The Lily Letters

Dear God, Let our leadership in SAO be united so that our sisters and their surrounding communities receive an overflowing blessing. Let our unity bring life, refreshment, and spiritual nourishment to our chapters so that those surrounding our campuses may know Jesus Christ and receive the blessings of Eternal Life. We reject comparing our gifts both enviously and pridefully, and we accept working towards unity in our faith and in the knowledge of you so that we become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. We want to use our gifts to serve the church of Christ just as the parts of the human body work together. Each of our gifts comes from you rather than ourselves. We love you. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Devo #1: A Green Gables Summit "Dear old world, you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you” When Claire shared the Summit theme with me a few weeks ago, I quite literally squealed with glee because Anne of Green Gables was a cherished imaginary friend for me throughout my childhood. Lucy Maud Montgomery is a storyteller unlike any other. In her books you will not find chaotic twists and turns, nor will you discover psychological or historical stories with high stakes. No, instead you will be immersed into the loveliest, quaintest story about a little orphan girl who simply lives genuinely and propitiously. If Anne Shirley were to transform into an inanimate object - she would be rose-colored glasses. Anne continuously chooses to see the world as wonderful, and consistently works to find the good in whatever her circumstances are. I have a daughter, Cora, who (through no fault of her own, bless her) is the exact opposite of Anne Shirley. She is chemically wi...

Matthew 7:7-8 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." I once heard a story about a man that was traveling for work. When he arrived at his destination & walking around, he noticed that no one was wearing shoes. On multiple occasions, he approached individuals and asked if they believed in shoes. Every time, they told him “of course we believe in shoes.” “Then why don’t you wear them,” he asked. All but one person answered “That’s a good question.” One man pointed to a building down the street & said “That building is a shoe manufacturing facility. Once a week, we visit the facility, & the owner tells us all of the benefits of wearing shoes. We believe in shoes, but we just choose not to wear them.” Sounds silly, right? But we’re not that far off. Every week, we worship with believers. We beli...