Mornings with Jesus

Every year I get excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas. As soon as I pull out my fall and Thanksgiving decorations, the vibe in my house changes. The fragrance of holiday candles fills the air as I plan get-togethers with friends, cook up a frenzy,

THE BUMP ON MY JAWLINE was starting to swell. I'd had problems with it several years ago, but this time was different. The painful protrusion was nearly the size of a golf ball. It started to affect my sleep and movements. I applied hot compresses to

I'M A LIFELONG “GOOD GIRL.” I like following the rules and doing sensible things, but recently I've been experimenting with badness. Now, now, don't worry. I'm not doing anything despicable or dangerous. I'm just being mindful of not being so painful

I SCROLLED THROUGH MY FACEBOOK feed and stopped on an image that took my breath away. My friend Ron stood in front of a stranger. Head bowed, Ron had a stethoscope in his ears. One hand was on the stranger's shoulder. His other hand held the bell of

ALL FOUR OF MY GRANDCHILDREN have some variation of brown eyes, but Roman's eyes are the darkest. Around age four, he would gaze in my face each time I visited and say, “Nana, I wish I had blue eyes like you and Mom, ’cause blue eyes are better.” I a

WRITING MATERIALS FOR WOMEN'S BIBLE studies has grown my faith and deepened my understanding of who Jesus is. Before and during the writing process, I immersed myself in research using the Word of God and recommended Bible study tools. Without fail,

ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS, Jess, has been homeschooling her son since he was in the first grade. She felt it was God's will to enroll him in a private high school to make the transition to college easier. He was recently accepted to several schools for

TODAY AS I PICKED GREEN beans from our backyard garden, I started to giggle, remembering my first attempt at gardening. After years of apartment living, my husband and I were thrilled to have a big backyard. We'd planted a variety of vegetables, and

IF YOU WERE TO STOP by my house today, you'd notice two things. First, the washing machine is running (with a large family, it always is). Second, I struggle with being compassionate to myself in the middle of the mess. I'm critical of myself when I

MY FRIEND RAINA, WHO WORKS for a college ministry, told me a simple illustration she uses to explain grace to college students. She described how her daughter, Ellie, had snuck some of her younger brother's candy from trick-or-treating the night befo

MY FATHER EMERGED FROM HIS closet with a jewelry box and set it on the table in front of my siblings and me. “This belonged to your mother,” he said. “Go through it and take whatever you want.” We opened the box and peered inside to find an assortmen

LIKE MANY OTHERS, TODAY I will visit cemeteries, placing flowers and flags at the graves of those selfless soldiers who gave their lives defending our American ideals. They represent the best of the best, a human almanac of something bigger, somethin

MY HUSBAND, SCOTT, AND I do things differently. I'm a morning person. He's a night owl. I like my coffee with a little milk and no sugar. His looks like melted ice cream in a coffee cup. I'm a pickup-everything-in-the-house-straighten-every-room type

MY CALENDAR BELONGS TO JESUS. By that, I mean I regularly invite Him to remove any activity or assignment I've planned apart from His approval, add whatever He wishes, and rearrange my schedule to accomplish His purposes. While living with our younge

“YOU NEED TO REST.” My friend's emphatic words left little room for argument. “You're still doing too much. It's okay to just be.” I liked the idea of sitting and reading or watching TV. Even taking a nap and shutting the world off. But I always felt

LAST WEEK WE COVERED A lot of miles. I had a follow-up medical appointment three states away. My husband, Mike, and I drove farther and faster than ever before to complete the trip in four days. Yes, we were road-weary, but otherwise, this trip was a

I WASN'T BORN WITH THE “love to clean house” gene. So when a friend showed me her robotic vacuum that nearly ran itself, I convinced my husband we needed one. I love to watch this miracle gadget spin over floors and carpets. It inhales all the dirt i

A TREASURED FRIEND, WHO IS now a resident of heaven, used this signature line on all her emails: “Have a happy day. The Son is shining!” So many people connected it with the authenticity of the way she lived her faith that the phrase was part of her

I'VE BEEN DRIVING SINCE I was sixteen, and I consider myself a good driver. I'm not aggressive, but I'm cautious and have good reason. The memory of my daughter Melissa's accident when she turned left against the traffic is forever emblazoned in my m

AFTER HIKING FOR A FEW days with some friends, I stepped up a small stair leading to our front door and my knee painfully popped. I went in for an MRI, convinced I had a piece of cartilage floating around in my kneecap, but I was wrong. I had arthrit

RECENTLY, MY FAMILY AND I drove to a funeral. The 1,540-mile drive was mostly uneventful, although it was not without heart-pounding moments. We maneuvered around a ladder in the roadway, swerved around several blown tires, and avoided speedy eightee

