Mornings with Jesus

I stare at the boxes of Christmas decorations waiting to be put away, the bare tree that will be taken from the house and thrown out back in our brush pile. It is the last day of 2022. It feels odd to be thinking about the beginning of a new year whi

MY HUSBAND AND I ARE happily married, but the “happy” part didn't happen automatically. Early in our marriage, I blurted out my emotions without considering their impact. I was quick to judge his actions while making excuses for my own behavior. I wo

AS MY SOON-TO-BE TWENTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER and I Waited in the checkout line, I scanned the merchandise displays for impulse purchases. A bright, green-striped beach bag caught my attention. It would be perfect for our upcoming family vacation. Th

ONE OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS is when I see my little children climbing onto my husband's lap or snuggling by his side. Even though my youngest kids are ten and eleven years old, they want to sit near him, especially during family movie night. They like

PICNICS AND FIREWORKS, MOSQUITO and the scent of sunscreen—all conjure the memory of July 4th gatherings. I'm so grateful for the freedom I enjoy in my country. Liberty is a treasure worth celebrating with noisy fireworks and rousing marches from a l

ENGINE TROUBLE ON OUR SAILBOAT caused unexpected delays. My husband and I arrived at the mouth of the Fraser River as the wind was calm and the sun was setting. At dusk, we motored upriver. It was nearly impossible to see hazards in the water, but we

GOOD MORNING FROM THE BRONOX! Hello from Birmingham, Alabama! Praise Godfrom Houston! Greetings from Dubai! People from around the world dial in to my church's daily 7 a.m. prayer call. Monday through Friday, I hear familiar voices joyfully bidding e

MY SON AND I WANTED to catch a movie at our town's waterfront park. At the end of a busy day, we ran late, and all the nearby parking spots were taken. When Isaac, who has Down syndrome, gets tired or loses patience, he'll dig in his heels and go no

FOR MY DAUGHTER JOCELYN'S TENTH birthday, I bought her a cottoncandy machine and several different flavors of floss sugar. Ever since, she's been making cotton candy as often as she can. It's mesmerizing to watch the colored sugar slowly melt and the

Sometimes Jesus speaks through curious circumstances or people. I shouldn't be surprised. Throughout the Bible, animals or objects became instruments for communicating important truths. A talking donkey, for instance (Numbers 22:28). While watching a

I TURN THE RADIO ON when I'm working in the kitchen, mostly for company. I don't usually listen intently, but my ears perked up when I heard the question posed by a honey-voiced announcer: “Who have you disappointed today?” Being slightly compulsive,

I HAVE A JEWELRY ARMOIRE with a full-length mirrored front. It's made to hang on a wall, but it hasn't been mounted yet because there's always something more immediate on the to-do list. For now it sits on the closet floor. Recently, I found a solid-

I HOISTED A FULL LAUNDRY basket onto my hip and walked downstairs. While I matched socks and wrestled with fitted sheets, my children tackled their own chores. I was pleasantly surprised to see my two youngest working together nicely in the kitchen.

AFTYER ENDURING A PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT spring, a friend suggested I focus on a summer of praise. Instead of asking Jesus for something or thanking Him for blessings, she encouraged me to look for and honor His attributes in nature. Before I went fo

MY SON, WILL, RECENTLY GRADUATED from high school. It was a glorious day. “Pomp and Circumstance” played through the loudspeakers. The graduates filed past us, two by two. Our family cheered for Will as he walked by. But he didn't acknowledge us. He

AS A CHILD, MILK MADE me gag, so I drank as little as possible. When I grew up, I cut it entirely from my diet. That's why I wasn't completely surprised by the unfavorable results of my bone density test. I assumed Dr. Schuster would tell me I had to

OUR TEENAGE GRANDDAUGHTHER, GRACE, CLEANS our house to earn extra spending money. But when I correct her or show her how I want something done, she responds with grimaces and loud sighs. “Oh, all right,” she says. Although she complies, her reluctant

WITHOUT REALIZING WHAT SHE WAS saying, a toddler interrupted my prayer time with a friend. “Stop talking to Jesus!” Yes, the child's need for a frozen treat was strong, but it's highly unlikely she had any concept of the weight or rudeness or ridicul

MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER, RANDI, RECENTLY graduated from college and moved into her first apartment. As I sorted through the belongings she left behind, I found one of her favorite childhood books. During Randi's senior year of high school, she was invit

A FRIEND AND I WERE deeply engaged in conversation when she attempted to knock on wood. The only trouble was, we stood in front of our hundred-year-old church, which was built out of handhewn stone. It's funny how this ancient superstition of touchin

WHEN THE TWO BLIND MEN heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out to Him for help. The crowd grew angry and tried to silence them. But the men refused to be intimidated. Jesus stopped and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” The men answe

