Find Me And Free Me
Good morning... Since our two years of training ended in 2017, four of us spiritual directors meet monthly by phone for peer supervision. We live in different states and see one another very rarely, but our two hour conversations are some of my favorite moments every month. This month the person facilitating read aloud an opening prayer written by Ted Loder. Listening intently, we were hooked by different phrases. Before our fertile phone [...]
Her Incurable Cancer
Good morning... For months and months, I have diligently prayed for my lifetime friend in Norway. Just now, we are exchanging emails in the middle of this dark night. She wrote yesterday. "Thanks for keeping me so close! The summary from today’s consultation is that the current treatment does not work anymore. The oncologist suggests alternative chemo, maybe in August. She says my body, especially the bone marrow, needs rest. I agree totally! [...]
Watch What Happens Next
Good morning... When we urgently pray for clarity, like we did in yesterday's post, we watch expectantly for whatever happens next. We went to bed praying for our friend's deep need for God's guidance. Then we woke to the following text. "As you get out of bed in the morning, be aware of My Presence with you. You may not be thinking clearly yet, but I am. Your early morning thoughts tend to [...]
We Pray For Clarity
Good morning... Tonight's first full moon of the summer will peak at 7:57 pm. It's called the Strawberry Moon, referring to the fact that strawberries typically ripen and are ready around this time of the year, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. As I am learning to discern distinctions in the dark, the moon appears full to our naked eyes the night before and the night after any full moon appears. So last [...]
Getting To The Heart Of Us
Good morning... As our Thursday group met this month, we began our time by reading aloud this prayer from the Ignatian exercises. Then we unpacked the most famous verse from the book of Micah. He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. - [...]
Sing. Dance. It’s Your Chance.
Good morning... I went to the estate sale of a friend who was retiring and moving after thirty fertile years. Instantly, I was drawn to the plaque hanging in her kitchen: "Feel free to sing and dance - you many not get a second chance." So I dished out the $2.00 and came home with the fun find. It didn't take long for God to connect the dots between this happy gift, a [...]
Our Tangled-Up Hearts
Good morning... This quote from Sarah Young's Jesus Always mirrors the quote from Richard Foster's book Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home. "The truth of the matter is, we all come to prayer with a tangled mass of motives— altruistic and selfish, merciful and hateful, loving and bitter. Frankly, this side of eternity we will never unravel the good from the bad, the pure from the impure. God is big enough to receive [...]
Our Inner Beauty Unfolds
Good morning... "Sue," she wrote this week, "your devotional about wide open spaces made me think of sharing with you the works of John O’Donahue. I learned of him through a good friend who was a Methodist pastor and a missionary to Ghana. I shared with him that the school I was teaching at was a Classical Christian School and believed in the quest for truth, beauty, and goodness. He shared a podcast [...]
We Mourn How Life Unfolds
Good morning... Yesterday's post contained the word unfurl. That's a active, little word. Sails and scrolls. Flags and fern fronds. Buds and butterfly wings. These things unfurl. Today in my reading I meet a similar, small word. Unfold. "We sometimes mourn how certain things in our life unfold," writes Paula D'Arcy on page 26 of Waking Up to This Day. Here is the context for her comment. "Life contains a variety of [...]
Live Each Day In Awe
Good morning... Yesterday in Atlanta, Georgia, the sun rose at 6:27 a.m. It was Sunday, June 21st, marking the summer solstice, bringing the longest day and shortest night of the year to the Northern Hemisphere, ushering in the first official day of summer. We were treated to 14 hours and 24 minutes of total daylight, before the sun set at 8:51 pm. [...]
This Special Father’s Day
Good morning... For the first time ever, on this special Father's Day, my 89 year old dad is a father, my 63 year old husband is a father, and our 31 year old son is a father. What a rich blessing! This month I have spent quality time with each of these very important men in my life. The last weekend in May, I visited my parents in Ohio as they performed The [...]
See The Dazzling Light
Good morning... As I took a walk in a nearby forest, I pondered these words shared by a friend. As we savor the "nowhere important to be" moments of life, God's Spirit grows thick and steady within us. Then another friend wrote, "This quote inspired 'contemplation' this morning." And I breathed in the image she shared. Whether outside meandering [...]