Good morning... Today Betty Skinner turns 93 years old. She wakes in Ponte Vedra, Florida. I wake in Atlanta, Georgia. We both wake increasingly more whole. In the fall of 2007, I met The Hidden Life Awakened in its original 2006 form, a captivating book chronicling the fascinating faith journey of Christian mystic Betty Skinner. For reasons way beyond [...]
Good morning... Our family is short. You saw photos of my parents in a few recent posts, my parents who stand 5-feet-1 and 5-feet-3. My older sister and I stand up really tall to reach 5-feet ourselves, and our younger brother is the giant of our family at a whopping 5-feet-9. My husband is also 5-feet-9, and our [...]
Good morning... Yesterday's post by the Henri Nouwen Society explains the process of shedding our old self to gradually mature into our God-designed true self, "growing up in all things" into Christ, our Head (Ephesians 4:15). I wonder if somehow this is what happened to me when I moved from the close-knit cocoon of loving and being loved [...]
Good morning... "Jung divided life into two phases. The first phase, or 'morning,' is reserved for relating and orienting to the outer world by developing the ego," we read aloud as a class yesterday from page 9 of Sue Monk Kidd's When The Heart Waits. "The second half, or 'afternoon,' is for adapting to the inner world by [...]
Good morning... "Is the study you are about to begin, When The Heart Waits, available online?" she emailed to inquire. "I would sure like to participate. I have already ordered the book. I live in Winnipeg, Canada. Thanks. Sharing His Love." Lifted by God's Spirit, I responded right away. "So excited to be connected to you. I facilitate face to face, [...]
Good morning... "Aimlessness is akin to lifelessness," writes a famous religious teacher of our day. His devotional went on to say, "Dead leaves in the backyard may move around more than the dog, more than the children. The wind blows this way, they go this way. The wind blows that way, they go that way. They tumble, they [...]
Good morning... One week from today we will begin a new semester of learning in our living room, exploring the wisdom of When The Heart Waits. I am intrigued by the words of author Sue Monk Kidd. Sue writes: “Is it possible," I asked myself, “that I’m being summoned from some deep and holy place from within? Am I [...]
Good morning... Because our newly refinished hardwoods are not ready to welcome a fresh-cut tree our main floor, an eight-foot Virginia pine this year is set up in our basement, the space where God and I host individual and group spiritual direction sessions regularly. After a sacred session this week, she and I marveled at the tree. "What [...]
Good morning... From Orlando, today I will drive two and a half hours to Ponte Vedra, Florida to share lunch with 92 year old Betty Skinner. It will be my third lunch with Betty, a tiny, tenacious woman who exhales God's joyous peace with each treasured breath. Nearing the end of her life, Betty shares a beautiful perspective [...]
Good morning... I am sensing God inviting us to develop a new habit. "Savor This Sunday" will be a fresh feature added to our everyday blog. Every Sunday we take extended time to savor the spiritual growth we are experiencing together, week after week. Summing up the Spirit's wisdom, Sundays will offer an overview of each daily message [...]
