Breathe Deep The Breath Of God
Good morning... As we walked around the horse farm at an early morning hour, my friend said the same sentence that had woken me from sleep. "You forgot two holes." She and the Holy Spirit were exactly right, in my post yesterday, "Five holes in our head," I forgot to mention that we each have two nostrils. Revealing a keen sense of humor, I suppose God wants to give our two forgotten holes a [...]
Five Holes In Our Head
Good morning... In class, I made an observation, "God gave us two ears and one mouth. I think He designed us to listen twice as much as we talk." One woman leaving our study said, "I never thought about that, but it is so true. I cannot envision how two mouths would work on my face!" When I reflected on her comment, an extra insight dawned. God also gave us two eyes. Might we [...]
I Talk Too Much
Good morning... Prayerfully reflecting on our intimate conversation, God exposed my own fearful coping mechanism. In the face of tearful, grieving pain, I talked too much. I took up too much space in the room. Stuck in my head, I rambled on. An excessive amount of words poured out of my mouth, as I tried to explain God's big picture plan, as I tried to fix and to mend and to patch up wide [...]
Grief’s Messy Mutations
Good morning... A mutation is a a sudden departure from the parent type, the act or process of changing, an alteration in form or nature. A variation or evolution. A modification or transformation. Grief forces a sudden departure from the "parent type" of our old, cohesive normal. The messy process of change rudely interrupts our routine agenda. Our very nature is altered by grief, we will never again be who we once were. In [...]
Grief’s Messy Mutations
In talking with grieving friends this week, I see so many variations in the way people respond to the messy mutant forms of missing. Some cry uncontrollably, others cannot shed a tear. Some isolate in a self-made cave, others feel compelled to remain regularly in touch. Some slow their pace to sense sorrow and joy intermixing, others avoid feeling at all costs, staying upbeat and crazy busy. Some quiet themselves and cry inside, others [...]
Words We Love
Good morning... Every morning, I try to discern a truth God is teaching. "...he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat [for nourishment]?” says the Lord. Is not My word like fire [that consumes all that cannot endure the test]?” says the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks the [most stubborn] rock [in pieces]?" (Jeremiah 23:28b-29, AMP). Morning by morning, God's living word [...]
Sushi Chef Wisdom
Good morning... Our friends plan fun, memorable birthday parties, so we were excited to be invited to their home to be taught by a sushi chef. Making our own sushi for dinner was a fascinating way to celebrate a fifty-something birthday season. Our handmade creations were imperfectly delicious. Roll by roll, bite by bite, laughter was sparked and our hunger was filled. This is the one word of wisdom the sushi chef repeated most [...]
We Marry God
Good morning... If there were ever two scriptures designed to walk down the aisle together, these two would be the perfect pair. Marrying 1 John 4:8b, "God is love," with the love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, we feel God's trustworthy character. Like a good math equation, if "God = love," we can replace the word "love" with the word "God" to understand more deeply our invitation into unending intimacy. God endures with patience and [...]
We Are Blessed Where We Are
Good morning... Though our eyes have never met, our souls are shaped similarly. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, she sent me a quote from Jacksonville, Florida. She could not have known that, just minutes before, the class in my living room had read aloud the following quote from our book for the semester. "It is relatively easy to meet God in moments of joy and bliss. In these situations we correctly count ourselves blessed [...]
Mixing Faith Into Australian Flour
Good morning... This morning I prayerfully crafted an email to my twenty-two year old son. Following his graduation from GA Tech in May, he feels called to be a missionary to college students in Australia for one year. Beginning this week, he will meet with friends and family members, inviting people onto his "support team." I sensed God laying on my heart a vision for my son's calling, so along with other words of [...]
My Happy Pants
Good morning... Monday was a dud of a day for me. It began with me feeling self-consciously down after a phone call that activated the critics in my head. It continued with news of another teen suicide, a sudden death of a beloved father, and an awareness that hard anniversaries for grieving friends are just around the corner. Then unrest in our family caused unrest in me. Spiraling down, I felt like a bad [...]
We Thirst For The Spirit
Good morning... Saturating my waking mind is a song we taught our church youth group twenty-five years ago. "Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. Melt me. Mold me. Fill me. Use me. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me." My soul (my life, my inner self) thirsts for God, for the living God (Psalm 42:2a, AMP). As God's living Spirit falls [...]