“God expresses Himself through creation and beauty. His beauty surrounds us, and the more we grow in God’s grace, the more we recognize His beauty in the world around us . . . “God’s saints can see His beauty in everything. Once we welcome the presence of God into our awareness, the world becomes […]
how you can help make a miracle–and a giveaway (or THREE–NOW FOUR!)
My friend, Jennifer Dukes Lee, has a knee-knocking, God-sized dream knocking on her heart. She wants to give a house for Christmas. You read that right. SHE WANTS TO GIVE A HOUSE FOR CHRISTMAS. A. Whole. House. Not a big house. Just a whole house. One that’s not in pieces. To replace one that’s “melting” […]
scripture sunday: my soul pants
By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me–a prayer to the God of my life. ~Psalm 42:8 (NIV) Still thirsty, Sandy With Deidra
still saturday: why you will never find balance.
“Our age has its own cherished myths, and one of the most hypnotic is the myth of balance. I hear it everywhere, from old and young, city dwellers and country folk, carpenters and lawyers, students and homemakers. Everyone seeks balance. Everyone longs for that magical combining of rest and play and work that, once […]
five minute friday: tree – and the why of letting go
She stands tall in our front yard and clasps golden glory tight to her crown. Though heavy-laden with a snow-cold blanket, still she refuses to resist the stripping. I stroke my hand along her wrinkled hard, trace her scars with my finger, remove a limb of broken. She knows she’ll lose, of course. Because it’s […]
move forward, bounce back, and press on
I realized it just this morning. She was my age. She was also a nurse. Instrumental, I understand, in birthing this place. She was admitted the same day we were, to the room next door to ours. She’d done battle for 18 years. A bone marrow donor stood ready, but she could not bounce […]
scripture sunday: children come
One month from today, I’ll be back in Haiti. Stilled by anticipation, Sandy With Deidra and The Sunday Community
still saturday: intoxicate
“Those who have abandoned themselves to God always lead mysterious lives and receive from him exceptional and miraculous gifts by means of the most ordinary, natural and chance experiences in which there appears to be nothing unusual. The simplest sermon, the most banal conversations, the least erudite books become a source of knowledges and […]
it is the truth
Grace ran straight into the darkness the other night. She defied her fear of a possum “attack” or the roving coyote or a child snatcher. She could not face the truth of some disobedience, so she ran from it. Ran straight down the road to my house. “Nama,” she texts. “Wake up! I’m sneaking […]
these are my people
We gather in the Great Hall facing the fireplace, sunk deep in soft sofas, perched on chairs, or sprawled on the floor. And my heart burns with words and songs, and tears flow, but they can’t extinguish the flames. Since wheels met water and we traveled through the river, I’ve felt embraced by the canyon […]