Good morning... All summer long, I rested in the hands of our divine Daddy and nested in the challenging comfort of two Scripture verses. Ecclesiastes 11:5 (NIV) speaks God's unsettling truth. As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, [...]
Good morning... “The unexamined life is not worth living,” famously said Socrates. I am not sure I totally agree, "not worth living" may be an absurd absolute. Instead I would say, "An examined life is much more enjoyable." We live the stuff of life once, and, as we examine it and re-examine it, we make deeper connections, we [...]
Good morning... You know I wake up whenever God wakes me. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught (Isaiah 50:4b, NIV). First things first. I brew a few mugs of coffee, I curl up in silent solitude, and, with a great sense of expectancy, I open my Bible, my journal, [...]
Good morning... I have been living the lyrics of an old song all summer long: "God, if a picture paints a thousand words then why can't I paint You?" Feeling drawn to the possibility of adding pictures to our everyday blog, I asked a photographer friend where to begin. She suggested two options. I could buy the latest [...]
Good morning... As I wake on this lazy Labor Day weekend, what is the strange word tickling the tip of my brain's tongue? "Hiatus." I google the meaning of "hiatus" and a plethora of possibility pours forth. A pause in a series, sequence, or process. A break. An intermission. A lull, respite, breather. I learn that in Latin [...]
Good morning... People I deeply care about were surprised and confused by yesterday's morning message, Plant This Seed Of Gratitude. Fairly new to our online community, they assumed our daily blog was part of my role as Women's Ministry Director at Northside Church. If I am paid a salary for my work hours at church, why create an opportunity [...]
Good morning... As our writers' group gathered for dinner last week, a nagging question gained significant weight in my mind. I had avoided this question. Then resisted this question. Then wrestled with this question for nearly ten years. Finally, I felt myself let go. I felt lead to seek trusted counsel. When it was my turn to share with our [...]
Good morning... After reading our post Our Community Of Trees, a grieving mom wrote me: "I definitely feel like a small hurting tree stump in a community of giant, strong, loving redwood trees that have sent their nurturing root systems to help me regain strength and bloom again. What a powerful metaphor to draw strength from on the hard [...]
Good morning... Praying in silence to begin this day, for the first time I notice a new thing. The peace lily in our living room has a white bloom appearing. I have watered this plant diligently, every few days, since it was given to me as a gift a while back. I have enjoyed nurturing her glossy green leaves [...]
Good morning... Waiting on God's timing gradually strengthens our hope. Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, "That’s how many descendants you will have!" And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his [...]
