jesus calling
Pushing Through Prayer Obstacles
When you bring Me prayer requests, lay out your concerns before Me. Speak to Me candidly; pour out your heart. Then thank Me for the answers that I have set into motion long before you can discern results. Jesus Calling, January 11 I sat staring at my computer screen, trying to write a sermon for Sunday, and a full hour passed before I realized I had nothing to offer. The church my wife and I started from scratch was 4 years old and growing like crazy. I, however, was not. I was spiritually exhausted, defeated, and depleted. My only connection to God was tethered to the content I was struggling to create for others. Something had to change. I needed another way to connect with God and refuel my spiritual life. I needed prayer. Finding it hard to pray But the truth is at some point in our l...
Empathy: A Key to Loving Our Neighbors
“Learn to relate to others through My Love rather than yours…Instead of trying harder to help people through your own paltry supplies, become aware of My unlimited supply, which is accessible to you continually. Let My Love envelop your outreach to other people.” Jesus Calling, May 12 Early in our marriage, my husband and I experienced two miscarriages a year apart, followed by years of infertility. It remains one of the hardest seasons of my life. Even though I had good friends, a loving family, and a supportive faith community, I felt alone in my grief. Well-intended Words The platitudes started within days of my first miscarriage. An older woman came to visit and casually mentioned her own miscarriage. “It was early, first trimester,” she said. “I was fine. You’ll be fine too.” Ye...
Seeing God’s Beauty All Around Us
“My world is filled with beautiful things; they are meant to be pointers to Me, reminders of My abiding Presence.” – Jesus Calling, June 6 It’s the end of the day, and I’ve been searching for my slippers. I am so annoyed. In this one simple and meaningless failure, I do what I sometimes do: I consider myself a failure. This one little thing spirals into a weight on my chest, and I can feel depression and anxiety slowly creeping in. Our house is littered with shoes. There are shoes by doors and couches, beds and chairs, here and there and everywhere. I trip over them often. Under my desk, where I write and sit most of the time, there’s always a pair or two strewn about, since I kick them off when I sit in my chair cross-legged. As the night falls and the routine of the day...
Connecting to Your Final Destination
A life lived close to Me will never be dull or predictable. Expect each day to contain surprises! Resist your tendency to search for the easiest route throughout the day. Be willing to follow wherever I lead. – Jesus Calling, January 13 As I slid my bag onto seat 28E, I uttered, “Lord, just get me there!” I made small talk with the stranger beside me and felt the familiar nervous flutters in my stomach that come whenever I travel. Several hours later and 30,000 feet above the Midwestern plains, I let out a relieved chuckle as I crunched stale airline pretzels and sipped bubbly ginger ale. An hour later we landed in Denver. As we taxied to the gate, I turned my phone back on and received the text no traveler wants to get: my connecting flight was canceled. I was to collect my checked b...
Wrestling with Faith and Expectations
With My help, you can overcome any obstacle. Do not expect an easy path as you journey hand in hand with Me, but do remember that I, your very-present Helper, am omnipotent. Jesus Calling, January 9 Our Expectations Has Jesus ever behaved differently than you expected? Or maybe differently than you wanted? If God has ever moved—or not moved—in a way you desired, then you know the sting. You know the hurt. You know the confusion that surrounds you, threatening to suffocate your faith. If you have ever felt this way, please know you are not alone. John the Baptist is just one example of a person’s faith tested in the furnace of trials. He, too, felt the sting of wondering what Jesus was doing—or not doing. He had been a voice in the wilderness, a wanderer waiting anxiously for Israel’s Messi...
God’s New Name for You
Many voices vie for control of your mind, especially when you sit in silence. . . . Refuse to let other voices tie you up in knots. My sheep know My voice and follow Me wherever I lead. Jesus Calling, March 3 The weekend following my engagement, one of my families came to town to visit—the Meyerand family, with whom I lived as I was completing my senior year of high school. We had a full day of touring my fiancé’s hometown and introducing our families to one another. Their presence was so meaningful during our engagement bliss. My sister Cindy Meyerand planned a day full of bridal appointments, and I was bracing myself for the possibility that wedding dress shopping might feel a little bit like bathing suit shopping—dreadful. I expected to be insecure about the extra pounds I w...
