Indholdsfortegnelse for January/February 2025 i Mornings with Jesus

At the beginning of the year, many people—including many of our Mornings with Jesus writers—choose a word for the year to guide their spiritual walk. Their writing inspired me to do the same: to choose a word to focus on, maybe something that I need to bring into my life. When I went seeking, the word that came to me is dream. What a great word! A reminder to lift my head up and out of my everyday routine, set aside the piles of work that never seem to get any smaller, and let my imagination roam. To dream big, as they say, about the possibilities in all areas of my life. Do you like the idea of dreaming big? Feel free to borrow my word—or seek your own, if…

PACIFIC NORTHWEST WINTERS BRING GRAY, overcast skies. It’s a glorious day when the gloom gives way to sunshine and fluffy white clouds. The rare sight compels me to set aside my work and take advantage of the opportunity to soak up the sun’s rays. On one such day, I ambled along a path parallel to the Fraser River. Sunshine warmed my face and drew my gaze heavenward. I scanned the clouds set against a backdrop of blue and imagined a future day promised to be infinitely more glorious. The world’s turmoil prompts me to pray for Jesus to come soon, to shine His light across the earth and dispel the darkness and despair. But then I think of family and friends who have not yet chosen to believe the Gospel’s…

MY NEIGHBOR PAINTS HIMSELF BLUE and gold, dons a fuzzy blue wig, and proudly wears his St. Louis Blues jersey, matching kneehigh socks, and gold tennis shoes to every hockey game. When he drives to a rival city, his personalized license plate proclaims he is a Blues fan. He mows the team logo into his lawn, takes aerial photos with a drone, and posts his artwork on social media. Every conversation with him always comes back to his favorite team and their playoff chances. He is completely committed to the St. Louis Blues. I’m not a hockey fan, but I am Team Jesus. I wonder if people see Jesus all over my life as if I were a crazed fan. Does the joy of walking with Him reflect on my…

IN THE PAST, I READ the New Testament several times, though I always got bogged down somewhere in the middle of the Old Testament. To try to maintain my interest, I bounced from Bible book to Bible book and passage to passage. The random order left me wondering if I possibly missed a few pages. So, I committed to read through the Old Testament again this year—all chapters, every verse, the entire collection of thirty-nine books—but in reverse order. I started in Malachi and set Genesis as my end goal. Today I reached Amos. And what a treasure I found there! Four simple yet profound words. I marked “Seek me and live” with a purple highlighter. Using Amos as the mouthpiece, God pleaded for the straying Israelites to pursue Him…

THAT JANUARY, I HAD CABIN fever, so even though the temperature had dropped to zero overnight and fog covered the frozen pavement, I had to get out. Of course, this was the perfect recipe for black ice, but I was experienced in these conditions. Driving slowly, I figured I could control what Mother Nature created. When I entered the last curve on the deserted highway, my wheels hit black ice and the car spun counterclockwise. I steered into the curve without success. My tires couldn’t get traction. “Jesus, help!” I prayed as I skidded across the two-way road, took out a blizzard marker, and ended up perched precariously over an irrigation ditch. It seemed like everything had happened in slow motion, but thankfully I was safe. It also seemed like…

MY NIECE, CORI, IS A self-taught cake artist. She can create fabulous baked goods that not only taste great but look like works of art. Cori often texts me and her mom photos of her latest creations. Recently she sent us pictures of some amazing cake pops that she was experimenting with—one looked like a slice of cake and the other was an ice cream cone, both seemingly suspended in thin air on a stick! Cori said she didn’t know how much to charge for them. Her mom and I immediately told her she needed to price them above her regular cake pops because of the increased time invested in them and the sheer artistry involved. “Don’t underestimate your work or your worth,” I texted. As soon as I wrote…

EACH NEW YEAR, I SPEND time reflecting on the past year. One question I ask is, “What is something I’m doing that I don’t want to do?” The first thought that came to me this year was, I don’t like go ing to the grocery store. I procrastinated and complained every time I went. As a mom of three boys, I’ve spent countless hours perusing the grocery store aisles and filling up a shopping cart to keep my always-hungry boys healthy, happy, and full. Now, with the boys gone from our home, I still needed to keep our pantry and fridge supplied, although with much less food. So I decided to try Instacart and have our groceries delivered to our home. It’s fantastic! I’m not very techy, but this service…

