Lifting Prayers For Margit
Good morning... While at Northside Church on Sunday morning, I received a sad text from my dad in Ohio. "I just received a message from Margit," he wrote. "She said, 'I am very sick, and I probably won't make it home.'" Margit, a long time friend who lives in Norway, is journeying with pancreatic cancer. Margit stayed with our family for a year in 1975, her junior year in high school, my 7th [...]
I’m The Kick-Off Speaker
Good morning... Every August, I am the kick-off speaker for Lovett Moms In Prayer, a committed group of mothers who gather weekly to pray for the various needs of The Lovett School community. Every year I love gathering with this group of young women, a group that changes a bit annually, as kindergarteners arrive and high school seniors graduate. It's always a sweet reminder for me, with our kids' Lovett years in the [...]
We Build A Firm Foundation
Good morning... As the sun sets on summer, every August I am given the opportunity to speak in all three worship services at Northside Church. Northside is a welcoming place, offering two traditional services at 8:30 and 11:15 am and a contemporary service at 9:00 am, with a designated Sunday school hour for adults and for kids at 10:10 am. Yesterday was my day to speak, and I loved connecting with friends of [...]
Shed Control. Watch In Awe.
Good morning... I have always been puzzled by Proverbs 9:10a: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Things we fear we often avoid, we cower beneath, we put up our guard against. To avoid, to cower, to guard against the Lord does not seem wise to me. For the very first time this Proverb made sense when a friend defined "fear" as "a sense of reverent awe in the presence [...]
Cathy Snapp Inspires Us
Good morning... Several people wrote to me after yesterday's blog post, a post highlighting the ever-widening Circle of Love sparked by the life of Christian mystic Betty Skinner. Many of you wondered, "Is there a required registration for Dr. Cathy Snapp's talk?" (See flyer above.) I wondered that myself, so I reached out to the organizers and learned that the event is offered at no charge, but they would like us to register [...]
Betty Is Beside Us
Good morning... While on retreat Monday and Tuesday, we spread out into delightfully inviting guest rooms. One friend brought me into her room, and said, "Sue, look what's on my bedside table." Wow. It was The Circle of Love, a small, hardback book of meditations written by my spiritual mentor Betty Skinner. How dear. We just happened to open the book to Betty's poem entitled "Mountain House." As I read the words out [...]
Get Away With Friends
Good morning... One of the women in our Thursday morning class recently had major surgery on her spine. She wrote us in early August: "Good Morning sweet Group! I cannot thank you enough for all the encouragement and prayer power that you have sent my way during this recovery period. I want to extend an invitation for a 'Day Away' at Big Canoe. That will be my 6 week mark when I can [...]
Buried Beneath The Stress
Good morning... As pressures pile up and anxiety spirals down, we can feel buried beneath the stress. This simple Instagram post helps us to see the light. "The best part is yet to come," whisper the seed and the egg, the cocoon and the storm. "The best part is yet to come," whispers our resurrected Lord. With the mysteries of God, there is a certain kind [...]
Waiting Grows Our Soul
Good morning... Up in the middle of this night, I revisit some of my favorite photos from my week of watching our grandson Charlie. Learning that Charlie slept best in my arms and wanting to offer undisturbed time to our daughter-in-law Chandler, I spent several hours a day sitting beneath Charlie's sleeping body. I noticed the passage of time and the silent movement of the light-filled Spirit. When I looked to my right, [...]
Becoming A Mother-In-Law
Good morning... With our son out of town at a work conference for the first time since becoming a daddy and our daughter-in-law doing the flowers for a large wedding in Athens, Georgia, I was needed as a grandmother to care for 11-week-old Charlie. Honestly, my first focus was our daughter-in-law Chandler. For her to feel my hands-on support was my primary goal for the week. If I could keep Charlie calm and [...]
Becoming A Grandmother
Good morning... During the last week of my summer break, I spent time in Athens, GA with our eleven week old grandson Charlie. Our son was away with work for four days and our daughter-in-law had a big, important job as a wedding florist, so I came into town to care for Charlie. It all sounded like a great idea, until I arrived at their home, Kyler left for the first time since [...]
One Thing Never Changes
Good morning... When I shared this image in yesterday's blog post, a friend responded, "I love this reframing of hanging on by a thread!" "I'm reminded of William Stafford's poem The Way It Is," she continued. "What a reassurance to know there is a God and a power for us we can hold onto and never let go." While we hold on to God's powerful presence, [...]