MY COUSIN, SAM, TOLD ME he and his daughter were researching the family to learn more about their heritage. Sam and I share maternal grandparents. We know the stories of how Madear and Papa met in Mississippi as children, got married as teenagers, an

IT'S LAUGHABLE HOW MY HUSBAND and I keep checking the front porch to see if a package we're expecting has been delivered yet. In anticipation of its arrival, first one of us, then the other, peeks out the front door. Repeatedly. We act like a couple

MY SON PIERCE JUST STARTED attending a respected Christian high school, well-known for athletics. He's a solid basketball player and highly motivated, but like me, Pierce can sometimes get in his head and overthink situations. At a recent game, he to

HAGAR WAS A TEENAGE EGYPTIAN slave who served a rich man's wife named Sarai. Sarai was desperate for a child in her old age, so she did something that was culturally acceptable—she arranged for her husband, Abram, to sleep with Hagar. If that union c

MY PANDEMIC YEAR AS A non-career high school teacher vividly reminded me: Boundaries are loving, not punitive, selfish, or mean. I was hired to teach English during the historic 2020–2021 school year. After months of isolation, a string of teachers,

WHEN WE MOVED, SEVERAL FRIENDS brought orchids as housewarming gifts. These stunning flowers adorned our kitchen windowsill for a couple of months until the blooms dropped off, leaving decaying twigs. Knowing nothing about orchids, I assumed they wer

I TOSSED AND TURNED AT night, mentally writing an email to a family member with whom I'd had a conflict. My words would explain my position, ease the tension, and all would be well. At least that was what I told myself. The next morning, I opened my

“IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT YOU!” I've seen that phrase used a lot lately: the title of an article in a psychology magazine, a piece in a business periodical, editorial and opinion articles in more than one major newspaper, and also a pop song. In our age of

THIS PAST WEEK, I'VE BINGE-PLAYED my old vinyl records, dancing as I prepare meals, enjoying the reminders of younger years. My favorite band is the Beach Boys. I belt out their lyrics and ace the harmonies. Why? Because no matter how many years pass

WE'D JUST SPENT MANY LONG hours traveling from New Hampshire to Wyoming with the goal of enjoying the magnificent scenery of the Cowboy State. Yet, my husband's eyes were glued to the road as he drove around the windy curves of the Teton mountain ran

I HAVE A LONG-RUNNING OBSESSION with Handel's Messiah. Each year after Thanksgiving, I find out where I can catch a performance of the Christmas classic. I usually gather some friends for a free Messiah sing-along at a local church. Sometimes, we get

I WAS PRESENTING A WORKSHOP at a small facility without technology, so I packed my laptop and portable projector. In a moment of brilliance, I grabbed an extension cord. Good thing, because the electrical outlet was several feet from the presentation

TODAY I CORRECTED A THIRTY-YEAR-OLD error. While sorting my craft room post-move, I found a tatted collar I'd never finished (think Ruth Bader Ginsburg's lace embellishment to her judicial robes). I'd made a join in the wrong place on the third and l

“OUR HOPE SIGN IS GONE!” my husband exclaimed with a furrowed brow. “It was there when I left for work this morning, and now it's not. You didn't move it, did you?” “That can't be,” I muttered and went outside. Sure enough, our Christmas decorations

RECENTLY, OUR CHURCH MUSIC DIRECTOR invited me to help with the Christmas program. My pulse quickened. It was a project I would have loved to be involved with. But before saying yes, I took time to pray. As I laid this opportunity before Jesus, He re

I'M A DETAIL PERSON. I enjoy the feeling of satisfaction when every little thing is done with precision. Oftentimes, I focus my attention on the trivial instead of on what's important, and I tend to miss the big picture. I pour my time and energy int

QUESTION: WHAT DO ZACCHAEUS AND the woman with the bleeding disorder have in common? They both got more of Jesus than they bargained for. Curious Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore tree just to get a glimpse of Jesus as He passed by. Jesus called to him an

I CAREFULLY ARRANGED THE TOY nativity set on my hearth—stable, angel, donkey, camel, wise men, cow, sheep, Mary, Joseph … “Baby Jesus is missing!” I exclaimed. Yes, the piece that depicted Baby Jesus in a manger was glaringly absent from my display.

