The Jesus Calling Magazine - Winter 2022

prayers for little ones

New from Sheila Walsh

New from Sarah Young

New from Amy Kavelaris

New in the Really Woolly Series

inspiring devotionals for kids and teens

New from Sadie Robertson Huff

New from Louie Giglio

New from Max Lucado

New from Levi Lusko

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Available March 2022!

Happy New Year!

As you begin this new year, I encourage you to focus on this amazing promise to Christians: Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38–39).

Jesus Calling 365 Devotions for Kids

Each one of us faces a glorious challenge every single day: to trust in Jesus’ love regardless of our circumstances. Even though we may experience losses and serious difficulties, the one thing we can’t live without is also the one thing we can never lose—Jesus’ loving Presence. He is always with us, so we can cling to Him and pour out our hearts to Him. During times of struggle with my health issues, I look to the Lord in His infinite sufficiency—bringing Him my utter insufficiency. I also depend intensely on God whenever I’m working on a book. Before I begin to write and throughout the writing process, I acknowledge my deep dependence on God and I ask for His help. As I keep my eyes on Jesus, His compassionate Presence strengthens and encourages me—no matter what I’m facing in my life.

Jesus Calling for Easter

Dear reader, I urge you to keep focusing on Jesus’ extraordinary love for you.

Seek to live close to Him—asking Him to strengthen you and help you face the challenges of each day.

Jesus Calling Spanish Edition

PHOTO BY JEREMY COWART

Bountiful blessings!

THE

®

MAGA ZINE

W I N T E R

2 0 2 2

Laura Minchew SVP & Publisher

COVER STORY | 8 Country Music’s

Michael Aulisio VP & Publisher Editor-in-Chief

Chris Janson Finds His Faith Tested

by Fire

Robin Richardson Marketing Director Mandy Wilson Marketing Director

CONTENTS 3

Amanda Kloots: Love, Loss, and a New Chapter

6

Doing Good: Hal Donaldson Leads a Convoy of Hope

Stephanie Chalk Senior Marketing Manager Laura Neutzling Managing Editor

13

Brandi Rhodes: Fighting the Good Fight

17

Pastor’s Corner: Louie Giglio – Take Control of Negativity

18

Dave Pittman: Growing “Crazy Brave” in Christ

20

Rev Run: Knowing Love Through the Power of Commitment

22

Jamie Kern Lima: There’s Beauty in Our Flaws

25

Mattie Jackson Selecman: Moments of Joy in Seasons of Pain

28

Nell O’Leary: Blessed Is She

30

Rosie Rivera: “God Accepted Me at My Worst”

33

A Jesus Listens Prayer for a New Year

34

Michael Jr: Connecting Through Laughter

36

Jesus Calling Readers: Social Media Spotlight

37

Music Spotlight: Lauren Alaina on “Getting Good” at Being You

38

Dana K. White: Decluttering Tips for “the Rest of Us”

40

Family Games & Puzzles

Amy Kerr Copy Editor Abigail Nibblett Content Coordinator Beth Murphy Senior Marketing Director Barbara Moser Creative Director Candace Waggoner Senior Operations Manager Michelle Lenger Designer

Published quarterly by Thomas Nelson, Inc. P.O. Box 141000 Nashville, TN 37214 Printed in the U.S.A. © 2004 Sarah Young All rights reserved; no materials may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the publisher.

The Jesus Calling Magazine is not responsible for problems with vendors or their products or services.

Cover photo by Spidey Smith

Amanda Kloots | 3

Brandi Rhodes |13

Rev Run | 20

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Love, Loss, and Finding a New Chapter TV’s Amanda Kloots on her love story with Broadway star Nick Cordero

IMAGES COURTESY OF AMANDA KLOOTS' PERSONAL ARCHIVE

by Lauren Winfield

3

THE FIRST TIME AMANDA KLOOTS PLACED HER HAND on the barre in ballet class when she was a young girl, her life changed forever.

“When I started to dance, I loved how it made me feel,” the co-host of CBS’s The Talk remembers. “Even now, it’s just an instant mind-shifter. It always makes me feel better.”

The young dancer’s obsession with her craft grew exponentially with every passing year. When she was in sixth grade, Amanda traveled with her family to New York for Easter and caught a very special show while they were there. “I saw the Rockettes perform, and I thought, This is what I want to do with my life.”

At eighteen, Amanda decided to chase her dream. She moved to New York and studied musical theater. During her school years, she auditioned twice for the Rockettes—and didn’t land the gig. Eventually, she found her way onto the Broadway stage, dancing in the ensembles for shows like Good Vibrations, Follies, and Young Frankenstein. She quietly auditioned a third time for the Rockettes, competing against more than a thousand performers for just twelve open spots. And by the end of the grueling audition, Amanda earned one of the coveted roles.

Over the years, Amanda saw her life and dreams continue to expand.

She earned a part in a new Broadway show called Bullets Over Broadway, and became fast friends with another cast member: Tony nominee Nick Cordero.

“Nick and I were very different people, but our differences were how we complemented each other,” she says. “I helped him stay focused and more on top of things. He helped me calm down and chill out. We filled in each other’s blanks.”

Eventually, the two became inseparable and married in 2017, welcoming a little boy named Elvis two years later. The family was filled with love, a lifetime of birthdays, holidays, graduations and so much more ahead of them.

4

In March 2020, Nick started to show symptoms of what appeared to be pneumonia. But after a thorough exam, doctors confirmed a diagnosis: it was COVID-19.

Two days after he arrived at the hospital, doctors put the actor in a medically induced coma, and placed him on a ventilator and an ECMO machine to oxygenate his blood. While in the coma, Nick developed blood clots that led to an amputation of his right leg.

We filled“in each others blanks.

Over the next few months, Nick fought more complications from the disease: heart problems, sepsis, a lung infection. The world watched as Amanda chronicled every hurdle of Nick’s journey on Instagram, and she continually asked her online community to pray for her husband. In return, she received an outpouring of support from her followers who, on top of prayers, sent food

deliveries for her family, toys for baby Elvis—even a copy of Jesus Calling.