I DON’T MAKE NEW YEAR’S resolutions. Initially, I didn’t because they weren’t something we did in my family when I was growing up. Eventually, I made the decision on my own not to make them. I’ve read many articles explaining that people set goals incorrectly. Some are idealistic, lacking the smaller, realistic actions that need to be taken to achieve the desired results. Other goals are uninspiring and void of the motivation needed to pursue them, leaving people to ditch resolutions after only a few months. Though I don’t make official resolutions, I do have my own New Year’s tradition. I love to pull out my prayer lists at the beginning of January and review the items I set for my spiritual and personal growth from the previous year. When…

I SAT IN THE DINING ROOM at my daughter’s house coloring with my middle granddaughter. I thought we were alone until a little voice from under the table startled me by singing the first lines of one of my favorite hymns. When I expressed surprise that three-year-old Leo knew “Be Thou My Vision,” Lilah joined in with her sister. The beautiful sound of those two little girls singing an old song based on an ancient Irish poem represents a moment of pure happiness that I will treasure forever. Growing up, I mainly knew the songs from our church’s hymnal and an occasional visiting Southern gospel quartet. As a young adult, I discovered contemporary Christian artists and modern praise music. But I enjoy a wide range of music styles—from simple childhood…

I FEEL MOST CONNECTED AND loved when I’m personally interacting with others, which made my job as a counselor during the pandemic difficult. All therapy sessions had to be online in the early weeks. When an opportunity arose to work in a school, I made an intentional job change to have daily face-to-face interactions. Likewise, my relationship with Jesus can sometimes feel challenging. I can’t touch or see His face as I do others. I must be deliberately creative to feel connected to Him. Recently, I discovered a spiritual practice that made me feel more connected to Jesus. Reflecting on Psalm 23, I visualized Jesus as a shepherd. I closed my eyes and envisioned us sitting together on a hillside overlooking mountains. I pictured talking to Him about my worries…

MY NEW FRIEND NICOLE AND I are on a quest to find good tacos. We both moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Idaho. We were chatting after church a month ago and realized we shared an affinity for Mexican food. The number of delicious taquerias in the Bay Area is significant. Finding a good street taco up here would be like a little taste of home. We met at a local taqueria a few weeks ago. It had delicious tacos, guacamole, and sopes (thick corn tortillas with yummy toppings). It was our first time getting together and talking. We found out about each other’s lives. We talked about careers and kids and husbands. We chatted about how glad we are that Jesus had opened the door for new…

A FEW YEARS AGO, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. It has greatly affected my energy levels. I have been looking for ways to nurture my body. My vitamin game is strong. And I have been asking Jesus to heal me. Slowly but surely, my body is responding. But the amount of blood draws, shots, and tests I have endured is substantial. Last month, my doctor sent me ten diagnostic tests from different labs to complete. I have taken two. This morning, I was talking with my friend Jane, who lives in California. She has been full of empathy and deep wisdom and a great encouragement to me during this process. I told her about the unfinished tests. Jane asked, “Sue, would you like me to sit with you…

I RUN A NONPROFIT, NONPARTISAN organization called Arkansas Strong. We seek to amplify stories of everyday Arkansans doing good things. We also try to bring people together over shared values to work on solutions to problems everyday Arkansans face. Because of this work, I meet people from all over the state whom I would never otherwise know. I was asked to speak about our work at a church in Little Rock and planned to talk on the topic of hope. Days before the engagement, a giant tornado swept through the city and my speech was canceled. I would be rescheduled because the congregation was going to make sandwiches and hand them out to those affected by the tornado instead of having church service. I felt a nudge, as if the…

LAST CHRISTMAS, I PURCHASED TICKETS for our family to go to an escape room. This is a business that locks willing participants in a room to play a game. The group is required to solve a series of puzzles within a certain amount of time to accomplish a goal. You have to race against the clock and decipher clues to solve a mystery. Our challenge was to figure out how to steal a fake diamond locked behind iron bars. I wasn’t sure if this was going to be a good family experience or a disaster. We all like to lead and have strong opinions. Let’s say good communication and working together have not been words to describe us in the past. The clock started ticking, and everyone went into action.…

SOME OF MY BEST IDEAS come while I’m driving. I keep index cards in my car so I can jot down and capture the inspirations for later. My kids have seen me in action as I cart them around town for their various activities. When an idea hit the other day, the card I grabbed already had something written on it. At the next red light, I took a closer look and read: “Have a great day. Love you!” I recognized my daughter, Jocelyn’s, handwriting. It was a small gesture, but the sentiment behind it was huge. She knew exactly where I’d find her message. She also has such a pure heart I knew those six words were packed with an immense amount of love. The experience reminded me that…

