Fill The Hole In My Soul
Good morning... Looking for something else in our storage room, I found an unexpected gift. This week both of our daughters have had a friend end their earthly lives early. One young man a senior, one a freshman, each at different colleges. In life's darkest hours, I struggle: "Where are You, God? Who are You, God? God, what are You doing?" Then, tucked in my basement, I ran across these words from my first [...]
Just Stand By
Good morning... "Your post reminds me of one of my favorite poems," she wrote after reading yesterday's message, Be Deep-Spirited Friends. ****** “The Friend who Just Stands By,” B. Y. Williams When trouble comes your soul to try, You love the friend who just “stands by.” Perhaps there’s nothing he can do— The thing is strictly up to you; For there are troubles all your own, And paths the soul must tread alone; Times [...]
Be Deep-Spirited Friends
Good morning... "The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing... not healing, not curing... that is a friend who cares.” This Henri Nouwen quote reminds me of the "Three C" wisdom of the twelve-step program. When pain ravages the life of a loved one, we must remember: I did not cause [...]
The Rhythm Of Peace
Good morning... She wrote me a short, sweet reply after yesterday's post, The Prayers Of A Child, in which I presented this pondering point, "Thinking back on yourself as a child, what regular rituals may have been your first forms of prayer?" "In response to today's blog. . . playing Jacks on the smooth, cool, shaded concrete front porch of our San Antonio, Texas home. I could do it for hours and be perfectly content. [...]
The Prayers Of A Child
Good morning... When I was a little girl growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, I remember a regular summertime ritual. I would make myself a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich and enjoy a private picnic, perched on a mossy patch between two bushes, beside a tiny ditch of trickling water. I would daydream and dawdle. Looking. Listening. Lounging. Fresh air and feelings were my best friends. Time would pass with me outside, alone, nurtured by [...]
Are You Being You?
Good morning... By 12:34 am I was stirred awake from sleep by a panicky dream. So I got up from bed, scratched notes in my journal, then went back to bed to sleep through the night. Now I wake for the day at 6:43 am and I try to read the words chicken-scratched in last night's dark: "Fingerprint - carbon copy - at 1:23 am, put your thumb on the start button of phone - [...]
Exude God’s Peace
Good morning... A woman who sits with me in spiritual direction, for one hour each month, offered simple, straightforward encouragement: "I feel you have this gift. Wanted to share." Intrigued, I read Bob Dannals' devotional from 2.1.18. ****** Some interpreters are always trying to figure out what really happened in the Bible's healing stories, as if they in some sense less than real. What is clear is that Jesus had an extraordinary pastoral manner [...]
Trials Increase Our Trust
Good morning... "I remember feeling pregnant with twins," she wrote me after yesterday's post, I Feel Pregnant With Quadruplets. "My husband would ask how I felt each day and my answer was always, "Heavy, I feel heavy." Not "I feel fat," but "I feel heavy." Heavy from the physical load on my body and heavy from the emotional load on my brain, wondering how I was going to be a mother to not just [...]
I Feel Pregnant With Quadruplets
Good morning... Last week, I held my head like a 9-month-pregnant belly. My spiritual director said, "I have never seen you do that before, holding you head with both hands like you are trying to keep it from exploding." It's true. I felt like my brain could burst at any time with all the doubling daily details. This spring, I have four additional projects stretching me uncomfortably. Write an article about "Julie's Dream," a [...]
Enjoy Heaven On Earth
Good morning... This morning, I feel drawn to make two lists in my journal. Left column: World's Way. Right column: God's Way. Then I brain dump words into each category. World's Way: Comply. Compete. Control. Act nice. Avoid pain. Look good. Perform. Perfect. Please people. Make money. Accumulate stuff. Be the best. God's Way: Trust God. Surrender all. Die to selfish desires. Serve others. Follow Jesus. Soak in God's love. Overflow freely. Be transformed. Now I run [...]
Our Pool Of Prayer
Good morning... In the midst of his suffering on the cross, Jesus dropped his words into the pool of prayer. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last, (Luke 23:46, NIV). In other translations, Jesus' words read, "Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands" (NLT), “Father, I put myself in your hands!" (CEV), and “Father, I place [...]
Which Way Do You Lean?
Good morning... "We are like plants full of tropisms..." writes Parker Palmer on page 6 of Let Your Life Speak. My mind wonders, "What does tropism mean?" So I google the word and learn some fun facts. The noun tropism grows from the root word "to turn." Tropisms are the turning or bending movements of a living organism toward or away from an external stimulus, such as light, heat, or gravity. This definition sparks in me [...]