I ANSWERED MY PHONE THAT first day of Isaac's summer camp. My son's counselor told me that Isaac, who has Down syndrome, didn't want to join the group and was refusing to budge. Isaac went to the camp last year and liked it. Maybe he was being slow t

AS A BEEKEEPER, I'M FASCINATED by bees. Each is a separate organism but is a member of the hive, which itself resembles an organism. The bees’ changing roles parallel human development: first as larva, fed by others; then workers, advancing through t

MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE enjoyed a growing friendship with a couple who live on a sailboat, like we do. When they leave the dock, they're usually gone for at least two weeks. Knowing from experience that boating can prove both pleasurable and miserable,

AFTER WEEKS OF RESEARCH, I found the perfect spray to refresh my hair. I loved the sheen and moisture the hairspray gave my curls. But moments after using it, I felt stinging and saw burns and discoloration on my ears and forehead. Instead of discard

AFTER FORTY-PLUS YEARS OF MARRIAGE, I'm finally starting to understand that when my husband explains something to me in great detail, he isn't implying I'm stupid. Kevin is a pastor with the gift of teaching. He loves to impart knowledge. Period. His

THE WEEK HAD FELT a month long: too much work, projects that I couldn't finish, and flare-ups of health problems. And just when my husband and I were making headway with a financial goal, our furnace broke down and needed replacing. When Sunday rolle

ONCE A MONTH, MY FRIEND Christa and I meet in downtown Boise. We grab coffee and gluten-free donuts and talk as we walk down the tree-shaded greenbelt along the Boise River. The coffee is delightful, the donuts are delicious, the walk is idyllic, but

I LAUGHED OUT LOUD FROM inside the public bathroom stall. Here's why: A sign affixed to the stall door read: “Don't flush paper towels, sanitary products, or your dreams down the toilet.” I felt validated and uplifted by finding important advice in a

GOING FOR WALKS IS AN easy way for me to get some exercise. Before I head out the door, I gather my keys, phone, and identification. I don't map out a route; I just go where the spirit leads me. Although I'm walking in our neighborhood, my husband le

DURING LUNCH WITH SEVERAL LADIES, my friend Mischelle passed around a few books she'd finished reading. I flipped through a small gift book called The Red Sea Rules: 10 God-Given Strategies for Difficult Times by Robert Morgan and then put it back on

MY TWO-YEAR-OLD GRANDDAUGHTER, AMELIA, AND her parents recently came to stay with us. My daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter live out of the country, so I was able to share a lot of new foods with Amelia. We discovered she loves yogurt-covered ra

I EAT MY BREAKFAST STRAIGHT from the tree outside the back door, savoring sweet, succulent fruit until I've had my fill. Thinking I'd planted an ornamental shade tree, I was surprised when it turned out to be a fruiting mulberry tree. Had I known, I

I WAS ALMOST DONE WITH a sewing project when I realized I had sewn an entire seam, and it didn't hold because the bobbin thread had run out. I stopped everything, rewound the bobbin with fresh thread, and began sewing again. It reminded me of when I

THIS MORNING WHEN I TURNED on the news, there was a hurricane approaching the East Coast, massive forest fires in California, earthquakes, shark attacks, and epidemics. I clicked off the television thinking the world had become like all the worst dis

MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER AND HER husband hung two bird feeders in their yard. Small birds like wrens, finches, and sparrows visited daily. Crows came, too, and tried to reach the seeds with their beaks, but they were too large. As I visited her one day,

I AM VERY CLOSE TO my younger sister, Andrea. We are good friends, and we often joke that we were forced to be this way. Mom didn't allow us to argue as children, and she always stopped put-downs or unkind remarks—even when it was clear we were kiddi

I BOUGHT A PLASTIC STORAGE bench with “some assembly required.” My older son, Pierce, is fourteen, and I'm always looking for him to learn new skills. I briefly reviewed the instructions with him and a buddy, gave them the necessary tools, and steppe

MY HUGE FEMALE CAT, POKEY, loves to sit in my lap while I watch TV. She curls her extra-large body with practiced precision. Rarely is there more than a stray foot hanging off my lap, until Dr. Phibes shows up. We inherited Dr. Phibes—named for a sci

I WAS RAISED TO BE exceptionally courteous in my interactions with others. My mother instilled the importance of saying “please” and “thank you,” thinking of others before myself, and performing simple gestures, like greeting people. It was a wonderf

TWO BEAUTIFUL CHINESE HIBISCUS PLANTS are displaying all their glory on our deck this summer. Their bright yellow flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. My husband, Hal, and I enjoy watching the pollinators dart among the blooms. But wh

I've developed this habit of waving hello to people the minute I turn off the main road in my town and head for home. Even though I'm not in my neighborhood yet, I smile broadly and raise my hand off the steering wheel to greet couples (who are stran

This is the first year I've ever planted a vegetable garden. It's been a season of high excitement watching tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, onions, bush beans, snap peas, herbs, watermelons, blueberries, and squash grow. It has taken everything a while.

