Remember Rosemary
Good morning... In the healing harmony of the song we posted yesterday, Sanctuary by Carrie Newcomer, I did not understanding one phrase of the lyrics: sprigs of rosemary. Carrie sings: "Will you be my refuge, my haven in the storm, will you keep the embers warm when my fire's all but gone? Will you remember and bring me sprigs of rosemary, by my sanctuary, 'til I can carry on?" What does sprigs of [...]
Will You Keep The Embers Warm?
Good morning... After yesterday's sermon, our 17-year-old son said, "I really liked the preacher's story about the boy in his youth group who said, 'If you ever feel like snuffing out your light, don't. The world is dark enough.'" I agreed. That was my favorite takeaway too. Then in the afternoon, I opened an email from a friend, an email with this subject line: A beautiful song. "Dear Sue," she began. "After reading your [...]
Savor Sabbath: Our Two-Sided Tug
Good morning... "Supposed to be nearing 80-degrees today, so our 4:00 pm lacrosse game will be a scorcher!" yesterday I texted my parents and sister who each live in small towns near Cleveland, Ohio. "Enjoy your Saturday. What are you all up to?" "Track meet got rained out today and it's supposed to snow tomorrow," my sister replied. "I'm thinking 80-degrees sound pretty nice!" Our brief text exchange reminded me of page 101 [...]
What I Found At The Farm
Good morning... Walking around the horse farm with my Friday morning friend, I heard myself say, "Knowing our Enneagram number helps us to become more consciously aware of our True Self as we grow to become more and more like Christ." At that very moment, I looked down and saw a perfect heart-shaped rock. Picking it up and holding it in my hand, I said, "I think this truly is the heart of [...]
I Will Not Die Unlived
Good morning... "I will not die an unlived life," begins the Dawna Markova quote our friend read aloud to us in class. "I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible; to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise. I choose to risk my significance, to [...]
I Doodle A Prayer
Good morning... Opening time and space in these first wee hours, I wait for God to whisper. Who knows what will bubble up and spill on my journal? As I wait, quietly attentive, I strangely feel drawn to doodle. I doodle my memory of 93-year-old Betty Skinner's room in her assisted living facility in Florida. I sketch her bed, her book-filled desk, and her small window overlooking the tiny garden. Then I draw [...]
We Taste Both Sides
Good morning... "Sweet dear friend," she emailed after yesterday's post, "I’m smiling as I know your family and I can just imagine how fun and light-filled that breakfast was and the jovial conversation which flowed from your son's prompt." "And yet I wonder," she continued, "how will these examples of near-death experiences “sit” with a community that is still reeling from so much death—tragic death in many cases? And, a world that is [...]
My Best Birthday Gift
Good morning... What was my best birthday gift of 2019? All six of our family members coming into town to enjoy a Sunday brunch at West Egg on the westside. Our 24-year-old son brought back from his Campus Outreach beach trip one question that sparked an animated discussion: "When in your life have you been closest to dying?" Memories erupted all over our table. When one son was born with a condition that [...]
True Identity Is Discovered
Good morning... As we walk on the road God calls us to travel, we are encouraged by the verse ending yesterday's post: And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences (Ephesians 4:3, MSG). Be humble. Be disciplined. Pour yourself out for each other in acts of love, [...]
Savor Sabbath: God Grows Among Us
Good morning... Inspired by a deep discussion over a birthday season brunch, God grew within me an opening activity for our Enneagram class this week. As about fifty women gathered together in the Chapel at church, I said, "On a blank sheet of paper, we are going to answer five simple questions. On the left side of your page, write numbers 1 through 5 and leave a space beside each number." (Now if [...]
Here We Grow Again
Good morning... Well. Your cascade of comments over the past twenty-four hours has been fascinating to me. Popping though the soil of our online community are a plethora of profound perspectives. As I sit back and witness God growing a gorgeous garden among us, I see four life-giving take-aways written in our collective handwriting. 1. We all make growth-producing mistakes in the trenches of everyday living. "Dearest Sue... We all make mistakes. I personally [...]
Mistake? Mistake? Mistake?
Good morning... "Did you read Sue's devotional? I thought it was unfortunate that she chose an unflattering story about Bryant Skinner after his death," read one text that came into my phone after yesterday's post. Oh no. I felt dread. Self-doubt. Embarrassment. What had I written that could be seen as unflattering? Had my prayed-over words been a horrible mistake? I poured over yesterday's post, a post written to honor my 93-year-old friend [...]