Good morning... Life dishes out tons of trouble and some of us are served a high, heaping helping. Troubles come in many forms: short-lived or long-lasting, self-inflicted or unexpected, collectively experienced or randomly singled out. For some of us, troubles are fueled by our inner critic: "I can't believe you said that. Did that. Messed up. Again." For others, troubles [...]
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... Every holiday season, the attention of her grandmother was focused on who WAS NOT at the dinner table. "Joe should be with us." "Tonight would be perfect if Katie was here." "Nothing is complete without Angela and the kids." My friend remembers thinking each year, "But, grandma, we ARE here and you are missing the good time [...]
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... One line haunts me from our recent post, Do You Trust God? (scroll back through previous posts if you missed it). These powerful words, written by Terrance Malick, shed ugly light on the God who so loves us: "The very moment everything was taken away from Job, he knew it was the Lord who'd taken it away." This [...]
Good morning... "Take your sails out of their wind." I am not sure when I first heard this wise phrase, but I am learning to put it into practice regularly. When the fierce winds of crazy conflict start picking up speed inside and around us, we take down our sails. When anxious winds begin gusting hard in our direction, do [...]
Good morning... Inside the funeral bulletin silently rested a powerful insert. I have returned to the words again and again, intrigued by their challenge. ****** Excerpt from The Tree of Life by Terrance Malick Job imagined he might build his nest on high - that the integrity of his behavior would protect him against misfortune. And his friends thought, [...]
Good morning... I wondered as I left an important meeting, "How and when will I know which steps to take?" Driving home in silent turmoil, music from within surprised my meandering mind: "I need You, God, I need You. Every hour I need You. My one defense. My righteousness. Oh, God, how I need You." Wisdom dawned. I do not [...]
Good morning... At our final Bible study gathering for the semester, we each identified "Words of the Soul," words, sentences, and quotes we would take with us from our Friday discussions of Jan Johnson's When the Soul Listens. Collectively, some of our most memorable words are: Pause. Listen. Wait. Trust. Space. Abide. Soak. Favorite sentences include: "Jesus is relentlessly [...]
