Story
Have You Ever Found Yourself Worrying While Praying?
The following article first appeared on FoxNews.com on November 26, 2021. When our two children, Stephanie and Eric, were young teenagers, my husband and I let them travel alone from Nashville, Tennessee to Melbourne, Australia, where we were living and working as missionaries. This was a very long journey, requiring multiple changes in major airports. I was feeling quite anxious about their making this trip by themselves, and I was praying about it almost constantly. However, as I prayed, I was worrying much more than I was trusting God. Eventually, I realized this kind of praying was displeasing to God—and it certainly wasn’t relieving my anxiety. So one morning as I brought my concerns about this trip to Jesus, He helped me find a better way to pray. He showed me that if I kept on...
Every Little Detail
I comprehend you in all your complexity; no detail of your life is hidden from me. I view you through eyes of grace, so don’t be afraid of My intimate awareness. –Jesus Calling, March 17 I was reading in Exodus today, in chapters 25–28. (Now, you might be wondering what Exodus has to do with the holiday season, but we’ll get there, I promise!) These chapters are where God is telling Moses exactly how the tabernacle is to be constructed. And I’ll confess that when I usually read through these pages of the Bible, I get a bit bogged down in all the details. Okay, I skim. A lot. But today—in that way that only the Holy Spirit can orchestrate—it was those details that left me laughing out loud in pure delight. You see, in Exodus, God meticulously listed out so many specific measurements a...
God Seems Most Present As We Are Climbing Life’s Mountains Alone
The following article first appeared on The Dallas Morning News on November 14, 2021. Every winter while living in Australia, my husband and I enjoyed going to a ministers’ family camp in the magnificent Grampian Mountains with our two children. Afternoons were free, and I usually went hiking with friends during that time. One year, when my friends were ready to hit the trail, I wasn’t feeling well, so I told my them to go ahead without me. Afterward though, I regretted my decision, and I decided to go for a little walk by myself. I found myself walking toward the closest mountain, one I had climbed several times in past years with others. My plan was to go just a short way up, enjoy the view, and then return to my room to rest. I realized it was a little risky to go hiking alone, especial...
The Heirloom Seed of Discipleship
“Through the intimacy of our relationship, you are being transformed from the inside out.”– Jesus Calling, January 25 Are you a fan of Tabasco hot sauce? You’re not alone. For more than 150 years, people have been grabbing bottle after bottle of the popular hot sauce to add a little zip to their food. But have you ever heard how Tabasco came to be? It started with seeds In 1868, a man named Edmund Mcllhenny was given seeds to a pepper called Capsicum frutescens, a special variety historians believe came from Mexico or Central America. Mcllhenny planted the seeds at his home in southern Louisiana, and after a couple years of cultivating, he decided to launch a pepper sauce company. And the rest, as they say, is history. Heirloom seeds What strikes me most, besides the fact that E...
What Are You Praying For?
Whether your prayers are ones of gratitude or prayers for help and healing, Jesus is eagerly listening. He wants us to turn to Him in all aspects of our lives; during times of celebration and times of struggle. We asked several guests of The Jesus Calling Podcast to share their personal prayers with us. Watch the videos below to see the importance of prayer to a variety of guests. And then head over to our social handles and tell us, what are you praying for today? Superstar singer and entertainer Patti LaBelle shares her daily prayer of thanks. [embedded content] Pastor Louie Giglio discusses his prayers for guidance, discernment, and courage. [embedded content] Watch author and businesswoman Sarah Jakes Roberts talk about her greatest prayer right now. [embedded content] Join Our Telegra...
God Cares for the Caregivers
“I will never leave you nor forsake you! My Presence watches over you continually.” – Jesus Calling, August 1 September 24, 2002, should have been a day of celebration. It was my wife Laura and I’s fourteenth wedding anniversary, and life was good. Laura’s to-do list that day included a doctor’s visit. She called me that afternoon with the news—the doctor had found a lump, and he could tell by the shape and texture that it was likely malignant. Our lives changed that day. While I had loved my roles as husband, father, lover, spiritual leader, provider, and friend, I now had to add “caregiver” to that list. A new role and a new dedication When Laura got the biopsy results, the first thing we did was to pray together. Praying together was a daily thing for us, and we certainly ne...
