We Are Each Other’s Harvest
Good morning... These final words of a poem by Gwendolyn Brooks greeted us as we entered the Sonya Clark exhibit at the High Museum of Art last Saturday. "...we are each other's harvest we are each other's business we are each other's magnitude and bond." A group of us from our Sunday afternoon class went to take part in the Beaded Prayers Project, an ongoing communal art project which has engaged over five [...]
Art Builds Authentic Bonds
Good morning... I am so grateful that art is a part of my life every week. Good art, bad art, it matters not. Whether others love it or hate it, more art emerges. On Mondays from 4:00 to 6:00 pm, a group of about ten of us volunteers take turns leading art activities with the students in the PAWkids after-school enrichment program in downtown Atlanta. Joy flows. Bonds grow. [...]
A Small Seed Of Hope
Good morning... Last Monday afternoon and last Friday morning in our Self to Lose, Self to Find classes, we read the book excerpts highlighted in yesterday's post, How Our True Self Grows. In between these two discussions of a fascinating "seed" analogy, on Wednesday night I taught our young mom's class at church. As we explored the introduction of Simple Faith by Margaret Silf, look at the surround-sound sentence quietly dropped onto our [...]
How Our True Self Grows
Good morning... Our book for the semester is fascinating. Self to Lose, Self to Find: Using the Enneagram To Uncover Your True, God-Gifted Self by Marilyn Vancil offers mind-blowing wisdom, stretching us in intriguing, new ways. Join me now as we ponder an amazing "seed" analogy which tangibly describes the interaction between our Adapted Self (the self to lose) and our Authentic Self (the self to find). ******* Excerpts from Self to Lose, [...]
How Do I Get Out Of Bed?
Good morning... At 7:15 pm, her text came in with the image above and these two sentences: "Friend just shared this. I know you'll love it!!!!!!" She's right. I love it. Sometimes it hurts to open our eyes. Sometimes taking a deep breath feels impossible. Sometimes it's really hard to move our feet from the bed to the floor. Stepping out into the day, there are so many strange and delightful horrors kept [...]
Audrey Led Our Prayer
Good morning... Yesterday's student Sunday at Northside Church was quite special. Kids I have seen grow up over the years played major roles in all three services. Audrey DeShelter shared the pastoral prayer, which felt beautifully reciprocal. Ongoing prayer support is one of the best gifts, given and received, when we are deeply connected to our church family. Before leading us in prayer, Audrey [...]
A Gem Of A Story
Good morning... Our brief group text led me to a gem of a story. "I like your blog about fear today, Sue," a dear friend wrote after yesterday's post, Don't Be Scared Of Tomorrow. "Me too," another friend chimed in. "Sean of the South was a tear jerker too." I love the work of Sean Dietrich, a writer who shares his stories, insights, and observations from real life experiences. So I googled "Sean [...]
Don’t Be Scared Of Tomorrow
Good morning... Her blog post was sobering, surrendering, soul-touching. Sifting through a pile of powerful words, she unleashed life-giving song lyrics, "Don't waste today being scared of tomorrow." ****** Excerpt from Elizabeth's PostHope blog post, February 1, 2024 Too much heaviness. Too much weight. Too much pain. Too much fear. Too much wondering. Too much waiting. Too much worry. Too much dark. Too much cancer. Too much chemo. Too many needles. Too many [...]
“Spirit, Use Me Today.”
Good morning... I met a humble, hopeful prayer. ****** P R AY E R by Grahame Davies Spirit, use me today, not in some miracle that would make others marvel and would make me proud. Not in the word of wisdom that would stay in the mind and make me always remembered. Not in the heroic act that would change the world for the better and me for the worse. But in the [...]
Look What I Saw
Good morning... I slowly walked in silence on a damp, dreary day. Mysteriously mirroring the wider world, everything around felt muddy, muted, mournful. As I continued my silent stroll, I noticed a unique, yellow tree. Amid the gray decay, it felt like my burning bush. Much like Moses, I thought, “I’ll go over and see this strange sight" (Exodus 3:3a, NIRV). Stepping closer, [...]
If You’re Exhausted, Rest.
Good morning... "For today, and all days needed," she texted me this poem. ****** LET YOURSELF REST If you’re exhausted, rest. If you don’t feel like starting a new project, don’t. If you don’t feel the urge to make something new, just rest in the beauty of the old, the familiar, the known. If you don’t feel like talking, stay silent. If you’re fed up with the news, turn it off. If you [...]
This C.S. Lewis Quote
Good morning... We began our semester unpacking the deep meaning of this C.S. Lewis quote at the beginning of our book, Self to Lose, Self to Find; Using the Enneagram to Uncover Your True, God-Gifted Self by Marilyn Vancil. "The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become - because He made us. He invented us. He invented all the different people you and I were intended to be... [...]