Dream Big
Good morning... One amazing woman who spent regular time in our living room, learning, growing, blossoming alongside me over the years, was Julie Harlan. A powerful prayer warrior, a faithful friend, an incredible daughter and sister, wife and mother, Julie listened to the dream God planted in her heart. In the spring of 2017, Julie and I shared lunch at a restaurant in downtown Vinings, a few minutes from our each of our [...]
Out Of Our Comfort Zone
Good morning... The light of our LORD leads us out of our comfort zone. It was such a joy to sew together delightful pictures from our light-filled living room with the fresh, instructive Word of God in yesterday's post, Our Silent Soundtrack. That life-giving blog was particularly profound for me since it was crafted on the day a huge shift occurred. In the summer of 2005, during my darkest season of depression, the [...]
Our Silent Soundtrack
Good morning... Yesterday's post, Our Sweet-Scented Prayers, is a keeper, a rich resource for us to return to regularly as we seek continued healing of our hearts, our bonds, our world. Today, in contrast to the many words of yesterday's blog, I want to show you the silent soundtrack welcoming me into Inauguration Day 2021. After writing with God in the middle of the night about looking for the new, restorative things Christ [...]
Our Sweet-Scented Prayers
Good morning... "I am just so grateful for our church, it makes me cry," she wiped her wet cheeks as she was leaving the prayer vigil held at Northside Church. "I can say I am going to pray for our nation, but at home I get distracted, time slips away, and by the end of the day, I notice I haven't really prayed. It helps me to come into the sanctuary, physically, to [...]
Between You And Me
Good morning... Amid the high winds of mixed emotions, I invite you to join me in prayer, between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm, from the comfort of your home or in the quiet of our open Northside sanctuary. I, personally, will be welcoming people into the church from 12:00 to 1:00 pm, masked and social distanced, for the noon hour of our day-long prayer vigil, and I would love to experience the joy [...]
Let’s Show And Tell
Good morning... "God speaks through repetition," said the subject in her email following yesterday's post Living The Dream. "What is it God is telling me about seed-planting???" she asked rhetorically. "When I finished reading your words from today, this was my devotion in my bible reading plan. Love it." ****** Matthew 13:18-35 in “The Bible in One Year with Nicky Gumble” from YouVersion Keep telling people about Jesus Every time you have told [...]
Living The Dream
Good morning... Earlier this month we received the photo above, sent from the well known town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Steve and I were married in my hometown of Berea, Ohio in 1987, we enjoyed his final two years in seminary at Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut, then we moved to Gettysburg for his first real job as an associate pastor at Gettysburg Presbyterian Church. Surrounded by an amazing church family, we [...]
Good For The Soul
Good morning... "Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy," sings the John Denver lyrics in my brain as I scroll through beach photos on my phone. Even as I cozy up on our couch at home, I sense the oceanic rhythms of God continuing to melt layers of me. I am reminded of truth shared by our friend Dr. Cathy Snapp, co-author of The Hidden Life Awakened. To disconnect negative thoughts [...]
Waking Up With You
Good morning... It was hard to leave the beach last night, turning my back to the setting sun. Who was it that said, "Parting is such sweet sorrow?" Sweet, what a deliciously sweet week this has been. Deepening down, alone with God and our dogs, has been so fruitful, so so fantastic. Yesterday, to the sound of the unpredicted rain, I recorded my voice reading forty selected book excerpts from The Hidden Life [...]
Gratitude Is Everything
Good morning... I have spent the week selecting forty readings from one of my favorite books, The Hidden Life Awakened by Kitty Crenshaw and Dr. Cathy Snapp. Recording my voice reading aloud these soulful quotes will make up the backbone of our Waking Up Whole: Mind, Body, and Soul study. Forty readings. God and I prayerfully, diligently, whittled down the rich blessing of this amazing book to forty chosen readings. Guided by the [...]
We All Get Our Say
Good morning... Soaking in the sight of the sunset last night, I sensed my soul celebrate, "I feel really grateful to be a follower of the living Christ and a citizen of the United States." Earlier in the day, I had watched some of the varied, articulate thoughts being shared during the second impeachment hearing of Donald J. Trump. I couldn't help but think, "If I was given thirty to sixty seconds to [...]
Our Dogs Are So Different
Good morning... Just like our four young adult kids, our two dogs are so so different. Being sequestered with Tate and Gracie for an undisturbed week of writing at the beach, I can't help but notice how differently our dogs respond to the grey cold of winter. Tate, our furry-coated golden retriever mix, spends hours and hours outside in the chilly weather. Perched on delighted alert, she loves picking up any movement, noticing [...]