Good morning... During times of discombobulating stress, a helpful saying saturates me. "The brook would lose its song if God removed the rocks." We hate the hard knocks from life's jagged rocks, but we love the calming beauty babbling from the brook. Stones and songs. Songs and stones. We do not get one without the other. Stones and songs. [...]
Good morning... Our recent post, My Feelings Were Hurt, stepped on a very vulnerable nerve. So many responses came rushing in that I did not have the time to express gratitude to all of you individually. So this post is my collective "Thank you" for helping us to examine the bricks in the wall between our hurting hearts [...]
Good morning... December hosts a plethora of pop-up possibilities. On top of our regular commitments, we add gift buying, Christmas cards, and holiday visits. We pile on parties, special foods, and annual traditions. We struggle with people-pleasing, perfectionist tendencies, and performing our priorities with the greatest of ease. But December is not easy, December can be hard. Yet [...]
Good morning... "If you could have one superpower, what would it be?" the ice-breaker question asks. What superpower would you choose? Like a kernel of corn, my best answer pops in my brain. If I was given one superpower, I would choose to possess the power to shrink or to expand the moment at hand, on any given day, [...]
Good morning... My feelings were hurt. After I had prayed diligently for the months leading up to our second "Awake To Wellness Retreat," after I had left my family behind to travel from Atlanta to Orlando, after we had passionately provided a day of music and teaching, poems and prayers, videos and stories about the life of Christian [...]
Good morning... As we savor this Sunday, some college football fans wake elated, others wake frustrated, yet all of us wake up to witness the presence God. As we harness this new habit of peering back before moving forward, we review the week we have experienced together through our everyday blog. Our focus phrase is: Witness God. Enjoy [...]
Good morning... "Aging is really, really hard," 92 year old Betty Skinner admits as we share lunch in Ponte Vedra, Florida. Her eyesight has dimmed. Her hearing is weak. The energy she used to take full advantage of has diminished. Yet contagious joy still beams through her presence. Irresistible. Unmistakable. Captivating calm. "People think they come to see me," [...]
Good morning... From Orlando, today I will drive two and a half hours to Ponte Vedra, Florida to share lunch with 92 year old Betty Skinner. It will be my third lunch with Betty, a tiny, tenacious woman who exhales God's joyous peace with each treasured breath. Nearing the end of her life, Betty shares a beautiful perspective [...]
Good morning... Last March, we hosted the first "Awake To Wellness Women's Retreat" here in Atlanta, Georgia. Remember those two special, sacred days? Today in Orlando, Florida, we will host the second "Awake To Wellness Retreat," as I join mesmerizing pianist Dana Cunningham and talented authors Kitty Crenshaw and Dr. Cathy Snapp. Together we will to bring to [...]
Good morning... My inbox was inundated after yesterday's post, I Was Just Trying To Help. Often we are blind to the ways our "helping" hurts. I will share three email exchanges fleshing out our tendency to addictively "help" without God's consent. Why do we think we are a better savior than our Savior? ****** Martha's comment: "Oh Sue what [...]