THIS MORNING, I CAUGHT MYSELF entertaining a ridiculous thought. For weeks, I’d been caregiving for my husband after a mishap that landed him writhing on the ground instead of where he’d been on the roof of our house, repairing rain gutters. The caregiving included my taking on all his chores as well as mine as he healed from what turned out to be minor repercussions that still necessitated long hours in his recliner. Two days earlier, I’d “encouragingly” said, “Your goal today, should you choose to accept it, is to become self-sufficient.” This morning, my mind was prepared to say, “Honey, you can’t have all five love languages every single day. That’s just not possible.” Good thing Jesus stopped my mouth from saying what my mind was thinking. When I…

IN HIGH SCHOOL, I CREATED a lot of flash cards. Making them helped me to learn vocabulary words, science facts, and math equations. I wrote important information on one side of the small card and a related question or cue on the other. Once, one of my classmates commented on how much work went into making them. Yet for me, creating these cards helped me to actively engage with the material and break it into small manageable chunks. The actual writing helped me learn. This memory from more than three decades ago came to mind during my recent Bible reading. At the end of his life, Moses reminded the Israelites of their escape from bondage. Moses wanted this chosen nation to pass on this message to generations. Because Moses wanted…

THE DOOR TO MY FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLD daughter’s bedroom slammed, and I plopped down onto the sofa. Both of us needed to cool off after a difficult homeschool morning. I closed my eyes and prayed, “Lord, show me how to reach Cassidy.” Opening them again, my gaze shifted to the framed print by Jack Vettriano hanging across from me. The simple scene of a man and woman, dressed in their finest, dancing at sunset on a rainy beach, is my favorite. Trying to shield them from the weather with umbrellas are their two servants, but despite how hard they try, the couple is obliviously happy and wet. Art critics disparage it for its uneven finishing, inconsistent lighting, and the odd position of the dancers. Maybe that is why I am drawn to…

I FIND IT CHALLENGING to be still when friends or family are visiting. I want those I love to feel comfortable and appreciated. I engage with my grandchildren by playing games and reading books. I offer refreshments and snacks. I prepare and serve elaborate dinners. When I finally sit, I remember something else to do. My busyness in caring for our guests was especially true when my husband’s parents were in town. No sooner would we sit down to talk than I’d be back on my feet. After all, I wanted to show them how much I care by making sure they had everything they needed. As I made my way toward the dining room in search of a board game, my father-in-law grabbed my hand. I stopped mid-step. When…

IT SEEMED NO MATTER HOW many foods I eliminated or how many pills I toted around, the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) I was diagnosed with at age sixteen had no mercy. It caused painful abdominal cramps after I ate and lots of embarrassing moments rushing into public restrooms. Doctors said there was no cure. One evening at a Bible study with friends, the young pastor preached: “God wants us well!” He called out various illnesses and invited people to come for prayer. I didn’t go forward, but I felt a stirring in my spirit. I sat amazed as miracles happened right around me! Two girls who had carpal tunnel syndrome were prayed for and walked back to their seats rotating their wrists in awe. I was happy for them-but I…

FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS, I’ve chosen a word that would be my focus for the year. As this year approached, I began thinking about what that word would be. Finally, one morning I woke up and glory came to my mind. It’s a good word. I’ve often thought about what God’s glory is. To me, it is to feel or see His presence. Moses, the leader of the Israelites in the wilderness, was blessed to be able to meet with the Lord and talk to Him as a friend (Exodus 33:11). During one of their encounters, Moses asked God to show him His glory. The Lord granted his request and covered Moses with His own hand as He passed by. I imagine God’s glory was so great that Moses…

WHENEVER MY COMPANY MADE ORGANIZATIONAL changes or my coworkers were leaving our team or getting promoted, I would peek at job openings. One day, a position piqued my interest. I prayed about it and applied, but the opportunity fizzled. I shared my disappointment with one of my former managers. She encouraged me not to chase titles and positions, but to ask myself if I was doing work I enjoyed. Since I loved the work I did, I took that “closed door” as a sign from Jesus to stop peeking and trust Him with my career. Not long afterward, I received a message from a woman about an opening on her team. I was hesitant. I didn’t want to entertain the thought of leaving my current job if it wasn’t part…

I WORKED FOR YEARS AS an administrator at a retirement community before I had kids. One of my responsibilities was to walk the facility and grounds once a month with a clipboard in my hand. I’d note every scuff on the wall, stain on the carpet, and light bulb out in the parking lot. It became a to-do list for the maintenance department to address. When my husband and I bought our first home, my trained eye saw every flaw and shortcoming. That turned into a to-do list for us to address. After I had kids, that same trained eye saw every mistake they made. All my efforts were channeled into correcting and teaching them. Every. Minute. Of. Every. Day. You can only imagine how exhausting that was for them…

