Rescued Is My Favorite Breed
Good morning... Rescued people are my favorite breed of cat. I really relate with those who have felt lost, lonely, shipwrecked, those who have cried out to God from their innermost being, "Rescue me from the swamp. Don’t let me go under for good. Pull me out of the clutch of the enemy. This whirlpool is sucking me down" (Psalm 69:14, MSG). Rescued by God is my favorite breed of people. When [...]
A Saturday Afternoon Song
Good morning... After a morning of yard work, I sat on the couch to relax for a moment. A new-to-me music video reached out from our TV. I had never heard of this music group and had never experienced this inviting song - until this ordinary Saturday afternoon. Brought alive in a gentle embrace, together we are mysteriously lost in God's grace, lost in God's grace. ...then he told me, "My grace is [...]
When Our Kids Are In Pain
Good morning... "Hey sweet and wise Sue," she wrote. "I’m catching up on my emails from yesterday and ironically saw your post “Surviving the Teen Years”....and it was as if God told you to write that for me!" "I’m in the THICK of it with my oldest daughter," she explained. "My sweet girl has faced so much rejection from her peers and has just experienced such mean girl, non inclusive friendships throughout high [...]
From Sunrise Through Sunset
Good morning... In the morning from Vinings, Georgia, our twenty-two year old daughter captured this photo of the rising sun. In the evening from Minnesota, I received this text and photo from my nineteen year old friend, Joanna. "Hi Sue!" she wrote. "Thinking of you and just letting you know I'm doing well! Here's a picture from where I went swimming with a friend tonight." Through the rising of the sun [...]
Who Is Guiding Our Children?
Good morning... At my request, our twenty-two year old daughter sent me this photo snapped on her morning run. She has graduated from college, has landed her first temporary job, and is now settling in at home for a season of saving up for the future which lies ahead of her. "I am discovering that I like running in the mornings before work," she explained. "I have found a route I enjoy, to [...]
I Can Only Imagine
Good morning... After yesterday's post, Life Is A Marathon, I received a brief email from Gina Palermo, the artist who snapped this stunning photo beginning and ending our morning message. "That pix reminds me of the scripture that says that the Lord will come in the clouds… Rev 1:7 - Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the [...]
Life Is A Marathon
Good morning... I am a non-runner, a total non-runner. Yet I am married to a man who runs most every day, a husband who over his lifetime has completed five marathons, each under three hours. So watching the Olympic marathons with Steve, the race for the women and the race for the men, was a fun part of this weekend. Each of the 26.2 miles of every marathon draws upon a combination of [...]
We Go Through Deep Waters
Good morning... "I came home from the beautiful memorial service," I wrote in my journal, "exhausted from listening, exhausted from crying, exhausted from socializing. But as I sit still with myself right now, I realize that the most exhausting thing for me is knowing that these could be our grieving children. With their three kids born in the same years as our four kids, how would we live on as a family without [...]
Inner Circle Friends
Good morning... One of my inner circle friends is an inner circle friend of the Haley family. I have kept in prayerful texting contact with my close friend as she inches through the grief process, intimately supporting her close friend, Dr. Carla Haley. Last Saturday both women sat together in the Pittsburg, Pennsylvania pews as the legacy of Dr. Leon Haley, Jr. was memorialized in his hometown. "My prayers are with you as [...]
Mom, She’s Copying Me
Good morning... "Hi Sue, check out today’s Upper Room devotional," she wrote from her home in South Carolina. "It speaks to me as have the recent posts you have shared about our voice. TODAY, my favorite day, I will work hard to choose to imitate God’s great love." Quietly, I chose to respond to her nudge, checking out yesterday's Upper Room devotional. ****** AUGUST 5, 2021 BY MONTRA C. WEAVER (TEXAS, USA) When [...]
On Today’s Platter
Good morning... Last night I made twelve Stromboli, six to serve our son's high school friends in our busy basement and six to share with his college friends as they move into their rental home this afternoon. Straddling two life chapters, two different seasons, two separate towns - Atlanta and Athens - Stromboli chills in our refrigerator right now, leftovers from last night and foil filled gifts to give today. Savoring what has [...]
My Plan Was Disrupted
Good morning... Last Wednesday morning, my calendar was comfortably full. 8:00 am - coffee with my daughter before her workday. 10:00 am - spiritual direction session #1. 11:15 am - spiritual direction session #2. Over our first cup of coffee, I received a text canceling the first session due to my client's overflowing workload. Over our second cup of coffee, I received a text canceling the second session since my next client woke [...]