Turning 63, I Share Cake
Good morning... I am experiencing my once-in-a-lifetime "golden" birthday. I was born in 1963, and I turn 63 today! A longtime friend came up with a fabulous way to celebrate. Jeannine Rollins, a beloved Northside Church member, wrote me after recent a blog post, Kindness Is A Ripple. At the end of our post, we watched a short video chronicling the story behind a stranger buying a birthday cake for a little girl [...]
Celebrating Baby Allen
Good morning... This is a week to celebrate Baby Allen, our first grandchild now developing in a cozy womb, as we anticipate his May 15th due date. On Thursday morning, our class celebrated my birthday a few days early by showering me with children's books. These favorite treasures will stay at "Sue Sue's" home, to be read over and over again to curious minds and sleepy eyes. What [...]
As Winter Melts To Spring
Good morning... Yesterday, at the exact perfect moment, we discussed the final two chapters of Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May. Today, we wake up to the first official day of spring. Just like that, we melt from one season into the next. Katherine has this to say on the last page of her quietly quirky book, in the last chapter entitled Thaw. ******* ...we must [...]
Benefits Of Cancer
Good morning... "You asked me this morning what did I remember most about my cancer journey," she emailed me yesterday. "Through all the pain, anguish, and unknowing answers with cancer, this cruel disease has many benefits," she explained. "It was probably, no it was, my closest time with God. I could not have visitors. I could not go anywhere. I had no agenda. I just prioritized my time with God. I read the [...]
Faith Is A Walk In The Dark
Good morning... "Sue, I’ve been so moved by your posts this week," wrote Dr. Cathy Snapp, dear friend and co-author of The Hidden Life Awakened. "This incredible meditation, from page 10, came to mind. Here are Betty Skinner's words straight from the book." ****** "For most of my life, I have been a seeker, searching and longing to live from a deeper place. On a rainy day many years ago, I stood silently [...]
Just Slow Down And Meet
Good morning... She wrote me a simple email yesterday: "iAmSon's 'Slow Down' song came to mind again, today, after your post. Enjoy!" I had never heard the song before, so searched for it on YouTube. It's quirky, with a choppy, methodic rhythm, the rhythm of bare feet slowly walking. I thoroughly enjoyed the lyrics and the music video, a video created one year ago this month, entitled "'Slow down', by iAmSon - images [...]
I Am Slowly Adapting
Good morning... After reading our blog post entitled Journeying With Cancer, a friend pulled out the words above. "This paragraph especially 'spoke' to me today," she wrote, "when I'm feeling frustrated with not being able to 'keep up' with my own expectations." Within the hour, another friend texted me the image below. "Good morning," she wrote. "I saw this and thought you might enjoy it." "Oh, [...]
Journeying With Cancer
Good morning... I received her email after I woke from my second sleep. "Dear Sue," she wrote yesterday. "This post (Give Kindness, Not Advice) really struck an accord in me. During my now four weeks of being a patient undergoing cancer treatment, I experience that some of my friends actually drain my energy by telling me how I strong I am and therefore I will be able to fight this disease. I know [...]
Give Kindness, Not Advice
Good morning... In class yesterday, we continued to unpack the concept of kindness, one of the fruits of God's Spirit alive in our hearts. We agreed, in the face of so much worldly unrest - polarization, violence, despair - there is one thing we all can do, each moment of every day. We can take a deep breath and tap into the Holy Spirit within, letting God grow in our lives the characteristics [...]
Amid The World’s Chaos
Good morning... "Sue," she texted yesterday. "It struck me in your speaking about kindness in this morning's blog - I wonder if you have seen the billboards with Dolly Parton. As I was driving back from the beach there was a horrendously congested intersection of construction - with long lines of cars and trucks - everyone doing their human thing - jumping in front and cutting others off - it was just chaos! [...]
Kindness Is A Ripple
Good morning... With so much strife and pain around, one of our superpowers is kindness. A small, kind act can ripple out to share the love of God. ...the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law [...]