How To Mature In Joy And Peace
Good morning... Usually I do not read the dedication page of a new book. I skim right over those obligatory words, craving the meat of the author's wisdom. But for some unknown reason this time is different. "Dedicated to the indwelling Divine Guest whose Voice is heard in the Silence." Wow. With these words, God gets my attention. Now I flip the page and read the Preface. ****** Excerpt from Psalms for Praying: [...]
Why Are We Afraid?
Good morning... We sat in silence, suddenly stunned. The immensity of God's invitation felt astounding. As we read these words our hearts pondered aloud, "Might, collectively, we be God's healing solution for this hurting world?" ****** Excerpt from Paula D'Arcy's Seeking With All My Heart To live in extraordinary ways, to taste the freedom of the soul deep within, to see without obstruction, demands more than wishing. It demands great desire and intense [...]
We All March In The Light Of God
Good morning... "This just may bring a smile on this gloomy Election Day! https://youtu.be/Bw5Cw_ZnOJw." encouraged the short email one of you shared yesterday. United by God may we touch on this link, marching in the light of joy. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light (Genesis 1:3, NIV). In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind (John 1:4, NIV). How happy are the people who know the sound of [...]
Our Votes Are Raindrops On The River
Good morning... "Lining up at the poles today, pondering political races, how do we discern where to cast our votes?" This sentence began the message I scheduled for 3:00 am this morning. When I woke from sleep, I chuckled as I re-read the words, picking up my typo. Did you catch it also? For months as a country we have lined up at different poles. Republican - - - Democrat. Liberal - - - [...]
Each Side Has Stones To Throw
Good morning... The healing power of the rippling river is our only hope. When flow from the heights is bullied and blocked, stifling sediment collects. Over years this happens between us. Division builds up. Loving expression slows down. Dry. Hard. Unmoving. Exposed is an ugly rock bed, separating "us" from "them." Within arms length, each side has stones to throw. Most weapons have chipped off during periods of upheaval. Some bigger boulders have [...]
I Was Wrong
Good morning... I wake convicted of my unintended error. One sentence from yesterday's post is mistaken, misguided, misleading. I was wrong to write: "To forgive even the worst offender, we commit to not talk badly about the person, we commit to not think badly about the person, we commit to pray for the person, "letting it all be" in the care of our Creator, and we trust God to birth in us the feeling [...]
What Is God Saying?
Good morning... God is weaving wonderful wisdom through our daily blog right now. If we are to enjoy the passage of time, we need to empty ourselves of poisonous anger, follow in Christ's forgiving footprints, and notice God's unconditional love expanding to heal everything, within us and around us. Prayerfully pondering our past posts, I can sense what God is saying. Human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires (James 1:20). To [...]
Enjoy The Passage Of Time
Good morning... At ages eight and eighty-one, my mom and dad diligently dismantled their home this fall to leave Berea, Ohio on November 1st. Having thrived in our hometown for fifty-something years, this morning they wake up in an unfamiliar two bedroom, two bath villa about twenty-five minutes away. I sensed the imminent move last spring when my parents took me to visit a retirement community they were considering, a community which offers [...]
God Grows In Our Glitches
Good morning... Even with our best intentions, glitches fall through our cracks. We cannot catch every ball, juggle every commitment, do every little thing perfectly, each and every day. Being flawed sucks. Accepting flaws sparks growth. After sending out yesterday's post How Do We Forgive? I received several kind emails identifying an error. I went back to the message I had scheduled the night before, and I thought I had fixed the technical issue before [...]
How Do We Forgive?
Good morning... On this week when eleven innocent people were gunned down in a Jewish synagogue, how did God know that our class would read aloud these touching words, revealing our immense capacity to forgive? ****** Excerpt from Paula D'Arcy's Seeking With All My Heart While living in Boston, I studied the Old Testament with a gifted rabbi at a weekly class held in his large urban temple. He always kept me on [...]
My Odd Vision
Good morning... I woke with a weird vision filling my mind, a vision of one handwritten note bearing two sentences. "No one likes to be judged. Call LeeAnn." Strange. Out of the blue. Really, really odd. First I unpacked, "No one likes to be judged." Judgement is a two-sided issue God is inviting me to face. On one side of myself, I have always hated being criticized as "bad," "wrong," "a disappointment," so, [...]
Invest In The Invisible
Good morning... "What is essential is invisible," whispered yesterday's post. We wake to a time of visible unrest. Hurricane devastation. Senseless violence. Political bullying. As the world looks out-of-sorts, God remains the same. Today and every day, how might we invest in the invisible? Love. Roots. Trust. Hope. Spirit. God's Word. Faith. Senses. The living Christ. When we invest wholeheartedly in life's invisible essentials, we make God more real to our needy world. [...]