Author: Sweet Tea and Front Porch Storyteller

  • God Still Speaks Into Chaos

    Chaos is not just a scientific theory. It is something we all experience. I’ve lived through seasons when life seemed to fall apart. The death of my father when I was fourteen. The stillbirth of Amanda Joy. The divorce. Hurricane Katrina. Losing jobs. Starting over more than once. Every one of those moments felt like…

  • Radical Love

    Dr. Patrick S Cheng, Professor at the Episcopal Divinity School, stated the following in his book Radical Love: 1. “Radical love, I contend, is a love so extreme that it dissolves our existing boundaries, whether they are boundaries that separate us from other people, that separate us from preconceived notions of sexuality and gender identity,…

  • Prayer from the Daily Office

    Prayer for Enemies O God, the Father of all, whose Son commanded us to love our enemies: Lead them and us from prejudice to truth; deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Prayer for…

  • Servant of All

    35 He sat down and summoned the Twelve. “So you want first place? Then take the last place. Be the servant of all.” Mark 9:35 The Message The disciples of Jesus were discussing their position in the group. Some wanted to be the most important. They were arguing who is number one. We all want to…

  • Consider the Wildflowers

    “walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it?” Matthew 6:27-29 My sister, Sue, was 15 years older than I. She acted like my mother often. She lived up the hill from and attended the church i served…

  • Life is Sacred

    The seven sacred teachings of Native Americans can teach us a great deal about the universe we live in. We live in a world that likes to classify, sort, and separate us. We have decided that some things are more valuable than others. We consider that some people deserve respect more than others. We have…

  • Trees and Diversity

    Growing up on a farm in rural Mississippi before houses were air-conditioned, the two huge oak trees in the front yard provided shade and cool breezes on hot and humid days. After a morning in the fields, we had lunch in the shade. In the evenings, we sat on the porch and listened to sounds…

  • Chaos

    Chaos theory, a scientific and mathematical theory, teaches that small changes in a complex system can lead to changes in the system. Greek mythology teaches that chaos, a gaping emptiness, existed before creation occurred. The Hebrew Bible describes the earth as being without form and void. The Earth was in darkness. God began to speak,…

  • Radical Love

    Dr. Patrick S Cheng, Professor at the Episcopal Divinity School, stated the following in his book Radical Love: 1. “Radical love, I contend, is a love so extreme that it dissolves our existing boundaries, whether they are boundaries that separate us from other people, that separate us from preconceived notions of sexuality and gender identity,…

  • True Colors

    James 1:2-3 (The Message) Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature…