Toni Gatlin

@tonigatlin.com

1243 Followers 1894 Following

Spiritual Director, Meditation Instructor, Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP), Marketing Consultant. Often found outside: flower gardening, birding, hiking, camping, dog walking, porch sitting. Voting is a powerful way to love thy neighbor.

A photo taken on June 10th of our front yard in Corsicana with campaign signs for Gina Hinojosa for Texas Governor and James Talarico for US Senate, along with a League of Women Voters sign reading VOTE LIKE DEMOCRACY DEPENDS ON IT (IT DOES)
Books with red, white, and blue spines are arranged on a wooden sideboard to imitate the design of an American flag. There’s a heavy white limestone bookend on the left side with a star carved into it. Books with blue spines: The January 6th report Letters and papers from prison by Dietrich Bonhoeffer Where do we go from here by Martin Luther King Jr. Blue Horses by Mary Oliver The quiet American by Graham Greene How we learn to be brave by Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde The writings of Howard Thurman The myth of a Christian nation by Gregory Boyd Fascism by Madeline Albright Books with red and white spines: For such a time is this by Hanna Reichel On tyranny by Timothy Snyder On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed Creative disobedience by Dorothee Sölle Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez Dear white peacemakers by Osheta Moore The handmaid‘s Tale by Margaret Atwood Good news to the poor by Theodore Jennings Still Christian by David Gushee Reading while black by Esau McCaulley The spirit of our politics by Michael Wear Citizenship papers by Wendell Berry The Federalist papers Unsettling truths by Mark Charles and Soong-chan Rah Separation of church and hate by John Fugelsang
A screenshot showing a Mark Rothko painting, “Untitled Blue Yellow Green on Red, 1954” matched up to the weather right now in Corsicana, Texas
Screenshot from realclearpolling.com RealClearPolitics Poll Average Talarico +1.5 Talarico (D) 44.3% Paxton (R) 42.8%
Apple Maps screenshot of Sealy, Texas showing the proximity of Dairy Queen and Hinze’s BBQ
The Oneders from the movie That Thing You Do!
A very cute tan and white Buddy-dog sleeps on a soft cushion covered with a floral printed fabric
A table laden with my local produce haul: eggs in a cardboard carton, red and yellow onions, broccoli, large and small red potatoes, carrots, yellow squash, apples, and a pink frilly African violet plant
A blate of cheese grits with bacon bits, topped with a fried egg, a sliced avocado half, and cracked pepper
A very dedicated small gray, white, and buff bird cracks open sunflower seeds in a feeder suction-cupped to a windowpane
A photo of the NASA livestream on my tv: the Orion capsule floats in the blue water of the Pacific Ocean and all four astronauts are nearby in an orange inflatable raft awaiting their extraction by helicopter.
Screenshot of my phone showing bird calls detected while running Merlin for ten minutes on the porch during my lunch hour today: April 9 • Corsicana, TX House Sparrow Passer domesticus Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos Carolina Chickadee Poecile carolinensis Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus Greater Roadrunner Geococcyx californianus
Blooming tulips in a pot sit on a green table in front of a window. The tulips are a lovely soft pink.
A medium-sized tan and white dog snuggles into the covers of a big bed meant for humans
A small crowd marches in front of Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, Texas
A protest sign made of cardboard featuring a photo of author George Orwell and text reading: “Boy did I call it or what?” -George Orwell
Two small candles glow at nighttime in the windows of a brick home with shrubs in front of the windows. There’s also a Talarico for Texas senate campaign sign in one window.
Purple text on pink background reads: SALT AND LIGHT ELIMINATE ICE MATT. 5:13-16
Dark purple text on a pink background reads: SALT AND LIGHT ELIMINATE ICE MATT. 5:13-16 (“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.")
With a poisoned chalice in front of him and a blindfolded Princess Buttercup next to him, Vizzini points across the table at the Dread Pirate Roberts in this still from The Princess Bride
You have constitutional rights: . DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR if an immigration agent is knocking. If you are inside of your house, show the card through the window or slide it under the door. . DO NOT ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS from an immigration agent if they try to talk to you. You have the right to remain silent. . DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING without first speaking to a lawyer. You have the right to speak with a lawyer. . If you are outside of your house, SHOW THIS CARD TO THE AGENT. Ask the agent if you are free to leave and if they say you can, leave calmly. www.RedCardOrders.com
The Dead Come to Stay (Brandy Schillace)
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store (James McBride)
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Alan Bradley)
No Cure For Being Human (Kate Bowler)
Alexander the Great: Journey to The End of The Earth (Norman Cantor)
The Kingdom, The Power, and The Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism (Tim Alberta)
This We Believe: The Core of Wesleyan Faith and Practice (Will Willimon)
An Hour Before Daylight (Jimmy Carter)
Buddy the dog rests on a hike at the top of a high ridge in the “sky island” of the Davis Mountains in Fort Davis State Park. The bright blue sky is filled with wispy clouds and the view of the Chihuahuan Desert stretches for miles.
Screenshot of audiobook by Jason Kirk: “Hell Is A World Without You”
Screenshot from graftedlife.org describing spiritual direction. A Safe Place for Your Soul: The Ministry of Spiritual Direction The Christian life often entails times of spiritual uncertainty-situations in which we are unsure of God's will, confused about what God is doing in our circumstances, or generally dry in our relationship with God. Spiritual direction is a safe place to explore your questions and concerns about your life with God. A Christ-centered spiritual director is a trained listener who will accompany you as you share about your spiritual journey, helping you to notice God's presence and activity along the way, as well as your personal reactions and responses. Hospitable, confidential, and grounded in biblical truth, spiritual direction is a ministry that helps you grow in prayer and live into your calling as a follower of Christ. Whether you seek a spiritual director during a specific season of your life or engage with one as part of your regular spiritual practices, spiritual direction is beneficial in many ways. It can connect you in relationship with: Someone with a perspective outside of your normal circles. Someone who reminds you of the basics-God's love, care and constancy through all of life's circumstances. Someone to stay awake with you on the road when you are spiritually weary. Someone who keeps the faith when yours feels weak. Someone to lift you before God while you struggle with issues that aren't solved quickly or easily. Someone to celebrate God's work of transformation with you and for you. Someone who values and loves you in Christ and enjoys giving you that gift in Jesus name.