Amanda took the book to the hospital and read it aloud to Nick, posting the day’s devotional on social media so her online community could be inspired by it too. “Sometimes we just need a reminder that we don’t have to fight through any day alone. We have His companionship,” she says.

“ if?’ or, ‘It should You can’t say, ‘What have been a certain way.’

In the end, the hurdles became too much to overcome for the forty-oneyear-old Broadway star. After battling COVID for ninety-five days, Nick passed away in July 2020.

“Loss is such a tough process, and grief is a journey you travel on your own,” Amanda admits. “You can’t say, ‘What if?’ or, ‘It should have been a certain way,’ because that’ll just tear you down. But along the way, I found comfort in God and prayer, from believing and having faith. I found comfort in my family, Nick’s family, my social media community— which is crazy to say you could find comfort in complete strangers, but it definitely happened.”

After receiving this outpouring of love, Amanda became determined to pay forward the kindness that was keeping her afloat. She and her sister Anna founded an apparel company called “Hooray For,” which donates profits from specially-designed items to a new charity every month. She began teaching online workout classes over Zoom every Saturday morning, and giving proceeds from attendance fees to charities like Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

As Amanda continues to find her way through grief in her new chapter, she has a few words of wisdom for others struggling with similar 5

feelings: “Live your life. You have to take chances. You have to try.

And never take a day for granted.”

Adapted for print from the Jesus Calling Podcast. Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to hear more of Amanda’s story!

Find Amanda’s book, Live Your Life, at your favorite book retailer today.

REVOLUTIONARY KINDNESS Hal Donaldson and Convoy of Hope

by Laura Neutzling

6

LIFE TOOK A TRAGIC TURN in Hal Donaldson’s childhood the night his father was killed by a drunk driver. His mother was seriously injured in the accident.

There was no insurance policy to cushion the loss.

A police officer relayed the news to twelve-year-old Hal, his three younger siblings, and a crowd of friends and neighbors gathered on the Donaldsons’ front lawn. The officer asked if anyone would take in the siblings for a few days. After what seemed like a lifetime to Hal, a couple of longtime family friends raised their hands and opened the door of their single-wide trailer so the children could stay with their family of six.

A few days turned into a full year.

“And during that year,” Hal remembers, “they wrapped their arms around me and my brothers and my sister, and they reminded us that Jesus loves us and He has a plan for our lives.”

That incredible act of kindness made a deep impression on Hal and would quietly lay dormant as he pursued other areas of work as an adult. Majoring in journalism in college, Hal went on to be an editor at a magazine, teach at the universtiy level, and work on several book projects.

One of those book projects took him to Calcutta, India, where he

D O I N G

had the honor of meeting Mother Teresa for an interview. During their time together, Mother Teresa asked a pivotal question that would change the course of Hal’s life: “What are you doing to help the poor and the suffering?”

Embarrassed he didn’t have an impressive answer, Hal simply offered the most honest response he could give: “I’m not really doing much of anything.”

Looking back at him intently, she said, “Everyone can do something. Do the next kind thing that Jesus puts in front of you.”

IMAGES COURTESY OF HAL DONALDSON'S PERSONAL ARCHIVE

“ in What started the back of a pickup truck is now reaching millions around the world.

As soon as he got back to the States, Hal felt compelled to act quickly on Mother’s Teresa’s directive. He’d always been pulled toward the notion of radical kindness—the same kindness that was extended to him in the wake of his father’s death. He rallied some friends to load pickup trucks and U-Haul trailers, and they began to take groceries into needy areas and pass them out to poor working families. And that was the start of Convoy of Hope.

“We never intended to start a charity or a nonprofit, “ Hal says.

“We were just trying to do the next kind thing Jesus put in front of us. We saw a need, we saw an opportunity, but God began

to bless it in a very significant way. What started in the back of a pickup truck is now reaching millions of people around the world.”

Convoy of Hope has since grown to serve 100 million people.

They have distributed more than $1 billion to people in need and donated food and supplies across the world. They feed 200,000 children every single day in fourteen countries, and train thousands of single mothers to start their own businesses and help farmers to increase their yields.

They also bring together churches, businesses, civic organizations, and government agencies so that those organizations can work together to positively impact their own communities.

Hal reflects back to how those words from Mother Teresa sparked a kindness revolution that God’s been able to spread exponentially to so many.

“When you’re obedient to God and you do the things that are important to God, He takes that step of faith and He grows it. He makes it something larger than we ever dreamed. I know that’s been the case with Convoy of Hope. If we’re obedient to the little things, God can take those little things, and He can show us the next steps until it becomes something much larger than what we ever dreamed.”

Adapted for print from the Jesus Calling Podcast. Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to hear more of Hal’s story!

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G O O D

Hal Donaldson serving in Haiti

You can find Hal’s book, Disruptive Compassion, at your favorite book retailer today.

Country music’s Chris Janson

GOD’S WORKING IT OUT for Good

by Amy Kerr

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C O V E R

W

and sings songs like ‘Everybody’s Going Through Something,’ he’s touching almost as many people as my brother in church,” she says. “Before every show, he always says, ‘We woke up today, so we are blessed.’

I see God working through him.”

HAT WOULD YOU DO with your life if you trusted that, in the end, everything would work together for your good?

For Chris Janson, the answer is simple: exactly what he’s doing right now.

He’s a member of the Grand Ole Opry, an Academy of Country Music award winner. He’s co-written songs for Tim McGraw and Hank Williams, Jr. He’s had four #1 hits and toured the country to venues full of fans singing his songs like “Buy Me a Boat” and “Good Vibes” right back to him.

Janson is thankful to enjoy his career as a country music singer/songwriter. It's an important part of his life—but not the only one.

“What you leave on earth after you’re gone is your legacy. The songs, the accolades, none of that matters,” he says. “I would rather go down in history as father, husband, Christian. Period.”

I’m not trying to“ be a preacher or anything, I’m just trying to be real with people.

