Mornings with Jesus

1 min. di lettura

I COMMITTED A RIDICULOUS SIN the other day. Not unpardonable, but falling into the “What were you thinking?” category. I gave Jesus counsel. A problem confronted my family. One that seemed closer to impossible than merely perplexing. In prayer, I sug

The Christian Science Monitor

3 min. di lettura

Sometimes the prospects for finding a job can look bleak. But under God’s guidance we can discover, nurture, and express our God-given talents in ways that benefit others as well as ourselves.

Mornings with Jesus

1 min. di lettura

“MAKE A U-TURN AND CONTINUE to the route,” my husband’s smartphone insisted. The GPS was angry with us because we’d pulled off the freeway to get gas. We appreciate the electronic map, but often our GPS misses the point. To reach our destination, we

Mornings with Jesus

1 min. di lettura

AT AN AUTHOR FRIEND’S BOOK signing in a library, I sat in one of the side chairs and observed her interactions with the crowd. In deference to the public library setting, my friend didn’t try to turn the event into a preaching opportunity. She talked

Mornings with Jesus

1 min. di lettura

Isaiah 12:2 (NLT) I HADN’T RECOGNIZED MY LOVE for and dependence upon a predictable, daily routine until I lost it. For two years prior, I’d habitually risen at 5:00 a.m., spent an hour at the gym, returned home to enjoy my quiet time with Jesus, a

True Love

3 min. di lettura

The Bible says Jesus was tired. Have you ever been tired? I don’t mean just exhausted. You know the kind that sleep can’t fix, where you wake up drained? Recently, I’d wake up weary after a full night’s sleep. I began to wonder how a person who had s

Mornings with Jesus

1 min. di lettura

MOUTHS PARCHED, STUMBLING FROM HEAT and exhaustion, both kings floundered in the wilderness with their armies. What started as a bold campaign to reclaim Moab’s tax now looked grim. Because of their roundabout route, the kings ran into a problem: no

JOY Magazine

3 min. di lettura

Just imagine: Your child is kidnapped and recruited for a terrorist group. Or, you are a newlywed woman and your husband tells you that he is joining the military to fight a rebel group and you will not hear from him for months on end. These sound li

Mornings with Jesus

1 min. di lettura

MY HUSBAND FILLS OUT OUR tax forms each year with organized files of receipts and computer spreadsheets. I try to stay involved, but my head throbs on the first page: subparagraphs; special exclusions; rules, and more rules. According to some sources

SFX

1 min. di lettura

RELEASED OUT NOW! Publisher Image Comics Writer Mark Millar Artist Peter Gross ISSUES 1-3 The first volume of Millar and Gross’s American Jesus (originally titled Chosen) came out way back in 2004. The three-issue series followed the teenage years of

Mornings with Jesus

1 min. di lettura

SHE ENTERED THE ROOM, WAVING. Her personality grated on my nerves. I didn’t like her and had no plans to love her. Sitting down beside me, she smiled. “Can we talk? I trust you.” She wanted to talk to me? Jesus’s words slammed into my thoughts, hitti

Mornings with Jesus

1 min. di lettura

“THE CLOCK WILL START WHEN I leave the room. You’ll have one hour to escape,” the game guide told us. I looked around at our group and the elaborate set and props surrounding us, my heart beating fast. Our youngest daughter worked at this new facilit

JOY Magazine

1 min. di lettura

An animated video outreach called The Bible Project has been successfully reaching millions of people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ on YouTube. “We want people to experience the Bible as the unified story that leads to Jesus, a big meta-narrative t

Chicago Tribune

3 min. di lettura

Sister Stephanie Baliga no longer runs for herself, but for her community and for God. So she was undeterred as the predawn thunderstorm rolled in. The thunder roared, the sky flashed a bright blue and the obliquely falling rain whipped across her gl

Mornings with Jesus

1 min. di lettura

IT’S SOMETHING A PARENT PRAYS for. My husband, John, and I dropped off our daughter, Leslie, at camp when she was fourteen years old, and when we picked her up she was different. The messages and worship times at camp truly made a difference deep ins

