Look Up. Smile. Thank.
Good morning... As we wake on this early spring morning, how have you seen God at work this week? Look up. Smile. Thank. Have your roots planted deep in Christ. Grow in Him. Get your strength from Him. Let Him make you strong in the faith as you have been taught. Your life should be full of thanks to Him (Colossians 2:7, NLV). ...Sue... Respond to Sue privately. [...]
Eliza On The Rally Runway
Good morning... Tonight is a very special night for four-year-old Eliza. In front of an adoring crowd, she will walk the Rally Foundation Runway at the Georgia Aquarium. The Rally Foundation exists to fund the most promising research in the treatment of childhood cancers. "Eliza has requested that we all wear pink," said her grandmother, Cathy, who is a beloved member of our Wednesday afternoon class. I asked that Cathy resend the link [...]
All Supplies Are Included
Good morning... During our final spiritual growth group of the semester, we opened our sacred time together by reading aloud the prayer of St. Francis. One woman was drawn to the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote, "What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies within you." Then with our hour of silent solitude, she chose to create two [...]
Be An Instrument Of Peace
Good morning... Ironically this same tongue can be both an instrument of blessing to our Lord and Father and a weapon that hurls curses upon others who are created in God’s own image (James 3:9, VOICE). Today, will our tongue be an instrument of God's peace or a weapon of the warring world? Hatred exists. Heap hate or sow love. Injury happens. Injure back or offer pardon. Doubt persists. Fan doubt or grow [...]
Joy Of Hands-On Helping
Good morning... "This photo popped up this morning," wrote Jennifer DeShetler yesterday. "This is what I was thinking of when I shared the cake kits for needy families. Audrey made her brother's birthday cake every year. This photo was taken when she was 8 years old (12 years ago)." "Wow!" I replied. "What a picture of loving kindness. This goes right along with the birthday cake boxes we are sharing with those who [...]
Trilliums And Tom McLain
Good morning... "Hi, Sue," my friend Vilda wrote after our post entitled Spring Wears A Green Jacket. "Did you know those green shoots pushing through the decayed log and ground are Trilliums — an endangered wild flower? Our farm is named Trillium Springs because we moved one single Trillium from our back yard in Atlanta to the farm in October 1998. In April, 1999, my husband called me away from writing a paper [...]
Spring Wears A Green Jacket
Good morning... Bursting on bare branches and decorating brown decay, vibrant green is everywhere! After weeks of thick yellow pollen and before the return of those pesky mosquitos, this weekend is perfectly positioned to exude joy and new life. Amidst blooming azaleas, towering pines and flowering dogwoods, the first full week of April always ushers in the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. To round out the experience, the [...]
During Our MEAN Time
Good morning... Many of us admire the raw honesty shared by Savannah Guthrie in her Easter message to the world, a message highlighted in yesterday's blog, Savannah's Deep Sorrow. Following the unsolved abduction of her 84-year-old mother, Savannah is waiting in the MEAN time of not knowing, not understanding, not having the answers she craves. "Wow, wow, wow!" one loyal reader wrote after our post. "I pray that Savannah's message might lead many [...]
Savannah’s Deep Sorrow
Good morning... We all have been horrified at the mysterious abduction of Savannah Guthrie's 84-year-old mother, Nancy. On Easter morning, Savannah, co-host of the NBC's Today show, posted a gut-wrenching message expressing her deep sorrow and her unwavering belief. Suspended in uncertainty, her excruciating "not knowing" connects her to the utter darkness experienced by Jesus. ...Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, [...]
We Travel Life Together
Good morning... Recently, my husband Steve and I hosted a Community Christian Seder. People from all walks of our lives over the past thirty years joined us to celebrate the Jewish tradition of Passover overlaid with the life-giving teachings of Jesus. What a meaningful evening we enjoyed together. As we know, Jesus himself was celebrating a Passover meal with his disciples in the upper room at the Last Supper, before he was captured [...]
A Holy Spirit Prompting
Good morning... "I have loved your recent posts," wrote a friend I have known since 2003. "Pictures of the DeShelters made me happy but sad too. Crazy how we hold those feeling so closely. Especially at Easter. Matt (the Director of Contemporary Worship at Northside Church) did Holy Forever on Easter Sunday. That was the song I was playing when I was sitting with my mom when she died last year. It was [...]
Audrey Was Never Alone
Good morning... "Happy Easter," Jennifer DeShelter texted yesterday, sharing a photo taken with her son and husband outside of Northside Church. "Missing our Audrey from last year." (As you likely remember, Audrey went to heaven in June, just ten hours before her 20th birthday.) "I love both of your Easter pictures," I replied. "So many beautiful memories to soothe the sorrows." "I liked today's sermon," Jennifer [...]