daily devotional
The Art of Unplugging
“Whenever I’m feeling inadequate or overwhelmed, I love being able to lean on You, Lord. You remind me that I am more than adequate when I rely on You to strengthen me.” – Jesus Listens,June 25th Over the last three years, I’ve steadily built a discipline of powering down my devices and embracing what I like to call “the art of unplugging.” What began as a simple nudge to turn off my phone during one of my quiet times has morphed into a daily discipline of turning away from the digital noise and pressing into the moment right in front of me. If you’re feeling burnt out by the digital hamster wheel and craving more presence in your daily life, I pray these tips for unplugging will meet you right where you are today. START SMALL It’s easy to take on an all-or-nothing mentality when unpluggin...
Mending a Broken Relationship: It’s Possible
I am a God who heals. I heal broken bodies, broken minds, broken hearts, broken lives, and broken relationships. My very Presence has immense healing powers. Jesus Calling, August 20 “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” Mark 10:27, NKJV When Jesus said that all things are possible with God, did He include fixing those broken, somewhat cracked, even estranged relationships we sometimes experience? When we suffer the sadness of a broken relationship, we may grieve it for years. We may even wonder if it is really possible to mend it, or if we should just cut our losses and move on. With God, all things are still possible! One reason we can say with confidence that all things are possible wit...
Steps of Faith
“Follow Me one step at a time. That is all that I require of you. Keep your mind on the present journey, enjoying My Presence. Walk by faith, not by sight, trusting Me to open up the way before you.” —from Jesus Calling, February 1 Jesus left us with a lot of promises: words of hope, encouragement, plenty of instruction. Yet one thing Jesus said we probably wish He hadn’t was that trials are sure to come. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). As you know, trials come in all shapes and sizes—financial insecurity, sickness, infertility, the loss of a loved one. While we might be overwhelmed by them, trials can also be great opportunities to put our faith to the test. Trials refine and reveal our faith. Several years ago, we e...
Steps of Faith
“Follow Me one step at a time. That is all that I require of you. Keep your mind on the present journey, enjoying My Presence. Walk by faith, not by sight, trusting Me to open up the way before you.” —from Jesus Calling, February 1 Jesus left us with a lot of promises: words of hope, encouragement, plenty of instruction. Yet one thing Jesus said we probably wish He hadn’t was that trials are sure to come. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). As you know, trials come in all shapes and sizes—financial insecurity, sickness, infertility, the loss of a loved one. While we might be overwhelmed by them, trials can also be great opportunities to put our faith to the test. Trials refine and reveal our faith. Several years ago, we e...
Jesus Calling Wraps CMA Fest 2019 with Randy Travis, Crystal Gayle, and more!
It was another pinnacle year for Jesus Calling® at CMA Fest last week in Nashville, Tennessee. The best-selling devotional that has sold more than 25 million copies set up shop at Fan Fair X and hosted a variety of guest artists that included Randy Travis, Crystal Gayle, T. Graham Brown, Crowder, Aaron Watson, and others. One of the biggest highlights from this year’s lineup was the CMA Close-Up Stage event: Jesus Calling Presents a Conversation with Randy and Mary Travis—covered by the Tennessean. Mary sat at Randy’s side to speak for Randy as he is currently not able to perform and only partially able to speak since his 2013 stroke. Mary read from the Jesus Calling and went on to say, “Sometimes people ask me if we are bitter or angry? This man sitting beside me was never...
3 Ways God Lightens Our Load
There’s nothing like the feeling of a fresh, clean home. The floors are swept, the bathtub is scrubbed, the furniture polished till it gleams. Perhaps the biggest chore of cleaning your home is getting rid of clutter. Whenever something comes in, something needs to come out. Otherwise, you’re left living in heaps of things you don’t need. There are also things that clutter our lives, things we carry out of habit or familiarity—our baggage, if you will. I wrote a novel called The Baggage Handler to help people deal with things clutter their lives. For many, getting rid of their baggage is the same process as cleaning their house. They take a look at emotions or situations they no longer need but still hang onto without knowing why, or find they’ve accumulated far more than they realized. Cl...
Waiting for New Beginnings
Have you ever found yourself at a new beginning? As summer quickly comes to an end, school is about to begin, offering students and teachers a fresh start. Even if you aren’t anticipating a new school year, perhaps you’re waiting on the next big thing to happen, or maybe you’re so caught up in this fast-paced life that you can’t keep up with where you have been or where you are going. You may not notice something new happening around you or within you. I have been that person, the one who was unaware. But in recent years, I’ve learned new beginnings deserve our attention, even if we have to wait on them. “Hold My hand and walk joyously with Me through this day…Don’t worry about what is around the bend. Just concentrate on enjoying my Presence.” –Jesus Calling, August 4 My journey of new be...
Enduring Life’s Toughest Moments
Endurance isn’t exactly a fun word, and I bet you know what it means: it’s the power to go through an unpleasant or difficult situation without giving way. And at some point or another, we’ve all been pushed to the brink. Recently, I was too. The constant pressures of work and family and navigating endless logistics had left me worn down. My endurance level was at an all-time low, and I hit a breaking point. I didn’t know if I could continue this way. My raw emotions were all over the place. All I knew was I felt weak and drained. Then I read something that put everything into perspective: the words of the daily devotional, Jesus Calling, on February 27th entry: Keep your eyes on Me! Waves of adversity are washing over you, and you feel tempted to give up. As your circumstances consume mor...
