The Dawn Of Advent
Good morning... Yesterday the annual email came in, announcing the beginning of Northside Church's Advent devotional. Exquisitely written and creatively shared, the talent of Dr. James Johnson and his new wife, Elisabeth Shabbi Johnson, are on full display. I invite you to come along on the daily journey with us, beginning with yesterday's introductory email. ****** Introduction to The Birth of Glory by Dr. James Johnson For our honeymoon earlier this year Elisabeth [...]
Room At The Table
Good morning... In last week's Sunday school class, we admired the kindness, the empathy and the attunement of the main character in the book Theo of Golden, written by Allen Levi. Learning from the life of Theo, might we all come to realize how important it is to see people, really see people who are walking this earth with us? To sit on the bench with them. To spend quality time. To listen [...]
A Surprise Gift
Good morning... "Was that you walking down the street with a red tree last Friday?" asked a curious neighbor. "Yes. That was me," I replied. "The branches were cut from a large tree near the horse farm, and they were way too beautiful to be eaten by the wood chipper. So I brought them home." I was walking with my dear friend Martha Tate, and she took pictures of me walking home with [...]
Enjoy Far Away Family
Good morning... All week last week, Steve visited with his 94 year old mom in rural Pennsylvania. Cold. Windy. Harsh. He experienced a different kind of beauty found in our family's favorite summertime spot. Also last week, as my sister was preparing the traditional family Christmas calendar for the year, I sent fun photos from time spent with my parents in Ohio. They [...]
Suffer In Solidarity
Good morning... As our daughter was in Louisiana with friends Grieving A Suicide, the Henri Nouwen meditation for yesterday brought to life the gift she was experiencing. Our ability to suffer in solidarity, with God and with each other, creates beautiful moments amid life's brokenness. "God loves us so much that he does not simply take our suffering away; he suffers with us," Nouwen explained. "If we understand God's solidarity, if we see [...]
Grieving A Suicide
Good morning... As I drove our oldest daughter to the airport yesterday, God felt very present. Tessa was flying to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to support a group of college students she cares about after the brother of one young woman died of suicide this week. Tessa does college ministry at the University of Georgia through the thriving chapter of Campus Outreach. Now, up in the middle of the night, I read Tessa's Ministry [...]
Stop Doing. Stand There.
Good morning... As we begin this Thanksgiving week, there are places to be and people to see, with a huge list of to-do's to accomplish. Check. Check. Check. We embody the common phrase, "Don't just stand there. Do something." Yet I am drawn to live this week differently. I return to one sentence from our book for this semester, God's Joyful Surprise by Sue Monk Kidd. On page 90, I read her centering [...]
Painting Her Pain
Good morning... After creating Martha's Happy Painting, my artist friend, Gina, talked about the process of transforming the unfinished painting I had purchase at a flea market. "Sue, the original looked like the painter was struggling with body form, layout and color," Gina wrote. "The colors were cold and it had no depth. I did not like the straight line of what may have been a stage. I wanted to add life and [...]
Signs From Audrey
Good morning... Last Friday night, I received this text from a friend. "At a Rally Foundation event," she wrote. "The DeShetlers just won a trip!! God's handiwork!" (As you likely remember, Audrey DeShetler's fifteen year cancer journey took her to heaven in June, ten hours shy of her twentieth birthday). Texting with Jennifer and our Fab Five friend group, I wrote, "By the way, Jennifer, did I hear that you and Ben won [...]
Martha’s Happy Painting
Good morning... I've told you about Martha Kimbel, our friend who had taught beloved fitnesses classes at Northside Church for twenty-five years. Eight years ago her husband's Alzheimer's worsened and she needed to stay home as his full time caregiver. Two years ago, her husband, Chris, went to heaven. Martha feared her dancing days were over, but, in August, the Spirit unexpectedly nudged me to ask her, "Would you ever come back to [...]
1,000 Different Things
Good morning... "From my writer/poet/mystic friend from high school," my friend texted me last night, sharing these touching words. "I love this," I replied. "ME too!" she responded. "He's gifted with tender words." I will add my own wonders to the list of a thousand different things. our new puppy licking away my tears winter sunlight dancing on the wall outside our bedroom door God nudging [...]
She Licked My Tears
Good morning... Last Monday night, we had dinner with our small group, a group we've been meeting with regularly for several years now. Each time we've gathered, we've shared a meal and talked about faith and kids, weddings and grandkids, aging parents and life's highs and lows. One man asked, "Throughout your lifetime, what life phase has been your favorite?" One person replied, "Whatever phase I am in is my favorite." Another said, [...]