Good morning... Saturating my waking mind is a song we taught our church youth group twenty-five years ago. "Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. Melt me. Mold me. Fill me. Use me. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me." My soul (my life, my inner [...]
Monday was a dud of a day for me. It began with me feeling self-consciously down after a phone call that activated the critics in my head. It continued with news of another teen suicide, a sudden death of a beloved father, and an awareness that hard anniversaries for grieving friends are just around the corner. Then unrest in [...]
Good morning... In John 14:6, Jesus strikes a match and lights a flickering candle, "I am the way..." When pitch black descends, deep pain and dark loneliness, Jesus speaks light, "I am the way..." Through God, tucked in Christ, empowered by Spirit, we shuffle each day, step by step, with the way. Jesus spoke to the people once more [...]
Good morning... Some losses are excruciating. Life seems to be running smoothly. Hopes and dreams are gelling. We are savoring a sense of settled satisfaction. Then WHAM! Life falls apart. Near perfection unravels. The daily drive keeping us alive ends abruptly, unexpectedly. How do we rise up from bed the morning after? How do we rise up to face [...]
Good morning... I passed a sign in the front lawn of a little church. "What you hold on to is your God." If I were the sign-putter-outer, I would change three things. The pronouns. The capitalization. And I would add one more word. "What we hold on to fiercely is our god." First off, God is God, and God [...]
Good morning... Through Northside Church, we feed tons of homeless men, women, and children throughout Atlanta each Super Bowl Sunday. Today at the church, volunteer men, women, and children will make hundreds and hundreds of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from donated ingredients. Between 10:00 am and 12:00 pm, generous men, women, and children will drop off the gallons [...]
Good morning... "Mom, why are you completely naked?" my seventeen year old daughter's voice shocked me into laughter. I had forgotten she was upstairs in bed, gifted with a free period before her day of school. While warm bath water was being drawn, I was lollygagging in the living room in my first birthday suit. Oh, how we surprised [...]
Good morning... Today I will enjoy the privilege of talking with the Preschool Prayer Moms at Northside Church. The organizer said, "I think it would be fun for you to talk about the movie Groundhog Day and liken it to our never-ending days as preschool moms, adding a scripture to encourage us along." "What an awesome idea!" My mind [...]
Good morning… Last night I loved speaking with a group of women at the Cathedral of St. Philip. A few weeks back, the organizers and I discerned the topic for the evening: "Listening to God's Lead." We agreed that one of the biggest challenges in our jam-packed lives is listening to the lead of God. As a group we [...]
Good morning... A friend coined a new phrase for me yesterday, an important phrase for all of us to consider. As my cell phone rang, I saw her name pop up. I picked up immediately, no thought, just response. Her familiar, sweet voice was upset, unsettled. "Do you have a quick minute for an emergency?" "I have a long [...]
