The Sound Of The Spirit
Good morning... "Love this Sue!" she wrote after yesterday's post Does God Really Speak? "I think God speaks most clearly through us, in and through His creation - if we are paying attention. For me, one of the most powerful experiences of God’s timing came from me responding to the inspiration of a sudden breeze and a simultaneous thought popping into my head while sitting alone on a porch swing staring at the [...]
Does God Really Speak?
Good morning... It was a Wednesday, last August 1st, 2018. As I drove into work I remember prayerfully pondering which book to teach for our annual Lovett Senior Moms Study group, slated to begin in mid September. Because it was raining, I parked in the inner most part of the church parking garage. Walking up the first flight of steps in the stairwell, I looked down to notice something quite unusual. There at [...]
Peace Is Present
Good morning... "Look what landed on me all tennis game long," she texted me yesterday. "A little one on my shoulder." "A big one on my neck," I replied, texting her back one of my favorite pictures, taken this week last year in the North Carolina mountains. God's living, breathing Holy Spirit comforts us in so many creative ways, whispering day by day, "You, my dear, are not alone." The God of peace [...]
What Do You Think?
Good morning... At 9:46 am yesterday, he texted me, "Reading through John this morning. Checkout John 14:16-17 and let me know what you think." So I googled the passage on Biblegateway.com and perused five different translations of these two verses. I settled in on the most detailed one, the Amplified Bible version, a translation hosting the heading "Role of the Spirit." Jesus says: "And I will ask the Father, and He will give [...]
One Week From Today
Good morning... One week from today, we will host another four-week class on the Enneagram, an ancient tool used to identify our own core need as a unique child of God. Once our deepest drive is discerned, we will learn to track our spiritual growth as God's Spirit awakens our True Self. This time I will be teaching with a long time friend and colleague, Rev. Catherine Boothe Olson from Northside Church. As [...]
Savor Sabbath: Live As One
Good morning... We are designed to live in oneness with the intimate and immense God of our universe. In our posts this week, we have traveled through everyday choices. If the will of God is the way of life, will we get all wrapped up in it? Monday: One of you shared: “I became convinced years ago that that the more people we love (and the more deeply we love them) the more heartache [...]
So Will I (100 Billion x)
Good morning... At 4:41 am I finished and sent yesterday's post Way of Life. Before climbing back in bed, uncharacteristically, I set my alarm. I was coaxed awake for a second time at 7:30 am. I enjoyed a cup of coffee on our back porch before my 8:30 am walk-and-talk. I was to meet up with a long-time friend at Chastain Park. My morning was going great. Hot coffee. Cool weather. Prayerful journalling. [...]
Way Of Life
Good morning... As we gathered for communion in a small church in the woods, the pastor extended gentle words of invitation: "The will of God is the way of life, and we want to get all wrapped up in it." Jotting the sentence in my bulletin, I return to the statement now. If the will of God is the way of life, I ask, "LORD, what is Your will for me right now?" [...]
Choose Joy In Deep Loss
Good morning... "Sue, Thank you for your post this morning," she wrote after yesterday's message Flip On The Light. "Watching the movie clip made me smile and cry, which surprised me. I think it is a lot of things wrapped into one." She went on to explain, "One of the greatest compliments that I have received, since our 7-year-old daughter died of cancer, is from a dear friend who told me how much that [...]
Flip On The Light
Good morning... The following movie clip from the 2013 film About Time depicts the difference between plodding through a mundane day and developing the art of noticing joy along life's ordinary way. We can look down, hold back, feed tension, be annoyed, and this next twelve hours can add up to a very "tough day." Yet, there is another choice. We can choose to live the same twelve hours noticing life's subtle sweetness. [...]
Relish Real Life
Good morning... Getting up regularly in the wee hours of the night, I often drift to sleep when we sit down to watch a movie. This weekend we watched About Time, a 2013 film that tickled my heart, waking up my full attention. Enjoy these smiley quotes from this endearing movie. Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus [...]
Do NOT Be My Friend
Good morning... With loss after loss after loss, it feels like tragedy swarms like bees around me and my husband. I sometimes feel like whispering a warning to people, "Do NOT be our friend." My fearful thinking continues: "Because if you are our friend, deep pain may descend." Then one of you wrote me a truly touching email last week. It shifted my perspective about friendship with us, from being a contagious curse [...]