Mornings with Jesus

September and October are months of great transition. Summer vacation is ending. A new school year is beginning. The leaves are changing color. In the midst of all this change is a powerful reminder from Hebrews 13:8 (NIV) that Jesus is our constant—

ON A RECENT SURVIVAL-TYPE TELEVISION show where contestants are completely and utterly alone in a hostile environment, one contestant woke to find his small shelter surrounded by wolves. The animals came within 3 yards of the man. By my estimate, tha

A LONG, NARROW ROAD RUNS through my town. It’s a mountain railway that carries eighteen trains a day. Living in a historic railroad town is nostalgic, with the lonesome call of train whistles, clanging bells, and the high-pitched sound of steel wheel

I GREW UP IN COLUMBIA, Maryland, a tidy, affluent suburb conceived by visionary developer James Rouse. A model of urban planning with everything carefully placed, Columbia had strictly enforced codes, too. You—d hear about lawns that hadn’t been mowe

THE NUMBER OF MISSIONARIES WITHIN our international nonprofit ministry is growing. That means God is doing a good work, and for that I’m excited and grateful. The gospel is spreading, more disciples are being made, and more people are practicing gene

I WAS A SCHOOL MENTOR for several years. Once a week, I’d have lunch with an at-risk young girl and informally talk to her about academics, friendships, and dreams. I enjoyed it, and I think the girls did too. My second year, I was assigned a nine-ye

THE OTHER DAY ON TWITTER, I noticed someone posted, “I highly recommend loving Jesus.” It struck me as interesting, probably because it was one of the few things on there that was positive, sweet, and, at least in my feed, not controversial. I kept t

MANY YEARS AGO, I CHECHKED out a library book about God’s grace. After all this time, I still remember turning the page to read the writer’s assertion that the crucifixion was an accident and that Jesus did not need to die for our sins. I thought abo

MISS SOPHIE, AN ACTIVE MEMBER of my childhood church, was deaf. Her husband didn’t share her faith. She never had children of her own. But those things never stopped Miss Sophie from living a full and joyful life. Her secret? Motivated by love for Ch

RIDING MY BIKE EARLY THAT morning, I spotted him slowly making his way across the road. I knew he might not make it. Should I stop and help him? Ugh, no. I tolerated turtles at a distance, but I sure didn't want to touch one. Besides, he carried germ

I’VE COME TO REALIZE THAT it’s good to regularly rehearse the triumphs Jesus has orchestrated in my life. When bigger obstacles come, remembering past victories and rescues helps me overcome the new ones—just as David thought about the lion and bear

A FRIEND RECENTLY MOVED HERE to Minnesota from Hawaii— just in time for a record cold November. I asked if her family had enough winter clothes. “We're getting there,” she said. I joked about how hard it must be to endure our climate when her body is

WHEN I READ TODAY'S SCRIPTURE verse, it would be natural to think, Okay, how I can do something nice for a neighbor? (That’s a good start.) In fact, my husband, Andrew, and I bless a couple of widows in our neighborhood with gifts in their mailboxes

TWO OF MY COUSINS LIVE in economically depressed southern Italy. Jobs are scarce and corruption is rampant, a painful contrast to the areas physical beauty and warm people. My cousin Desiree lives in a two-bedroom apartment with her husband, two teen

THE UNMISTAKABLE SOUND OF CLAWS on metal interrupted my devotions. I stood up from the loveseat, flung my hands in the air, and whined, “Again?” My 18-pound cat, Wally, stood on the back porch, gazing up at me. His emerald eyes held an angelic look.

BEFORE I MARRIED A FOOTBALL Coach, I had no idea the game was such a science. In the early days of our marriage, when it was just us, I learned this by watching recordings with him, breaking it down play by play, and taking note of what each player d

DURING A WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY on the topic of spiritual gifts, we realized there’s one important spiritual work and ministry that is seldom acknowledged: the gift or ministry of showing up—of participation. We agreed that the ministry of showing up is

DURING MY YEARS OF SINGLENESS, I served in my church and stayed in fellowship with believers, but I still often felt alone and unloved. I was mopey and sad at times, and it was sometimes hard to worship Jesus. That empty seat next to me on Sunday mor

AFTER A LONG SEASON OF various struggles, I was spending a rare quiet morning in prayer. I was interrupted by the sound of a snare drum in the park across the street. I peered out the window and saw a few high school students gathering. More cars pul

WAITING PATIENTLY IS NOT a strength of mine, but I’m working on it. After our last dog passed away I wanted a new dog—soon. My husband, Zane, didn’t. I kept showing him adorable puppy photos and explaining why we should adopt a new dog. Finally, I co