AFTER ENJOYING A WEEKEND AT THE COAST, my husband and I headed home. As I drove along the highway, we spotted a large roadside sign. Its words read, “Life is a shipwreck. Sing in the lifeboat.” We exchanged a glance and smiled, reflecting on the prev

RIGHT ON TIME, I CONGRATULATED myself as I pulled into the parking lot for my yoga class. As I left my car, an SUV wheeled in beside me. A distressed-looking woman called, “I'm lost! Can you help me?” I'd be late to class, but how could I not help he

HOW DOES THE GRACE OF Jesus show up in death and dying? The tragic loss of a friend's brother—young, vibrant, a living testimony to the love of Jesus—has me pondering that question. I trust Jesus, so I know He cares. Jesus was not unaware of the mome

We're having an exterior painting project done this summer. I'd been doing a little project of my own, and because I'd procrastinated I didn't want to bother Jesus about it, even though I could really use His help. It was a hot day, so I had the idea

ONE NIGHT, DURING A VACATION with other couples, we played a foosball tournament. We giggled like kids as we clumsily twisted the metal rods affixed with soccer-like players, “kicking” a little ball back and forth, trying to score or block goals. It

MY NEIGHBOUR DESCRIBES MY FLOWER beds as an English cottage garden. That's a nice way of saying my flora is out of control. Overgrown mounds of green sprout colorful lilies and irises. Purple phlox crowd the sidewalk. Morning glories creep up the fro

I WAITED UNTIL THE LAST minute to send a final reminder to a business colleague. She'd always been prompt in returning assignments; I knew she had the deadline on her calendar. When I finally emailed again, she responded that she'd turned in her subm

“WOULD YOU MIND MOVING TO that seat across the table, Jeanette?” my coauthor, Beth, said. We were the keynote speakers at a women's retreat. Two of Beth's childhood friends had come to hear her message. “Oh, sure, no problem,” I chirped, and bounded

RECENTLY TWO OF MY DAUGHTERS moved up from elementary school to middle school, and our church didn't have a Sunday school class for their age group. As I heard about the need for a teacher, something stirred within my heart. Should this be something

“I'd hate to be out in that!” The storm hit suddenly on this super-heated summer night. From the comfort of our family room, I'm watching it rage. Trees whip in the wind. The roll of thunder seems unending. Rain pelts our metal roof with the fiercene

MY SISTER ERICA AND HER husband came to visit us last summer. Erica has an online reselling business that she is constantly curating for. This means hitting thrift shops and secondhand stores on a regular basis. While she was here, we went to a coupl

“MOM, WHY DON'T YOU THROW that old thing away? It's a hundred years old!” My daughter Brooke glared at the electric can opener as it struggled with a can of pie filling. It stopped and started, spewing lemon filling in my eye, making a scary grinding

IT'S ZUCCHINI SEASON IN MY backyard garden again. Although I plant a big mix of fruits and veggies, it seems that my zucchini is the one plant that the local squirrels and rabbits ignore. The tricky thing about zucchini is that I can check the plant

AFTER MY HUSBAND surprised me with a new watch, I used a gift card to order some extra bands in various colors. One band quickly became my favorite. It was black mesh with a strong magnetic clasp. I started wearing it daily. One evening, while eating

I RECENTLY READ AN ARTICLE about how common prenuptial agreements have become in recent years. Most are geared toward the protection of individual assets in the event of divorce. Marriage counselors often advise couples to avoid the word divorce duri

THE PANDEMIC WAS TRAUMATIC. MANY people died and many more became sick. Often, people had to find different ways to do their jobs, or some reorganized their households so they could work from home. Not being able to see loved ones and hug them in per

MY OLDEST DAUGHTER, STEPHANIE, LIVES in Washington state. We typically see her and her husband three or four times a year. During the pandemic, the border between Canada and the United States closed, so we were unable to visit in person. During that

MY HUSBAND, JOHN, HAS BEEN in sales for decades. As a new employee, his boss taught him that each customer fell into one of four personality types: Analytic, Aggressive, Amiable, or Expressive. His boss said that a good salesperson provided great cus

THE MINISTERS’ WIVES AT MY church get together once a quarter for an evening of fun, fellowship, and prayer. At our most recent gathering, our girls’ minister, Shelby, led us in a prayer exercise that was especially memorable. First, she told us to t

I'M CRAVING SOMETHING SWEET. THANKFULLY, I remember the delicious handmade chocolate bar that a couple of coworkers had recently given me for my birthday. I'd only eaten part of it and went to retrieve it from the kitchen table where I'd last seen it