IMAGES COURTESY OF CHRIS AND KELLY JANSON'S PERSONAL ARCHIVE; SPIDEY SMITH; ISTOCK

S T O R Y

Growing up in southeast Missouri, being an instrument for God would’ve never entered Chris’s mind. He was too busy picking up and playing all kinds of actual musical instruments by ear: drums, piano, bass. “I don’t read notes. I have zero music theory. I just play by ear,” Janson admits. “When I was nine years old, I got a Fender Stratocaster. I learned songs by The Georgia Satellites, Chuck Berry, all kinds of rock and roll—whatever I could hear. I’ve always been a country music fan, but I was first a rock and roll fan.“ In the end, Chris’s country music fandom won his heart. When he graduated from high school, he moved to Nashville to pursue a career as a songwriter. He’d go in and out of the honky tonks, playing songs by Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings. He started picking up regular gigs, writing songs and slowly carving himself a place in the music scene. He was a bachelor who loved riding his Harley and shooting pool with his friends when one night, he saw an attractive blonde walk down the stairs of the pool hall.

“I leaned over to my buddy and I said, ‘I want to marry that girl over there.’ And he goes, ‘Yeah, right.’”

Three years later, they were married.

“When we met, I was a single mom,” says Kelly.

Spend a few minutes listening to Janson, and it’s not hard to see this is a man walking on solid ground, confident and self-assured. Some artists create from a place of insecurity, of feeling alone and separate from others. They spend their days trying to tap into what makes them feel so different from other people.

Not Janson. It’s clear he creates from a place rich with connection. A happily married father of four, with a strong relationship with his Creator, this is a man who is home. And it shows in his music.

“I’m not trying to be a preacher or anything,” he says. “I’m just trying to be real with people.”

Janson and his wife, Kelly, have created something of a family business. He’s the artist, she’s his manager.

Dedicated to their family-first mentality, they frequently bring their kids on the road with them.

And lately, Kelly's had a front-row seat to watching her husband not only entertain millions, but reach countless hearts through his music.

“My brother’s a pastor, and that’s such a great thing. Sometimes I feel like when Chris gives his heart 9

record deal. It didn’t take long for the single to shoot to the top of the charts, a first for Chris that cemented his place in the country music canon. With the benefit of hindsight, he can see this time around, he had some divine help being in the right place, with the right people, at the right time.

“ puts I think God certain situations in your life to mold you.

Chris, Kelly and their four children

“I was divorced and raising two children, and I prayed, ‘God, send me a good Christian man.’ I didn’t believe they existed anymore. I had a Jesus Calling book, and every day that’s what I read. It helped me to be confident that I had God and didn’t have to have a man.

Then he showed up. I remember telling him, ‘Well, I have kids.’ He's like, ‘Great, that's a bonus!’ When he decided to ask me to marry him, he asked both my children first, took them with him to get the ring, and they all proposed to me together. His heart is like nothing else you can imagine. He's my best friend.”

Brick by brick, Chris saw his foundation getting stronger, thanks to Kelly, his kids, and his faith.

It’s something he was thankful for even more when his career started to feel like shaky ground.

“When he got his record deal right after we got married, he was at a really weird spot,” Kelly says.

“The music business is harder than

it looks, and he was miserable.

He’d call me from the road, and I would read Jesus Calling to him in the mornings.”

“That’s how I became a fan of Jesus Calling—because she was reading it to me,” says Chris. “At the time, I had no idea who I was.

Frankly, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it was all God’s timing. And Kelly reading Jesus Calling to me gave me peace during the ‘ulcers in my stomach, freaking out, I don’t know who I am’ phase of my life. And it gave me so much confidence that I asked out of that record deal and went totally independent for many years.”

It was during his time as an independent artist that Chris wrote and released a light-hearted song called “Buy Me a Boat” in 2015.

Country music DJ Bobby Bones played it on his syndicated radio show, broadcast to stations across the nation. Soon after, Warner Music Nashville offered him a 10

“It took a good thirteen, fourteen years to really get a hit. I think God puts certain situations in your life to mold you. Sometimes you have to live in those hard spaces before you get to see the clarity at the end of the tunnel. And I’m living in that clarity now.”

These days, there’s a steady cadence to Janson’s life. He and Kelly start every day with a prayer.

Then Chris gets up, goes to his writing room, writes a song if he feels like it. Usually, he’ll write the lyrics first, and the melody will fall into place. Inspiration can strike anytime. For his latest single “Bye, Mom” it struck at two o’clock in the morning.

“Talk about a God thing—I sat up in bed and was wide awake with all these lyrics. I picked up my phone and typed them out.

I texted my co-writer Brandon Kinney and said, ‘Call me as soon as you get up. We have a song to write.’”

Chris knew Brandon was the person who needed to co-write

C O V E R

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S T O R Y

the song with him. Only a short time ago, Brandon had lost his mom unexpectedly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The grieving son couldn’t even attend his mother’s funeral.

“We just started writing this song as a tribute to Brandon’s mother. There’s a line in the song that says, ‘When you realize you’re somebody that somebody loves more than themselves . . .’”

Janson stops for a second, lost in thought.

“Which, by the way, that’s Christ.”

He pauses again, gathers himself. When he speaks again, his voice is thick with emotion.

“I actually never thought about it that way. I’m going to call Brandon and tell him that.”

“Bye, Mom” is a poignant single that’s touched listeners from all walks of life, with a reminder that the love we have with our people is precious, because we won’t always be together to share it on earth. As believers, we know this. We know nothing in this lifetime will last. But as you lay down to sleep, you never dream that it might be the last time.

It’s a sentiment the Jansons are more familiar with than they care to admit. While they were sleeping one night in 2020, Kelly woke up to the sound of a quiet noise downstairs.

“I heard just this little faint beep, beep, beep. I’m like, ‘Why is the dishwasher beeping?’”

But it wasn’t the dishwasher.

