Good morning... We all have been horrified at the mysterious abduction of Savannah Guthrie's 84-year-old mother, Nancy. On Easter morning, Savannah, co-host of the NBC's Today show, posted a gut-wrenching message expressing her deep sorrow and her unwavering belief. Suspended in uncertainty, her excruciating "not knowing" connects her to the utter darkness experienced by Jesus. ...Jesus cried out [...]
Good morning... Recently, my husband Steve and I hosted a Community Christian Seder. People from all walks of our lives over the past thirty years joined us to celebrate the Jewish tradition of Passover overlaid with the life-giving teachings of Jesus. What a meaningful evening we enjoyed together. As we know, Jesus himself was celebrating a Passover meal [...]
Good morning... "I have loved your recent posts," wrote a friend I have known since 2003. "Pictures of the DeShelters made me happy but sad too. Crazy how we hold those feeling so closely. Especially at Easter. Matt (the Director of Contemporary Worship at Northside Church) did Holy Forever on Easter Sunday. That was the song I was [...]
Good morning... "Happy Easter," Jennifer DeShelter texted yesterday, sharing a photo taken with her son and husband outside of Northside Church. "Missing our Audrey from last year." (As you likely remember, Audrey went to heaven in June, just ten hours before her 20th birthday.) "I love both of your Easter pictures," [...]
Good morning... Today, Holy Saturday, is the final day of Holy Week between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. It commemorates the day when the crucified body of Jesus rested in the darkness of the tomb. Many Christians believe that while his body was in the tomb, Jesus’ soul descended into the realm of the dead to liberate those [...]
Good morning... Beside the powerful video below, reads one short line: "Originally shown at Passion's Good Friday gathering in Atlanta on April 3, 2015." Two days later, I witnessed the moving short movie in person as it was repeated in the worship service on Sunday, April 5th. Our whole family of six honored the request of our maturing [...]
Good morning... The full moon this Maundy Thursday shines light on the story of Easter. From Smyrna, Georgia down south to the shores of Kiawah Island, South Carolina and up north to the waters of Blue Ridge to the Vinings area of Atlanta, God's light pierces our darkness. [...]
Good morning... I very rarely sleep all night long, but this week's Spirit-sparked "birthday cake box" adventure required a huge output of my energy - mentally, physically, and spiritually. I did not blog yesterday, since I slept until 7:45 am when our puppy Cami made her first peep. On Monday, I dropped off our 60 happy treasures to [...]
Good morning... Just one week ago today, our blog post on my 63rd birthday invited everyone to join us in creating "birthday cake boxes" for thirty senior citizens who live in the Grove Park neighborhood of our city. We were hoping for 30 boxes, 30 boxes filled with a cake mix, frosting, oil and birthday candles. What we [...]
Good morning... "Love this as a reminder from all our conversations," she texted yesterday, sharing the simple chart above. When we feel rushed, pushed, frightened, confused, worried, obsessed, or condemned, it is wise to remember, "This is not the voice of God." Instead, God's voice stills us, leads us, reassures us, enlightens us, encourages us, comforts us, and [...]
