When We Feel Cut Back
Good morning... "Good vines require cutting and more cutting," says Sr. Judith Sutera, a Benedictine nun and vinedresser. "A mile of runners won't give you one more grape, so get rid of the branches that do not bear fruit. Do you want to keep everything? Then expect nothing. Cut. And then cut some more." By nature, I am a keeper, not a cutter. I am a hoarder, not a hacker. I gather, I [...]
Oops. My Mistake.
Good morning... Oops. My mistake. Our friend Betty Skinner turned 94-years-old yesterday, not Saturday as I jumped the gun and announced. Again I am humbly reminded, I am a big picture person, not a detail diva. Yet God now morphs my mistake into another opportunity. Kitty Crenshaw, co-author of the book we are studying this semester, The Hidden Life Awakened, has given me permission to share her birthday letter posted yesterday. ****** Dear All, [...]
Savor Sabbath: Be Yourself
Good morning... How do we grow up into our Christlike true self? We follow in the faithful footprints left by Jesus as he walked his short lifetime on this dusty earth. We listen to Jesus' constant encouragement: “Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who [...]
Building Our Life
Good morning... "I don't know exactly why or even when the idea came to me that I should keep a ledger on deep-felt thoughts," writes Betty Skinner the heroine of our semester's book, who is gracefully celebrating her 94th birthday today. "I have experienced that on one level, in matters of the heart, we are all alone, isolated, and unable to communicate with others, even those we love very dearly. Our tears, our [...]
Who Am I, Really?
Good morning... On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I read aloud to each class the series of Scripture verses filling yesterday's post. We opened our inner ears to notice the words touching our hearts, then we popcorn-ed out our phrases beneath the heading "Our Hidden Life." As we recorded our reflections, together we scribbled God's answer to our deepest question, "Who am I, really?" "We reflect God's nature," began Monday's list. "We offer our waking [...]
Our Hidden Life
Good morning... Teaching my favorite book on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I ponder the title, The Hidden Life Awakened. Beneath our many layers, I wonder, "God, what is this 'hidden life' secreted in our depths?" The Word of God illuminates our answer. God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness... (Genesis 1:26a, AMPC). God created human beings; he created them godlike, reflecting God’s nature. He created them male [...]
What I Used To Think
Good morning... I used to think I needed older, wiser mentors watering my seeds of faith, people pouring into me, helping me to grow. At the same time, I thought I was designed to be an older, wiser mentor, pouring into the lives of others, helping them to grow. Me being poured into so I could pour out. That's how I pictured a growing faith. Recently God has been teaching me a more [...]
Wisdom Flows Up And Out
Good morning... "Many words rush along like rivers in flood, but deep wisdom flows up from artesian springs," says Proverbs 18:4 in The Message translation. "The words of the mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream," says Proverbs 18:4 in the New International Version. "The words of a man’s mouth are like deep waters [copious and difficult to fathom];" says Proverbs 18:4 in the Amplified Bible. "The fountain of [mature, [...]
Do Drink This Water
Good morning... "Anyone who drinks water will soon become thirsty again," Jesus said to end yesterday's post. "But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life" (John 4:13-14, NLT). I am now drawn to the Message translation of verse 14. "Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an [...]
Savor Sabbath: Be Healing
Good morning... "When you take a child and you sit a box on top of them, all they know is what is inside the box," said the quote that began this week's morning messages. "But if you remove that box then the rest of the world is at their fingertips." The same is true for all of us, isn't it? None of us choose the box given to us at birth. Gender. Skin [...]
The Pace Of Grace
Good morning... "She clung to the hope she could feel free and whole," says page 46 in The Hidden Life Awakened. "She understood, on some deep, barely conscious level, that if she would persevere and be patient with the pace of grace, God would finally show her the way to peace." As I read these words aloud in class, I was drawn like a magnet to God's simple invitation: "Be patient with the pace [...]
Give Yourself Time
Good morning... Before the world began, God hardwired us for abundant life, on earth as it is in heaven. Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out. Is there anyone around who can explain God? Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do? Anyone who has done him such a huge favor that [...]