Earlier that day, Chris had left his laptop plugged in on a leather ottoman in his writing room. The laptop overheated, causing the ottoman to catch fire and send a seven-foot flame up to the ceiling.

Jesus Calling survived the fire

“I can see Him all around me. I saw God when we got married, when our children were born. I see Him on hunts with my kids, fishing trips—I see Him everywhere. And one thing I pray a lot is to remember that He leads the ship. We need to let Him control it because whatever He has is in our best interest. And He’s never let us down yet.”

Adapted for print from the Jesus Calling Podcast.

Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to hear more for Chris and Kelly’s story when it hits the podcast on February 24!

It’s like He “ was saying, ‘I’ve got you.’

“The house was on fire right below where our family was sleeping: me, Chris, and our two youngest kids, all in our king-sized bed. The ceiling fan below was already melting from the flame, and our bed would have been the next thing to fall right through into the fire. One more minute, and we probably wouldn’t have survived. The one thing that did survive in that room is our Jesus Calling book.”

Adds Chris, “It felt like an awesome random act of God. It’s like He was saying, ‘I’ve got you.’

Listen to Chris’s latest single “Bye, Mom” wherever you stream or buy music.

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y l e c r e i l u f h t ai 13

BRANDI RHODES BREAKS DOWN BARRIERS FOR WOMEN WRESTLERS

by Laura Neutzling

GROWING UP IN INKSTER, MICHIGAN, BRANDI RHODES never dreamed she’d be a member of one of wrestling’s royal families, or chief brand officer for the second-largest wrestling company in the world—or that she’d ever step into the ring at all.

Today she’s known as a wrestler who blazed her way through the WWE and independent circuits, married famed wrestler Cody Rhodes and became daughter-in-law of the legendary Dusty Rhodes, and landed an executive role at All Elite Wrestling. But growing up in the ‘80s and ‘90s, she didn’t even watch the sport—that hobby belonged to her brother.

All Brandi wanted to do as a young girl was lace up her blades and spend hours ice skating.

As four-year-old Brandi watched the Winter Olympics with her mom, the sport captured her heart instantly. “I loved it so much, my mother decided to take me to the closest ice arena,” Brandi remembers. And for the next seventeen years, ice skating would become her passion.

“Every single day, seven days a week I skated—that was my life. I loved the competitive nature of it. I loved the friendships I had through it. And to this day, I’ve put a lot of the coaching I received into what I do now.”

I didn’t feel like“I was doing it.

I felt like He was.

A competitive athlete from an early age, Brandi’s talent was evident from her first days on the ice. Eventually she was coached under Olympic athlete Christopher Bowman, and a combination of his expertise and her hard work and talent landed her in a televised competition she can remember vividly to this day.

“I was so nervous because there’s all these cameras. And before you start your program, you’ve got maybe a minute to skate around and warm up. I got on the ice, and my legs were like Jell-O. I couldn't feel them. I remember I prayed that whole warm-up, ‘God, please be my legs. I really need You right now.’ And that was the best I ever skated in my entire life.

I just cried through the entire thing because I didn’t feel like I was doing it. I felt like He was.”

Unexpectedly, wrestling would find its way back into the skater’s life.

After spending some time in Miami, Brandi dreamed of leaving the cold 14

15

“ a lot There were of firsts for me in wrestling.

Having blazed the trail as a female wrestling announcer, Brandi wanted to continue to advance in the sport. She wrestled in matches by herself and with a team. She appeared in national commercials.

She even started her own swimwear line.

“There were a lot of firsts for me in wrestling,” Brandi says.

“It didn’t really register with me until I announced at my first WrestleMania—that’s when a lot of people started throwing stats around and when people looked into it and said, ‘Hey, is she the first woman to do this?’ And the answer was yes. So it’s something that’s really cool and I’m really proud of.”

As accomplished as she was in the ring, Brandi’s taken on a new role: as the mother to a baby girl named Liberty, born in June 2021.

As she reflects back on the winding road she took to blaze a trail for women in the wrestling world, Brandi gives credit to the faith that taught her “everyone is accepted in God’s eyes” and gave her the courage to be a groundbreaker in her sport. “It’s the reason I still pursue my faith today.”

To keep up with Brandi Rhodes, follow her blog and social media platforms.

Adapted for print from the Jesus Calling Podcast. Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to hear more of Brandi’s story!

IMAGES COURTESY OF BRANDI RHODES' PERSONAL ARCHIVE

Brandi as a child, Brandi ice skating, Brandi with her daughter, Liberty, Brandi with husband Cody

COUNTER CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:

weather of Michigan behind and starting a new life under sunnier skies. She picked up and moved to Miami and quickly found work as a model. It wasn’t long before she got a call from an agent asking, “Would you ever be interested in wrestling?”

After watching one episode of WWE Smackdown!, Brandi was intrigued and thought to herself, This is different. Women are being taken seriously. They’re having their own competitive matches.

When she attended her first live wrestling match, she was drawn to the excitement of the ring and the energy of the crowd— and from there, she was hooked.

Brandi took the job and was given her first assignment: announcing in front of 20,000 people.

Brandi moved to Tampa for the gig, where she announced matches on a regular basis and began to train to wrestle. As she grew more and more immersed in her new world, she vividly remembers the night she met the man who would eventually become her husband.

“I went out on the road soon after starting training, and I met Cody for the first time in an office in one of the arenas. One day, he asked me if I would like to go out to dinner after the show. I said, ‘No, thank you, maybe next time.’

And then he just never stopped.

After that, everything just kind of came to be for us. I think we had only been together for about a year when we got engaged, and then we got married less than a year after that. And here we are. We’ve been married seven years.”

TAKE CARE OF YOU IN

2022

Do you have a self-care action plan? Equip yourself with practical self-care ideas for everything from breathing with intention to memorizing Scripture to letting go of anxiety. Take care of yourself—body, mind, and soul—with this 52-week guided journal.