Living from the Outflow of a Thriving Prayer Life
I don’t want to be a better “pray-er.” Don’t get me wrong, I would love to pray “better,” but that’s not my end goal. My end goal isn’t a perfect fifteen minutes each morning sitting with the Lord. My end goal isn’t a really great formula that elevates my prayers. Prayer that affects your life My heart’s desire is to live from the outflow of a thriving prayer life. That nuance may seem small. Well, of course I don’t just want to pray better. I want prayer to actually affect my life. But those few words, “living from the outflow,” change the way I approach prayer. I no longer isolate my time of prayer to each morning but, instead, allow it to keep cropping up throughout my day. Prayer throughout your day This morning, I prayed the scriptures found in Ephesians 1:16–20 for several friends th...
Finding Joy Again After Loss
Once again, my heart was shattered into a million pieces. I barely noticed the gorgeous weather as I sat alone on our front porch steps, tears streaming down my face. My husband was still at work, but I needed to step away from our three young children as I wept over the devastating phone call I had just received. “Mrs. Mullett, the pathology report came back. The tumor we removed from your son is cancerous. We’re sending this on to his transplant team, and you will hear back from them on next steps.” I felt physically ill as I thought about how to break the news to our six-year-old cancer survivor. Austin had just completed one year of aggressive chemotherapy and was just beginning to enjoy life again, despite the lingering effects of his toxic medications. Compounded Loss I r...
God’s Light Shines Through the Darkest Storms
2020 and 2021 have been challenging years for the world. We’ve all had to endure loss after loss. I have, too. As a country music artist, my business revolves around people, and none of us had a backup plan for music gatherings coming to an abrupt stop back in March 2020. Artists were forced to cancel an entire year of shows in one day, something we’d never dreamed of. I found myself at rock bottom with no plan and no direction. I also had a wedding coming up in six short months. My fiancé and I had already paid non-refundable deposits for our big day, but it became obvious pretty quickly that our wedding day was not going to look the way we’d planned it—not even close. But nothing compared to the biggest blow of all: losing our best friend Greg to COVID-19. Change of Plans Fast forw...
Pursuing Excellence for God, Jumpstarts Your Life
Through one of the hottest environments on the planet, the Queen of Sheba completed the final leg of a long expedition by slowly crawling up Mt. Zion. She had heard of the wisdom of Solomon and the fame of his country, but she was soon to discover she hadn’t heard the half of it (1 Kings 10:7). Foreign dignitaries in the ancient world came from far and wide to pick the brain of the wisest man on earth. The kingdom Solomon built, the culture he created: that doesn’t just happen! God fulfilled Solomon’s request for wisdom (1 Kings 3) and afterward, Solmon actively pursued excellence. Later, Paul would write in Colossians 3:23 that, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (NIV). My Story My personal journey from childhood to youn...
To Hold Your Head High, Bow It in Prayer
Standing in the confined space between hefty metal doors, we waited to be buzzed through to enter the cinder-block prison gymnasium. Soon the room would fill to capacity with more than 300 inmates in blue jumpsuits, ready to gather for church. I was filled with a mixture of nervous jitters and excitement, anticipating the work God would do in the lives of the women in front of me. I’d been thinking about these women for days leading up to my visit. I imagined their shoulders slumped under the heaviness of separation from family. I thought their eyes would be downcast from the strain of loneliness and isolation, the burden of broken relationships, the heavy feelings of defeat. A piercing sound signaled our entrance into the room. As the women filed in, we noticed they were radia...
After Scars, Finding New Growth in Relationships
“The soul-satisfaction you find in Mehelps you relate well to other people.”– Jesus Always, July 25 The daily news is full of hopeful images showing us that community gatherings are back. We’ve been through a long season of isolation, and now doors are opening again. What will we choose from as we survey the banquet of opportunities laid before us? Will we finally be able to resume life as we knew it? We rejoice as we are allowed to join in worship, hug our loved ones, and enjoy a meal with friends. It is indeed good to do life together. But before we settle for a return to our former ways, let’s consider that this new entry into community may be a call to go further toward real restoration, rather than simple resumption, of relationships. The irony is, while the news highlights the sorrow...
