We Grow G.R.A.C.E.
Good morning... At our final Friday gathering of the semester, we shared the memorable words, quotes, and insights we loved best from Parker Palmer's Let Your Life Speak. In the course of our life-giving conversation, one of the women told us of an acronym her minister had recently shared. "Some asked me to repeat," she emailed later, "so here it is." GrACE: Be Grateful and not entitled r Be Available and not hurried Be Curious [...]
Up From The Valley
Good morning... Yesterday in Sunday School, we unpacked the middle portion of the Apostles Creed. Considering the various valley times in our lives, we processed the three portions of our life-changing "check mark" experiences. Descending into hell. Waiting in the tomb for three grueling days. Ascending high into heaven in oneness with God. Each time tragedy strikes, this three-step "check mark" process can help us move from death's dark valley up the muddy mountainside [...]
Living Through Hell
Good morning... Prayerfully pondering what wisdom to unpack with the Genesis Class this morning, words from the recesses of my mind bubble up from the Apostles Creed, words we recited collective every week as I grew up as a child in the Lutheran Church. Jesus "descended into hell. The third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty." Descend. Hell. Ascend. Heaven. [...]
Essays Of Those Grieving
Good morning... As we drove through the valleys and the mountains of New Zealand, we had long, important talks, enjoyed good music together, and listened to a handful of interesting podcasts. I was so fascinated by one podcast that I sat in the backseat and jotted notes in my journal. Turning to those scratchings now, I put flesh on their bones. A researcher was examining essays of grieving people, specifically looking at the pronouns [...]
My Nightmare Came True
Good morning... Yesterday I told you about My Nasty Nightmare. Recently, my nightmare actually came true. As many of you know, my husband and I were given the privilege of visiting our oldest son who is ministering to college students in Brisbane, Australia this year. A two week trip to sightsee with him through Australia and New Zealand promised to hold once-in-a-lifetime blessings. The biggest challenge for me was pre-scheduling fourteen days of morning [...]
My Nasty Nightmare
Good morning... I had a nightmare when I was away for a wedding weekend in late January. I woke panicked, completely panicked. Abruptly I woke early in a cold, clammy sweat. My nightmare involved you, the community of subscribers to my everyday blog. Before flying to Florida, I had pre-programmed three posts for the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I was away, messages scheduled to come to you at 3:00 am. Around 1:00 am Saturday, [...]
Following Flawed
Good morning... Yesterday in my journal I unloaded my frustration: "I woke around 4:00 am today and went to read the 3:00 am morning message I had written and scheduled before I climbed into bed. Clicking on the purple link to Awaken Wide-Eyed Wonder, I was roadblocked by 'This page cannot be found.' Ugh! I hate it when that happens. I hate mistakes, glitches, set backs. I love smooth, simple, straight-forward. What happens in me when a [...]
Awaken Wide-Eyed Wonder
Good morning... Over the phone a friend shared with me a quote she had just happened upon. "When I wake up in the morning," EB White once said, "I can't decide whether to enjoy the world or improve the world, that makes it difficult to plan the day." My friend went on to think out loud. "I can easily get caught up trying to improve myself, other people, and the world we live in. [...]
What Does Prayer Do?
The more we pray, talking honestly with God about the challenges of our daily lives, the more we want to pray. Somehow our creative release is met with a peace that passes human understanding and we are empowered to do the next hard thing. When another difficulty presents itself, we find ourselves praying sooner and more passionately, and God again and again provides the peace and power we crave. Over time, we find ourselves [...]
The Art Of Prayer
Good morning... For over thirty years, I have written in a journal most every day. A journal has been with me through our four years of infertility, grieving our four miscarriages. A journal has been with me through four full-term pregnancies and four natural childbirths. A journal has walked with me down the valley of depression and up the mountain path toward abundant living, more than once. It dawns on me now that the [...]
His Hands On My Head
Good morning... A passing comment by Dr. Cathy Snapp at our Awake To Wellness Women’s Retreat unloosened an important memory, floating it to the top of my conscious awareness before forming it into yesterday’s post, Feeling Healing. Cathy said something like this: “Sometimes I envision Jesus putting his hands on my head, sending light into my brain, loosening my fear, my worry, my obsessive sense of ‘not enough.’ Tears are the seeds of our [...]
Feeling Healing
Good morning... During our Spiritual Direction training program, our visiting professor Jan Johnson called me forward. She invited me to sit in a chair in front of the whole class. Jan stood beside me, leaning in close, gently laying her hands on my head, softly stroking my hair, as she slowly recited the 23rd Psalm from the Message translation. God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush [...]