Brene Brown writes the most amazing books. In her book Rising Strong, she provides the guiding principles that she has in her own organization. I’ll get to those in a second but here’s the main point for us to consider today: she and her organization are operating by guiding principles. This is uncommon but necessary for belonging. There is this tendency to get sentimental about belonging. … [Read more...] about Belonging is so very hard to do
Spiritual Dis-ease
“I knew there was something about you that I liked.” This sentence saved Sister Molly Monahan from an overwhelming shame attack early in her recovery from alcohol addiction. Sister Monahan, fresh out of rehab, was serving as a consultant and visiting a college campus in Virginia. One evening she slipped away from her duties to attend an AA meeting and discovered to her utter dismay that a law … [Read more...] about Spiritual Dis-ease
December 31
Scripture Reading for today: Luke 22, 23, 24 Whew!Twelve steps in 365 days. I'd love to hear from you about your experiences of faith this past year. Email me at AskTeresa@hotmail.com and tell me your stories. While I wait to hear from you, can I pray for you and yours? Lord,I realize that you want to be found by us! How awesome to know that you love us. That your eyes rove to and fro across … [Read more...] about December 31
December 26
Scripture Reading for today: Luke 5, 6, 7 Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas this year? Are you satisfied, yet? Anyone drink too much at a family gathering and insult a guest or a sibling? How well did you eat? I'm not referring to how much; I'm talking about how well? Did you pig out on stuffing and sweet potatoes, pecan pie, and coconut cake? Have you started to think about how … [Read more...] about December 26
December 29
Scripture Reading for today: Luke 16, 17, 18 It was a conversation I didn't think I had time to get into. I was standing in a long line waiting for a flu shot, and the guy behind me wanted to chat. I got the impression he didn't get out much. He recognized my face from the television show that NorthStar Community produces, and he seemed intent on giving me a hard time. Oh well. It was a long … [Read more...] about December 29
December 27
Scripture Reading for today: Luke 8, 9, 10, 11 I want to say a dirty word...ready? Obedience. Who likes to hear that? I hang out with people predisposed to saying "No!" when a "Yes" would have served them better. For some reason, I'm attracted to people who like to color outside the lines, break rules, and generally mess with authority figures. I'm not saying this is good or godly, but it is … [Read more...] about December 27
December 5
Scripture Reading for today: Galatians 1, 2, 3 Yesterday we commented on the "bigness" of God and how that good news could comfort us when we were counting on Him to rescue us. What if we feel so small, "less than," and unworthy that we fear the greatness of God? Whether "big" is comforting or terrifying depends upon one's point of view, right? Yesterday we learned that when Isaiah saw the … [Read more...] about December 5
December 4
Scripture Reading for today: Joshua 21, 22, 23, and 24 The twelfth step is an invitation to live guided by faith instead of chased by fear. If we accept this invitation, it helps to get God's bigness firmly planted in our brain. Isaiah helps us do that, because He should know. No one seems to know exactly how this happened--a dream, a vision, whatever--but Isaiah was given a glimpse of the Lord. … [Read more...] about December 4
December 25
Scripture Reading for today: Luke 3, 4 Today is the day we traditionally celebrate the birth of Christ, and our family has a lot of traditional ways to rejoice. It involves lots of food, fun, gift giving, and eventually, napping. But we're adding a new thing this year; we're going to listen to Andrew Peterson's CD: Behold the Lamb of God, the true tall tale of the coming of Christ. If you … [Read more...] about December 25
leapyear
Scripture Reading for today: Luke 22, 23, 24 Whew!Twelve steps in 365 days. I'd love to hear from you about your experiences of faith this past year. Email me at AskTeresa@hotmail.com and tell me your stories. While I wait to hear from you, can I pray for you and yours? Lord,I realize that you want to be found by us! How awesome to know that you love us. That your eyes rove to and fro across … [Read more...] about leapyear