AVAILABLE WHERE BOOKS ARE SOLD

16

ALSO AVAILABLE

A few seasons ago, I was in a difficult place in leadership, filled with confusion, negative feelings, and misunderstandings. So I reached out to a friend to lament and look for a little support. But I'm grateful I had someone who told me what I needed to hear instead of what I wanted to hear in a simple, nine-word text: Don’t give the Enemy a seat at your table.

In the moment, I was frustrated because I wanted someone to commiserate with. I wanted my feelings to be validated. But I realized I had let the Enemy dominate my thinking, disrupt my peace of mind, cause confusion and consternation, and keep me

“ I was I decided

going to take my mind back.

I stared at that message on my phone while I sat in my driveway, contemplating. I decided right then that I was going to take my mind back. I said, “You are not welcome at my table. You are not welcome in this conversation.”

And while I know that sounds like a little bit of a spiritual cliché, it’s still powerful. I’ve been leaning on that phrase every single week, every single month since coming through that season.

Negative thoughts can come in quickly, often without us knowing.

But Jesus has given us the power to decide how long they reside in our minds. We can identify lies like, It’s better at another table, or, 17

Adapted for print from the Jesus Calling Podcast. Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to hear more of Louie’s story!

You can find Louie’s latest books, Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table and The Wonder of Creation, at your favorite book retailer today.

C O R N E R

by Louie Giglio Passion City Church Atlanta, Georgia

up at night. That was the reason I felt like I’d been put through the wringer; I’d been having conversations with a killer. And I didn’t want that for myself anymore.

P A S T O R ’ S

Take Control of Negativity

by Walking in Truth

You aren’t enough, or, You aren’t going to make it. Then, once they’ve been seen for what they are, we can take those lies captive by the power of Jesus’ name and walk in the freedom of what He says is true.

In Psalm 23, God says we’re going to go through the valley of the shadow of death, not just to it.

God has brought me through every situation and trial I’ve ever faced in my lifetime. Yes, I’ve got some scars. Yes, I have known pain. But I still made it.

Repeat to yourself: “God’s brought me through every time, and I believe God’s going to bring me through this time.” That is how you can take control of the lie and change the narrative to truth.

S I N G E R

DAVE PITTMAN

Crazy Brave B E C O M E S

IN CHRIST

by Laura Neutzling

school year feeling different and alone was too much for him to go through again.

When his parents left the house to run an errand, nine-year-old Dave found a piece of paper and scribbled a note in pencil: Mom and Dad, I love you.

I'm gonna miss you. He drew a frowny face with tears rolling down its cheeks. He went to his parents’ room and remembers locking the door behind him.

“I put the note face up. I got my father’s gun, and was about two seconds away from pulling the trigger when I heard Mom and Dad open the front door. They proceeded down the hallway and knocked on the bedroom door. In the meantime, I’m scurrying around to get things back together. I turned the note face down. When I let them in, they asked me, ‘Dave, what were you doing in here with the door locked?’

“I was silent, but my mom saw the note fall to the floor. She read it and just lost it. I lost it too, because all those feelings from the year before came up, things I hadn’t been open about. We all had a moment there, in the middle of their bedroom floor. We just cried and prayed together.”

Dave’s parents decided to get counseling for their son and to homeschool him for his fifth grade year. As

Editor’s note: this piece discusses suicide and suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please contact The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255), or message the Crisis Text Line at 741741. Both programs provide free, confidential support 24/7.

PICTURE A NINE-YEAR-OLD, and most likely you’ll think of a carefree child who enjoys riding bikes, watching cartoons, and playing outside with friends. You imagine a young person with their whole life stretched ahead of them. But the story of Dave Pittman’s ninth year defies most imaginations.

Diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome as a child, the singer and former American Idol finalist knew that being different wasn’t something his peers would cheer him on for. He endured relentless bullying and taunting at school for the uncontrollable tics and vocal sounds caused by Tourette’s.

Sitting at the kitchen table one summer, Dave’s parents began casually talking about how the school year was just around the corner. The boy felt the cold chill of fear creep through his body. Facing another 18

Adapted from the Jesus Calling Podcast. Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to hear more of Dave’s story!

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You can hear Dave’s latest album, A Different Kind of Love, wherever you stream or buy music.

IMAGES COURTESY OF DAVE PITTMAN; ISTOCK

Dave began to reconcile with his condition, his mom and dad worked hard to make sure he knew they loved him exactly as he was—and that Jesus loved him too.

“My mom just drilled the importance of accepting yourself for who you are into my heart, and who you are in Christ. She used the example of the apostle Paul and his ‘thorn in the flesh.’ When Paul asked God to remove it three times, God’s answer to him every time was, ‘My grace is sufficient enough for you. My power is made known through your weakness.’ And for whatever reason, that stuck with me.”

Dave’s new outlook carried him through junior high and high school. Along the way, he found music, which became a safe haven and when he sang, the Tourette’s symptoms would disappear.

His talent eventually carried him all the way to the stage of American Idol, where he performed in front of millions and shared his Tourette’s journey as well. Neil Patrick Harris, one of the celebrity guests on the show, told Dave that he was “crazy brave” for getting up in front of 40 million people while having Tourette’s.

Harris’ sentiment struck a chord, and after his time with American Idol ended, Dave went on to write a song that would be the title track to his album Crazy Brave.

As he toured for the album, Dave kept sharing his story, helping people who were suffering find their own “brave” and embrace their true selves.

“As I grew in my faith and knowledge of God, the Lord, and Scripture, I began to realize that we may not understand what God’s plan is for our life, but we can trust that He is in control. I realized that my identity is not in Tourette Syndrome, but it’s in Jesus Christ alone.”

OLD SCHOOL

LOVE Rev Run and Justine Simmons on Their Secret to a Long-Lasting, Vibrant Marriage

JCM: You two describe your relationship as “old school love.” What’s your definition of “old school love,” and why do you think it works so well for you?

When he was at the height of his music career, Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons of the legendary hip-hop group Run-DMC couldn’t ignore the void inside him. It wasn’t until he discovered Jesus that he finally felt whole.

