The Blessing Of No Cell Service
Good Morning... As I nestled in for the annual retreat weekend with my Writing Sisters from Northside Church, my cell phone read, "No Service." Initially I was frustrated, afraid I might miss something important with family and friends back home. Yet over time I felt my anxiety melt into the mountains of Highlands, North Carolina, and I settled softly into my sequestered state. I must admit, I began to love being out of touch with the [...]
Protecting Our Gate
Good Morning... Remember the huge tree that fell in our yard during the high, drenching winds of Hurricane Irma? From various tree removal companies, we got estimate after estimate. When we settled on the crew that would care for our old oak, my husband met with the coordinator to discuss all the details. After they talked, my husband told me, "Instead of maneuvering over the large ditch and through the wide opening in our crashed-down fence, [...]
Our Heart’s Fence Has A Gate
Good Morning... “God designed a world where we all live ‘within’ our selves; that is, we inhabit our own souls, and we are responsible for the things that make up ‘us,’” say the authors of our Boundaries book on page 32. “The heart knows its own bitterness and no one shares its joy (Proverbs 14:10). We have to deal with what is in our soul, and boundaries help us to define what this is.” [...]
Beth Jordan Chose Joy
Good morning... I remember our friend Beth Jordan sitting on my living room couch on Cochise Dr., enjoying our Gardenin’ Angels service group in January of 2010. That day, she was frustrated that her bad headache was not responding to Extra Strength Tylenol. A few days later the doctor diagnosed her tumor, and by week’s end she was having her first brain surgery at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas. When I woke yesterday, I [...]
God Winks At The Perfect Time
Good morning... "Sue, I had to tell you about the 'God Wink' we had this morning and how God used you to reach out to us through your blog," she emailed me last week. "We were driving up to Highlands, NC this morning with husband's siblings and families. The purpose of our journey was to have a small ceremony to scatter my father-in-law's ashes where we scattered my mother-in-law's ashes 10 years ago. I used [...]
A Boulder Or A Knapsack?
Good morning... "Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ," encourages Galatians 6:2 (NIV). But three verses later, in verse 5, we are told, "...for each one should carry their own load." Which is it? Are we supposed to carry each other's burdens or are we each supposed to carry our own load? A quote we read aloud in class last week sheds light on an important [...]
My Toilet Paper Angel
Good Morning... As I told you, we were down to our last toilet paper roll, doling it out sparingly to make it to the morning shop. After fighting "back to school" traffic to walk with my friend, I shared my drive to recalculate the toilet paper needed to cover the weekly women's groups starting a new fall semester in our home. All in one hectic breath, I ran down the run down of my [...]
Hospice Provides A Soft Landing
Good Morning... “Sue, thank you for bringing Hospice to the forefront of prayer,” one subscriber wrote. “My dad founded Hospice Atlanta Center and was the first medical director there. For so many, ‘hospice’ has such a negative connotation. Yet, it is a ministry of sorts. My dad used to always call it a way to provide people with their ‘soft landing.’ Their way to die with respect in comfort surrounded by those they love. [...]
Recalculating Our Needs
Good Morning... Okay. So I bumped into one weird word again two days in a row. In response to my post "Why Doesn't God Speak Like Siri?" one subscriber wrote: "Mostly I've been hearing my God Garmin say, "Recalculating, recalculating." The next day, after teaching class to moms of high school seniors, one woman stayed back to share a revelation, "I guess if our son chooses to go to a big football school, we [...]
Tucking In Ashes
Good Morning... “The tucking in ceremony was so sad and so special,” my friend told me after a very significant family funeral. “What is a ‘tucking in’ ceremony?” I asked. She described for me her experience. After their loved one was cremated, following the funeral, the family members took turns digging a hole on a holy plot of land and, as part of a short, sacred ceremony, together they tucked her ashes back into the [...]
Embedded In God’s Word
Good morning... "A couple of years ago, I was in a small group for a year," one subscriber gave me permission to share her personal story. "At the end of our time, the leader gave everyone a Mason jar filled with business card sized pieces of paper folded in half. On each card was a different Bible verse with the person's name embedded in it. For example, in my jar one card had the [...]
No End To God Surprises
Good morning... Last night we shared cocktails with a changed man. Humbled. Engaging. Down-to-earth. He told one God-story after another, effortlessly, honestly. My favorite story includes a couple conniving Christians and a hand-me-down book in the hands of a stranger, a wife and a husband on a brand new Harley and being at the end of our human rope when God showed up big. I hope Ron Hall, co-author of Same Kind of Different As [...]