I START EACH WEEK WITH a nice-size to-do list. As a freelance writer with different clients, I want to make sure I have my week neatly organized. I don’t like my projects to overlap. I use an online calendar and a written calendar. I add my meal planning and household chores. These are followed by the outliers on the list—oil changes, veterinary appointments, and teeth cleaning. This is my plan. And then there is the reality of what the week actually looks like. It’s more like ordered chaos. It makes me feel wild and crazy. This week I had a last-minute deadline crop up. I took on the project not realizing how it would shift the rest of the week. Then our car started acting weird. We were down to…

I OFTEN SETTLE ON A word of the year, something I sense Jesus wants me to focus on or pursue. In past years, it’s been a word like peace, hope, courage, linger, pilgrimage (that was interesting), strength … One year, I thought I should choose diligence. Diligence? “Jesus, haven’t we been over that before?” I wasn’t waiting for Jesus to audibly reply to me, but I did sense that I should hold on a little longer, seek a little stronger for whatever it was He wanted me to make a priority that year. I discovered the answer in a most curious way. I hadn’t been flipping through my Bible or spending time deep in prayer. Although I wouldn’t recommend the method, I firmly believe Jesus answered me through a social…

WHEN A CASE OF SHINGLES caused ongoing pain, I whined that I couldn’t help our daughter Marie’s family as much as I wanted to. Jesus had answered my twenty-year-long prayer to move Marie and her three teenagers near us. I was disappointed I wasn’t able to be there for them. At every turn, Jesus had someone waiting to give Marie exactly what she needed. Her youth pastor’s wife made a meal and delivered it when our grandson, Dan, had surgery. My close friend and her daughter helped Marie and her family unpack after they moved into a new house. An entire family from our church assembled a storage shed for them (something I couldn’t do even when I was feeling well!). I know Jesus didn’t cause my shingles outbreak, but…

MY MORNINGS SEEM INCOMPLETE WITHOUT coffee, so I knew I was in trouble on the day my coffee maker failed. I flicked the off/on switch several times, and it lit up as it always had, but nothing else happened. Checking the machine’s various parts led me to the root issue: the pod I’d inserted had broken and spilled grounds everywhere they didn’t belong. I could have tried to fix the problem by polishing the machine’s exterior, but, of course, that wouldn’t have worked. I had to address the real issue and resolve it with a thorough cleaning. Within minutes my coffee maker was restored and brewing a cup of my favorite drink. I savored my coffee that morning with new appreciation and thought about my relationship with Jesus. He is…

HAVE YOU DISCOVERED THE LITTLE miracle called mushroom popcorn? Shaped like a mushroom top, it’s regular popcorn, only bigger and better. My husband recently purchased a bag, and it forever changed our TV snacking experience. How could one tiny kernel produce such a huge puff? I had to find out. Apparently, inside the protective hull of the corn kernel is a small amount of water. When heated, the water turns to steam, causing the inside to soften and expand. The pressure breaks the hull and reveals fluffy popped goodness waiting to be buttered. While the result is delightful, the process, for the kernel, is not. I’ve felt the heat many times in my life. You too? A scary diagnosis, a financial crisis, a struggling relationship, or a career failure. With…

THIS COLD MORNING, I DUG in the drawer for my favorite socks and put them on. Two steps later, I couldn’t help but notice that my bare heel touched the chilly tile. The bad thing about thick woolen socks is their propensity for wearing through at the heel. Too often I live like much of our throw-away society. But instead of taking the easy way out and throwing away holey socks, I’ve started darning them. If I don’t have matching yarn, I spin some or tell myself darning can be decorative. Grandma May, who raised four boys during the Depression (and darned a lot of socks in her day), taught me how. You put the heel over a darning egg (any ball that fits will do) and sew a circle…

A FEW MONTHS AGO, I started seeing an assortment of recurring numbers. At first, I thought it was just a weird coincidence, but it got consistent enough for me to take notice. I asked Jesus, “What is this about, Lord? Is it You?” I didn’t get a clear reply but started researching biblical numerology and soon found a reputable teacher with this area of expertise. I discovered a whole new, amazing world of insight into God’s Word and how He communicates with us. I soon learned the numbers I was seeing did have compelling meaning, though I still didn’t really understand how they applied to me. I read my Bible, researched references, took notes, and prayed again: “Jesus, what are You trying to tell me?” Though I didn’t get a…

