I Was So Mad
Good morning... I was so mad. I was completely caught off guard. Her biting response felt unfair, unjust, underhanded. It was abrupt. It was painful. It was a slap-in-the-face, end-of-discussion. But she had the power. I did not. My anger made it hard to sleep, as Ephesians 4:26 (AMP) explains: Be angry [at sin—at immorality, at injustice, at ungodly behavior], yet do not sin; do not let your anger [cause you shame, nor allow [...]
Our Three Enemies
Good morning... "Morning sweet friend," she texted me this week. "We are headed out the door to walk the dogs, and I'm going to put this little gift on your doorstep." Nearly four hours later she texted again, "Hey there...just checking to see if you found the gift I left on your porch." "Oh, I have been totally immersed in The Blue Book all morning," I finally texted back, "so enthralled that I forgot [...]
Everything Went Wrong
Good morning... "Everything that could go wrong yesterday did," she emailed me, "and this morning didn't start off any better. I felt totally abandoned by God, even though I know He tells us, 'I will never leave or forsake you.'" She was right, God has promises repeatedly, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake [...]
Build Us Up
Good morning... Build us up from inside out. Fortify our interior structure. Together teach us to embody the Prayer of St. Francis, who was born in 1182. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace Where there is hatred, let me sow love Where there is injury, pardon Where there is doubt, faith Where there is despair, hope Where there is darkness, light And where there is sadness, joy O Divine Master, grant [...]
We Are Held Together
Good morning... "I have been drawn to spend less structured time with God during this pandemic," she admits, "but somehow I am sensing God's presence more and more. Quotes from yesterday's post put words to my experience: 'There is no place that Jesus is not.' Jesus is in our hearts, our homes, our world. 'Bidden or not bidden, God is present.' We do not have to beg, to invite, to coerce. God already [...]
This Simple Poster
Good morning... This simple poster caught my eye. "There is no place that Jesus is not." At the depth of my being, I truly believe, "There is no place that Jesus is not." This poster reminds me of a gift I recently gave to a friend, a handcrafted pottery plaque reading, "Bidden or not bidden, God is present." Invited or not, God is here. Wherever, whenever, whomever, Jesus is near. I pray that you [...]
Our First Step Toward Change
Good morning... We are an essential part of God's response to the anguish of this world. We are in God, God is in us, and from this place of intimate connection, giving and taking, loving and being loved, we become God's living presence responding to our hurting world. Henri Nouwen's morning devotional from yesterday tangibly identifies the first step in our process of transformational change. ****** DAILY MEDITATION | JULY 13, 2020 - Creative Reciprocity [...]
Three Scriptures I Love
Good morning... One of my all time favorite Scripture passages is John 6:43-46 in The Message translation. Jesus said, “Don’t bicker among yourselves over me. You’re not in charge here. The Father who sent me is in charge. He draws people to me—that’s the only way you’ll ever come. Only then do I do my work, putting people together, setting them on their feet, ready for the End. This is what the prophets meant [...]
Rest
Good morning... I looked more closely at the intricate nest. Sticks. Leaves. Dried grass. I noticed that the floor of the nest was made out of one large piece of light colored bark, bark I had recently seen shedding from unusually looking trees. Three-in-one trees. One-in-three trees. Growing forever from the same stable root, I fondly nickname these beauties "Trinity trees." Trinity trees shed their bark continually, much like our sustaining Creator sheds [...]
How Can We Get Tested?
Good morning... So so so many of you reached out to ask, "Where did you get your COVID test done?" So, I figured I would do an informative post about what to do if and when you or a family member want to get tested for coronavirus. First off, our family of six has had a lot of varied experiences in this area this summer, so we have put in lots of legwork [...]
Out Of The Nest
Good morning... Walking each day, admiring the newly born baby cardinals, and sharing pictures with you has been a real joy this week (see our post To My Surprise). But my heart sank to my stomach when I peered into the nest yesterday and saw it empty. No baby birds. No daddy cardinal. No living beings. Instinctively I sensed, "These little creatures were too tiny to fly and they were too vulnerable [...]
Are We Being Tested?
Good morning... As I wake on Day #7, still self-quarantining in our basement, I think, "And this type of COVID testing was designed to produce results in two days." We easily got a testing appointment with our doctor friend last Thursday, we waited in line for about thirty minutes to experience the uncomfortable procedure, and we were told these two day tests are now taking five to seven days to process, backlogged by [...]