Be God’s Bridge
Good morning... Facilitating a book study in Florida, she sent me her favorite quote from the week: “The purpose of radically ordinary hospitality is to take the hand of a stranger and put it in the hand of the Savior, to bridge hostile worlds, and to add to the family of God.” (Rosaria Butterfield's The Gospel Comes With A House Key) She went on to say: "But it is costly - radical grace requires [...]
Anger Renders Us Deaf
Good morning... "...you answered my prayer when I shouted for help," said Psalm 31:22 as yesterday's post ended. Soon after I re-read these words written by Paula D'Arcy. ****** Excerpt from Seeking God With All My Heart The unexpected gift of my work in prisons has been occasional moments of unequalled poignancy. Once, following a general evening talk, a woman prisoner asked me to account for God's absence when she was repeatedly violated as [...]
A Difficult Time
Good morning... "I’m sensing a difficult time for you right now, and I’m praying for you and missing you," began my dear friend's email from yesterday. As I write in transparency, people see me, sense me, surround me with prayer. In the early morning hours, I felt supported by my friend, loved, known, understood. "Thank you for intuiting my challenging time," I responded. "I am in new territory inside myself, feeling the gentle [...]
I Feel Each Pea
Good morning... Sensing the hardened pea of every emotion, I feel like the sensitive-skinned Princess who found her Prince one wet, stormy night. Will you remember with me the childhood story? ******* THE PRINCESS ON THE PEA a translation of hans christian andersen's "prindsessen paa ærten" by jean hersholt Once there was a Prince who wanted to marry a Princess. Only a real one would do. So he traveled through all the world to [...]
Fear Falls Away
Good morning... I drink comforting coffee from my "melt-me-more" mug as I ponder the purpose of a revealing exchange. Recently sharing a genuine hug, I said, "I appreciate you," and at the very same time he said, "I love you." I felt the mismatch of emotional expression, much like the uneven awkwardness from a Bachelorette episode. For years now, our interactions included smiles on the surface with distance deeper down. Then six months [...]
Why Hold Onto Anger?
Good morning... I lingered in silent solitude after a life-giving session with my spiritual director. Sitting still for as long as I needed, I soaked in the palpable presence of God. I quietly felt compelled to pull out my old IPhone 6S to take pictures of three framed sayings resting in the borrowed room. "holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. - buddha" "Live in such [...]
A Time To Pack Our Bags
Good morning... Many of you resonated with my recent post My Ministry As A Mermaid. I am grateful for your encouragement, and I have received so much more than your kind affirmation. God drew me into intimacy in surround sound, though a child's voice, through a journal, through a necklace, through a wine label, and eventually through my friend's recommendation of a book. I surprised myself over the summer, laced with dyslexic and [...]
We Are A Skipping Stone
Good morning... We are a skipping stone. Skimming across life's smooth surface. In constant motion. At break-my-neck speed. We feel in control as we fast-forward to our goal. For a while. Newton famously says, "An object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force." An external, more powerful, unbalancing force. Acted upon by God's invisible gravity, we begin to slow [...]
Do Not Give Up Hope
Good morning... Gravity says, "What goes up, must come down." Planted bulbs promises, "What goes down must come up." A wise father encourages, "Plant rapid-rising radishes with your slow-growing carrots so, seeing green growth, you will not give up hope." And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has [...]
My Ministry As A Mermaid
Good morning... "Grandma, look, a mermaid!" I heard a little girl's voice shout from the shore as I swam this summer in Tingley Lake. Treading water, I gave my best "nod, smile, wave," like a beloved princess decked out at Disney World. Mermaid. I rarely run into that word, but the day after we returned from visiting family in PA, I happened upon a journal in a discount store. "I am a mermaid," [...]
Our Need To Nestle
Good morning... Before choosing a book for each new semester, I prayerfully nestle into a few chapters from a small handful of possiblilities. God knows what lies before us. God knows our every need. I totally trust the LORD to nudge: "This is the book for the season ahead." Then I put the book down before reading it fresh, week by week, with our classes. Spring 2018 was Parker Palmer's Let Your Life Speak. [...]
God Rebuilds Us Stronger
Good morning... "Two weeks after our wedding in 1989, we lost our home in Hurricane Hugo," she softly shared with our Monday class. "As a whole community we were in shock, we bonded so deeply, we rallied together. God was so present, in amazing ways. Suffering together through Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD), we pushed through our fears to a new awareness: 'All that was just stuff.'" She went on to say that Charleston, S.C. [...]