SEEING EVERYTHING BLANKETED IN A white winter snowfall brings to mind reassuring verses about having my sins washed away, being made white as snow (Psalm 51:7). But winter snow can also cast shadows of concern. Concern for the welfare of family, friends, neighbors. Do they have sufficient firewood or heating fuel to keep warm? Enough food to last while housebound during these snow days? This winter my eighty-year-old mother’s heating fuel was stolen. We immediately filed a sheriff’s report, ordered new security lighting, and installed a stout padlock on Mom’s fuel tank—preventative measures to deter future theft. And, fortunately, Mom’s fuel tank was refilled promptly. However, there’s no secure padlock to prevent worry or fear of future theft (or worse). It’s been a challenging season, learning to trust Jesus to…

BEING A MOM WAS EASIER when my son was young. I was in control of directing his choices for everything. Now that he is a young adult making his own decisions, my current role in his life requires me to listen and advise more than to tell. From time to time, I get nervous about the number of choices he has to make. This change has not been easy for me. I remember being on the other side of this parent-child relationship when I was a young adult, and it was an adjustment. My mother had a strong presence in my life. When she told me what to do, I did it whether I agreed with the decision or not. When our relationship shifted from her telling me what to…

I WOKE UP THIS MORNING to a winter snowstorm power outage. The house was cold, dark, and silent except for the sound of snowplows scraping the roads outside. Judging by the discrepancy between my electric clocks and battery-operated clocks, the power had been out for 3 hours. I bundled up in extra layers over my pajamas—wool sweater, coat, scarf, fingerless gloves, thick socks, knee-high sweater-knit slippers—grabbed the emergency flashlight, and telephoned my hubby, who was already at work, to indulge in a little pity party. I had no way to heat the house, no way to cook, and no way to power my computer. Every time the power goes out, I’m reminded how energy-dependent I am. I almost feel silly, shallow even, fretting about it. Regardless of whether the electricity…

ONE SUNDAY MORNING, I WATCHED big snowflakes softly fall to the ground. They were lovely to see. The whole scene is how I envision God sending provision for the Israelites as they made their way through the wilderness to the Promised Land in Canaan. I’ve long been fascinated by the story in the book of Exodus in which the Israelites complained to Moses about the lack of food while they wandered in the wilderness after they departed Egypt. Some even said they regretted leaving Egypt—where they had been enslaved! The people weren’t thrilled to be in the desert without the food they had once enjoyed. God heard their grumbling but still came through. He gave them quail to eat in the evening and “bread from heaven” that fell from the…

NOT TOO LONG AGO, WHEN our family was going through an emotionally challenging time, I opened the front door and found a halfdozen bags of groceries on our porch. A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth, and tears filled my eyes. I was overwhelmed by the anonymous random act of kindness. As Christians, we are called to love one another and to show kindness to those around us. Simple things make a big difference, such as writing a thank-you note to someone who has made a difference in our lives, paying for a stranger’s coffee or meal, leaving a positive message for someone to find, donating to a charity or cause that is important to us, and performing a small act of service for someone in need. By…

THE LETTER ARRIVED ON SATURDAY afternoon and wrecked the rest of my day. “The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency has learned that you have a debilitating medical condition which may affect safe driving. The enclosed form must be completed by your doctor and returned by the date above. Otherwise, your driving privilege will be suspended.” What? I didn’t have a medical condition! I sat stunned at my desk, spinning from dismay to confusion to fear. I couldn’t contact the agency during the weekend. So, I fretted and fumed for hours before taking a break to pray. In rapid succession, one scripture after another arose from my memory. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good …” (Genesis 50:20, NIV). “… All things work together for good to those…

I DRESSED AND LOOKED IN the mirror at my curvier midlife body. I took a deep breath and smiled. I felt a new feeling of being OK with myself. Since childhood, I wanted everything about me to be smaller— my personality, my size, and the space I occupied. I struggled with an eating disorder as a teen and young adult. I worked hard as a young mom to have a healthier lifestyle by eating better and being physically active. Thankfully, food and body issues weren’t as prevalent in the busy years of raising a family. But midlife was different. Metabolism decreased. I ate out of boredom or to soothe my emotions. I lacked the motivation to exercise. My menopausal body was more padded than ever. Thoughts and feelings from the…

THE WORD HEART IS MENTIONED more than five hundred times in the Bible. I keep a “Heart List,” regularly jotting down verses as I discover them. I write the word heart in capital letters and red ink. Perhaps my interest in the heart developed during Dad’s four decades of procedures—two open-heart surgeries, a pacemaker, twenty-eight stents, and a defibrillator. Each time, the doctor drew a diagram to explain the plan for repair. I learned about the four chambers of the heart and asked questions about the atria, the aorta, and the pulmonary artery. I added the “V” terms to my vocabulary: ventricle, vein, valve, and vessel. When I think of seeking Jesus with my whole spiritual heart, I like to picture the parts of my physical heart. The right atrium…

