Two Daughters Let Go
Good morning... At Tuesday's memorial service, two dearly loved daughters stepped up to the microphone. One recounted a string of incredible memories of a passionate dad who held nothing back, loving freely and fully, each day of his life. The other daughter read aloud the following poem, allowing us all to feel the power of deep love living on. ****** Let Me Go by Christina Rossetti When I come to the end of [...]
Still Our Ocean Of Emotions
Good morning... "Sad songs, they say so much," sings a lyric many of us know. Yet "sad" is relative and "saying so much" is important for every one of us. The music at yesterday's memorial service honoring J Schroeder, beloved 61-year-old husband and dad, son, brother, friend, was moving and meaningful. The following song invited us to quietly wade into a deep ocean of emotions. Accompanied by guitar, mandolin, and fiddle, these life-giving [...]
Burying A Beloved One
Good morning... On the morning when another family in our community will host a memorial service for a beloved husband, father, friend, I return to the illusive promise eluded to in yesterday's post. On this one-of-a-kind day, how can the joy of the Lord be our strength? And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This [...]
A Little Boy’s T-Shirt
Good morning... "My brain is 95% song lyrics," said the little boy's t-shirt at the airport on Friday. While waiting for our plane, my three traveling family members scoffed at me as I pulled out my journal and recorded the quote. Then my husband and I proceeded to laugh with our two daughters, 20 and 22-years-old, as together we recounted memories from their childhood, many involving song lyrics. "Make new friends but keep [...]
Savor Sabbath: Remain Screwed In
Good morning... As we savor this Sabbath, we slow down. We rest. We look back. We live now. We move forward with God. Encouraging phases have held us well this week. Remain screwed in. Stay plugged in. Unlearn a lot. As we revisit posts from this week, gratitude grows, as we catch our breath before living on. We should be grateful that we were given a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:28a, [...]
Unlearn A Lot
Good morning... "As Desmond Tutu told me on a recent trip to Capetown, 'We are only the light bulbs, Richard, and our job is just to remain screwed in!" we return again to the Rohr quote guiding us this week. Then we quietly move forward to explore with God the next set of words. "I believe that God gives us our soul," Rohr continues, "our deepest identity, our True Self, our unique blueprint, [...]
An Explosion Of Life
Good morning... Around 5:45 pm last night, I snapped a picture of a friend's house as I drove by. "Passing your home," I stopped briefly to include the photo as I texted our group of five friends. "When might we get together next?" How could I have known my text would set off such an explosion of life? "Go cut some flowers!!!" my friend texted right back. "Would love to see everyone and [...]
Be A Light Bulb
Good morning... I cannot unplug from Richard Rohr's quote in Falling Upward: "As Desmond Tutu told me on a recent trip to Cape Town, 'We are only the light bulbs, Richard, and our job is just to remain screwed in!'" (ix) Jesus says a similar thing, "Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you...for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing" (John 15:4a-5b, AMP). [...]
Now Spills Into Forever
Good morning... "We have each come from a unique past, and the life surrounding us now is chocked full of potential," my sermon on Sunday continued God's encouragement. "Right now, at this very moment, one of my mentors in the faith, Richard Rohr, is talking candidly with Oprah Winfrey. 11:00 am Sunday, June 2nd. This very same moment, I am talking candidly with you, members of Log Cabin Church. 11:00 am Sunday, June 2nd. [...]
Where Have We Been?
Good morning... As each new season begins, it is important to consider, "Where have we been?" Looking back before moving forward allows us to keep our balance, our sense of stability, our essential equilibrium. So, as I stepped up to preach at the Log Cabin Church on Sunday, I began with these words. ****** We Come Home Together - Sue Allen sermon, June 2nd, 2019 (section one) How privileged I feel to celebrate [...]
Come Home To God
Good morning... The old wooden pews were nicely filled. After saying "Hello" to a handful of friendly, familiar faces, I was escorted to the front of the church, to a velvety antique chair just behind the pulpit. "Oh no," my heart sank. I thought I would be non-conspicuously sitting with the church family until it was my time to step up to share yesterday's sermon. Instead, I was invited up to the front [...]
Savor Sabbath: Come Home
Good morning... This morning, I am privileged to preach at the little Log Cabin Church up the street. For their annual homecoming service, the congregation invites a community member to speak, and this year it's me. This friendly, vibrant church has a rich, 107 year history, so this morning we will come home to these guiding questions: "Where have we been? Where are we now? Where do we sense God leading us next?" Coming [...]