Good morning... "Loving can be a difficult business," writes Roberta Bondi on page 35 in To Love As God Loves. "It is impossible to grit the teeth and love, no matter how much we want to. That is because human effort is only one of the two basic elements necessary for the fulfillment of all Christian goals and [...]
Good morning... Since 2006, God has organically grown my spiritual gifts in the rich soil of Northside Church. I have seen many staff members come and many go, but one person I have seen stay, grow, and flourish is Dr. James Johnson, our Director of Adult Discipleship. During this period of pandemic, our church has begun sharing online [...]
Good morning... Thirty-three years ago today, I walked down the wedding aisle with my dad. Then I walked back up the same aisle married to Steve Allen. I don't think there is any other choice in my lifetime that has paid off such deep, divine dividends. I just finished my annual journey through the pages of Gift From [...]
Good morning... Clever creativity has spread wildly during this time of coronavirus quarantine. This playful poem, forwarded to me by many kind folk, is one of my favorite displays of Jesus' regenerative joy born this Easter morn. ****** How the Virus Stole Easter By Kristi Bothur With a nod to Dr. Seuss ? Twas late in ‘19 when the [...]
Good morning... It strikes me that many of you do not know my husband, Steve. You have not seen him. You have not heard his voice. You have never been in the same room. So during this time of social distancing, I thought I would share with you, on this memorable Maundy Thursday, the virtual chapel service Steve [...]
Good morning... The following devotional message, written by my husband, arrived in my inbox on the same morning nine of us women from our Monday Bible study group packed two hundred and fifty Super Pack Boxes at the Action Ministries warehouse. Each box was filled with non-perishable goods to help one family of four to supplement their food [...]
Good morning... Following yesterday's post, Spread Calm With A Palm, many of you sent me pictures of God's green growth on your front door. One of you said, "Instead of the red blood of an unblemished lamb on that first Passover night, maybe these green branches on our doors symbolize our prayers for the virus to pass over our [...]
Happy Palm Sunday... I received this announcement earlier in the week. Now I turn around to share it with you. God's green branch of peace surpasses our human understanding. Wherever we wake this Palm Sunday morn, may we unite as the calming body of Christ, physically isolated but spiritually inseparable. The next day, the news that Jesus was [...]
Good morning... As I walked our golden retriever mix to and from the horse farm, on my way back I noticed a young girl. Slender build. Brown hair. About ten or twelve years old. Walking in the opposite direction on the other side of the street. She was holding a large basket in the crook on one arm. [...]
Good morning... "When songwriting team Burt Bacharach and Hal David released the song 'What the World Needs Now Is Love' (originally sung by Jackie DeShannon) in 1965, the United States was deeply divided over the war in Vietnam," explains the Berklee Now publication from March 23rd. "Bacharach was initially nervous about the song's reception given the fragile cultural [...]