I’M A BELIEVER IN THE lesser-known sixth love language: food. I learned about the original five love languages as taught by Gary Chapman (quality time, physical touch, acts of service, gifts, and words of affirmation) when my husband and I attended marriage enrichment classes. But I’ve since come to recognize that food is another powerful love language. Preparing food for someone demonstrates our love; receiving food prepared for us, we feel loved. Food motivates me. I shamelessly admit I’m more inclined to attend a meeting, seminar, or other event if food will be provided. Wanting to bless our congregation through this biblically demonstrated love language, my women’s ministry group and I hosted a Valentine dinner with delicious food, homemade desserts, and heartwarming fellowship. Gathered together, we celebrated brotherly love for…

ALTHOUGH I VISIT MY DENTIST faithfully, twice a year, each time I go, I discover I need some major procedure—a root canal, a crown, an implant. I am vigilant about caring for my teeth, but I still get decay. My dentist recommended a pricey water flosser/brush, and since I was desperate, I ordered it. When it arrived, I removed it from the box, intimidated by the puzzling parts. My husband put it together for me and plugged it in on my bathroom counter. Not decorative in any way, it also consumed a good deal of space. I rarely read directions, but I studied these, and they thoroughly confused me. To prepare the unit, I had to fill the reservoir with water. There were three buttons on the power handle—one for…

MY WORD FOR THE YEAR is restore because we recently lost our home and all our belongings in a Colorado wildfire. The emotional and physical process of recovery has been daunting. I spent hours creating a detailed inventory for our insurance company of all our belongings, ranging from the number of spatulas in our kitchen to the cars in our garage. Most items are replaceable, but some are not, such as photos of our children through the years and our wedding album. Tears flowed as I mourned this and the loss of other precious items. This tedious process of listing all we had lost left me despondent. Then one day my sister-in-law Liz knocked on our door. She held a silver-framed photo album with our wedding picture on the front.…

AT THE START OF EACH new year, it feels like everywhere I look, I’m being asked to change. “New year, new you!” the message shouts. It’s featured on social media, in magazines, and on podcasts and radio shows. Sometimes it feels like a kind invitation: I’m gently prompted to reflect on what matters most to me and then to prioritize these things over the course of the coming year. Is nurturing my relationships with my husband and children a value? I can put more family outings and dinners on the calendar. Is spending time in prayer important to me? I can choose to wake up a few minutes earlier than usual to pray. Other messages I receive when a new year begins feel more guiltinducing and like just more to…

“OH, HALLELUJAH, THE SUN IS shining!” I say as I open my window shades on a frigid day. I can endure cold temperatures better if I can see those shimmering rays of light poking through the clouds. Sunshine gives me hope. My circumstances remain unchanged. I still have health issues, family challenges, and work stress. My savings account hasn’t tripled in size nor has my kitten quit waking me at 4:30 a.m. But that warm, glimmering orb in the sky changes my outlook. The sunshine is a foretaste of heaven, that city of glorious light waiting for me. How sweet to see a glimpse of our future home in the book of Revelation. No shadows or murky skies. No dark worries that hover like clouds. Only light, glowing a million…

ANOTHER GRAY MORNING. The sky hung like a slate curtain, the atmosphere almost dripping with gloom. I looked across the table at my husband, David, his expression a dogged impersonation of contentment, and I knew my face held that same resolve. Would winter never end? Then I reached for the Bible and devotional, a discipline David and I have held for more than 30 years. The day’s verse came from Genesis, and it seeped into me as if Jesus had spoken it, His voice loving and words gentle. “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.” Not just good, but very good. My gaze rose from the page. I wanted to discover this world Jesus had created, the one I’d lost track of. Where could I…

LAST YEAR MY MOM TRADED in her landline for phone service based on Wi-Fi. She faced a learning curve with so many new features, but eventually, all the kinks seemed to be worked out. Then suddenly, my calls stopped going through. Since I lived several hundred miles away, our long-distance chats were especially important. My mom could call me, but when I punched in her number, I received an unsettling message: “This customer has blocked your number. Please hang up.” Instead of being hurt, I knew there had to be some explanation. The woman who had loved me unselfishly for seven decades would never do such a thing intentionally. Sure enough, my younger brother discovered that Mom had accidentally hit the block button during one of our phone conversations. To…