FOR MY BIRTHDAY IN NOVEMBER, my husband bought me a vinyl copy of Nat King Cole's Christmas album, The Christmas Song. My mom loved that record. She used to play it on our console record player each Christmas when I was a kid. The music brought back

WE LIVE ON THE HIGH Plains of Wyoming, but I can see the faded outline of Nebraska's bluffs from my kitchen window. I'm not sure how far away they are, but one rainy day I passed by the window and my breath caught. Those bluffs that had always been i

DURING THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON, ONE word has landed on my heart and become the theme of my preparation and celebrating. It's not what you'd expect. I've never seen it on ornaments, Christmas napkins, or wreath banners. It's not joy, hope, noel, or peac

WITHIN THE SPACE OF TWO weeks, one of my family members was diagnosed with cancer and three friends died suddenly. The barrage of bad news filled me with grief, but it also reawakened my awareness of, and appreciation for, the good news of Jesus Chri

THIS PAST WEEKEND, MY FRIEND Natalie and I delivered baby presents, diapers, and a stroller to an expectant refugee mom here in Boise through our ministry partnership. One of the great joys of giving those gifts is seeing the looks of wonder and grat

EVERY YEAR, I'M ALWAYS AMAZED by the news stories I read and hear about the massive light displays people put up for the holidays. Homes outlined with thousands of colorful, flashing bulbs, sometimes synchronized to music, could easily give the brigh

NOTHING SAYS CHRISTMAS LIKE FRUITCAKE, right? People either love it or hate it. I didn't care much for it when my childhood neighbor Augie offered me a piece. I visited him at his care facility and he cut me a slab. I might have fudged a little when

WHEN MY CHILDREN WERE YOUNG, my mom went all out at Christmas. She arrived at our doorstep with boxes full of gifts for her grandchildren. Sometimes she'd number the presents so the biggest and best one was the last to be opened. Our living room fill

WHEN I STARTED working in the NICU, I learned that critically ill babies couldn't eat by mouth. Their digestive systems were immature, and, because of the risk of life-threatening complications, they were fed intravenously. Back then, we met most of

WHEN I WAS A CHILD, my grandfather built a Ferris wheel in his backyard for my cousins and me to enjoy when we visited. Soon after, my father used his carpentry skills to build a swing set for our yard and a toy kitchen for our playroom. Even now, th

“HOW MANY CHARACTERS CAN I have on a personalized license plate?” I asked the clerk. “A maximum of seven,” she said. “When you choose a phrase, go to the alabama.gov website, and see if it's available.” I played with combinations of letters, numbers,

MY OLDEST SON, MAT, was five months old when he commando-crawled for the first time. We'd put up the Christmas tree, hanging breakables on the low branches, laughing to think this would be the last time, for a long time, they'd be out of reach. Mat w

HARDLY ANYONE SPINS ANYMORE. If you look up “spinning” online, exercise bikes and fishing equipment come up in the search. I'm a hand spinner. I make yarn from fiber, both animal and vegetable. I have a spinning wheel, but most often, I spin using a

I WATCHED A RECENTLY GRADUATED nurse coach a young mother who was learning to breastfeed her newborn. An older colleague criticized the nurse for her newfangled techniques and the young mother who couldn't get the hang of it. That longtime nurse was

I'VE ATTENDED THOUSANDS OF BIRTHS in my nursing career. During my time as a neonatal nurse practitioner, I arrived for high-risk deliveries ahead of time to check equipment and discuss plans with the team. Sometimes, we were called to Labor & Deliver

GOD SENT HIS SON TO die for us. That is love. It's the last Sunday of Advent and today's fourth candle stands for love. I can't understand the kind of love that would do that. Myself? I believe I could lay down my life for my child, partly because of

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN SURPRISED with a Christmas gift when you didn't have one for the giver? When it happens to me, my first impulse is to think fast and try to save face by presenting a gift too. I don't know who I think I'm fooling. I'm sure my facia

ON THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS last year, my husband and I caravanned with our daughter and grandkids across several states to spend a week at their house. On the way, my daughter, Holly, announced she planned to listen to all the Christmas music and wat

LIKE MOST YOUNG WOMEN, I had an idyllic view of what married life would be like. We'd buy a home with a picket fence, have two or three kids, and immerse ourselves in a stable community that would nurture us for decades. Instead, however, my life has

I LOOKED AT THE GIFTS I'd unwrapped, and smiled. My loved ones had given me an exquisite piece of jewelry reflecting my faith, a book, a cat puzzle, and a cozy blanket. More than the joy the presents would bring me in the future, I relished how well

OUR NAVIGATION APP DIRECTED my husband and me through unfamiliar parts of St. Louis. “Turn left at the light,” the automated voice commanded. The signal was green, traffic was moving, but we weren't in the turning lane. With a few quick maneuvers, Ru

THERE IS A DEFINITE HUNGER among ladies for authentic, loving, and encouraging relationships. That's why I'm so excited for Sister Table to begin this fall … It was the last day to sign up, so I decided to read the email one more time before deleting

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THIS PAST YEAR, I RECONNECTED on the phone with my friend Missy from college. We spent most of our conversation laughing, then Missy began to share all that Jesus was doing in her life. In college, we had both taken multiple mission trips. She wanted

Our mission is to inspire people to believe anything is possible with faith, hope, and prayer. Printed and bound in the United States of America. Contributors: Becky Alexander, Susanna Foth Aughtmon, Jeannie Blackmer, Isabella Campolattaro, Pat Butle