jesus calling
When Life is Hard, God is Near
As a young husband and father of two, holding down two jobs and taking extra work, life was hard. But no one is supposed to say that, especially in faith circles. To some, admitting life is hard implies God is not enough for me, that my faith is small, that I’m ungrateful. Some say life is filled with blessings if we say and do the “right” things. I call this “fake-it culture.” Good reader, I can tell you with confidence, I was wearing myself out doing the “right” things—and it caught up with me. I was 32 and directing a multi-state, multi-faceted youth program that was making huge impacts. My staff was talented. My children were doing well. My wife and I had the makings of the American Dream. Until depression hit. I’d managed to hold off the dark feelings for years, but a launching event ...
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...
Seize the Opportunity
“When tests and challenges come at you from all sides consider it a joyful opportunity.” Jesus Always, August 23 Mr. Opportunity Walt often greeted me with, “Hey, Dan, I have an opportunity for you.” This was how many of our conversations began. Over time I learned to laugh and beat him to the punch. “So Walt, what opportunity do you have for me today?” Walt was one of those happy, easy-going guys who had the gift to see the positive in every situation. Even the worst of times was an “opportunity” for someone to learn something new, to grow, to rise above expectations and do great things. Walt lived as if every “opportunity” was a moment for us to remain faithful, do our best, and then watch as God showed up to redeem and transform a difficult situation. I was a young man whe...
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...
Our Father…
“I am a shield for all who take refuge in Me. When you feel afflicted or afraid, come to Me and say: ‘Lord, I take refuge in You.’” Jesus Always, June 16 “Our Father Who Art In Heaven.” This is how the Lord’s Prayer begins …acknowledging that we have a “Father in Heaven.” When God tells us that He is our Father, and we really grasp what that means, it opens the door to not only great benefits, but also great healing from the pain that many have experienced at the hands of their earthly fathers, who sometimes were not the best. Fathers are important…and key to our lives. And as a psychologist, I can tell you that some of the most difficult scenarios that people deal with and have to heal from have to do with their earthly fathers who did not do their job. At the same time, some of the...
Tending My Piece of the Garden
Sometime decades ago—so long ago that I don’t remember when—I knew my purpose in life was to tend to my little piece of the Garden. Watching my mother, it’s no wonder I felt like this. When she left a campsite, Mom would ensure it was meticulously clean. She wanted us to always leave things better than we found them. Hours before leaving for Christmas dinner at her parents’ home, Mom would find out that our cousins were bringing a stranger. She always had general gifts ready. Mom’s way of wrapping family warmth and love around a stranger was to make sure there were presents under the tree with that person’s name. She included a stranger in our family for the evening. How could I have a different approach to life? “I am the Light of the world…the Holy Spirit who lives in you can...
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...
Finding Your Purpose
Do you wonder what you’re supposed to be doing with your life? Do you wonder if you’re in the right job or following the right career path? You’re not alone when you think about things like that. Many people wonder about the purpose of their life and their vocation. But it can get a little disheartening if you start entangling your life purpose with the job where you work each day. Because while jobs come and go, your life purpose is set inside of God’s specific and beautiful design for your life. It’s easy to mix your life purpose—or identity—with your vocation. For many people, myself included, the two get so intertwined that they seem like one big thing. But they’re not. One is about your God-gifted value, and that has nothing to do with work. It has to do with your personality, your pa...
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...
Kindling an Ignited Faith
As summer moves to fall, I’m reminded this new season invites all of me—my heart, my soul, my mind—to adjust to change. When a new season arrives, it brings along new demands, new responsibilities, and a growing awareness that time is a truly precious resource, one we can never get back. And sometimes I find that as the seasons change, so do the flames my faith. “Thus begins your journey of profound reliance on Me. It is a faith-walk, taken one step at a time, leaning on Me as much as you need. This is not a path of continual success but of multiple failures. However, each failure is followed by a growth spurt, nourished by increased reliance on me.” Jesus Calling, January 5 Building the fire In the past ten years, I’ve had seasons where I felt my faith had no option but to stay ablaze. I’...