“CAN YOU HELP ME?” I texted my sister Meghan after I’d been staring at my computer for an entire evening without making any progress. “I don’t even know where to begin.” We met at a local cafe the following week and settled into a cozy spot near the fireplace. As the warmth from the fire spread to my bones, I unloaded my concerns over coffee and pastries. Three hours later, I had a plan and a smile. Meghan had been just the sounding board I needed, and her calm presence helped settle my heart so I could focus more clearly. She pointed me back to Jesus and reminded me that He had already promised me the strength I needed to complete the project He’d called me to pursue. As long…

AS A CHILD, I HAD no understanding of the bravery and righteousness of minister and activist Martin Luther King Jr. I’d never heard of a Nobel Peace Prize or racial inequality. Then as a young adult, I regarded this holiday commemorating his birthday and life as just another day off from work. It took some growing up to learn the value of this man’s wisdom. His goal was equality for all races and relief for the poor through nonviolent resistance. He spent his time serving God and others right up until his assassination. He prayed, “Use me, God. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to be, and what I can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself.” That sounds a lot like…

IT’S NOT UNCOMMON FOR ME to seek the Lord for everyday advice or wisdom. “Jesus, where did I put my shoes?” But many times, my prayers are for far more weighty requests than shoes. Answers for grown children or growing grandchildren. Spiritual renewal. Minutes ago, a dear friend asked me to pray as she meets with a daughter who has been estranged for 2 years. Weighty. This week I lingered over a phrase I’d overlooked in the Bible. Job suffered misery upon misery, trial upon trial, worst-case scenarios that grew even worse. Weighty things. And his “friends” proved to be accusatory, fed him only half-truths, or drove him crazy with their misguided chatter. But when Job began to pray for his friends, his fortunes were restored. The tide turned. All…

I WENT TO THE DENTIST last week for the first time in 6 years. I knew things were bad but hoped that ignoring them would make them go away. I was also avoiding the dentist’s reaction, thinking she’d shame me for taking the coward’s way out by burying my head in the sand. The bad news is I’ve done so much damage from grinding my teeth at night that I need four crowns. I almost fell off the dentist chair when she told me how much that’s going to cost. The good news? There was no shaming at all, only understanding and support. The hygienist and the dentist care about teeth. They only want what’s good for mine. I avoid more than the dentist. I also avoid bringing my sins…

ONE JANUARY DAY, FOUR OUT of five of my family members had health issues. Our oldest son, Josh, had a cyst removed from his eye that was sent for testing. I had a mole removed on my leg that was also biopsied. Jordan, our middle son, had an accident and separated his rib from his sternum during a recent trip to Mexico. Our youngest son, Jake, was driving across the country in a twowheel-drive truck filled with his belongings to move home with a 103-degree fever. Driving through Colorado, he had to put chains on the tires due to a recent snowstorm. I felt overwhelmed and battled the worst-case scenarios running through my mind. I didn’t even know what to pray. I found comfort knowing that Jesus intercedes for me.…

ROAD CONDITIONS WERE LESS THAN ideal when my husband and I left the Des Moines, Iowa, airport in a rental car. We were headed for a Bible camp approximately 90 miles away—an easy trip we’d made several times in the past. But this time, we suspected, would be different because a blizzard had blown through the area earlier that day. Our suspicions proved correct. The farther we drove from the city, the more snow we encountered on the road. Nearly 4 hours later, we turned onto the final 3-mile stretch leading to our destination. The country road and adjacent fields lay before us like a seamless white blanket, unmarred by vehicle, human, or animal tracks. Amazed at the white expanse, we stopped the car and gazed at the scene in…

TWO MONTHS AGO, MY HUSBAND, Kevin, and I traveled from Illinois to Ohio on a speaking trip. Halfway there, a dump truck rear-ended our SUV. The car was still drivable, so we continued our trip, thanking Jesus all the way for His protection. I wasn’t thankful, though, when Kevin and I had to share a car for 2 weeks to get the bodywork on the SUV done. We live in the country, 7 miles from my workplace. We transport our two teenage grandkids, who live 6 miles away, to and from the school bus stop and to various appointments. And Kevin conducts a Thursday afternoon worship service at a nursing home 20 miles from home. After whining, sighing, and some serious complaining, I realized no one in our family was…

I’VE BEEN AN OLD SOUL since childhood and felt displaced among my peers. Pop culture fads held no allure, and I preferred being with older people. I sometimes wondered if I was born in the wrong era. Even now, I seek wisdom from Christian mentors and authors from the past. Their sustainable faith is empowering amidst today’s news reports and complex situations with my work as a public school counselor. One devotional book I use is Streams in the Desert by L. B. Cowman, published in 1925. It’s an original copy that belonged to my husband’s grandmother, Ola. The yellowed pages and penciled notes make me feel that Ola and the author are personally mentoring me. One day when I needed encouragement, I read that the world needs more people…

