My Happy Pants
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 mom, a [...]
Light Leads To Life
Good morning... In John 14:6, Jesus strikes a match and lights a flickering candle, "I am the way..." When pitch black descends, deep pain and dark loneliness, Jesus speaks light, "I am the way..." Through God, tucked in Christ, empowered by Spirit, we shuffle each day, step by step, with the way. Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t [...]
Rising Up After Loss
Good morning... Some losses are excruciating. Life seems to be running smoothly. Hopes and dreams are gelling. We are savoring a sense of settled satisfaction. Then WHAM! Life falls apart. Near perfection unravels. The daily drive keeping us alive ends abruptly, unexpectedly. How do we rise up from bed the morning after? How do we rise up to face the devastation, the disappointments, the dreaded dialogues, "What really happened?" How do we rise up [...]
Changing A Church Sign
Good morning... I passed a sign in the front lawn of a little church. "What you hold on to is your God." If I were the sign-putter-outer, I would change three things. The pronouns. The capitalization. And I would add one more word. "What we hold on to fiercely is our god." First off, God is God, and God is the only One deserve a capital "G." Regardless of whether we pay attention to [...]
Soup-er Bowl Serving
Good morning... Through Northside Church, we feed tons of homeless men, women, and children throughout Atlanta each Super Bowl Sunday. Today at the church, volunteer men, women, and children will make hundreds and hundreds of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from donated ingredients. Between 10:00 am and 12:00 pm, generous men, women, and children will drop off the gallons and gallons of homemade soup, soup cooked in their homes, frozen in their freezers, and [...]
Lollygag With The LORD
Good morning... "Mom, why are you completely naked?" my seventeen year old daughter's voice shocked me into laughter. I had forgotten she was upstairs in bed, gifted with a free period before her day of school. While warm bath water was being drawn, I was lollygagging in the living room in my first birthday suit. Oh, how we surprised each other! As my true self is exposed, I feel more at home in my [...]
Celebrate Groundhog’s Day 2017
Good morning... Today I will enjoy the privilege of talking with the Preschool Prayer Moms at Northside Church. The organizer said, "I think it would be fun for you to talk about the movie Groundhog Day and liken it to our never-ending days as preschool moms, adding a scripture to encourage us along." "What an awesome idea!" My mind ran off to play with all the possibilities. I looked up movie quotes spoken by [...]
Listen To the Lead Of Our Good Shepherd
Good morning… Last night I loved speaking with a group of women at the Cathedral of St. Philip. A few weeks back, the organizers and I discerned the topic for the evening: "Listening to God's Lead." We agreed that one of the biggest challenges in our jam-packed lives is listening to the lead of God. As a group we considered together the difference between simply hearing and really listening. When we hear, our ears [...]
Our “911 People”
Good morning... A friend coined a new phrase for me yesterday, an important phrase for all of us to consider. As my cell phone rang, I saw her name pop up. I picked up immediately, no thought, just response. Her familiar, sweet voice was upset, unsettled. "Do you have a quick minute for an emergency?" "I have a long minute for anything you need," the words instinctively melted from my tongue like butter. We [...]
What Is God Doing?
Good morning... One of my blog posts from this week felt meaningful when it was crafted around 3:00 am, but when I re-woke and re-read the words, my soul crinkled her nose, "This one is a dud." I told myself, "Everyone has times when hearing God is a real stretch. I think these words came from me, not from the Holy Spirit. Shrug it off. It has happened before and it will happen again." [...]
My Season Is Wrong
Good morning... In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus' closest friends fell asleep. His request of them had been clear, "Please stay awake while I pray." Yet they fell asleep again and again. Instead of an angry reprimand, with grace in his voice Jesus spoke understanding, "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41b, NIV). This sentence kept me company as, with grace in God's voice, I gleaned understanding. After much prayer, [...]
Fortunately I Could Not Spell
Good morning... Fortunately, I forgot how to spell the name of the garden where Jesus prayed, after the last supper, before he was crucified. I tried typing it a handful of ways, but spellcheck nixed me again and again. I googled "Gathsamany" or "Gathsamane" or "Gethsemany" and finally I found my way to the correct spelling. "Gethsemane." Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Below the correct spelling, I saw the precious face of [...]