The Real Me
Good morning... Yesterday's post by the Henri Nouwen Society explains the process of shedding our old self to gradually mature into our God-designed true self, "growing up in all things" into Christ, our Head (Ephesians 4:15). I wonder if somehow this is what happened to me when I moved from the close-knit cocoon of loving and being loved in the small town of my dreams to follow God's call to a fast-paced, foreign-to-me [...]
Changing Underwear
Good morning... I recently happened upon a story about our family stepping out of our old life before stepping into our new one in autumn of 2003. ****** Conform Or Transform? by Sue Allen, on page 39 in Touching Truth: Grasping The Grace of God As our family moved from a sleepy lifestyle in rural Pennsylvania to the bustling busyness of Atlanta, Georgia, my journal captured a growth spurt. A marker event occurred. As [...]
Satisfied With Scraps?
Good morning... From a retrospective distance, moving from life phase to life phase may seem seamless, but in the middle of leaving behind "what was" while waiting precariously for "what will be," we often struggle to be satisfied with the scraps of "what is." As I have shared with you before, I hit my deepest time of depression in 2003 and 2004. After our young family of six left the small town life [...]
Aging Into Life’s Evening
Good morning... "Jung divided life into two phases. The first phase, or 'morning,' is reserved for relating and orienting to the outer world by developing the ego," we read aloud as a class yesterday from page 9 of Sue Monk Kidd's When The Heart Waits. "The second half, or 'afternoon,' is for adapting to the inner world by developing the full and true self. The midlife transition between the two Jung likened to [...]
A Home For Each Season
Good morning... Remember? I shared with you that my parents, ages 80 and 81, moved away from our hometown of Berea, Ohio after living there for over fifty years. Following the lead of several good friends, on November 1st, 2018 they moved into a two-bedroom, two-bath villa in a continuing care, retirement community twenty minutes away. In early December I visited them in their new home. I loved seeing all of their favorite [...]
Savor Sabbath: Quietly Reflect
Good morning... This Sabbath morning, I come upon a quiet quote, like picking up one weathered shell from the winter beach. “Usually, when the distractions of daily life deplete our energy, the first thing we eliminate is the thing we need the most: quiet, reflective time. Time to dream, time to contemplate what's working and what's not, so that we can make changes for the better," observes Sarah Breathnach, author of the old faithful [...]
What I Am Learning This Week
Good morning... This midwinter week, what am I learning about the seamless dance between living fully and dying well? Monday: The wise words of Martin Luther King, Jr. leave a life-giving legacy, inviting us all up the mountain to God's higher way. Tuesday: Blending the wisdom of my Florida friend Betty Skinner, as she nears her 93rd birthday, with my notes from the first of six seminars in our "Living Fully - Dying Well" [...]
I Love This Picture
Good morning... "I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows]" says Jesus in John 10:10b (AMP). How do we do this in our everyday lives? We surround ourselves with joy-producers. I love this picture because it embodies my personal joy-producers. I am ...Sue...
See Our Amazing God?
Good morning... A few of you wrote me touched by yesterday's morning message (use "Previous" link above to revisit post). I felt compelled to issue each a challenge: "Text me by evening and tell me some of the ways God amazes you today. I will do the same." So by the end of yesterday, these moments of amazement came rolling into my phone. My best friend from over 50 years called from Florida. [...]
Be Amazed
Good morning... Beloved American poet Mary Oliver tiptoed over from earth to heaven one week ago today in Hobe Sound, Florida. Might three of her most famous quotes shape our prayer time this morning? Read each. Pause quiet. Wait inspired. "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" "Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it." "When it's over, I want [...]
Aging Into Abundance
Good morning... I love the unifying murmuration of Holy Spirit power I feel with Betty Skinner as she nears 93 years old and with Kitty Crenshaw and Dr. Cathy Snapp, the authors of The Hidden Life Awakened, the captivating book chronicling Betty's journey from deep clinical depression to the height of God's healing to wholeness. Together we also connect closely with Dana Cunningham, who rewires our brains with piano and poetry at each [...]
Live Well Before Dying
Good morning... Martin Luther King, Jr. taught us how to live well before dying. I noticed a huge pile of wisdom adding up about the delicate dance between living fully and dying well, as I researched the 123 favorite MLK quotes for yesterday's post (touch 'Previous' above to revisit). These priceless pebbles of truth continue to ripple out from Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life and his death. Read slowly to yourself these life-giving [...]