LAST YEAR, A SERIOUS CONFLICT with a friend surfaced and we sat down to clear the air. Initially I felt OK, but I soon realized I had lingering discomfort I sensed was all mine. My emotional pain threshold is low, and my spirit was unsettled within me. I wanted to address it as soon as possible. I added this person to my prayer list and asked Jesus what was going on with me. My thoughts and feelings were muddy, but I persisted in prayer, motivated by the dull ache in my heart that I feared might harden into resentment. I knew I was finding fault with the other person and on some level still blaming her for the tension between us. I knew better than to indulge that line of…

I AM THE OFFICIAL DRIVEWAY shoveler in our household. My husband, Scott, tried it a few times and wanted to move back to California, but I enjoy the organizational challenge—figuring out where to put the snow over the course of the winter season is a puzzle. What I like best about shoveling my driveway is that my neighbors are out doing the same thing. We wave to each other. Sometimes we cross the street and help each other finish up our sidewalks. It’s a time of community bonding. The other day while I was shoveling, one of our neighbors came out with his two little boys and their small snow shovels. The three-yearold didn’t recognize me all bundled up. I heard him ask his dad as he pointed at me,…

MY WINDOWSILL SEEDS ARE STARTED. Every winter, I plant seeds in miniature compost pots along with enough quality soil to help the fledgling veggies survive. Come summer, melon, squash, and heirloom tomatoes will take their places in our raised planters. For now, I water and wait, watching for the first sprouts. As snow dances just outside the window, my dreams take root indoors. I’ve heard it said that to plant a tree is to believe in tomorrow. To seed growers, that saying holds true for every flower and vegetable seed they place in the ground. Gardening is hope and dirt and God’s promises all mixed together. Jesus compared God’s kingdom to a seed growing. It’s not necessary for me to understand how He will make it grow or when He…

MY TWO-YEAR-OLD NEIGHBOR, LILY, IS just beginning to talk. After a few months of mostly indecipherable requests, silent pointing, or speaking a single word (“doggie” and “more” are two of her favorites), she now speaks in short sentences. A few days after Valentine’s Day, I received a text from her mother. Lily made a craft at daycare and kept pointing at my door, wanting to bring it over. For my husband and me—people who love the company of young children and are not yet grandparents—her visits are delightful. “Of course!” I texted back. “Come anytime.” A few minutes later, Lily and her mom were at our front door. Lily gave me a little red valentine heart decorated with scribbled lines and googly eyes. “For Jen,” she says, handing it to…

AFTER LOSING OUR HOUSE to the Marshall Fire in Boulder, Colorado, we faced uncertainty. We’d not only lost all our possessions—we also had no home. We did have insurance, but like most everyone else, we were underinsured. We didn’t know if we could rebuild or if we should sell our lot and find a new place. Should we stay in Boulder or move somewhere else? We had so many questions. I prayed constantly for God to give us direction. Our friends and family also asked us loads of questions about our future. Every time I said, “I don’t know,” I felt more anxious. To have peace, I had to figure out how to trust Jesus and believe He would show us the way to go. The Bible states He will…

THE CHIROPRACTOR PLACED A DIME on the back of my hand and asked if I could feel the weight of the coin. I could not. He explained a straight spine protects the central nervous system, but a misaligned spine applies pressure, interfering with communication between the nerves and the rest of the body. On a diagram, he pointed out each vertebra and the organs, systems, and muscles it affects. Then he asked if I could feel the dime on my hand. I did! He explained that, like the dime, the slightest pressure on the nervous system increases over time. I wish I had a dime for every time I’ve been bent out of shape because someone struck a nerve and I refused to straighten myself out. Instead, I focused on…

MOMENTS AGO, I WAS METAPHORICALLY on my face before Jesus on behalf of all who will read this devotion. The young mom creatively sneaking time for Jesus between myriad tasks. The older couple who always start their day here, in these pages. The businessperson who can’t imagine skipping this time of focus on what matters most. The retired teacher, the retired pastor, the college student, the farmer, the gardener, the computer programmer, the childcare provider, the doctor, the baker, the sustainably resourced candlestick maker. Seeking requires listening. If I ask for Jesus’s help but then write what I think instead of quieting myself to hear what He might say—in His Word, impressions on my spirit, the counsel of godly friends—I’ve wasted the seeking. Today as I quieted myself, I was…