Good morning... Following a dry streak, I love the first rainy day. When else does one get to wear a happy pink coat and fun purple Hunter boots, both joyfully treasured from a Goodwill store? The first day feels refreshing. The second day becomes a bit of a drag. Dreary does not settle in until day three or four. [...]
Good morning... As we gathered around our friend in the prayer chapel, we gently laid hands on her and our pastor led us in a familiar song then opened our time of collective prayer. Many faithful voices prayed blessings of hope, of healing, of whole-hearted love before our friend opened her mouth to pray. "LORD, thank You for cancer," [...]
Good morning... I write short because I can not read long. If I lose my own attention after 500 words, many of you will also check out before I place my final period. If God wanted me to be a writer of brief daily devotionals, the LORD was wise to lace my brain with a short reading attention span. [...]
Good morning... Last night, I went to the theater with a friend to see the movie "War Room." I have never witnessed the transforming power of God on the big screen in such a bold, undeniable way. The life change, especially in the main male character, astounded me. I marveled at where he began, closed off and cocky, how [...]
Good morning... Four days out of each week, I teach Bible studies in our home. I arrange the furniture for my different groups, welcoming between 10 and 25 women, one morning and three afternoons. I put out a platter of healthy finger foods, a transparent pitcher of ice water with orange slices, and, on my stove, I heat two [...]
Good morning... The generation I grew up in did not test for learning differences. The first time I remember knowing I was a "slow reader" was in fourth grade, when I could not read quickly enough to comprehend the timed sentences projected on the board in front of the entire class. Seeing the writing on the wall, I cheated [...]
Good morning... I hate to see my worst qualities popping through my kids' skin. Overreacting when Plan A expectations are not met. Snapping, in tired exasperation, to normal, everyday requests. Struggling to comprehend and remember details, overwhelmed by a dyslexic brain tainted with ADD. I hate to see my worst qualities popping through my kids' skin. That is why [...]
Good morning... Do not ask me how this conversation came up at our yard sale. Amid small talk, a woman said, "Someone recently told me, 'Our place of most effective ministry is where we can not be replaced.'" Think about it. In what areas of our lives does it matter that we, wired uniquely, remain present, available, whole-heartedly committed? [...]
Good morning... Dripping with multi-colored wax, her old coffee table told a story of gratitude. When she was going through her divorce, she was having a hard time. Girlfriends came to spend time with her, to cheer her up, to hear her heartache. Whenever a friend would visit, they would light candles on the coffee table in her living [...]
Good morning... Growing up in the north, we experienced months and months of snowfall. When there are fireworks of various colors on every autumn hillside, so many different shades of green in each still forest, and a huge array of colors displayed in birds, flowers, and insects, why does falling snow everywhere across the globe look white as it [...]
