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 [...]
I Don’t Want To Go
Good morning... I wake early with a song on my heart. Hearing it on the radio one day this week, I thought, "I should check out that music video." Then I promptly forgot to follow through on the nudge. Right now, the Holy Spirit reminds me again of my earlier urge, so I search for and savor the song in these dark, wee hours. Now I feel compelled to share the gift with [...]
The Thin Veil Between Earth And Heaven
Good morning... "How has your day been?" she texted me on Saturday. "Special. Really special," I replied. "I spent the day copying notes from the final prayer journals of my friend Julie Harlan. I enjoy learning the deep roots beneath Julie's Dream, the non-profit started in her honor. She is all about authentic relationship, about getting kids outside to learn about God in nature, and furthering the kingdom of God on earth. I [...]
The Lush Tree Of Life
Good morning... "I love love love this photo and the joy and peace it pours into the dreams gestating in our hearts," I texted the artist, my dear friend Corinne Adams. "I am spending the morning meandering through Julie Harlan's prayer journals, discerning in more detail the root system beneath Julie's Dream." "It's a dream scape, indeed," Corinne texted back. "A reflection of a window in an impoverished Latin neighborhood in Los Angeles [...]
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Good morning... "Thinking of you," she emailed me this amazing music video. Now I think of each one of you this summer Sabbath morn, as we celebrate together the faithfulness of our God. I remember well all my troubles, and I am very sad. But then I think about this, and I have hope: We are still alive because the Lord’s faithful love never ends. Every morning he shows it in new ways! [...]
Higher Than My Dreams
Good morning... Above the upside down photo dumping out all of my dreams hangs a Corinne Adams original. For Corinne, for you and for me, God is the ultimate Dream-giver. The LORD's higher, healing ways generously overflow into our ordinary lives. This is how the Bible explains God's life-giving process. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than [...]
A Feast Of Friendship
Good morning... Last night we experienced a feast of friendship as over twenty women in our Atlanta community gathered together, deepening down into the healthy root system connecting Bankhead and Buckhead. Women, older and younger. Skin, darker and lighter. People, barely surviving and ultimately thriving. Enjoying fun foods and delicious drinks, we shared stories of great struggle and stories of great success. Each honest story revealed God's powerful Spirit working in us, among [...]
My Upside Down Photo
Good morning... Shared in a recent blog post, many of you love this Goodwill photo I decided to hang upside down on our wall. Symbolically, I thought I had emptied out every dream from this photo - dreams for the hungry children we have met on mission trips over the years, dreams for our four kids, our kids' kids, our kids' kids' kids, and dreams sprouting in my heart for the healing of [...]
Our Daughter Is Being Used
Good morning... "Hey mom, I'll be home for lunch," our youngest daughter said over the phone. "Can we talk about how we might use your blog to promote a project I am helping with at work?" "Of course," my momma heart was delighted to hear the ideas on her mind. Working as a paid intern for this summer at a small, well established Public Relations and Marketing firm here in Atlanta, our daughter, [...]
Our Green Ribbon
Good morning... "I think of you as I write this message on marriage," I texted my friend at 4:47 am. "God is such a faithful husband to you and I love seeing your wholeness reclaimed from within." "Lovely post, Sue," she texted back soon after. "And thank you. Love that we are already connecting this early morning." "Yes, I love it too," I replied. "But I am handing you the torch - having [...]
Our Wholeness Is Reclaimed
Good morning... "Good morning, Sue," emailed a reader I have never met from Tennessee. "Just had to share that your message on marriage came to me on what would have been our 34th wedding anniversary, having been married at Northside United Methodist Church June 6, 1987. You and I, as believers, know that there are no coincidences! Thanks for sharing God’s light and love through your wonderful devotionals. I am a grateful recipient! [...]
Mark Twain On Marriage
Good morning... I will remember last night's gorgeous wedding because of the white umbrellas passed out in the rain, my husband's heartfelt message to the bride and groom, a chance to talk and dance with incredible people, and the reading of a Mark Twain poem I had never heard before. A marriage makes of two fractional lives a whole; It gives two purposeless lives a work, And doubles the strength of each to [...]