I Spiral Down
Good morning... At 2:47 am, I am drawn outside by the light of a full moon. Brilliant. Bursting. Beaconing, "Come see." I step out into the chilly cold of January 7th and spiral down into new epiphanies. How did I not know that January 6th is the celebration of Epiphany? Along with Christmas and Easter, Epiphany (when three Gentile kings are drawn by a star to [...]
Enjoy This Epiphany
Good morning... Today, January 6th, we celebrate Epiphany. Alongside Christmas and Easter, Epiphany is one of the three oldest festival days of the Christian church. In Greek, epiphaneia means “manifestation." This Christian holiday commemorates the first manifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, who are represented by the Magi, the three kings who traveled by the light of the star to visit the infant Jesus. Yesterday, to prepare our hearts to be guided [...]
Sign Up For Winter/Spring 2023
Good morning... "She will look back over the kaleidoscope of her life and notice how the fragments of experience that made no sense at the time were, all along, shaping a rather beautiful pattern." This is the sentence God used to snag me, to capture me, to coax me into teaching last semester's book, "Simple Faith" by Margaret Silf. What a marvelous selection. But what book would God draw us to study together [...]
The Heart Of Damar Hamlin
Good morning... Many of us were watching Monday Night Football when a 24-year-old player stood up after a tackle then collapsed to the ground. Play was stopped and the game was suspended as Damar Hamlin received CPR on the field before being taken by ambulance to the nearby hospital. Hamlin remains in critical condition. "Pray for this sweet guy," wrote a friend yesterday, sharing the following link of Damar giving back to his [...]
Loving? Learning? Leaving?
Good morning... As she shares her instagram post from December 31st, 2022, important questions echo back to me. What are you loving? What are you learning? What are you leaving? I make three headings on the top of a blank page. LOVING? LEARNING? LEAVING? Then words trickle into place. LOVING? Family time. Soul friends. Working at church. Enjoying class discussions. Writing to process myself. Prayerfully trying to [...]
Let’s Ring In The New
Good morning... Today is the first day of the first week of this fresh new year. What a perfect morning to ring in the new with a special gift from a friend in our Monday group. This fall, our friend learned about the struggles of Ukrainian Olena Gnes through watching her story told on the international news, and she began corresponding with Olena, offering encouragement and financial support as needed. Only God knew [...]
Be Where Love Is Needed
Good morning... "Any chance you could walk tomorrow afternoon?" a friend texted me on Monday. "We are in Kentucky with Steve's sister, so tomorrow is not possible," I explained. "Steve's sister lives alone. Her husband died of suicide in the back yard of their rental home 8 years ago. She still lives in the same place. As a way of prayerfully holding space for all that has been and all that will be, [...]
When We Don’t Understand
Good morning... Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled (1 Corinthians 13:8-10, MSG). Love never dies, so loving well is the best investment we can ever make. Inspired speech will lose its impact. [...]
It’s Been A Hard Week
Good morning... "It's been a hard week" is the title of the most recent blog post shared by our good friend's daughter-in-law, 37-year-old Elizabeth, who is journeying through treatment for advanced colon cancer. Harsh side effects from her chemo regimen are painful and pervasive. One of their three kids had strep on Christmas Eve. Their Christmas Eve service at church was cancelled due to a power outage. By mid week, Elizabeth ended up [...]
Carrying Out The Trash
Good morning... Trash piles high this time of year. Empty boxes. Used wrapping paper. Unneeded extras of all kinds. Into my own mess of excess, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer shares a short, thought-provoking poem. carrying out the trash this, too, a holy path Small. Simple. Stimulating. My mind plays with ideas sparked. To carry out the trash, one must have an "in," a home, a space, a place where normal life happens. Some have no [...]
Our Light Dispels The Dark
Good morning... A friend borrowed words from our Christmas Eve blog post to create the inviting image above. "Loved your message today," she texted. "I posted it along with my picture from church today. What blessings!" I have heard it said, "We don't go to church, we go to worship then we go out to be the church in a world that desperately needs the contagious light of our living Lord." Go out [...]
This Messy Morning After
Good morning... On December 26th, I love being the first awake in a quiet home full of sleeping people. I brew a 12-cup pot of our family's favorite coffee, fill up my personal "COMFORT" mug, and nestle beneath the fuzzy blanket with our smallest furry dog. Surveying the situation, my eyes pick up the mounds of "mess" strewn delightfully in every direction. I love [...]