Justine: Back in the day, a lot of people had old-

Rev Run has spent decades building his faith alongside his

that’s profoundly changed their lives. They shared a few of

school principles like, “go on a date, hold hands.”

They tried to not break up, whereas today little problems between people can split them right away.

We really try to make our marriage work.

their marriage secrets with The Jesus Calling Magazine,

Rev Run: The power of commitment has kept

wife, Justine. Married for more than two decades, Rev Run and Justine have developed a pure, selfless love for each other

us together. I’ve read a quote that said, "Love is not

along with what it takes to make a relationship work.

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so much looking into each other’s eyes, but it’s looking in the same direction." I love that quote because looking into each other’s eyes is beautiful, but do you have this same mindset? “How can two walk together, lest they agree?” If someone else is walking this way, and you’re walking this way, you come further apart. But if you’re both walking together, according to the Bible, it can work.

JCM: What role has your faith played in your marriage?

Justine: I know a lot of people think marriage is supposed to be an easy

thing. But no, it’s not easy. And our faith is our foundation. I love my husband so much, but I love God more.

Rev Run: Amen. When you spend time with Him constantly and consistently, the next thing you know, you’re able to know what His will is. Besides the Word—you know what His will is from the Word—you can know the little nuances of the day, of what God is putting in your heart.

Justine: I would have to say ditto to that.

JCM: Your marriage is more than two decades strong.

What’s been your secret to making your love last?

Justine: We make it our business to try to make the other person happy.

I want him to be happy. He wants me to be happy. So we’re kind of looking at it like, Is he okay? Is she okay?

IMAGES COURTESY OF JOSEPH AND JUSTINE SIMMONS' PERSONAL ARCHIVE; ISTOCK

Rev Run: We look out for each other. Instead of fighting and being against each other, we’re trying to help each other. Instead of being selfish, we’re selfless.

Adapted for print from the Jesus Calling Podcast. Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to hear more of Rev Run and Justine’s story!

JCM: When you’re talking to other couples, what’s your number-one piece of advice?

Justine: Marriage is about give and take. That’s the only way it will work. It can’t be selfishness. You have to both be selfless.

Rev Run: I would say the number-one way to keep a relationship going

is to keep sparks flying. Keep little gifts happening, keep little fun times happening, keep the mystery. She’s always waiting to hear me say, “Guess what just happened?”And we love doing everything the same—

Justine: Together!

Rev Run: Right after this interview, I’ve got to go pick up a hat for

my show, and she has to go deliver something to our son Diggy and a few other errands. For us, it’s as big as going on a vacation all the way to Hawaii, just being with each other. So we believe that enjoying each other’s company is probably a big part of staying together.

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You can find Rev Run and Justine’s book, Old School Love, at your favorite book retailer today.

S ET BAC K S CAN BE S ET U P S F O R WHAT G OD H AS N EXT IT Cosmetics Founder Jamie Kern Lima 22

by Laura Neutzling

WHEN JAMIE KERN LIMA WALKS INTO A ROOM, her warmth puts everyone at ease.

She’s approachable and unassuming. She’s also the first female CEO within cosmetics giant L’Oreal, an ascent she made by starting a cosmetics company in her living room in 2008. By 2016, IT Cosmetics was a beauty empire on the Fortune 500—and Jamie sold the company to L’Oreal for $1.2 billion.

Her rocket-fueled trajectory experienced bumps along the way, including a few setbacks Jamie believed were impossible to overcome. But in the style she’s come to be known for, Jamie refused to let the “no’s” stop her from the dream God put in her heart.

Those dreams began to blossom as young Jamie watched The Oprah Winfrey Show in her living room, determined to one day interview people and share their stories with the world. Jamie broke tradition with her family and became the first member to go to college, where she majored in journalism and worked multiple jobs to put herself through school. After she graduated, the budding journalist scored her dream job as a news anchor—but the dream got a bit tarnished early on.

“I developed a skin condition called rosacea, where my skin would get really rough in texture and bumpy,” she recalls. “One day my producer spoke into my ear piece saying, ‘There’s something on your face—you need to wipe it off!’ I would be live on air, and I knew it was something I couldn’t wipe off.”

FROM LEFT:

Jamie was pushed into a season of self-doubt, wondering whether she’d be fired because of her appearance. She searched for makeup to cover up her red, bumpy skin but turned up empty. Then, a lightbulb realization dawned on her: If I could create a product that works for me, it’s going to help a lot of other people.

Jamie encountered a storm of doubts while trying to come up with a plan—thoughts like, You’re not qualified, you have no money, you don’t know what you’re doing. Jamie pushed through those doubts and made a decision to trust what was on her heart—even though she didn’t know how it was going to work out.

“ a product If I could create that works for me, it’s going to help a lot of other people.

“On my honeymoon flight, my husband and I wrote the business plan for IT Cosmetics. We got back, quit our jobs, and went all in! We had very little savings, but we poured it all into making our first product.”

From the moment she started IT Cosmetics, Jamie’s next dream was to appear on QVC, the giant TV shopping network. She wanted to show real women with real skin issues—no Photoshop, no filters, and no shame. “I wanted to show something different for every little girl who was seeing ads and started doubting themselves—and every grown woman who still does.”

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Jamie and her husband, Jamie before and after, Jamie at Forbes Headquarters

Jamie on-air at QVC, Jamie mentioned in Forbes in 2018, Jamie and her children

If You put this“dream on my heart, why isn’t it working?

one airing turned into five that year, and a hundred the next year. And eventually we built the biggest beauty brand in QVC’s history.”

That one moment still defines what Jamie does to this day: speaking to and mentoring entrepreneurs, and letting women of all colors, shapes and sizes know they are beautiful—to her, and to God. “There’s probably no way I could have gotten through the years of rejection without hearing what God says about me instead of my own self-doubt. And I think this is a lifelong journey. I think so many of us learn that sometimes God’s setbacks are really set ups for what we’re supposed to do next.”

