Pray Barefooted
Good morning... This week, I have watched footage of the final living Israeli hostages returning to the tearful embrace of their loved ones. On the news, I saw a Palestinian man finally returned to the grounds of his home in Gaza. What was once his special place, a place where he had raised his grown children, was now bombed out rubble, an ashy pile of dust and chalky stone. "'Take off your shoes,' [...]
Puppies And People
Good morning... We each find our way with puppies and with people. Grounding ourselves with God, we each find our own way to feel, to form, to flourish. In yesterday's post, Meet Our New Puppy, I shared about our horrible first night together and how we began to find our own way to a nurturing rhythm with God. After the post a friend shared this encouragement. “'Following the lead' of the young child [...]
Meet Our New Puppy
Good morning... On Sunday afternoon, I picked up our new golden retriever puppy, and brought her home to meet our family. My husband Steve is walking the Camino in Spain, (and the Camino was the first trip we shared as a couple as he started his new job leading adult trips), so we have decided to name our eight week old pup Camino (Cami for short). What a joy to begin getting to [...]
Emerge. Find Relief.
Good morning... I was touched by a reading of this moving poem. ******* THIS BITTER EARTH by Clyde Otis This bitter earth Well, what a fruit it bears What good is love Mmm, that no one shares And if my life is like the dust Ooh, that hides the glow of a rose But what good am I Heaven only knows Lord, this bitter earth Yes, can be so cold Today you’re young [...]
In The Midst Of Hate
Good morning... A friend sent me a thought-provoking quote by Albert Camus, and I wondered to myself, "Who is Albert Camus?" I googled my question and learned these facts from Wikipedia. "Albert Camus was a French philosopher, novelist, author, dramatist, journalist, world federalist, and political activist. He was the recipient of the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. He was born on November 7, [...]
We Wait With Hope
Good morning... As clouds continue to blanket the slowly waning moon, we yearn for clarity. The short, simple prayer my spiritual director read over the phone allowed me to sense, on a cellular level, the wholeness of God invisibly at work. With the fullness of the moon and the ripening of shorter days, as the leaves begin to fall and the quietness of winter waits, clear [...]
Peace For The World
Good morning... Yesterday, a longtime friend texted in the morning. "This is such a God-wink," she wrote. "Henri Nouwen's devotional appeared, back to back, with your message for today, Peace From Beyond." Our blog post ended with this blessing: May peace fill our lungs and release our tense shoulders, as we return, again and again, to a state of surrender: "God, I trust you with what I can't control." Then a God-wink occurred. [...]
Peace From Beyond
Good morning... Yesterday, my neighbor sent me a devotional link entitled "Peace When You Don't Have Control." What an gracious gift to receive on the second anniversary of the October 7th Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel, a day when so many innocent people lost any semblance of control. Now, up in the middle of this moonlit night, I am drawn back to these encouraging words. Peace begins when you let God be God. [...]
We Reflect The Moon
Good morning... I have been looking forward to this full moon for a while now. With God, it has been in the planning stages since the beginning of time. While talking with my parents in Ohio yesterday, together we sang over the phone the familiar lullaby. I see the moon the moon sees me, the moon sees somebody I want to see. So God bless the moon and God bless me, and God [...]
Treasure Memories
Good morning... In an email entitled "Memories," I received encouragement from Judy Wise, a close friend of my parents who must also be in her late 80's. I don't think I have seen Judy since our wedding day in 1987, but she reads our daily blog diligently from her home in North Carolina. After a week of us processing posts about change and the mysterious metamorphosis of a butterfly, Judy wrote, "Your recent [...]
75 Years Of Love
Good morning... Tomorrow, our faithful family at Northside Church is celebrating 75 fertile years of sharing the love of Christ. I love the logo designed by our talented Creative Art department, especially the winding river of stones pouring through the centered cross of Christ. This "river of life" adorns the floor in Northside's sacred prayer chapel. I believe the prayer chapel is the pinnacle of our church. [...]
Peace Of A Butterfly
Good morning... Yesterday after blogging about Our New Selves matching the metamorphosis of a butterfly, I received a text from a loyal reader from South Carolina, a faithful woman I have never met. "Good morning, Sue," she wrote. "I'm sending you part of the Glorify devotional from today, as the Holy Spirit is using the butterfly transformation to encourage us again." "God's surround [...]