Good morning... In yesterday's summertime Zoom book study, our conversation was rich and enlivening. The word "stone" stood out as a symbol to remember. In The Practice of the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence writes on page 37: "As for my set hours of prayer... Sometimes I consider myself there as a stone before a carver, whereof he [...]
Good morning... The full moon peeks through our window pane, piercing through the trees, partnering with the dark of night. I catch a glimpse and am drawn outside. Wet grass. Bare feet. A perfect pairing on my parents' 65th wedding anniversary. I have returned to Atlanta, Georgia, with special memories lingering from my nine day visit with my [...]
Good morning... I woke yesterday in Ohio on my mom's 87th birthday. Her part-time helper snapped a few pictures of us before we shared her birthday breakfast in their villa and opened her birthday cards and gifts. After the simple celebration, I opened my computer and up popped a [...]
Good morning... Around 3:00 pm yesterday, from Jennifer DeShetler our small group of friends received a text. "Audrey just passed." Then privately she wrote me. "Who is the pastor on duty?" "I will ask," I replied. "Will get back to you." "Please asap." I connected her to Dr. Bill, our head pastor at Northside Church. Soon after, I [...]
Good morning... Last night, on the grounds of my parents' senior living community in Ohio, I went on a walk at dusk, around 7:30 pm. At 7:56 pm, I received this update from the DeShetler family. I gave my full focus to [...]
Good morning... This morning, my soul possesses the Spirit of the living God. So does yours. So does Audrey's. So do the souls of her family and all her many loved ones. Our souls all possess the Spirit of the One and Only, the everlasting God. The eternal power of God is not contained by heaven and earth. [...]
Good morning... At 10:00 am at University Hospital near Cleveland, Ohio, my dad had surgery scheduled to remove a cancer spot on his leg yesterday. I stayed at their villa, caring for my mom. At 9:30 am yesterday at CHOA in Atlanta, Georgia, Audrey DeShetler was scheduled to have surgery to put in a stent to open up [...]
Good morning... "I'm having surgery on my leg to remove a cancer spot on June 5th. Is there any way you could come in town to be with your mom during my procedure?" my dad asked in April, as I visited my parents in Ohio for my dad's 88th birthday. I felt honored my dad asked. To be [...]
Good morning... There are lots of quirky artists. Grant Snider's work, as creator of Incidental Comics, feels absolutely fabulous to me. As a person who examines myself incessantly, I love the shift Grant captures on a moonless night. The heavens tell about the glory of God. The skies announce what his hands have made. Each new day tells [...]
Good morning... These words came to me and stayed. "You don't have to rush to be loved." Grow at your own pace. You are worthy, already. Patience is a quiet kind of miracle. There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because [...]
