Good morning... In honor of a few friends facing immense transition, this weekend I created the wordless prayer card above. "Thinking of you as you cross today's bridge into the holy, hazy unknown," I texted the image to each of these soul friends. As this new morning dawns, I expand the reach of my wordless prayer to gently [...]
Good morning... I prayerfully bow my head and read one vulnerable sentence. "The fires crept up on residents and tourists of the Hawaii island of Maui on Aug. 8," a news feed said seven minutes ago, "as a perfect storm of strong winds and dry conditions left Maui vulnerable to what state officials say has become the deadliest [...]
Good morning... This wordless prayer card I created, which remains front and center for me this week, depicts my deepest desire for Audrey DeShetler: May she live to be a wise, old woman. A resilient eighteen year old, who is battling through her fifth relapse, Audrey was diagnosed with neuroblastoma at age five. Being treated with risky radioactive [...]
Good morning... "Good morning Sue - we are on the same wavelength," she wrote after yesterday's post, Uncertain. Unsettled. Ungrounded. "I read this a few days ago and was reminded of it as I read your reflection - XO." “Are our needs important to God? Yes. But the true purpose of prayer is to commune with the God [...]
Good morning... One line lingers from a poem I shared this week: "Your ache. My ache." After last week's church service, several of us stayed behind to lay hands on Julianna, a 38 year old mom of four who is a committed member of our small group. We spoke intimate blessing over her and her husband, as she [...]
Good morning... I happened upon an interesting quote by Corrie Ten Boom, who, along with her family members, helped many Jewish people escape from the Nazis during the Holocaust in World War II by hiding them in her home. "Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?" A spare tire is used only in emergencies. Pulled out [...]
Good morning... Audrey DeShelter has lived in my deepest prayers since she was diagnosed with cancer at age five. She is now an amazing young woman, a spectacular student heading into her senior year of high school. Her mom, Jennifer, was in my Bible study at the time Audrey's neuroblastoma was detected, and we have been closely bonded, [...]
Good morning... Yesterday, in the morning, my friend sent me a picture of a page from her well-worn Bible verse flip calendar. Psalm 90:12 (NIV) is brought to life. "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." A quote from Brennan Manning amplifies God's encouragement. "In prayer Jesus slows us down, [...]
Good morning... A few nights back, I texted a friend, "I am up praying for you. Love for your precious family fills my heart. Any specific requests I can prayerfully ponder with you?" A few days later, her response filled my phone. In the middle of the night now, I revisit the text string creating a roadmap for [...]
Good morning... "When we say to people, 'I will pray for you,' we make a very important commitment," observes Henri Nouwen on page 86 of The Way of the Heart. "The sad thing is that this remark often remains nothing but a well-meant expression of concern. But when we learn to descend with our mind into our heart, [...]