MY HUSBAND, GENE, AND I live on a boat. Just for fun, we keep a list of items that have fallen overboard. The list includes three pairs of cheap reading glasses, a baseball cap, a screwdriver, and a winch handle. The latter disappeared while our boat

I BIT MY LIP AND clicked the attachment. My publisher had forwarded a journal review of my newest novel. A good review in a literary journal can open doors for libraries to order the book and bookstores to stock it. I squinted at the screen, scared t

I’M GLARING AT MY HAND weights. Bright orange 8-pound hand weights sit 3 feet away from me when I’m at my desk. Why am I glaring? They’ve been sitting in that same spot for months, and I am not one bit stronger than I was when I bought them. It’s too

CRYSTALS ARE A BIG DEAL in a town near my home. Crystal shops abound. As a self-avowed “rock puppy” with an appreciation for minerals and stones, I can understand the attraction. However, for some, the crystal allure is akin to a religion. These peop

MY BROTHER IS THE SUPERINTENDENT of schools for our little country district, and he deals with situations that seem impossible but must be dealt with anyway. Whatever the situation, he’s the one ultimately responsible for our kids. I’ve seen him with

LAST YEAR, MY FRIEND ANGIE was diagnosed with a fast-growing breast cancer. Practically overnight, she was undergoing very aggressive chemo, fighting for her life. This was especially troubling because she was just forty-four years old and had a twel

THIS MORNING, A PHONE CALL informed me that I owed a debt—a debt I didn’t know I had! I needed to get the necessary information so I could pay my debt. But before I could find out more, a ringing telephone jarred me from a deep sleep. I realized then

I USED TO BE AFRAID of the dark. When I was a girl in my parents’ house, I loved it when I went to bed and they were still up. I could hear the soft, muffled sound of the TV, and light from where my mom was grading papers would drift down the hall, l

I’D NEVER FELT SO ALONE. My husband, Jeff, was away in Dallas and floodwaters from a tropical storm were encroaching on our house. The power had gone out, and darkness engulfed me. When I wandered outside to see how much the water had risen, I spotte

THE OTHER DAY I WAS wrestling with a hard issue. I felt embarrassed for not being stronger, for not handling it well, for not knowing 100 percent what to do. I turned the problem over and over in my mind like a gemstone under a light, trying to see i

IN MARK I2:4I-44, JESUS WATCHED people drop money into the temple’s collection box. With so many rich people putting in large amounts, many bystanders would have failed to notice the poor, elderly widow who quietly slipped in two copper coins. But Je

I WAS STARTLED TO OVERHEAR a disgruntled volunteer in the church snap, saying, “I’m not just a warm body!” The remark surprised me, as I thought to myself, What’s wrong with being a warm body? I’m a warm body. Were all ’’just warm bodies” doing vario

WHEN MY FRIEND JACKIE BREATHED her last of almost ninety years’ worth of breaths, I lost a prayer partner like no other. I mourned not having my friend with me after forty years of friendship, serving in ministry side by side, sharing Jesus through t

MY HUSBAND, ZANE, AND I are opposites in many ways. He’s competitive and I’m not. I obsessively clean and he doesn’t mind clutter. I’m a planner and he’s spontaneous. Unfortunately, we’ve fallen into a trap of arguing with each other about ridiculous

MINNIE WAS A COWORKER IN a jobs program for disadvantaged youth. Minnie was hilarious, many times without even trying to be. Everyone in the office adored Minnie. One day Minnie came to work looking glum. When I asked her what was wrong, she said, “I

I STARTED A NEW JOB recently, one that I had prayed for while waiting for several years. A successful interview, as well as my education, previous work experience, and references all helped me snag the position, but I still felt I needed to prove my

MY HUSBAND, KEVIN, IS NOT only a pastor but also a composer. He began writing songs while attending college and has now composed over two thousand. When Kev wrote his first hundred songs during the eighties, every reference to Jesus was “He” or “The

A FEW DAYS AGO, THE darkness seemed suffocating as I lay blurry-eyed and sleepless. I felt as if I was choking on grief. Surely, all believers have been there—crying out in agony to the God of the universe, demanding some kind of explanation, despera

A WOMAN I’VE KNOWN FOR years struggles with mental health issues. This complicates our relationship. I’ve weathered numerous bouts of her hurtful accusations and behaviors. Recently she said I didn’t care about her and returned the unopened birthday

I CRINGE WHENEVER SOMEONE REMINISCES about being accidentally left behind at a restaurant or gas station on a childhood trip. Sure, they laugh about it now, but until recently I had no idea how it must have felt. I never dreamed it would happen to me

