See Through Things
Good morning... Too much to say. There's just too much to say. How do I center myself down, Lord, to sense your concise, caring message for this unique day? I could write all about our incredibly meaningful morning at PAWkids yesterday. I could write about yesterday's moving retirement celebration for a loving pastor I have partnered with at Northside Church for the past thirteen years. I could write about our trip to the [...]
Steve’s Thoughts On Love
Good morning... As a high school chaplain, my husband is skilled at communicating with people of all ages. Steve brings to life biblical concepts in simple, down to earth ways. In this week's devotional message, Steve encourages us to fully receive and to freely share the gift of God's "agape love". ****** Thoughts on 1 John 4:7-21 by Rev. Steve Allen I want to share with you a list of some of the [...]
Expect Incredibly More
Good morning... Day after day, we pour out to God the deepest desires of our heart. In response, I have heard it said, "God answers, 'Yes.' 'No.' or 'Wait.'" I have always thought God gives us a "Yes," and a pathway forward opens effortlessly before us. At other times God gives us a "No," and a door is closed in our face. Then at times God responds, "Wait," and we are forced to [...]
One Scripture This Sabbath
Good morning... Faith is the assurance of things you have hoped for, the absolute conviction that there are realities you’ve never seen. It was by faith that our forebears were approved. Through faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God; everything we now see was fashioned from that which is invisible (Hebrews 11:1-3, VOICE). "Faith begins as hope and indeed is unseen; so many doubt that it is [...]
Please Find Me
Good morning... Sometimes we feel lost alone beneath our many layers. Even forming an honest prayer can feel really, really hard. For those moments of chaotic complexity, I just met a revealing poem. Over the phone, a friend read aloud these powerful words so that I could understand more clearly her personal struggle. I can relate to the feeling of being somehow called out of my own tomb of timidity. As you slowly [...]
Remember We Live As One
Good morning... On the birthday of my faraway father, I went to an outdoor memorial service for my friend's dad, a celebration of life hosted at the duck pond near his earthly home. Life-giving stories were shared. Tenderizing tears were shed. Together we experienced these words printed in the bulletin. ****** PRAYER OF REMEMBRANCE Leader: We will remember Bob in the rising sun and it's going down, People: We will remember him. Leader: [...]
Love Is Tucked In Human Envelopes
Good morning... She was reminded of one of her favorite Barbara Brown Taylor quotes: "God's message of love is sent into the world in human envelopes." Isn't our Creator's most basic truth revealed in Barbara's nutshell? Before leaving earth for heaven, Jesus said, "When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you" (John 14:20, NLT). The [...]
Created To Do Good Work
Good morning... I was inspired by the nine minute talk shared in our blog post yesterday, Doing Hard And Holy Work. Encouraged by twenty-five year old Atlantan, Danielle Coke, I treasure-hunted for the poem she shared at the end of her vulnerable presentation. This young artist and activist offers a creative, colorful invitation into our humble, daily walk with the Lord, the living and active God who has created each one of us [...]
Doing Hard And Holy Work
Good morning... "Today Danielle Coke posted a link on her Instagram account to a speech she gave at this weekend's Q Ideas Culture Summit in Nashville," she texted me yesterday. "9 minutes. So good." I trust this wise friend deeply, as together we seek to hold each other accountable to doing God's hard and holy work with our everyday lives. For years we have been walking and talking from our "good," through our [...]
Destruction Births Lasting Fruit
Good morning... Today I went out into the second year of our garden following the weekend's hard rains, and the big purple flowers on this climbing vine are wrecked. Their five-inch round beauty was so bold and life-giving, and now they are destroyed, ripped apart, ruined. I think to myself, "Why did I take their beauty for granted? Why didn't I snap pictures of them in their full blooming glory?" Had I known [...]
God Builds An Ark
Good morning... In God's great timing, I snapped this photo the day before I received an important email. I took a picture of this large, makeshift ark for a friend in Florida who was deeply touched by our grief podcast in December. Especially she loved our encouragement that God quietly builds for us a protective ark to live in before the flood waters of grief begin to ravage our lives. "Good morning Sue," [...]
Tulips And Time Pass Away
Good morning... As we moseyed around the State Botanical Gardens of Georgia last weekend, my friend kept saying, "You should have seen the tulips. The tulips were spectacular this year. You should have seen the tulips." Returning home with a phone full of photos, I crafted our April 19th blog post displaying God's Colorful Design. Almost instantly I received encouragement: "LOVED your post this morning," texted my dear friend Cathy Smith. "These are [...]