Awakening On Retreat
Good morning... 7:53 am. The sun will rise at 7:53 am on the sacred grounds of the Ignatius House Retreat Center. Fifteen courageous women, who are recovering from homelessness and addiction, will awaken on spiritual retreat in their own private rooms. What an incredible gift, the gift of alone time with God. My prayers are with these precious women, as they sleep and as they rise. God, please awaken the power of your [...]
Welcome Recovering Women
Good morning... "Meant to check in with you earlier!!" the Program Director from Ignatius House Retreat Center texted me on Thursday. "First overnight ISP retreat is Monday! Hoping you had it on your calendar…🤞🏼." Ugh! I had neglected to put the date on my calendar when I got the reminder back in January, but I immediately texted her back. "Will bring you 15 welcome bags for the women on Sunday." The Ignatius House [...]
See Spiritual Beauty
Good morning... I don't usually blog on Sunday mornings, but God's guiding light is illuminating more wisdom for us. Yesterday, I shared this piercing picture and mini message. ****** Good morning... "As I sit doing my quiet time I look to the door and this is what I see ❤️🙏😇," she texted. As we see God in the quiet, might we begin to notice God in life's noise? [...]
Sit. Look. See.
Good morning... "As I sit doing my quiet time I look to the door and this is what I see ❤️🙏😇," she texted. As we see God in the quiet, might we begin to notice God in life's noise? God, the great God, the Lord, is speaking. He is calling everybody on the earth, from where the sun rises in the east, to where it goes down in the west. God is shining [...]
Sunfish & The Spirit
Good morning... If we are to go where we are destined to go, we need to harness the power of the One and Only dependable stream of wind. There are other competing winds wreaking havoc in our world. In recent days, I have pondered this wise advice: "Keep your sail out of that wind." I think of the small Sunfish sailboat we have enjoyed as a family on our favorite little lake in [...]
This Uncertain Wind
Good morning... I am touched by the final line in a poem I met yesterday. uncertain wind stirring the leaves: this is the world we have: take it - A. R. Ammons I think to myself, "Would I take another wind if it was more certain, more predictable, more limited to my control? Would I want a God who lets me be god? Would I want to be in charge of everything, everywhere, [...]
Experience The Power
Good morning... In the middle of this special night, our wind chimes are going crazy. I step out into the darkness to experience the blustery air. The tall trees are creaking, swaying, aching in the gusty breeze. Wow. What a wild, windy Ash Wednesday! The power of our living God is completely undeniable. Today is the start of the Lenten season, the day our foreheads are smudged with a cross of dirty ashes, [...]
Two Fairthful Men
Good morning... This week many of us went to one or both of the services celebrating the lives of two faithful men from our Atlanta community. On Thursday morning at Northside Church, we honored the life of Jim Caswell, husband of Robbie. "Jim lived a full and blessed life," reads his obituary. "He was a grateful man that loved his life, his family, his career and his church." Then yesterday afternoon at Peachtree [...]
Quality Time Together
Good morning... Life gets busy for all of us. Schedules fill up. Routines settle in. It is very easy for weeks to pass without spending quality time together. Distance hinders. Commitments clash. Time can evaporate without meaningful connection. For our family, last night was different. At Christmas time, we gave the gift of Mamma Mia tickets at the Fox Theatre to the women in our family (plus my husband, Steve, the gift giver). [...]
We Retreat. We Return.
Good morning... "When you read the four biographies of Jesus in the New Testament, one thing is painfully clear: Jesus' life template was based on a rhythm of retreat and return, like breathing in and out," writes John Mark Comer on page 57 of Practicing the Way. "Jesus would retreat: He would slip away from the noise and press of the crowd and find a place where he could pray, alone or sometimes [...]
Fired Or Retired?
Good morning... After our recent post, one dear friend responded, "I think it took retirement for me to Pause. Breathe and Expand!" I thought to myself, "Choosing to retire is so different than hearing the harsh words, 'You're fired.'" I think of all the hard workers who have lost their jobs this month, their work-lives reduced to a single brown box. It reminds me of an old song my husband and I met [...]
Learn Something New
Good morning... After our post Pause. Breathe. Expand., a longtime friend texted: "I saw this last night and thought it coincided with your post this morning. This is more academic, but we need to allow the Holy Spirit into our Learning Spaces too." How wonderfully wired by God we are! We are drawn regularly into the fertile, frustrating space between "not knowing" and "knowing." In this messy, uncomfortable place, we learn new things. [...]