Peaks And Valleys Of 2018
Happy New Year, my friend... I wake thinking to myself, "Yesterday, the last day of 2018, summed up well the peaks and the valleys of my entire year." Thinking back over your own yesterday, how did that one day encapsulate your whole year? Observation #1: I woke in Grayton Beach, Florida in the cozy home of a generous friend. 4:00 am nudge awake from God. Finger-to-fur time with our dogs enhanced the smell, [...]
Experiment With Letting Go
Good morning... I happen upon an old quote from one of my favorite books. "Experiment with different forms of still and quiet," encourages well-loved author and speaker Brene Brown. "We all need to find something that works or us. To be honest, I'm never more open and emotionally clutter-free than when I'm walking alone outside. It's not technically still, but it is emotionally opening for me." (The Gifts Of Imperfection, 110) If we [...]
Savor Sabbath: Be Still
Good morning... As we are still, we let go to let God lead. You, Lord, are my shepherd. I will never be in need. You let me rest in fields of green grass. You lead me to streams of peaceful water, and you refresh my life. You are true to your name, and you lead me along the right paths (Psalm 23:1-3, CEV). Resting this sabbath in silence and solitude, as the Spirit [...]
Stillness Is Our Friend
Good morning... What is the phase now filling my soul? "Silence is our baseline and solitude is our friend." Sit. Still. Surrender. Sense. See. He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves. What a blessing was that stillness as he brought them safely into harbor! Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them (Psalm 107:29-31, NLT). ...Sue... [...]
Leave. Let. Lean. Listen. Look!
Good morning... "When you go before the LORD, let your words be few," my heart said first thing this morning. I knew it was a paraphrase of a Bible verse, so after my quiet journaling time, I got on my computer and went to Bible Gateway to hear Ecclesiastes 5:2 say in the Amplified translation, "Do not be hasty with your mouth [speaking careless words or vows] or impulsive in thought to bring [...]
God’s Light Spreads Through Us
Good morning... After reading yesterday's post, Be Still And See God, she wrote: "You have highlighted my favorite Bible verse. I love the idea of 'Be still/Let go and know that I am God.'" I agreed right away and shed more light: "Yes. I also love this verse. 'Be still (let go) and know that I am God (and you are not).' This rich, meaningful addition offers us deeper understanding of how God's [...]
Be Still And See God
Good morning... Still. Still. Still. It is the day after our Savior's birth. As dawn breaks again into our darkness, how are we to be guided by God's inextinguishable Light? This morning, I am drawn back into the pages of my friend Lisa's book to discern the practical nature of the Light piercing the extreme darkness caused by her cancer. ****** Excerpt from Lisa West's Fear Not! The True Story Of a Cancer [...]
What Is Born This Christmas Morn?
Good morning... At the break of dawn, the Light of life enters our darkness. The darkness of grief, anxiety, depression. The darkness of fear, loneliness, uncertainty. The darkness of anger, illness, conflict. The all-powerful God, Creator of heaven and earth, squeezes His whole self into the tender skin of a baby, to bring us the beacon of inextinguishable Light. The gospel of John tries to explain the mysterious experience. In the beginning [before all [...]
My Funky Favorite Ornament
Good morning... Because our newly refinished hardwoods are not ready to welcome a fresh-cut tree our main floor, an eight-foot Virginia pine this year is set up in our basement, the space where God and I host individual and group spiritual direction sessions regularly. After a sacred session this week, she and I marveled at the tree. "What is your favorite ornament?" she asked. Without thinking, I pulled from a branch the old [...]
God’s Power Is Wrapped In Skin
Good morning... Our morning messages catch seeds of thought dropped in the wee early hours. So many times the small seeds grow roots and sprout in an expansive way throughout the day. Often, God draws me back into our morning message, editing it, developing it, making it more. That is exactly what happened with yesterday's post. The Holy Spirit nudged me to make small changes in wording throughout the post before opening up [...]
What Mad Martha Teaches
Good morning... We sat in the palpable presence of Jesus discussing our Martha-like tendencies. We marveled at how quickly, unexpectedly, without warning, our controlling human nature can rear her biting head. By the end of our conversation, we sensed our mad Martha uncovering an important question: "Why do I invite Jesus into my home, then disconnect from my Helper's presence, before raging, 'Lord, don’t you care that I feel left alone, overwhelmed, doing [...]
I Resent All Of This
Good morning... "I resent all of this," she softly says, as stressors in her life pile higher and heavier. "As my resentment builds, I get snippy. Impatient. Despairing. The Martha-in-me crawls out," she explains, referring to the upset, demanding, worry-wart Martha we meet in Luke 10:38-42. "I do not want her to be in there, this horrible person." Our truth is exposed: She is in there. In her. In us. We wonder aloud, "What [...]