When All Seems Lost, God Is Still There
Today’s episode features two guests who know what it’s like to lose everything. They share with us how their hope was restored through God’s promise that He will never leave us or forsake us. Our first guest is Brett Swayn who shares how his journey through homelessness brought him to a place where he is now able to share the hope he found in Christ with others going through the same situation. Our second guest is Sherry Taylor, a graduate of The Next Door, a faith based rehabilitation center. Sherry. She shares how she lost everything in the throes of addiction, and how God restored her from brokenness to wholeness in Him. Narrator: Welcome to the Jesus Calling Podcast. Today, we talk with two people who know what it’s like to lose everything. They share with us how their hope was restore...
Dolly Parton Believes with God, All Things Are Possible
Country superstar Dolly Parton was raised to believe that “Jesus loves her, and that with God, nothing is impossible.” Dolly never forgot her humble beginnings, even as she went on to achieve great success in her career and has received the highest awards for her music, songwriting, acting and other creative endeavors. Dolly is grateful for what she has been given and seeks ways to give back and bless others. In 1995, she had vision to foster a love of reading with preschool children and launched the Imagination Library, providing books monthly to children during their first 5 years of life. Now, 50 years from the release of her first record, Dolly continues to speak encouragement into the lives of children by releasing her first ever kid’s album titled, “I Believe In You,” for which all p...
Through Life’s Disappointments, Hang on to Hope: Aaron Watson & WAY-FM’s Carlos & Joy
Aaron Watson is a rising country music star who began chasing his dream of becoming a singer/songwriter over 18 years. Though faced with countless disappointments, family tragedy and rejection, Aaron trusted God for the path that he would take and is celebrating the release of a new hit record, Vaquero. Carlos & Joy host WAY-FM Christian radio network’s popular afternoon show. They share how a love for Christian music and a desire to spread the hope of Christ to others through the air-waves, inspired them to pursue their careers in Christian radio. Narrator: Welcome to the Jesus Calling podcast. Today we visit with country music phenomenon Aaron Watson. Aaron grew up in Amarillo, Texas and started chasing his dream of becoming a country singer/songwriter while still in college. Through...
First Lady of Tennessee Crissy Haslam: Grateful for Second Chances – Also featuring Brenda Wilson
As the First Lady of Tennessee, Crissy Haslam believes in the power of second chances. Her priorities have been focused on working with change making organizations who are empowering families, women, and orphans. Crissy shares why it’s important to her to serve others, and how thankful she is for the influence she has to make a difference in many people’s lives. Our second guest is Brenda Wilson from Thistle Farms. Brenda was devastated after the death of her grandmother who was her biggest caretaker and advocate. Left alone in an unfamiliar city, she lost her way. After 20 years of wandering, she walked through a door that God opened for her at Thistle Farms. Given the chance to begin again, Brenda shares how the love of God and others showed her she could live differently. Narrator: Welc...
Pastor O.S. Hawkins: Finding The Code to a Better Life – Also featuring Rick Smith
O.S. Hawkins is the President and Chief Executive Officer of GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Hawkins also served as senior pastor of the historic First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, and is the author of more than 25 books, including the best-selling The Joshua Code: 52 Scripture Verses Every Believer Should Know. He talks to us about his journey to becoming a pastor and a writer, and also about his new books, The Believer’s Code and The Christmas Code. Rick Smith is the founder of Rock Bottom Outreach, an organization the meets people at the time of their need. As a successful coach, Rick had it all, until a prescription drug addiction took over his life and he lost everything that mattered to him. After reaching his own “rock bottom,” through faith an...
How to Find Peace in Mom-Fail Moments
By Becca Stevens Babies and toddlers are precious, but those years are so hard.If I hadn’t consecrated time for a daily devotional at the start of each day, I don’t think I would have made it. Early each morning, I found the peace I desperately needed to hear from God in the bathtub. I lit a candle, read a Psalm, and soaked in the silence for 20 minutes. Those 20 minutes each day saved my spirit so I could be a good mom, wife, pastor, and entrepreneur. “Because you are human you will continue to make mistakes. Thinking that you should live an error-free life is symptomatic of pride. Your failures can be a source of blessing, humbling you and giving you empathy for other people in their weaknesses. Best of all, failure highlights your dependence on Me. I am able to bring beauty out of the m...
