The Bird At Her Window
Good morning... After reading yesterday's blog post, My Dad's Handwritten Note, a church friend from a while back wrote from miles away, sharing a story about her own father. Now up in the middle of the night the nearly full moon beckons me to the couch. "Sit. Stay put. Savor her tender, touching words." "Northside will always be my favorite church home experience," she remembered our important years together in a thriving young [...]
My Dad’s Handwritten Note
Good morning... I finally found the right moment to open the envelop appearing in our mailbox. One early morning, I unfolded the newspaper and out dropped a note in my dad's handwriting, "We thought that you will enjoy this article. Love, Mom & Dad." "The Camino increasingly draws spiritual pilgrims who are non-religious," reads the title of the article written by Ellie Davis. "In her early [...]
Hope For Elizabeth’s Family
Good morning... When Elizabeth and her husband Graham received her colon cancer diagnosis, prayer was their first response. With honesty and faith she blogged about her cancer journey, inviting us to join their family in fervent prayer. At age thirty-nine, Elizabeth went to heaven this summer, and our prayers continue to surround this special family. Offering an update, I thought you would enjoy reading the posts Graham shared over the past few months. [...]
Our First Response
Good morning... "Make prayer your first response instead of your last resort," a friend shared a quote she had read somewhere. There are so many different forms of prayer. Laying in bed and letting our worries fall into the hands of God. Prayers sent up like arrows to heaven. "LORD, help me." "Please guide me." "God, thank you so much." Silent prayers, sitting, kneeling, walking. Collective prayers lifted together or apart. Prayers written [...]
Develop Intimate Certainty
Good morning... Yesterday's post ended with this Scripture verse: O Eternal One, through the night, I stop to recall Your name. That’s how I live according to Your teachings (Psalm 119:55, VOICE). A few hours later, as I taught class in our home, I was drawn to read out loud one page from a devotional book I wrote in 2011, Touching Truth: Grasping the Grace of God. Now, as I interact with the [...]
9/11 – Our Crowded Hearts
Good morning... Last Wednesday, the sun rose on a new day in Winder, Georgia, a quaint, welcoming community less than an hour outside of Atlanta. Students, heading into a normal day at Apalachee High School, were suddenly terrorized by a 14-year-old shooter. Nine were injured. Four people died. Mason Schermerhorn (14). Christian Angulo (14). Richard Aspinwall (39). Christina Irimie (53). Let's write their names on the walls of our crowded hearts and pray [...]
Unimaginable Kindness
Good morning... Recently, I received an email from a faithful, longtime friend. "In a world often characterized by division, this is an opportunity for us to come together in a simple yet powerful way," she wrote. "Research shows it takes just 30 days to build a new habit. So here's the KIND30 challenge: extend one small act of kindness every day in October, which is also Mental Health Month." She went on to [...]
Choose To Be Kind
Good morning... Hope lingers from our animated discussion yesterday, as together we unpacked thoughts from the first section of The Great Spiritual Migration: How the World's Largest Religion is Seeking a Better Way to Be Christian by Brian D. McLaren. Now up in the middle of the night, I open my book and revisit underlined sentences, sentences which feel essential to God's living, breathing invitation. ...the Spirit is calling us, not to dig [...]
Audrey’s At Notre Dame
Good morning... Oh, how I remember these dorm move-in days with all four of our kids. It has been pretty amazing to receive texts and photos of Audrey DeShelter's move-in experience at Notre Dame. Yesterday, her mom Jennifer posted about Audrey's transition on Facebook. So much beauty amid so much challenge. Prayers abound. Constantly prayers abound. With Audrey in mind, I marvel at God and ponder [...]
This Is The Shining Path
Good morning... Many people related to our blog yesterday, Walking With Depression. The first to reply was the person at the center of the post, my friend who had shared her hard, heavy feelings as we walked to and from the horse farm. "I love you my friend..." she texted. "I hear God speaking to me in your words, and I hear Him reminding me that He is present...in this friendship He has [...]
Walking With Depression
Good morning... As I walked and talked with a friend, she pulled out her phone and read from yesterday's blog post. She read aloud Kay Warren's definition of joy. Joy is... ...the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, ...the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, ...and the determined choice to praise God in all things. She said to me, "Sue, I [...]
Learn To Live With Joy
Good morning... Today I begin a new semester of learning with women, at home and at the church. From 12:30 to 2:00 pm, I welcome women into our home to discuss Kay Warren's Choose Joy: Because Happiness Isn't Enough. A book that significantly shaped my life when I taught it ten years ago this fall, I am excited to teach from the newly reprinted version with fresh introductory words. I'll teach it with [...]