After three years and scores of rejections, Jamie began to wonder why the dream that seemed so real wasn’t coming to fruition. “If You put this dream on my heart,” Jamie prayed to God, “why isn’t it working?”

Slowly but surely, God seemed to be laying the groundwork with connections that started to show up in Jamie’s life, which manifested into an unexpected meeting with a QVC host who resonated to Jamie’s vision. Finally, Jamie got the shot she had been imagining from the very beginning.

The day she was scheduled to go on air, a bundle of nerves and her company on the line, Jamie had to remind herself why she was baring her real skin in front of millions in the first place. I would rather show real women of all ages, shapes, sizes, skin challenges, skin tones, she thought. If a woman out there is going to give me two seconds of her time and she turns on her television, even if she buys nothing, I would rather have her see women who look like her and see me calling them beautiful and meaning it than sell a ton of product and stand for nothing.

Comforted by this realization, Jamie trusted God for what would happen next.

“They showed my bare face, bright red with rosacea, on national television,” Jamie recalls.

“And I went over to all the women and called them beautiful—every age and shape and size and skin tone. I start sobbing on national television. And that

Adapted for print from the Jesus Calling Podcast.

Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to hear more of Jamie’s story!

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Jamie’s book, Believe IT, is available at your favorite book retailer today.

IMAGES COURTESY OF JAMIE KERN LIMA'S PERSONAL ARCHIVE

FROM LEFT:

FINDING TRUE HEALING AFTER YOUR DEEPEST HEARTBREAK Mattie Jackson Selecman on Loving Deeply with No Regrets Growing up, Mattie Jackson Selecman watched her dad, country music superstar Alan Jackson, score hit after hit—and decided she’d be a storyteller, too. After college, Mattie wanted something more to write about and her dad encouraged her to seek new experiences and places. In that time, she met the love of her life, Ben Selecman.

Mattie never expected that just a few weeks shy of their one-year anniversary, her young husband would be in a tragic accident that would take his life. But Mattie has no regrets of loving so deeply, and wants to tell the world their story so the life and love Ben gave lives on.

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WHENEVER PEOPLE ASK ME ABOUT BEN, I wonder how long it’s going to take for my physical reaction not to be grinning, because he truly had this childlike joy. Ben walked the way Jesus walked. He saw people for who they were, not for what they did or for something that he wanted from them. And he brought life everywhere he was without expecting anything in return.

We met one summer at a cookout, and he asked me if he could take me on a date. I said no. Then he asked me, “When can I ask you again?”

And I said, “That’s a weird question. I don’t know, a month?”

About three months later, I got a message that said, “Hey, this is Ben. You told me to wait a month, so I waited three for good measure. How about a date?”

We talked every day after that. We just dated almost a year, we were engaged for a year, and we were married for just shy of a year.

We were in Florida when Ben had his accident. We’d been out on a boat, and there was a little rain shower like you have in Florida, nothing crazy. When we got back to the dock, it was slick. So Ben, like a gentleman, stepped up to help one of our girlfriends off the boat. He slipped on the steps the wrong way and fell back about ten feet and hit his head.

He was conscious for about twenty-four hours after, which was such a kindness from the Lord, because I got to sit with him. He held my hand the same way, he told me he loved me. I never anticipated the fall to be fatal. But his brain just swelled so much.

At the end of the day, what we were praying for Ben did happen. We kept praying, “May he be healed and whole.” And he is—he’s just with Jesus. And that’s the most healed and whole you can be. But it’s still very difficult.

I know this is why a lot of people struggle in suffering, because God could have stopped it. And on paper, we did all the things we were 26

Adapted for print from the Jesus Calling Podcast. Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to hear more of Mattie’s story!

You can find Mattie’s book, Lemons on Friday, at your favorite book retailer today.

IMAGES COURTESY OF MATTIE JACKSON SELECMAN'S PERSONAL ARCHIVE; ISTOCK

Ben and Mattie with her parents, Denise and Alan Jackson

supposed to do to “get the miracle.”

But we didn’t.

After Ben passed, every day I had to surrender something to God, whether it was, “I’m going to pack up some of his clothes,” or, “I don’t know how to fix this.” I wrote the things I was surrendering on a little page and literally put them in my Jesus Calling book. That way every morning, even when I didn’t feel like it, I would say, “Okay, Lord, these are Yours. I can’t handle it. I can’t control it. I can’t fix it. I know You can, and I trust You to do it.”

I think it’s natural to question, especially when you feel like you’ve done the right things. But that answer isn’t going to heal you. Only Jesus being beside you, crying with you, pouring His peace on you—that will heal. Eventually, you get past the point of needing to understand, and that is a really peaceful, secure place.

Try Your Hand at Journaling!

SURRENDER YOUR HURTS TO GOD 1. Have you ever tried to “do the right things” in order to get the outcome you wanted in a difficult situation? Did that help or hurt the situation? Why or why not?

2. Think about a time you may have questioned God during one of your darkest moments.

Did that response frighten you? Or did asking questions lead you deeper into faith?

“A PERFECT TOOL IN MY DAILY RHYTHMS OF PRAYER”

You can begin each day with the assurance that the King of Kings is excited and ready to listen to you!

Jesus Listens is a perfect tool in my daily rhythms of prayer and communion with our Lord.

@@Mattie 27

Blessed is She The Power of Sisterhood and Community

by Laura Neutzling As the middle child in a family of seven in St. Paul, Minnesota, attorney-turnedwriter Nell O’Leary learned the power of community early in her life—not only with the convenient built-in community she had with her four siblings, but the community found in the Catholic church they attended together. Having that support around her was a defining part of her childhood.

“There was always this idea of sticking together,” Nell remembers. “You stick up for your sister, you stick up for your brother.

You’re kind of a little unit out there in the world trying to navigate it together. It’s a huge gift.”

When you’re“in court and you’re the attorney, it’s like the ultimate storytelling.

A natural storyteller, Nell loved writing in her journals and reading stacks of books, so when she went to college, it seemed natural to major in English. But she also loved watching legal dramas like Perry Mason, which ultimately inspired her after graduation to pursue a career as an attorney.

