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Rachel Hollis Shares Excerpt from Girl, Wash Your Face
When Rachel Hollis spoke on the Jesus Calling® podcast she shared one of the hardest seasons of her faith journey. Here is excerpt from her book,Girl, Wash Your Face, that describes a portion of that difficult time and how we must have faith in God’s perfect timing. Imagine a little baby taking her first step. She’s joyful and chubby and she’s been balancing in place without holding on to the coffee table for weeks now. Finally, finally, she takes her first coltish stumble from the relative safety of the side table, then wobbles across the perils of the living room rug to grasp the edge of the sofa. She gets there and looks up at you with elation and pride and so much excitement. Now imagine you give her a quick, brittle smile and demand, “Yes, Chloe, that’s fine, but why aren’t you r...
Giving Away Good News Across the Street and Around the World
In my daily devotionals growing up, somehow I missed the good news that Jesus could save me on earth in physical and emotional ways—even though I was already spiritually saved for heaven. Finding this brand of holistic peace, which helped me find a calming joy with Jesus in everyday life, meant I could give it away. “The friendship I offer you is practical and down to earth, yet it is saturated with heavenly Glory. Living in My Presence means living in two realms simultaneously: the visible world and unseen, eternal reality. I have equipped you to stay conscious of Me while walking along dusty, earthbound paths,” September 5, —Jesus Calling. I’m just an ordinary person. But I started to live a spiritual adventure by following Jesus to the nations in my neighborhood, to people with the leas...
Make Sure the Holiday Is What You Desire
The Christmas season is so, so exciting. It gets us in touch with so much that is important: the message of God’s gift of Jesus and His redemption, the importance of family, relationships, gratitude and love, and so much more. “Living in collaboration with Me is the way to instill meaning into your days.Begin each day alone with Me, so that you can experiencethe reality of My Presence.” Jesus Calling, December 14 At the same time, it can be fraught with pain and conflict. Sometimes holidays bring out the grief of what someone has never had, or what has lost been or destroyed. Longings go unmet, and past pain is often revisited. Then there is the opportunity for old pain and patterns in toxic relationships to be repeated, as families get together and some people find themselves around hurtf...
Finding Joy When Your Heart Hurts
“You can find joy in the midst of brokenness. One of the hardest times to be joyful is when you’re dealing with multiple problems—seeking solutions but finding none—and then several new difficulties beset you. The way to encounter joy in adversity is to encounter Me. You can pray,‘Jesus, help me find You in the midst of this mess!’ ” —Jesus Today, Day 67 “You aren’t listening to me. I’ve had enough. Get out of my house!” Harsh, isn’t it? Brokenness reveals itself in so many ways. I recently felt very broken over a verbal misunderstanding. I knew that the other party could only see her way and felt that I was completely wrong. Exasperation grew when she failed to take time to listen to me, and I lost my temper for the first time in a long time. As a Christian, I felt extremely discouraged. ...
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...
