Good morning... Sitting on our back porch enjoying leftover chili, I open noontime space in my slow-paced, full schedule. No agenda. No expectations. No list of "have to's" for God. I breathe. Open-hearted. Waiting. Watching. Mind wandering and wondering. Midwinter grey. 61-degree mild. Naked trees wait with me. Birds. Clouds. Squirrels. Stillness. Solitude. Silence wanders and wonders. A momma [...]
Good morning... Throughout this Christmas season, a small group of us have been praying for a boy with cancer named Messiah. "My Make A Wish child, Messiah, passed away this morning," our friend texted us midday, completely brokenhearted. "We didn't have time to fulfill his wish of going to Hawaii. Life is so short and precious." "I'm so sorry, [...]
Good morning... As we walk away from what has been and step toward what will be, she sent me a beautiful prayer written by Leighton Ford, a mentor for emerging Christian leaders from across the globe. ****** Lord, give me I pray: A remembering heart for the things that have happened An attentive heart to what I have learned [...]
Good morning... As long as we are breathing, challenges arise. We hope for easy, smooth, uncomplicated. We get delays, mishaps, technical difficulties. We expect happy, simple, dreams in full bloom. We experience snags, disappointments, lost luggage moments. We pray for peace, healing, God's palpable presence. We feel loss, pain, "Where are You, God, now?" When life's unwanted happenings happen [...]
Good morning... "This is a small matter," instantly filled my mind as my half-full coffee mug just fell to the floor, staining our rug. God gave me immediate perspective as my heart, soul, and mind nipped mixed emotions in the bud, "This is a small matter." Larger matters are now free to receive my prayers. Our 20 year old [...]
Good morning... With her husband and kids away, our friend invited a cool group of women to a "Pop-Up Christmas Party." Yummy food. Water and wine. Great conversations. "It's been a very hard year," said one person I see periodically. Her husband, in his fifties, has faced life-threatening health scares. "It has been humbling to need people in a [...]
Good morning... With challenging news she called me, "I wanted to tell you. I figured you would know what to do." Out of my mouth fell effortless words, like a trickling stream running downhill. "I will lift it up and give it away. That's all I know to do." When tearful concern returns to the mind of my heart, [...]
Good morning... He shared one simple quote after yesterday's post, Primary Or Peripheral? “The first wise men gave Christ treasures from their kingdoms. Today’s wise men give Christ the treasures of their heart.” - Holley Gerth Yet, complicating the gift-giving process, our heart-treasures are wrapped in our human nature. Anger and anxiety. Stress and selfishness. Depression and defensiveness. These [...]
Good morning... I knew I would be cutting time close when I scheduled the appointment last week, but, as an eternal optimist, I thought, "I can do that, then I can go there." Then when an important, long-standing "there" moved up its start time, my newly committed "that" would no longer fit without rushing. As I opened myself up [...]
Good morning... I recently told this story off the top of my head, but it is much more meaningful when read from the book. "Connie's son started wearing an earring. She became annoyed and told her husband, 'I'm going to pray his ears bleed!' But as her prayers took on the contemplative tone of surrendering instead of managing and [...]
