she wrote after yesterday's post, A Nifty Poem. "I love this poem. Our special retreat in Blue Ridge is like an outdoor church for me with a beautiful open field and surrounding woods. I love to take long quiet walks. I can listen to the Bobolink and his bird friends sing their songs and [...]
Good morning... I didn't say a thing aloud, but my heart was crying out to God, shedding quiet tears, sharing the anguished lament of loved ones, hoping with all my heart, soul, and mind for the complete healing of a young woman about to undergo surgery for brain cancer. She and her young husband were separated in different [...]
Good morning... Prayerfully seeking words of wisdom to read aloud to our Monthly Spiritual Direction group, I sensed the book from which I was to read, then I opened it to the only dog-eared page in my pristine "extra" copy. Sitting outside, bundled in jackets, blankets, and face to face connection, we pondered this powerful story. ****** Excerpt [...]
