From Fear-Driven To Love-Drawn
Good morning... I have been praying really deeply for loved ones who are facing excruciating challenges. Praying for the promised power of God to rise up and buoy, to strengthen and empower. Many of you have been joining me on this quest, seeking to pray into existence the power of God on behalf of our loved ones. Yesterday, a praying friend sent me a morning meditation which put fresh words to the gift [...]
We Live Our Hard Questions
Good morning... The prophet Isaiah does not stop at just two questions in Chapter 40 of his book in the Bible, like we identified in yesterday's post. Isaiah actually fills the page with a plethora of question marks. Let's revisit this ancient wisdom, as we deepen into God's definitive answer to the hard questions in life. Who measured the oceans in the palm of his hand? Who used his hand to measure the [...]
What Did Isaiah Ask?
Good morning... Ending yesterday's blog post, one sentence from the Scripture verse returns to me during the dark hours of this new night. "Isaiah’s question, 'Is there anyone around who knows God’s Spirit, anyone who knows what he is doing?' has been answered: Christ knows, and we have Christ’s Spirit," says 1 Corinthians 2:16 (ERV). My mind now wonders quietly, "In the book of Isaiah, what question was actually asked?" Flipping back to [...]
Do You Smell These Fireworks?
Good morning... Fireworks are fun, fascinating, fantastic. All of my senses wake up as I look at this photo, taken twenty-one days ago on the 4th of July beside the tiny Pennsylvania lake where Steve's family has vacationed annually for over a hundred years. Can you sense the booming sound, the sulfury smell, the spectacular sight, the exciting "oooh" and "aaah" of it all? To do this complex thing, our brains need to [...]
Our Innermost Senses
Good morning... In a recent blog post, we identified five of our innermost senses, senses which partner with the power of the Holy Spirit at work within us each day. Intuition. Imagination. Perception. Will. Reason. One reader wrote: "The human brain and our DNA as God made it is more powerful than any machine. A machine only knows what you can input into it. A human brain - well it can tap into [...]
Struggle Is Everyone’s Normal
Good morning... "Sue," wrote a friend from our Monday afternoon study group, which is quietly off for the summer months. "Such a wonderful message from Kate Bowler this week! Hope your summer is going well and the much anticipated wedding arriving so soon! Happy days to you!" I touch on the link she shared and breathe in the empathy born through life's everyday struggles. Right now, I share with you the gift, thinking, [...]
Here Is Something For You
Good morning... "Sue," she wrote. "Here is something for you that I learned and wrote down but do not remember where I heard it. We have 5 senses. Intuition Imagination Perception Will Reason All operate with the Holy Spirit within us. Life expands when these are exercised." My soul is tickled. I am drawn back to one word, a word which stays with me from yesterday's post. This word just happens to be [...]
Being Led On A Desert Road
Good morning... "That is a beautiful song, Sue!" My friend wrote after Monday's blog post including Emmy Rose's stripped down rendition of the song 'Same God'. "Thank you for sharing it with me. It's funny, I was dreaming a song this morning in my head, which I can't remember, but it had something to do with being in the desert...and so did this song." "God has us on the same wavelength," I texted [...]
When We Feel Abandoned, Undone
Good morning... “I will lead the blind by a way they do not know; I will guide them in paths that they do not know," God said through Isaiah 42:16 (AMP) to end yesterday's blog post. "I will make darkness into light before them and rugged places into plains. These things I will do [for them], and I will not leave them abandoned or undone." The words "abandoned" and "undone" are both highly [...]
Is Prayer Your Steering Wheel?
Good morning... I happened upon an interesting quote by Corrie Ten Boom, who, along with her family members, helped many Jewish people escape from the Nazis during the Holocaust in World War II by hiding them in her home. "Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?" A spare tire is used only in emergencies. Pulled out briefly, sparingly, then tucked back into a peripheral place to await the next emergency. A [...]
My God, I Need You Now
Good morning... As she sat beside the piano, her need was deep and her voice was crystal clear. She sang out to the God of Jacob and Moses, of Mary and David. The same God who worked back then works in us now. Providing. Moving in power. Healing. Saving. Facing the challenges of our daily lives, we call out to the very same God. "Oh God, my God, I need you. Oh God, [...]
In A Dark Place
Good morning... I think back on a phone conversation I had with a friend this week, a friend stuck in a dark place. She read aloud to me a poignant quote from the book Let God: Spiritual Conversations with Francois Felenon by Winn Collier. "We shouldn't give much energy toward trying to see precisely how God is working in us," my friend's voice spoke softly. "You won't be able to see much anyway [...]