JOY Magazine

2 min. di lettura

Something out of the norm happened on Saturday 28th September 2019. It was a beautiful day in the heart of Mitchells Plain, where Maureen and her husband Stephen live. Maureen had suffered excruciating pain in all her joints, bones, and in her spine

Mornings with Jesus

1 min. di lettura

THE MINUTE THE SPEAKER FINISHED her talk I bolted to find my place in the line of women who wanted to speak to her. She spoke on knowing our purpose and being assured we’re doing what Jesus has called us to do. When it was my turn to whisper my confu

Mornings with Jesus

1 min. di lettura

I STARED OUT THE WINDOW as my friend drove me home from cataract surgery, amazed at how easily I read words and numbers on signs that had looked blurry just hours earlier. Later, I gazed out my kitchen window, shocked at how sharp and clear the outli

Mornings with Jesus

1 min. di lettura

MY DISCOMFORT IN LIFE IS magnified when I think that I shouldn’t have certain struggles because I’m a Christian. An unexpected household expense sends me reeling with financial anxiety. My husband’s grumpiness triggers the martyr in me. I scream at m

JOY Magazine

2 min. di lettura

Janine and I were so blessed to recently spend time with our eldest son and his family in Australia. We were spoilt rotten, and were able to experience some bucket list moments with them – flying to Port Douglas, snorkelling down the Great Barrier Re

Mornings with Jesus

1 min. di lettura

NO ONE LIKES REJECTION. UNFORTUNATELY, it’s a part of life. Diligent employees get passed over for promotions. Husbands leave loyal wives. The list goes on. In high school, I was never good at team sports. So gym was my least favorite subject—especia

Mornings with Jesus

1 min. di lettura

AS A NOVELIST, I HAVE several trusted critique partners who pore over my manuscripts. They suggest places I need more description, flag areas where the pace lags, or let me know when a character’s motivation isn’t fully developed. They also turn thei

Mornings with Jesus

1 min. di lettura

OUR CHURCH HAS A COMFORT dog, Gideon, who visits shut-ins and others who need a lift. This morning Gideon helped teach the children’s message and demonstrated how well he obeys. His example showed me three truths that I can apply to following Jesus.

Mornings with Jesus

1 min. di lettura

I WOKE UP EXCITED FOR a writers’ retreat I was hosting. Then I checked my emails. “Sorry, something came up.” “Can’t make it.” Several people canceled for valid reasons, but I still felt deflated. I prayed for Jesus to fix my attitude. The story of t

Mornings with Jesus

1 min. di lettura

THE IDEA DIDN’T ORIGINATE WITH him, but actor Matthew McConaughey’s perspective on joy was refreshing to discover on a YouTube video. He nailed it when he said that happiness is a response to what’s happening to and around us, but joy comes from with

JOY Magazine

3 min. di lettura

The final stage of CfaN’s Evangelism Bootcamp this year was the graduates’ Initiation Trip to Tanzania, where they spent a minimum of 3 weeks in constant ministry, doing outreaches in every possible location. They also joined in the efforts of our ca

Mornings with Jesus

1 min. di lettura

MY HUSBAND, GENE, AND I train and lead short-term ministry teams to Eastern Europe, where we host evangelistic family camps. As part of our morning routine, we break into small groups to discuss a Bible lesson based on the parables of Jesus. Team mem

Mornings with Jesus

1 min. di lettura

AS I SIT HERE WRITING, my son, Isaac, is singing the soundtrack from Frozen at the top of his lungs. He brings truly immeasurable and uniquely delivered love and joy to me, my family, and many others. Yet, when he was born with Down syndrome just aft

Mornings with Jesus

1 min. di lettura

THERE ARE DAYS THAT MY students frustrate me mightily. They can’t answer questions about material we’ve covered for several weeks or worse, they don’t do their assignments. They forget paper or pencils. They don’t write their names on their papers. T

Mornings with Jesus

1 min. di lettura

LIVING A “FISHBOWL” LIFE AS both a pastor’s daughter and a minister’s wife may have contributed to my discomfort in the limelight. Or perhaps it was simply my temperament. Regardless, writing books ushered in new opportunities for speaking and new ch