Good morning... Today is Senior Sunday at our church, an annual celebration of the high school seniors raised by our church family. Every year, I love to flip through the traditional glossy trifold bulletin announcing the name, the high school, and the college of choice for each fresh graduating face. This unusual year, I noticed three changes right [...]
Good morning... "Can I get to the finish line on this?" she asked me honestly, facing a heartbreaking set of overwhelming circumstances. "Finish line." Later the phrase popped back in my mind. "Finish line." I thought of the hilarious YouTube video below, shared when our couple's small group laughed through a fun evening for the first time since [...]
Good morning... Quietly reading this poem aloud, I slowly mulled over every word. ***** Lead Me out of My Doubts and Fears by Ted Loder Eternal God, lead me now out of the familiar setting of my doubts and fears, beyond my pride and my need to be secure, into a strange and graceful ease with my true [...]
Good morning... As I cleaned out my home office over the weekend, I came across a year-long calendar of quotes from various writers, two inches thick, a bit larger than a 3x5 card. The spiral bound gift, given a long while back, rested open to these words from July 4th. "In the black night, I listened to His [...]
Good morning... Settling in to do Saturday yard work, I discovered the sign above. It magically appeared in our yard overnight, delivered personally, planted by hand, with all good intentions. But, surprisingly, this kind gesture made me sad. Really sad. Like any strong feeling, I took time to process, "God, why does this symbol of academic achievement step [...]
Good morning... One week ago today, my husband and I sat on our back porch watching online the celebration of life service for a fifteen-and-a-half year old who died unexpectedly. Being ministry friends with his dad, our hearts broke for this faithful family and their many friends on that solemn Holy Saturday, before the resurrection power of Easter [...]
Good morning... "I'm up praying for you and yours," I texted in the middle of the night. "Any new baby news?" God had stirred me awake to pray for a friend whose grand baby was due any day. "Good morn!" came her return text at 8:58 am. "She was born yesterday and all went well. I have been [...]
Good morning... "Oops, This Page Could Not Be Found!" says the link given at the bottom of blog post #2 for today, You've Got A Friend In Me. Never before have I sent you three messages on one morning, but this is an unusual moment in unsettling times. We are asked to adapt, stretch, and change directions, finding [...]
Good morning... For some, the first version of this morning's message, A Gift From A Grandma, did not come through with audio throughout the whole sweet song. So, I have reworked our message and added a different link to our adorable video. From behind a closed door in another state, one grandmother reached out to send me a [...]
Good morning... "We are good!" she replied by email. "Definitely have tough days, but who doesn’t?" "I had a mommy meltdown last week," I stepped through her open door of honesty. "I was tired of being primary shopper AND chef (even with four young adults and a kind husband to help). The anxiety of others had snowballed to [...]
