Who Is In Your Bundle?
Good morning... Years ago I learned of a Quaker concept called "bundle." Over the years, God has enhanced my small seed of understanding. The main gist is that we are all born into this world wired for a unique "bundle" of people, people we are designed to spiritually influence and to be influenced by over our lifetime. Our "bundle" is marked by a mutually beneficial giving and taking, a supernatural ebbing and flowing. [...]
Telling Our Story
Good morning... "Dear Friend," she wrote after yesterday's post My Five Year Headache. "About the time you wrote to me, I was stirring and ready to slip downstairs for coffee and a chapter or two from my current book Lighthousekeeping. I made coffee and read these words: Tell me a story . . . What story, child? One that begins again. That's the story of life. But is it the story of my [...]
My Five Year Headache
Good morning... This morning, I have no idea why my computer returned itself to emails from this very same week five years ago. Back then, a subscriber to our everyday blog had sent me the photo above from her back yard in Florida. In retrospect, now I realize I felt much like the silhouette of this lone little tree trying to make sense of our mammoth, multi-faceted God. The life of my good [...]
The Respite Of Rain
Good morning... Rain whispers, "Stay home. Keep warm. Relax inside." Yet as I am home, I think of the vulnerable. As I keep warm, I pray for those who are cold. As I relax inside, I hold in my heart those tossed and torn up by stormy unrest. As rain provides respite for me, I experience a multitude of nurturing synonyms. breather breathing space downtime [...]
Life’s Lovely Layers
Good morning... Yesterday morning's rising sun was hidden in a sea of thick, rainy grey. Then as we marveled at last night's setting sun, a Bible verse came to mind. In Genesis 8:22, God makes a powerful promise: "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.” I got to thinking, "There are so many lovely layers of life in [...]
Artificial Craves Authentic
Good morning... We can get lost in the lure of artificial lighting. Smile. Fit in. Look good. When the world’s nonstop neon eventually burns us out, we begin to crave an enduring source of light. Haggai 1:5-7 in the New International Version understands our dilemma. Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You [...]
A Place For Renewal
Good morning... I returned the tools to my master gardener friend after my husband and I shared our pruning adventure. Now we wait, we watch, we wonder, "What new growth will eventually appear?" As I shared in yesterday's blog post, The Power of Pruning, my constantly curious friend taught us about "restoration pruning." She added "Some call it 'renewal pruning'." The word "renewal" got me thinking about the life-giving piece she wrote for [...]
The Power Of Pruning
Good morning... Okay. So our front hedges have been growing way out of control, hiding the bottom half of our window and inching up toward the tippy top. We have lived in this house for about six or seven years, so the seven year itch was creeping up on our bushes. Small periodic hair cuts had become useless. Drastic measures were needed to cut back the overgrowth. So last Saturday, my special friend [...]
Guided By The Light
Good morning... Leaving church yesterday after a handful of life-giving conversations, this exquisite burst of colorful light danced freely on the exit doors. "Wow, how gorgeous," I thought to myself, then I looked to my left to see the Source of beauty. It was as if the living Christ was playing with the Giver of light, whispering, "Take a moment. Notice Me. I AM with you always." I stood in [...]
One Funny Friday
Good morning... “I felt exposed and completely loved and accepted at the same time (which is the definition of compassion for me). Trust me when I tell you that shame and fear can’t tolerate that kind of powerful connection surging between two people. That’s exactly why courage, compassion, and connection are the tools we need for the Wholehearted journey. To top it off, my willingness to let someone I care about see me [...]
As We End We Begin
Good morning... As we grow out of 2020 and ignite God's peace and light in 2021, words from T.S. Eliot guide us forward. "For last year's words belong to last year's language, and next years words await another voice," says the poet. "What we call the beginning is often the end, and to make an end is to make a beginning." Morning by morning, we can choose to make an end to fear, [...]
Healing Headlines
Good morning... "I thought you might like this," writes a subscriber I have never met. "God is always at work in all our lives." She is just a little bit off. I don't like it, I absolutely love this post by cool blogger Sean of the South. I think you will absolutely love it too. ****** About Last Night by Sean Dietrich - February 23rd, 2021 Last night, amidst the biting Michigan cold, [...]