Y’All, Hope Is All We Have
Good morning... The Juneteenth holiday commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans on this day in 1865. June 19th is the perfect day for the Obama Presidential Center, in the south side of Chicago, to open its welcoming doors to the public. In yesterday's opening ceremony, Michelle Obama spoke these encouraging words. "Y'all, hope is all we have, because hope is the essential spark that lights the fire of change. But hope is [...]
Embrace Your Boredom
Good morning... "I love this," a friend sent me the following devotional. "You have shown me this art, to look for God in ordinary moments. I thought you might enjoy it." I think you might enjoy it too. ****** The Lie That Life Must Always Be Exciting by Patrick Omukhango We live in a world that treats excitement like oxygen. If something is slow, repetitive, ordinary, or quiet, it is quickly dismissed as [...]
Beyond Wrong And Right
Good morning... We discussed our overwhelming overload. Suicide. Grief. Opinions. Division. Politics. Pain. Aging. Uncertainty. As we took time to breathe, she shared her favorite quote. "Out beyond the ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I'll meet you there." - Rumi Guided by the Spirit, about a year ago she collaged the wisdom during a free art class at the local library. Here's her cool creation. [...]
Place Of Wide Open Space
Good morning... I felt burdened by heavy homework for a summer class I am taking. Reading. Podcast. TED Talk. I was drowning in a sea of complicated words, overwhelmed by crowded conclusions others have drawn. Suddenly, I turned off the assignment mid-sentence and followed my inner teacher, the Holy Spirit of the living God. Surrounded by a gorgeous morning, I walked to the horse farm with our puppy Cami. Though I had been [...]
How Well Are You Listening?
Good morning... Blogging most days for eleven years, I have been trained to glimpse God in everyday life. People in our written word community have honed a similar awareness. Subscribers often send me pictures or stories, quotes or songs, insights or occurrences revealing the presence of our God-with-us God. Yesterday, my neighbor sent me the photo above, a photo of a daytime owl sighted on the way to the horse farm nearby. "I [...]
It Will Work Out
Good morning... After reading yesterday's post, I Give Up Our Daily Blog, a longtime friend emailed me, along with several other supportive subscribers. Her simple words really resonated. "Reading your blog this morning I sensed many of the words and slogans I hear in my 12 step alanaon program," she explained. Detachment (with love ) Let Go and Let God Surrender Keep an open mind Listen and learn In your state of holy [...]
I Give Up Our Daily Blog
Good morning... Our daily blog has noticed slivers of light in the dark of night since 2015. Last week, our website shut down for nine quiet days. We wondered if our large file of archived writings had exceeded its limit. As experts worked on the problem, I was forced to wait and to wonder, "Is God inviting me to be done discerning these middle-of-the-night messages?" Seeking God earnestly, I received a sensation. Peace. [...]
Once In A Blue Moon
Good morning... "Once in a blue moon someone like you comes along," Van Morrison sings into our soul. A friend sent me an article, an article written by Alissa Barry. These are perfect thoughts to ponder as May tips into June. ******* Once in a blue moon. Today is a rare celestial event. It's a blue moon. A full moon twice in one month, which only happens approximately once every two years. Whether [...]
Depressed And Hopeful
Good morning... As I stroll into our summer reading of Henri Nouwen's Here and Now, I meet these words on page 43. "Joy and hope are never separate. I have never met a hopeful person who was depressed or a joyful person who has lost hope." I think to myself, "Actually, I think I am a hopeful person who sometimes get depressed." My emotions can wax and wane like the moon, and, at [...]
Worries, We All Have Them
Good morning... Yesterday, our Thursday class met for our first monthly gathering of the summer. We celebrated a special seventieth birthday, with a homemade cake and candles, balloons and flowers, cards and gifts. We caught up on our stories. Stories of babies born and concerns for our aging parents. Stories of painful health issues and the frustration of insurance postponing a much needed surgery. Stories of thriving beyond divorce and gracefully living on [...]
Two Awesome Summer Options
Good morning... I love the rhythm of our Women's Ministry at Northside Church. We enjoy a fertile fall semester and a wonderful winter/spring semester, then, for the summer, we channel all of our study and our service opportunities into a few awesome options. Our weekly summer reading group begins at 10:00 am on Wednesday, June 3rd. Our first book is Here and Now: Living in the Spirit by Henri Nouwen. Please get your [...]
Spring Cleaning Lifts Us
Good morning... One thing that has lifted my spirits this year is the act of spring cleaning. My friend Elizabeth has begun a small decluttering business, and she used me as her guinea pig. Here is what she wrote up about our hands-on experience. ****** Most of us slowly grow blind to our clutter. We walk around it—or sometimes over it—so often that we stop noticing how much energy it drains from us. [...]