Good morning... "I’m sensing a difficult time for you right now, and I’m praying for you and missing you," began my dear friend's email from yesterday. As I write in transparency, people see me, sense me, surround me with prayer. In the early morning hours, I felt supported by my friend, loved, known, understood. "Thank you for intuiting [...]
Good morning... Sensing the hardened pea of every emotion, I feel like the sensitive-skinned Princess who found her Prince one wet, stormy night. Will you remember with me the childhood story? ******* THE PRINCESS ON THE PEA a translation of hans christian andersen's "prindsessen paa ærten" by jean hersholt Once there was a Prince who wanted to marry a [...]
Good morning... I drink comforting coffee from my "melt-me-more" mug as I ponder the purpose of a revealing exchange. Recently sharing a genuine hug, I said, "I appreciate you," and at the very same time he said, "I love you." I felt the mismatch of emotional expression, much like the uneven awkwardness from a Bachelorette episode. For years [...]
Good morning... We are a skipping stone. Skimming across life's smooth surface. In constant motion. At break-my-neck speed. We feel in control as we fast-forward to our goal. For a while. Newton famously says, "An object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force." An [...]
Good morning... Gravity says, "What goes up, must come down." Planted bulbs promises, "What goes down must come up." A wise father encourages, "Plant rapid-rising radishes with your slow-growing carrots so, seeing green growth, you will not give up hope." And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will [...]
Good morning... "Grandma, look, a mermaid!" I heard a little girl's voice shout from the shore as I swam this summer in Tingley Lake. Treading water, I gave my best "nod, smile, wave," like a beloved princess decked out at Disney World. Mermaid. I rarely run into that word, but the day after we returned from visiting family [...]
Good morning... Before choosing a book for each new semester, I prayerfully nestle into a few chapters from a small handful of possiblilities. God knows what lies before us. God knows our every need. I totally trust the LORD to nudge: "This is the book for the season ahead." Then I put the book down before reading it fresh, [...]
Good morning... In our Friday class, one young mom shared the title of a song that she and her daughters sing at the top of their lungs. This morning, relax into the beauty of this down-to-earth voice singing life-giving lyrics: "You Say" by Lauren Daigle. Finally, my dear friends, be glad that you belong to the Lord (Philippians [...]
Good morning... "Let's say I'm a plumber," said Dallas Wallard during an interview with Jan Johnson, "and I'm going to clean out someone's sewer. How will I do this as Jesus would do it? If you encounter difficulties with the people you're serving or with the pipe or machinery, you never fight that battle alone. You invoke the [...]
Good morning... As we crouch beneath our crazy cover-ups (see God Continues Our Conversation), God bestows both boundaries and blessings, offering us a lifetime of personalized protection. God Bestows Boundaries God says to the sneaky snake: "In the dust you will crawl on your belly and people will hate you, naturally keeping their safe distance. You might nip [...]
