Good morning... "I don't know exactly why or even when the idea came to me that I should keep a ledger on deep-felt thoughts," writes Betty Skinner the heroine of our semester's book, who is gracefully celebrating her 94th birthday today. "I have experienced that on one level, in matters of the heart, we are all alone, isolated, [...]
Good morning... On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I read aloud to each class the series of Scripture verses filling yesterday's post. We opened our inner ears to notice the words touching our hearts, then we popcorn-ed out our phrases beneath the heading "Our Hidden Life." As we recorded our reflections, together we scribbled God's answer to our deepest [...]
Good morning... Teaching my favorite book on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I ponder the title, The Hidden Life Awakened. Beneath our many layers, I wonder, "God, what is this 'hidden life' secreted in our depths?" The Word of God illuminates our answer. God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our [...]
Good morning... Before the world began, God hardwired us for abundant life, on earth as it is in heaven. Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out. Is there anyone around who can explain God? Anyone smart enough to [...]
Good morning... I have heard the expression: "Hurting people hurt." This week I was introduced to the flip side: "Healing people heal." Pondering this phrase in the wee hours of the night, I open an email from Jan Johnson, a California professor from my spiritual direction training program. For me, Jan puts flesh on the bones of these [...]
Good morning... After being shaped by the diligent joy of writing to you each morning, I often go back into our blog post and edit as the Spirit moves. Yesterday that happened. Making our message more concise and most life-giving, I re-wrote our final sentence to read: "As we stay right in the center of God's endless love, [...]
Good morning... Fears. Finances. Future plans. What worries wake you in the tiny hours of the morning? Hopes. Have-to's. Hard decisions. Anxieties arouse us, stirring us from sleep. Regrets. Repeat obsessions. Relationship tensions. As our mind reels, our conflicted heart feels. That is why this quote recently sent to me by a friend touches a tricky truth. Personally, [...]
Good morning... In the quiet of right now, I envision my mind slowly lifting her inner sails, trying to catch the power of God's steadily stirring winds. I do not pray so I can change the brilliant mind of God. I pray so God transforms the changing mind in me. And do not be conformed to this world [...]
Good morning... "Hi Sue," from her home in Vancouver, Washington she wrote me after Saturday's blog, Sow This Love Song. "I loved today’s post. A phrase in the song you posted reminded me of my favorite line in “The End” on the Beatles’ Abbey Road album. Link is here: https://youtu.be/5tvSvjpcBuo Asking if I might share the short link [...]
Good morning... When I look at ordinary people of faith, I marvel at God growing uncanny strength, from inside out. In the past 24-hours I witnessed the resilience of a down-to-earth family who has endured a lot of heartache over the years. Certainly, their cancer journey has taken an exhausting toll, but more than weathering them weak, I [...]
