Can You Believe This?
Good morning... I love being the first awake on Christmas Eve morning. I turn on our tree lights, look a moment at our nativity, and mix up the chocolate batter for my husband's fifty-ninth birthday cake. We will celebrate as a family at 1:00 pm today before I work the second shift at Northside Church, welcoming worshippers to the magic of Christmas Eve services. I put Steve's requested cake in the oven and [...]
Three Exquisite Cards
Good morning... Three exquisite 4 x 6 inch cards. What an amazing Christmas gift given by my friend. The first card depicts Mary with the Christ child developing in her womb. What do you see as you ponder the image above? I see dark skin, yellow light, lots of shining stars sprinkling the rich royal blue, inside and around. A strong baby Jesus gestates in the womb, reaching out wide to calm the [...]
Jeremiah’s Christmas Tree Removal
Good morning... One thing I love most about being a mom of four young adults is watching God-given gifts grow out of our kids. Our youngest son, Jeremiah, is a hands-on hard worker who is helping to pay his way through college. Lots of you have used his pressure washing services for the past three summers and others of you have had him care for your pets, your plants, your homes while you [...]
We Are Handed A Gift
Good morning... Resting amid a golden cloth, green branches and red berries, the baby Jesus was swaddled on the altar at the Ignatius House Retreat Center. Surrounded by Christmas ornaments, glowing candles and the winter woods, the hands of the Christ child were held open and uplifted. The moving image took my breath away. So real. Sacred. Powerful. Then my eyes looked up. Just above the altar hung our dying Savior upon the [...]
Keep The Old
Good morning... If you look closely at our old weathered tree skirt, you will see that it was handmade in 2001, twenty years ago this Advent season. Red felt. Gold cording. Not sewn but glued. Glittery gold paint captured our children's names, ages, and handprints. Back then, our kids were six, four, two, and six months old. Born from that crazy blur of a life season, I remember the excitement of creating this [...]
How Could This Happen?
Good morning... My new favorite tree ornament is a transparent two inch square holding a tiny ice skater. Handmade by our wildly creative friend Corinne Adams, this symbol sums up my Advent season thus far, gliding along almost effortlessly, empowered by the Spirit of God with us. Yet today is Monday and by the time we skate through this Saturday, our celebration of Christmas 2021 will be done, completed, just a part of [...]
When Clouds Cover Everything
Good morning... I love unique days when I get to experience both the sunrise and the sunset. The sunset on the Saturday night of our Advent women's retreat was absolutely spectacular, so I went to bed so excited to see the sun gloriously rise on Sunday morning. As usual, I woke early without an alarm and walked up the hillside to get a front row seat for the fresh appearance of our dependable [...]
How Might I Worship?
Good morning... In our women's Advent retreat schedule, at 5:00 pm Saturday night there was a communion mass to which we were all invited. Privately, my spirit wondered, "What time is sunset?" I love to do a photo shoot with the setting sun whenever I am at Ignatius House Retreat Center, so I googled "When is sunset in Atlanta?" The answer came back: "5:21 pm." So I hit a dilemma. God and I [...]
P.A.U.S.E.
Good morning... When my inside self feels topsy-turvy, off-balance, cockeyed, truth finally dawns: "I have elbowed God out of the way." I have stopped diligently anchoring myself in Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, forever. I have started tipping toward my own selfish whims. I hate this topsy-turvy, off-balance feeling, this experience of spinning cockeyed. It's hard for me to tolerate instability for very long. "I give up," eventually my inner voice [...]
Overworked And Overwhelmed
Good morning... While on our women's retreat the first weekend of December, I met a small, sweet book. The Art Of Pausing: Meditations for the Overworked and Overwhelmed. In a simple, inviting pattern the authors offer poems, photographs and short reflections on the names of God, the character of our Creator from whom all blessings flow. When life spins out of our control, we stop, we surrender, we savor stability. Jesus Christ is [...]
101 Gifts
Good morning... The joy was palpable as we created one hundred Christmas gift bags for police officers to deliver to senior citizens in the impoverished Grove Park area of our community. Before we began the PAWkids' project, I had no idea how we would actually accomplish the festive feat. After two fun-filled work sessions, everything came together almost effortlessly. Amazed, I felt like I had witnessed a modern day miracle, a few fish [...]
One Soft Green Heart
Good morning... Before we gathered to create one hundred Christmas gift bags for the police officers to deliver to the senior citizens in the Grove Park neighborhood of our city, LaTonya Gates, founder and director of PAWkids, said, "Sue, I would love for you to include Bible verses in every bag." So I was gifted with the joy of discerning four verses, running them off on card stock and slicing them into strips. [...]