Good morning... Ordained as a Presbyterian minister, my husband Steve has been helping out a bit at Kairos Church, a small nearby church that is in between pastors. Last week, he led communion; this week he did a sweet baptism. The father of the baptized baby is one of Steve's former students from Lovett, and the paternal grandfather [...]
Good morning... Summertime for me is a very different season. At Northside Church, I work only eight hours each week for June and July, attending a monthly meeting for Pastors and Directors, responding to texts and emails each day, and keeping my commitment to walk/talk through life with the women connected to our vibrant ministry. On August 1st, [...]
Good morning... Over the years, several of us have traveled in small groups to Israel with my husband, Rev. Steve Allen, talented trip leader and head chaplain at The Lovett School. The experiences have been breath-taking, eye-opening, life-changing. Many more of us have enjoyed vicariously our blog posts from the Holy Land, year after year, during the spring [...]
Good morning... I have been praying really deeply for loved ones who are facing excruciating challenges. Praying for the promised power of God to rise up and buoy, to strengthen and empower. Many of you have been joining me on this quest, seeking to pray into existence the power of God on behalf of our loved ones. Yesterday, [...]
Good morning... I smile at this framed cross-stitch saying my mom made for me a few years back. During the pandemic pause, my mom watched from afar as our ministry to women continued to thrive, mainly through our interactive daily blog posts and through individually scheduled walk-and-talks, outside, one-on-one, social distanced. When my 58th birthday came around in [...]
Good morning... "From the center of our innermost being, we are transformed to transform the world with the gifts of God," concluded yesterday's post. "Power. Love. Self-control." After pushing "send" on our message, I climbed back into bed for my second sleep. As if the heart of the Spirit skipped no beat, upon my second waking, the title [...]
Good morning... After I asked a clarifying question, she said I was being rude. "Rude" was not my intention, but her strong reaction gave me pause. She felt judged by my inquiry. Thinking about it later, I felt convicted. I had brought up her past mistake and opened an old wound. To her that felt like judgement. I [...]
Good morning... When I was growing up, summer was a unique season to savor. Back then, summer always started after Memorial Day weekend, and we didn't returned to school until after Labor Day weekend. School schedules have certainly changed, haven't they? With an early August start for many schools, the months of June and July now condense the [...]
Good morning... "She will look back over the kaleidoscope of her life and notice how the fragments of experience that made no sense at the time were, all along, shaping a rather beautiful pattern." This is the sentence God used to snag me, to capture me, to coax me into teaching last semester's book, "Simple Faith" by Margaret [...]
Good morning... When I walk and talk with one dear friend, she often notices stray worms inching aimlessly across the surface of the sidewalk. Gently, consistently she picks up every lost worm she sees, placing each in the familiarity of the soil beneath the soft green grass. "I know you love caring for stray worms," I wrote her [...]
