Author: Sweet Tea and Front Porch Storyteller
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Coming Home to the Heart: The Jesus Prayer, Theosis, and Becoming Whole in God
How an ancient prayer is helping me understand the healing of my whole person I have been trying to find words for something I am experiencing. For years, I have spoken about grace, spiritual growth, and loving God with all that we are. I have preached about these things, studied them, and believed them. Now,…
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Held by Mercy, Learning to Love
Daily Office Readings for Sunday, October 18, 2026: Psalms 63, 98, 103; Sirach 18:19–33; 1 Corinthians 10:15–24; Matthew 18:15–20 Some days I feel deeply in love with God. Prayer comes easily, and I notice reasons for thanksgiving everywhere. Other days, God seems far away. I say the words, but my heart feels dry. I suspect…
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Still Being Changed
Daily Office Readings for Saturday, October 17, 2026: Psalms 30, 32, 42, 43; Sirach 15:9–20; Revelation 10:1–11; Luke 11:1–13 Some mornings I can pray about patience and then discover, before the morning is over, how much patience I still need. I want to listen with wisdom, but sometimes I am already preparing my answer while…
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Trusting God with My Whole Self
Daily Office Readings for Friday, October 16, 2026: Psalms 31 and 35; Sirach 11:2–20; Revelation 9:13–21; Luke 10:38–42 Some mornings I sit down with the Daily Office and discover that the readings are asking me the same question from several directions: Where am I placing my trust, and how is that trust shaping the person…
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Trusting God When the Waters Roar
Some words in Scripture are easier to admire than to live. Trust in the Lord and do good.Take delight in the Lord.Commit your way to the Lord.Be still before the Lord.Refrain from anger and forsake wrath. Those admonitions from Psalm 37 sound reassuring when I read them in the quiet of the morning. Living them…
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Grace for the Person I Am Becoming
Yesterday, I sat with some painful memories. I remembered actions that hurt people I loved. Looking back, I can see how immature I was in my relationships. I didn’t understand love the way I do today. That recognition does not erase the harm. It helps me see where healing and change were needed—and where they…
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Welcoming the Next Person
Today’s Daily Office readings have me looking back over my years in ministry and asking a question that feels more important with each passing day: Am I a faithful steward of God’s message? There was a time when attendance figures, offerings, programs, and fundraisers occupied much of my attention. Those things were part of a…
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Grace for the Next Step
Some mornings, the Sacred Writings bring me back to places I would rather not revisit. As the United States reeled from the September 11 attacks, I lay in a hospital room listening to doctors tell me I had a fifty-fifty chance of surviving. Years before, Erma and I had heard the devastating news that our…
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The Kingdom at My Doorstep
Daily Office Reflection for Sunday, October 11, 2026Psalms 114, 115, 148, 149, 150; Sirach 4:1–10; 1 Corinthians 10:1–13; Matthew 16:13–20 Today I walked outside and admired the beautiful elm tree in front of my apartment. It is fall, and soon its leaves will come drifting down. I enjoy the shade it gives. I have watched…
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An Open Door and a Listening Heart
Daily Office Reflection for Saturday, October 10, 2026Psalm 20, 21, 110, 116, 117; Sirach 3:17–31; Acts 28:17–31; Luke 9:37–50 As I read the psalms this morning, familiar music began stirring in my memory. “How Great Thou Art.” “Praise Him! Praise Him!” Handel’s magnificent “Hallelujah” chorus from Messiah. And the word hallelujah still finds its way…