HIGHER ON A LADDER THAN was comfortable, I shouldered one end of a support beam while my husband, 9 feet away, shouldered the other end. We worked and sweated to hoist the beam into place overhead. No big deal. It was only going to hold up the entire

SOME MINISTRIES ARE ACCIDENTAL. WHENEVER I run into anyone from my old church, the comment is always the same: “We miss your laugh!” I never planned to have a “ministry of laughter.” It was an accident. I love humor and a good joke. I did wonder what

WHEN I PRAYED ABOUT MY “word of the year” last fall, Jesus’s voice in my heart was unmistakable: Simplify. I wasn’t upset by the prospect of decluttering. For years I’d wanted to make my environment—and my life—less complicated. But then the Lord sho

MY DAUGHTER GRACE IS STRONG, beautiful, brilliant, and kind. This year, she started college with a full scholarship and hopes to finish her undergraduate and law degrees in five years. She also started having night terrors. Her university allows her

RECENTLY, I WATCHED THE CROWN, a Netflix drama about the life of Queen Elizabeth II. She’s portrayed as a woman who suppresses her emotions, especially as she ages. I watched uncomfortably as I saw myself in her and wondered if this was due to my Eng

WHILE VISITING A ZOO, I passed a grandmother standing with her preteen granddaughter. She called the girl by name and said emphatically, “You are the greatest person in the world.” Her words startled me. Later, they made me more determined than ever

WHEN YOU HEAR RACCOONS FIGHTING, you don’t wonder, What’s that animal out there in the dark? Their distinct, whiny screech— a possessive “give-me-that” sound—is easily recognizable even if a person is tucked into bed two stories above the deck on whi

TWO-YEAR-OLD LUKE STUDIED THE OPEN Styrofoam container sitting before him at a fast-food restaurant. One half had held chicken nuggets, which he’d promptly devoured. The other half held a few straggling fries. Luke looked from one side to the other.

A TINY THROW PILLOW IN my house makes me smile every time I see it. It says, “You’re never fully dressed without cat hair.” So true, if you’re a cat lover. But what constitutes being fully dressed varies according to different camps of thought. The l

WE RECENTLY BOUGHT A NEW home and inherited a 90-gallon fish tank. I knew nothing about aquariums and didn’t have the desire to learn. It seemed like too much work. Within a few months, the water was murky, the live plants were overgrown, and algae c

I GOT SICK AT THE very beginning of the pandemic of 2020 and was urged to quarantine even though I didn’t meet the requirements for COVID-19 testing. Being in quarantine turned out to be an amazing gift. Shut away alone for two weeks, I spent more ti

MOVING ONTO A SAILBOAT MEANT purging almost all our earthly belongings. One exception was a box containing the letters my husband and I wrote to each other during our long-distance engagement and my collection of Mother’s Day and birthday cards from

ISN’T IT FRUSTRATING THAT WE can’t be God? What I wouldn’t give to snap my fingers and fix difficult situations! Sometimes I wish I could just be good enough and do enough to make it all better, to never make mistakes, and to heal all the hurts that

MY SON’S GIRLFRIEND WAS A recent contestant on a national singingcompetition TV show. Her schtick was that she’s always the opening act for bands doing gigs in the city where she lives. They dubbed her the Universal Opener. The opener paves the way a

MY MIDDLE SON, WILL, is prepping to get his driver’s license. After taking driver’s ed and completing behind-the-wheel training, he has taken on the open road, with either Scott or me in the passenger seat. He is very confident in his newly acquired

HOME, SWEET HOME. Perhaps you grew up in a sweet home. Maybe you did not. Nonetheless, today’s verse contains a concept of home that is perfect, and it’s not a place I ever leave because Jesus never leaves me. He promises that if I love Him, I’ll obe

MY FRIEND AND I HAD been invited to a reading event two hours from our homes. My friend came from the southern part of the state, and I drove from the west. The setting was everything you’d want in a reading event. A charming coffee shop with warm li

MY HUSBAND, JEFF, AND I had been working in the yard all day, and it was too late to start supper, so we decided to pick up burgers at a drive-through. When it was time to pay, the worker told us, “No charge. The people in front of you paid for your

THE NEW BATTERY IN MY daughter’s car kept draining, needing a jump start. An auto mechanic ran a diagnostic test, discovering a problematic AC reactor. Once the necessary part was ordered, it was an easy fix. When I’m emotionally drained, or haven’t

SPENDING TWO WEEKS WITH MY youngest granddaughter, Lexi, gave me an opportunity to know her better. During that time, I watched her learn several new skills. She graduated from taking two or three consecutive steps to walking six or eight. She learne

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