Good morning... My heart sank when my close friend texted yesterday morning, four days into her unexpected hospital stay: "Waiting for the pathology from the spinal tap. Yes, no doubt there is an abnormality. They have it in one of two camps: a very rare syndrome that causes recurrent meningitis or a malignant tumor. Praying no malignant or other [...]
Good morning... Now is about the time when those grieving the loss of our friend Julie are tempted to slip into deep despair. This situation will never change. She is never coming back to us. The high of celebrating her life has dropped down into the relentless ache of physically missing her. One friend who lost her brother way [...]
Good morning... For years and years I have loved my friend Jennifer. Quiet and quirky. Compassionate and crazy bright. Jennifer and I met in Bible study when her son and daughter were toddlers. God joined us for divine reasons invisible back then. I remember when Jennifer told me that her five year old Audrey was limping a lot on [...]
Good morning... The scheduled speaker reached out to me, asking if I would be a part of Tuesday's Lovett Moms in Prayer gathering, a group Julie Harlan had helped to facilitate weekly since her oldest son was in kindergarten. She emailed: "It should be a morning of celebrating our sweet Julie with prayer and you were so close to [...]
Good morning... I am grateful for technology, for the ability to communicate with loved ones near and far. I will keep forever the beautiful string of texts Julie Harlan and I shared privately over the final thirty-eight days of her life. I scroll through the eighty-five text messages exchanged and I smile, so grateful for my friend. Some texts [...]
Good morning... "Please transform my desires," I hear my deepest self say. "Please transform my desires into Your desires." I desire love. I desire power. I desire beauty. I desire wealth. I desire comfort. "LORD, help me to rest in Your love, Your power, Your beauty, Your wealth, Your comfort. Gradually surrendering more of me to more of You, [...]
Good morning... Betty Skinner walked slowly from the rugged valley of clinical depression up toward the mountaintop of joyful oneness with God. How did she do it? Betty took one healing step at a time. Solitude. Silence. Contemplative prayer. Eating well. Journaling thoughts. Creating art and poetry. Focusing on life's positives. Talking honestly with others. Enjoying long walks outside [...]
Good morning... As she and I talked after yesterday's class, God's Spirit revealed wisdom: "Comparison kills. Conversation brings life." When we catch ourselves comparing, beating ourselves up for not being "good enough" or seeing ourselves as "superior somehow" to someone else, might our brain tell our heart to raise a white flag of surrender? In times of combat, the [...]
Good morning... How do we live through excruciating pain? We turn to Luke 22:41-45 (NIV) to discover a pathway. How did Jesus live through his darkest hours? 1) He withdrew a stone's throw beyond even his inner circle friends. We too give ourselves permission to withdraw, to separate, to take space away from even those we love the most. [...]
“I don’t believe God caused my cancer; I believe He has allowed it,” she said. “Cancer has become a part of God’s plan for my life.” At peace, she trusts God. 21) Jesus’ Pathway Through Pain How do we live through excruciating pain? We turn to Luke 22:41-45 (NIV) to discover a pathway. How did Jesus live through [...]
