Celebrating July 12th!

This morning, as I was thinking about what I wanted to share with you, I was reminded of a summer day about 12 years ago on a mildly stressful evening.  The lesson for me (and that I wanted to impress upon Anna and Taylor that day when they were little) is that when tensions rise that we always have the choice to turn towards one another and to begin again. My prayer for you is that in the next 6 weeks when there some tensions about the wedding (or whatever else!) arise that you would find a way to reset and begin again. Cheering for you in these coming weeks!  a little blast from the past from Tuesday, August 20, 2013--  "I've had some computer issues lately and have had to simply push the reset button a few times to get the computer unstuck from whatever glitch was going on.  Yesterday afternoon, I was reminded that we too need those restart buttons when things get out of whack.  After a great day with Eva yesterday at Lincoln Park, we had planned to run over ...

When Anna and I went to a friend's wedding last fall, one of the family members shared this quote as a toast, and I loved it. I know you will be able to relate.  Everything I know About Love I know that love can be loud and jubilant…It can be dancing in the swampy mud and the pouring rain at a festival and shouting “YOU ARE AMAZING” over the band. It’s introducing them to your colleagues at a work event and basking in pride as they make people laugh and make you look lovable just by dint of being loved by them. It’s laughing until you wheeze. It’s waking up in a country neither of you have been in before. It’s skinny-dipping at dawn. It’s walking along the street together on a Saturday night and feeling an entire city is yours. It’s a big, beautiful, ebullient force of nature. I also know that love is a pretty quiet thing. It’s lying on the sofa together drinking coffee, talking about where you’re going to go that morning to drink more coffee. It’s folding down pages of books ...

To build on the "anchor and delight" theme from last week, I wanted to share with you one of my latest favorite songs that has become a gentle reminder for me to stay present—to be where my feet are. It calls me to soak in each moment, no matter how fleeting.  May you all lean into this as you make wedding plans, as you continue to build your support team for Cru, as you walk down the aisle, and as you begin your life together.  8 weeks and counting!!! Woohooo!!!  Centering Prayer- Porter's Gate  I want to be where my feet are I want to breathe the life around me I want to listen as my heart beats Right on time… I want to be where my feet are I chase my worries I flee my sorrows But what you give me Is now So take my burdens And my tomorrows: I want to be where my feet are I want to be where my feet are I want to breathe the life around me I want to listen as my heart beats Right on time… I want to be where my feet are I run to capture The next horizon But what you g...

This is one of my favorite quotes from the beloved Father Gregory Boyle who founded Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, the largest gang rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world.  When asked what keeps him going when he was interviewed on a podcast (listen to it here  on your next road trip- it's SO good!), he shared that he anchors himself in the present moment and delights in the person in front of him . This is not just a nice quote; i t’s a profound practice born from over 35 years of working with gang members—an intentional way of seeing and being in the world. This mindset has become a guiding mantra for me.  It's certainly easier said than done given the many distractions in my life, but it's a posture I aspire to.  It grounds me as I step into patient rooms as a chaplain, welcome guests into our home, connect with family, talk with Anna and Taylor in college, work with students, spend time with Jason, and so much more.  So, my prayer is that God w...

Katelyn, I am pretty sure you will remember  The Jesus Storybook Bible  from growing up. Phillip- I am not sure if you grew up with this beloved children's bible, but if not, it's still a great read at any age you are!  One of my favorite pictures from that bible is below. This picture came alive to me through Anna’s eyes when she was only five years old. (Katelyn, I don’t know if you remember this story, but it bears repeating!)  On our last day of an incredible trip to Kenya in 2008, we were on a mountain known as “Prayer Mountain” overlooking Lodwar and the surrounding villages.  She was looking through  The Jesus Storybook Bible  that she had heard me read countless times when she zeroed in on this picture.  She told me that she felt she was the little girl who was running toward God the Father in the picture.  Not only was this a defining moment in her own faith, but it became a specific marker for the direction I want my focus...