Good morning... I have been enjoying Kate Bowler's Joyfully Mediocre Summer Blessing Series. Each Wednesday her weekly email arrives in my inbox. Yesterday's morning message wove itself into me. ***** God, I can’t tell which person I will be today: kind and loving, turn-the-other-cheek and I’ll-be-right-here, soft but strong. I will keep no record of wrongs. I might [...]
Good morning... Sharing honestly from her heart, she texted. "With respect to this week, frankly, it is hard. The days just are hard. Things are hard in this chapter. I know that God will give me the strength I need," she continued. "I know that this will work together for something I don't yet understand. Right now though, [...]
Good morning... As if panning for valuable chunks of gold, I sift through a New York Times opinion piece to discover some very important nuggets. Author Anne Lamott, wise and sassy, provokes the potential of authentic prayer. "Prayer connects us umbilically to a spirit both outside and within us, who hears and answers." "Prayer says... 'I am tiny, [...]
Good morning... After our shared silence, she read aloud a poem. Deeply. Slowly. Gently. In this sacred moment, might we each read out loud? Deeply. Slowly. Gently. ****** something unnamed is being called forth in the depths it has the familiar sound of an Abraham and the quiet certainty of a sunrise it has the movement of geese [...]
Good morning... Yesterday was a historic day. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, sending the authority to regulate abortions back to the states. Regardless of our position on these important issues, might we still our souls in the quietness of this moment? The Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says to the [...]
Good morning... "I just read this devotional and it makes me think of our relationship," I wrote to LaTonya Gates, founder and director of PAWkids, and her compassionate daughter, Larenzia. "So much growth, so much God." I forwarded to them the challenging wisdom below. ****** DAILY MEDITATION | JUNE 18, 2022 - Henri Nouwen Compassionate Solidarity When we [...]
Good morning... Waking groggy from too much of everything, I see in the corner of our room one simplifying symbol. A small mirror, surrounded by a mosaic of heavy, broken pottery, reflects the natural light. A cross of driftwood pieces quietly rests above the mirror. Through the center of my broken parts, might the light of Christ still [...]
Good morning... Sustained by our prayers through March, April, and May, my mom miraculously opened her eyes in the ICU and came back to life at the sound of my father's voice. Recovering from a surgery to repair her broken femur following a fall in early March, my mom's health had nosedived quickly. Within 24 hours, she had [...]
Good morning... "Just read this lovely blessing from Kate Bowler," a friend emailed me yesterday. Before the heat of the day rose high. Before the shock of another mass shooting dropped us low. Before this night of broken sleep took its tiring toll on so many ordinary people. "Thought you would enjoy it," she added, ". . . [...]
Good morning... During this tumultuous time when so many flags are flying at half staff, we set aside a day to remember those who have sacrificed their lives to defend the freedom we cherish. Men and women. Young and old. People with varying skin color, economic status, family history. The impact of war ripples out to reshape us. [...]
