Story
Still Letting Go – A Mother’s Goodbye to Her College Bound Daughter
Sherri Gragg, Writer’s Digest award winner and author of Arms Open Wide: A Call to Linger in The Savior’s Presence, continues the story of taking her daughter to college. An Emotional Goodbye From Mother to Daughter The door to her dorm room closed gently behind us as Meg took a deep breath and turned to face me. “Well…bye,” she said. She was right. This was it. There were no more reasonable excuses to delay, certainly not any that would allow me to go back home with any dignity left intact. I reached out and pulled her, perhaps a little bit too tightly, into my arms. I buried my face into her neck, whispered how much I loved her, and then…I let her go. I blinked back tears, stepped back, took her hands in mine, and said, “You are going to be ok.” She looked into my eyes for a long moment,...
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...
Life’s Sweetest Graduation by Dr. Cindy Ryan
Dr. Cindy Ryan shares the inexpressible joys and fears of her experience becoming a grandmother. Her thoughts on parenting and grand-parenting. God is Always Preparing Us for New Paths The women tried to prepare me. A band of women, all grandmothers, had been whispering their secrets for months I suppose this has been going on all my life, people trying to share what they know. When my daughter was born, people said, “She will grow so fast.” I heard them, but I couldn’t digest their words. Back then, I just wasn’t ready to hear truth like that. I wanted to figure things out on my own or to believe I was the exception. This time around though, when these grandmothers spoke, I was listening. They said things like, “It will be exhausting but the most wonderful thing you’ve ever experienced.” ...
Behind the Scenes of the Jesus Calling Coloring Book
Behind the Scenes of the Jesus Calling Coloring Book originally posted on www.coloringfaith.com on February 24, 2017. Meet the artist behind the intricate designs, Pimlada Phuapradit, who has worked to bring the inspiration of Jesus Calling to a whole new audience. Millions have been inspired by the writings of Sarah Young in Jesus Calling, a devotional that hit shelves more than 12 years ago. The newest in the Jesus Calling line of products has joined the Coloring Faith family as well. Jesus Calling Creative Coloring & Hand Lettering features quotes from Jesus Calling, basic hand lettering tutorials, and 100 pages of intricate designs. Behind these many intricate designs is Pimlada Phuapradit, one of the illustrators who has worked tirelessly on this project to bring th...
Hopes and Prayers for Our Children by Kari Kampakis
A Story Of Jesus Calling Last September, a mom shared a back-to-school story on social media about her two teenage daughters. The girls had struck a deal during their morning trip to school: one sister would drive, the other would read aloud the daily devotional from Jesus Calling®. Wow. What a plan. What struck me most was how this was their idea. Mom wasn’t pushing Jesus on them—the sisters made a deliberate choice to start their day with Him. As a mother, this is what I hope and pray for. This is the type of goal I am working toward: that one day, when my girls are basking in the freedom of living any way they please, they’ll follow the quiet tugs in their hearts to spend time with the One who made them. Obviously, I can’t “make” this happen. I can’t force my children to love God or orc...
The Mundane and the Monumental: Clinging to Easter Sunday on Monday Morning
By: Sherri Gragg Six days before Easter morning, I found myself lying at the bottom of a flight of stairs, pondering the efficiency of gravity. One minute, I was making my way down the narrow staircase of a 200-year-old log cabin on a friend’s farm. The next, I was sprawled across the hardwood floors, clutching my knee in agony. As two of my teens helped me stand, everything in me was already raging. Raging against gravity. Raging against socks on stairs. Raging against my aging body. Raging against all the things I wouldn’t be able to do with an injured knee. Raging against looming doctors’ appointments and hours spent in physical therapy. While I was at it, even though it was completely irrelevant, I raged against menopause too. Because if anything deserves rage, it is menopause. For the...
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...
4 Tips to Living with Confidence
4 Tips to Living with Confidence By Alli Worthington Have you ever felt so nervous, worried, or anxious that you wanted to stay in bed and pull the covers over your head? Have you ever been so overwhelmed by the fear of failure, of disappointing your family, that you just shut down? Me, too. So often, I sense fear getting the best of me. When I feel like I’m going to fail, I want to hide, put on my mask, and snap at the people I love. Sometimes I just want to flat-out quit. But that’s not the person I want to be. So when I feel overwhelmed I pray, read a powerful daily devotion in Jesus Calling, and use this little Fierce Faith mantra to keep me on track. Show up. Be real. Love others. Don’t quit. These four little phrases have boosted my confidence and transformed the way I live. I bet th...
Finding Spiritual and Financial Stability in a Crisis
In December 2001, my parents went to a holiday party with friends. During the party, my father gradually became extremely dizzy and nauseated. Fortunately, one of the other guests was in the medical field and knew that my father was on the verge of having a heart attack. My father thought his friend was overreacting, but his friend rushed him to the emergency room. Doctors confirmed that my father needed triple bypass heart surgery and would definitely not be leaving the hospital any time soon. And for the first time in my life, I experienced the frightening reality that I might lose my father. “You can feel secure, even in the midst of cataclysmic changes, through awareness of My continual Presence.”Jesus Calling, March 24 Fortunately, my father’s surgery was a success. He eventually reco...
6 Ways to Make Prayer Simple for Kids
That shiny purple birthstone, set in a ring to fit my six-year-old finger, was my most prized possession. That’s why I dreaded telling my mom I had lost it. Cartwheels in the grass had given way to utter panic as I realized the ring wasn’t on my finger anymore. After I confessed what had happened, my mother uttered four words that impacted my spiritual journey for the rest of my life: “Let’s pray about it.” “When you pray, I want you to share everything with Me: your joys and heartaches, your struggles and triumphs, your worries and questions. I am you best Friend—pour out your heart to Me.”Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions for Kids,January 11 My husband and I often talk about the goals and desires we have for our kids. Like everyone around us, we’re neck-deep in sports and academics and servic...
Choices in a Faith Journey
In 2012, my word for the year was risk. My daily devotional consisted of studying risk takers, AKA crazy people, in the Bible. It was a pivotal year for me in my faith journey. I’m not a natural risk taker. Far from it, actually. I like to control my environment and make calculated decisions. I call it wisdom, but in reality, it teeters on a lack of faith. And as someone who’s not a risk taker, the words of the December 9 entry of Jesus Calling strike me to the core: “Be willing to go out on a limb with Me. If that is where I am leading you, it is the safest place to be. Your desire to live a risk-free life is a form of unbelief . . . In order to follow Me wholeheartedly, you must relinquish your tendency to play it safe.” Have you ever looked up the definition of risk? In case you haven’t...
Finding Peace in the Storm
I’ll never forget the day our family buried my mom. I remember wishing that the overcast sky would better reflect my emotions if it were rolling with fierce clouds and flashes of lightning. The thought seemed strange at the time. Not many people wish for storms. No, we typically choose to avoid them at all costs. But that day, the world had spiraled out of my control and I could do nothing to change it. While the emotional storm raged on without my consent, my heart also felt unexplainable peace. Faith was at the helm. If you’re facing a storm right now—a hurricane, tornado, or life-changing event—I know your world is spinning right now. While it’s hard to stay present amid anxiety and worry, and when, things seem out of control, just remember: God is always in control. He is with you wher...
