Why Would A Child Go Blind?
Good morning... As I prayerfully consider the story of Ginny Owens, this beautiful singer/song writer who lost her sight at age three, I can't help but wonder, "God, why would you allow an innocent child to go completely blind?" I'm not the only one who has struggled with this question. In John 9:1-7 (TPT) we meet the disciples of Jesus as they wrestle with similar thoughts. Afterward, as Jesus walked down the street, [...]
The Longest Day Of Our Year
Good morning... "Sue," she emailed me, "I wanted to share this 'heavenly' picture of the full moon that I took this week after some storm clouds had passed through. I was awestruck by what I was seeing. It is from a back deck at the beach on the longest day of the year! Use it whenever you want or when a moonlight passage inspires you!" This gorgeous moonlight photo piques my curiosity, so [...]
Touched And Comforted
Good morning... "I have been out of touch but reading and connecting with you most mornings," she wrote. "I am so heartbroken and encouraged by the beautiful and tragic story of Eliza." "When I saw the title of your message I'll Walk Through The Valley," she continued, "I thought to myself, 'I haven’t heard that song in a while. I should listen to it today.' Well, in typical Sue fashion, the beautiful song [...]
Hard And Healing
Good morning... "Thank you for posting the music video of I'll Walk Through the Valley," my friend wrote after yesterday's blog post. "It's so hard to watch Ginny Owens sing this song, but so healing too. This song got Eliza through so many dark days - along with Psalm 23." As we step forward into this new day, let's quietly experience the comfort of Psalm 23, expressed in The Passion Translation. The Good [...]
I’ll Walk Through The Valley
Good morning... I was deeply touched by the song performed at the celebration of life for twenty-eight year old, Eliza. When I got home from the reception following the service, I googled the song title and found the music video below, performed by the original artist sitting at the piano, staring ahead, and singing through her own dark valley of blindness. Now I'm drawn to Psalm 60:1-3 in The Passion Translation, Bible verses [...]
I’m Out Of Prayers
Good morning... The faithful family of my friend has endured loss after loss, tragedy after tragedy, heartache after heartache, year after year. For decades I have walked alongside as a compassionate, committed prayer warrior. On Sunday, June 13th, I received this text from my forever friend. "Please keep an eye on your phone today," she requested. "We don't have long with our girl. I'm out of prayers." "That's when God steps toward us [...]
Compassionately Connect
Good morning... I have been slowly walking beside a grieving friend as God tenderly cares for her faithful family flock. Today we will celebrate together the life of one special twenty-eight year old woman, a vibrant young woman who has shared God's living light with so many in our community. As God prepares my heart to walk in step with those who are deeply grieving, I read over again the Henri Nouwen devotional [...]
Caring For A Cardinal
Good morning... Walking our dog, I noticed a dead cardinal in the grass beside the sidewalk. Such a gorgeous bird. Brilliant red. Lying motionless. Dropping our dog back at home, I picked up a dust pan, hopped in the car and returned to the bird. Scooping this beauty into the dust pan with a stick, I took the intricately colored creature to a shady spot in the middle of an [...]
Be Cheerful Each Day
Good morning... Is it possible to be cheerful each day, filled with cheer, with joy, with gladness regardless of the circumstances into which we wake? This Father's Day morn, Scripture quietly whispers to us in surround sound. A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit (Proverbs 15:13, NIV). Every day is a terrible day for a miserable person, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast (Proverbs 15:15, GW). [...]
Pain Leaves A Mark
Good morning... As I was walking in the woods, I came upon this tree, a tree branching up like the other trees while being strangled by barbed wire. The tree had naturally grown around the manmade injury, and the mark of excruciating pain had been embedded into the tree's unique identity. At first, I thought of the crown of thorns embedded in Jesus' head as he was taunted by manmade power and rage. [...]
The Heart Of Our Heart
Good morning... Scripture verses have been merging together for me this week, helping to shed God's light on the dark, unknown path before opening before us, a winding road none of us have ever traveled before. We must allow God to go before us if we are to walk in the ways of the LORD all the days of our earthly lives. This is the Word of our LORD being illuminated through me [...]
Circumstances Shift Quickly
Good morning... "...circumstances in life can shift in the blink of an eye," said the book quote my friend texted me. "Just like that, the forces in life can shift us from rich to poor, from poor to rich, from married to single, from sad to happy, from imprisoned to free, from calm to chaos. Again and again life teaches us that we are not in charge of anything but our response to [...]