Reshaped By The Storm
Good morning... I listened and learned from my friend as we talked by phone on her way to work, my friend who has no umbrella in this hurricane season of her life. Then I drove twelve minutes downtown to PAWkids, a non-profit agency supporting kids and their families in the most poverty-stricken portion of our city. After our weekly time of therapeutic training, I stayed after to pray in the space set aside [...]
No Umbrella In A Hurricane
Good morning... A friend who is juggling a ton of extreme stressors called me on her way to work. "People who do not understand keep asking, 'Are you taking care of yourself?'" she explained. "Stopping to take care of myself amid all of this craziness would be like holding up an umbrella in a hurricane. Hard, driving rains are coming in sideways, swirling madly, drenching from all directions. Putting up an umbrella would [...]
An Invitation From Steve
Good morning... My husband Steve is a multi-faceted guy. Husband and father. Son and brother. High school teacher, chaplain, and wrestling coach. Good friend, loyal listener, and honest communicator. But one thing you may not know about Steve is this: he loves leading groups on trips to Israel. Every other year, Steve shepherds Lovett students in footprints left by Jesus. The opposite year he leads life-giving adventure with adults from our community. One [...]
Enjoy Our Livestream Retreat
Good morning... After our sacred celebration of Betty Skinner's life, I moved to a rustic rental with Kitty Crenshaw and Dr. Cathy Snapp, authors of The Hidden Life Awakened. Our goal was to map out the rhythm of our "Awake To Wholeness Women's Retreat" being hosted at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church on November 6th. Curled up beneath a shaggy orange blanket, which matched the candle burning beside my shorthaired angel, I felt [...]
Betty’s Sacred Ceremony
Good morning... When we arrived at the trailhead of Rock Mountain in Cashiers, N.C., we spread out one by one to experience the sacred trek. "I feel like one of Betty's bridesmaids," I thought to myself as I took my first steps. Our destination for the day was a private spot Betty Skinner called Julian's Rock. Day after day, season by season, Betty would hike to this holy haven to spend quiet hours [...]
Sleeping In Then Waking Up
Good morning... Yesterday morning I clicked on the small lamp beside my guest bed to see my shorthaired Betty angel holding a tiny red leaf from our holy hike up the North Carolina mountain to lay to final rest the ashes of our spiritual mentor. I checked my phone to read 7:23. Instead of writing a blog post, I savored the gift of sleeping in then stepping out to admire the sky. [...]
Join Us On Our Holy Hike
Good morning... In her blog post from The Hidden Life Awakened website, this week co-author Kitty Crenshaw shared with us a loving update. ***** Dearest Friends, Betty is gone now, but the peace of her presence is with us in a new and perhaps more powerful way. She often said, "I can do more for you from there than I can from here." Having a teacher like Betty meant having a friend who led from [...]
Joy After Death
Good morning... God continues to teach us about the joyful power which exists beyond death. I am intrigued by the words which came into my inbox yesterday. ****** DAILY MEDITATION | SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 A Death for Others by Henri Nouwen The great mystery is that all people who have lived with and in the Spirit of God participate through their deaths in the sending of the Spirit. God’s love continues to be [...]
Betty Skinner Popped Up
Good morning... "Look what popped up on my screensaver!" Kitty Crenshaw, co-author of The Hidden Life Awakened, texted me this photo from a visit we shared with Betty Skinner a few years back. "Oh, I love it!" I replied. "Such beautiful affirmation of mutual love. Betty is so present and so precious." At age ninety-five, our friend Betty went to her heavenly home on August 17th, 2021, inspiring us to live well the [...]
What Does Prayer Do?
Good morning... For me, the symbol above embodies the power of prayer. Sitting quietly in a corner of our home, this antique fire extinguisher holds lots of wild-haired curly-Q's and is coupled with a handheld vintage fireplace blower. "What," you might ask, "do these old objects have to do with prayer?" During our Friday morning class, I thought of this quirky symbol as we read aloud the following quote. "Similarly, there are desires [...]
Am I Drowning?
Good morning... For followers of Jesus Christ, Sunday mornings help us to deepen down into our truest desires. This morning as I revisit words from the first chapter of our semester's book, Sacred Rhythms, I come across the crux of our matter. "Your desire for more of God than you have right now, your longing for love, your need for deeper levels of spiritual transformation than you have experienced so far is the [...]
Everything’s Gonna Be Alright
Good morning... One of my dearest spiritual friends has a birthday today. After our walk and talk yesterday, I gave her an early birthday gift. This whimsical mug I found at Goodwill is painted with the pattern of her grandmother's pottery, a pattern she has adored since childhood. It makes my heart so happy to know my soul sister will be sipping from this symbol of eternal love as she begins this day [...]