Good morning... We are all designed to breathe God in and live God out. We are all made to wear God's wisdom like a polished string of pearls. We all want to let go of our self-protective layers, to experience life in its intended abundance. That certainly is our Plan A and God's hope for each of us. But to [...]
Good morning... Seeking God's wisdom, I researched Scriptures on “breath” for our recent post, Breathe God In And Out. To my mind’s eye, three poignant passages appeared polished like pearls. For this morning's message, I am stringing together these pearls of wisdom, like a necklace worn to adorn our everyday lives. But if God himself has taken up residence [...]
Good morning... Though the media focused formally on the dress, the couple, and the royal family, yesterday's historic wedding ceremony gave full attention to our Triune God. I was half-watching the festivities when our Creators's Spirit captivated me, drew me in. So I got out my journal to jot down sketchy notes from the sacred service. "Marriage is made [...]
Good morning... Alongside our own morning messages, I receive one other online devotional. The Henri Nouwen Society sends out select words from Nouwen's plethora of books. Deep. Short. Touching. Most days I make time to mull over these meaningful meditations. This week Nouwen's inspired words have resonated richly with what God is teaching us together. As I work diligently [...]
Good morning... Many of you have written to me about the pain of losing sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, friends and extended family members. Our fruitful branches have been and will be pruned back by the death of a loved one, again and again. We know what it feels like to love and to lose, [...]
Good morning... Our oldest daughter is the same age as the young adults killed or injured in the Texas tragedy I blogged about yesterday. That car full of college students was heading to Young Life camp in Colorado on the same weekend our college-aged daughter was serving at a Young Life camp in the mountains of north Georgia. In [...]
Good morning... I just woke to news of a shocking tragedy. "We need URGENT prayer," an email from a man named Steve was forwarded to me. "There was a tragic car accident on Saturday with 5 American college students from Texas heading to Frontier Ranch to work at camp. One girl - Anna, who was Gina Ramey's campaigner girl [...]
Good morning... Right now, I sense God’s Spirit whispering: “Celebrate all of life’s seasons with Me.” Letting go of our own efforts to “just let go,” we begin to trust deeply God’s unsettling promise. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so [...]
Good morning... I encouraged myself to "just let go" of all the old stuff, to wipe the slate clean, to let bygones be gone. But as my pen prayed on the journal page, I unearthed a long litany of leftovers. I expressed everything completely, spoke my truth honestly. Having written out the last morsel in me, I felt at [...]
Good morning... I had journaled profusely since I was twenty-five years old, but I had never shared my writing with others until after our uprooting move in 2003. Being hired at Northside Church in the spring of 2006, for ten straight years I wrote a new manuscript, we self-published a book, and each Mother's Day morning we handed out [...]
