Rest Is A Gift
Good morning... "Sue," she emailed after yesterday's blog post from Jacksonville, Florida, "that verse from Isaiah is one of my guiding verses: And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me" (Isaiah 6:8, ESV). I am reading Dane Ortlund’s book Gentle and Lowly and love the following quotes." "The minimum bar to be enfolded into [...]
I Hold You In My Heart
Good morning... We cannot fix, avoid or deny the pain of people in our community, but God can draw us near. We cannot say, do or express the perfect thing at the just right moment, but God can love through us. We cannot stop grief, tragedy or excruciating loss, but God can hold in our heart those stuck in a stormy dark night. We wonder, "How might I play a part in God's [...]
A Horrific Helicopter Crash
Good morning... Yesterday I woke in deep prayer for the families and friends of the two young fathers from our community who died in a horrific helicopter crash. As I waited for our microwave to heat up some day-old coffee, words from a hymn repeated often in our childhood church strangely sang up through the sorrow in my soul. "Great is thy faithfulness LORD unto me." Might God's great faithfulness to these grieving [...]
Our Isolation Evaporates
Good morning... As good friends treated us to a Braves game last week, she said, "I thought you were going to take some time off from writing your daily blog posts this summer." "Well, I was kinda hoping to take a break," I heard myself say, "but blogging each day has become such an important part of my life. Morning by morning, I just kept on writing. I realize that writing is a [...]
Our Gentle Guide
Good morning... In this sacred moment, I welcome you to read Philippians 4:5 in various translations. Slowly. Quietly. Aloud with God. Which inviting words whisper for your attention? ****** Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. (NIV) Let your gentle spirit [your graciousness, unselfishness, mercy, tolerance, and patience] be known to all people. The Lord is near. (AMP) Let your kindness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. [...]
Our Center Is Elsewhere
Good morning... First thing this morning, I am drawn to a poem written on September 11th, 2021. The words help to integrate all of the sights and the sounds, the images and the memories burned into our collective conscience since that terrible Tuesday twenty years ago. ****** When the towers fell by Steve Garnaas-Holmes, www.unfoldinglight.net When the towers fell it seemed the center of the world had vanished, but the center, it turns [...]
Relax To The Rhythm
Good morning... At 3:22 am, I responded to my friend's invitation to walk today: "In the morning, I will enjoy our peer supervision group at Ignatius House, face to face for the first time since the pandemic forced us to meet by Zoom, and, in the afternoon, I host my first class of women in our home since March of 2019, so today is delightfully full. If I feel breathing room in the [...]
Life’s Most Important Days
Good morning... "This will be one of the most important days of your life," she said to her 10 year old son when he returned home from school on September 11th, 2001. Later that night she thought to herself, that was a stupid, terrible thing to say. The morning of September 12th, she apologized to her young son. "I was wrong. What I told you yesterday is totally wrong." She went on to [...]
Savor Every Shade
Good morning... As summer slowly turns toward fall this sacred Sabbath morn, please savor with me a 360-degree look at the powerful shades of God. The God of gods, the mighty Lord himself, has spoken! He shouts out over all the people of the earth in every brilliant sunrise and every beautiful sunset, saying, “Listen to me!” (Psalm 50:1, TPT). ...Sue... P.S. If you live in the Atlanta area, join us today for the [...]
Red Threads of Legacy
Good morning... As we wake on the twentieth anniversary of the September 11th attacks, admire with me the touching story of one young man who helped to save as many as twelve people with the final moments of his life. This is how we have discovered love’s reality: Jesus sacrificed his life for us. Because of this great love, we should be willing to lay down our lives for one another (1 John [...]
An Adult Time Out
Good morning... As the Women's Ministry Director at Northside Church, I love visiting with people who are facing unique challenges. Disease. Divorce. Depression. Difficult decisions. Death of a loved one. One person who has been a vibrant part of our ministry for years has also become the Pastoral Care Executive Assistant at our church. Through a freak accident, she recently broke several bones in both of her feet and has been forced to [...]
Remembering Bill
Good morning... I wake on the morning of Bill's memorial service, praying over the words gracing his obituary, lifting up into the LORD's healing light his dear wife and their two unique kids, his extended family and his many, many friends. Next Monday Bill would have been sixty-two years old, had his life not ended suddenly on September 1st. The essence of Bill lingers with me as I savor a few segments of [...]