Making the connection from her love of storytelling as an English major to practicing law wasn’t as much of a stretch for Nell as one might think.

“When you’re in court and you’re the attorney, it’s like the ultimate storytelling,” Nell observes. “You’re advocating for something. You’re telling people’s stories. And somehow it kind of got ingrained in my subconscious that being an attorney would be part of protecting people’s stories and telling people’s stories.”

After practicing for a few years, Nell put her law license on inactive status as she and her husband began welcoming children into their lives.

But her longing to tell and advocate for others’ stories was still alive in her heart. With her kids still in diapers, she joined a Facebook group of

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Nell’s 10-minute Prayer Hack for Busy Women “I spend ten minutes a day reading scripture. It might be on my phone at night while the baby’s asleep on me, or it might be with a cup of tea and a Catholic mom bloggers recommended to her by a friend. It wasn’t long before the group founder, Jenna Guizar, asked Nell to write some special material weekly for the group. Her dream of storytelling had returned.

Over the next seven years, Jenna and Nell became best friends, and the group of bloggers they tended grew into an international women’s ministry they would eventually call Blessed Is She. Today the group comprises over 45,000 women in regional Facebook groups all over the world, with events, retreats and resources for this ever-growing community—and Nell is the managing editor.

“We just have this incredibly spirit-moved ministry. It’s really nothing that we could have planned. We’ve created a special niche here for the modern Catholic woman—something that’s faithful to the church, but also has a look and feel that’s relevant to her life. It’s beautiful and very inviting.”

We’ve created a “ special niche here

IMAGES COURTESY OF THERESE WESTABY; ISTOCK

for the modern Catholic woman.

candle lit and my Bible opened during the daylight hours. Ten minutes a day, just praying with scripture—not studying it, not pulling up my study Bible, not reading the footnotes—genuinely just sitting and slowly reading through wherever I am right now.

Jesus Calling is also a beautiful little book that can help women into that prayer time with a greater sense of trust—it kind of just hones your attention on God’s work in your life.”

The women who are a part of Blessed Is She find the same support and community that was so precious to Nell throughout her life—and they’re tapping into a deeper relationship with God through the ministry’s devotionals and scripture offerings. As managing editor, Nell is grateful for the work she does, not only helping other Catholic women find community and belonging, but for a job that allows her to be with her family.

“I travel with a little baby right now,” Nell says. “He comes along when we go on retreats. To think, if I had known seven years ago, Someday you’ll do something you’ll really love—I want to learn the important lesson of just being trusting and satisfied with what God has in front of me.”

Adapted for print from the Jesus Calling Podcast.

Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to hear more of Nell's story!

Nell’s book Made New: 52 Devotions for Catholic Women is available at your favorite book retailer today.

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Rosie Rivera

GOD ACCEPTED ME AT MY WORST

by Abigail Nibblett 30

Editor’s note: this piece discusses sexual abuse, rape, suicide, and suicidal ideation.

If you or someone you know is in an abusive situation, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please contact The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255), or message the Crisis Text Line at 741741.

IMAGES COURTESY OF ROSIE RIVERA'S PERSONAL ARCHIVE

Each program provides free, confidential support 24/7.

AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER, MANY OF US have thought, If you knew the real me, you wouldn’t like me, or, You’ll never love me. I’ve done too many bad things.

We direct these thoughts to other people. Sometimes, we even direct them at God. Rosie Rivera believed these things about herself.

Her belief led to a fateful night on the streets of Los Angeles, where she nearly lost her life—until God and her loving family pulled her back from the brink.

Rosie grew up in a tight-knit home, filled to the brim with love. But when she was eight years old, Rosie began to be sexually abused by an uncle. She didn’t understand what was happening to her until a fifth grade sex ed class, and she left school that day horrified. The next time her uncle came to her, Rosie defiantly told him no—and he threatened to kill Rosie’s sister, Jenni.

“He took away my voice,” Rosie says. “I became quiet, isolated, confused, angry. I took this all on my own. I thought I had to save my sister’s life, and I had to save everyone else’s heart from being so hurt.”

Soon Rosie discovered she wasn’t as alone in her suffering as she thought. Then thirteen, she discovered her niece was being abused as well. The girls made a pact to protect each other, but they were careful not to let the word spread about what was going on. They were afraid Rosie’s brothers would kill their abuser, and they didn’t want to tear the family apart.

Three years later, Rosie finally decided to tell her family what was going on, and they believed her immediately—though it wouldn’t be the end of her struggles. “We made a police report, and they did everything they could to heal me with counseling and

Rosie's family during her childhood

being on my side. But I got lost in depression and drugs and alcohol, just trying to numb the pain that I still didn’t understand.”

For years, Rosie had been quietly dealing with self-loathing all by herself. And slowly, she began to transfer those feelings to God. “Sexual abuse confuses you as to who you are and who God is. I thought that if God knew all the dirt that I had inside me from the sexual abuse—I had an abortion at sixteen, all the drinking and the promiscuity—He would reject me. So I stayed away from Him. I thought, Just don't let Him know who you are.”

The pile of things that Rosie wanted to shield from God grew when she became suicidal for the third time in her life at only twenty-five years old.

Finding herself in a physically, emotionally, and psychologically abusive relationship, one night Rosie was in a hotel room with her partner when he raped her and threw her out at two in the morning. Clothed only in a T-shirt and desperate for help, Rosie ran to the front desk, but the man working mistook her for a prostitute.

“When he called me that, I believed him,” she says. “I took that label, and I put it on my forehead as if it were true.”

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Rosie decided the world, her family, and even her two-year-old daughter would be better off without her. Washing down too many pills with too much alcohol, Rosie wandered into the streets of Los Angeles, ready to die. She didn’t anticipate that her brothers would go out to look for her.

“When they found me, I couldn’t speak. I was freezing. My brother Juan told me, ‘Please don’t ever do this again. I love you so much. I don’t want to lose you.’”

Finally safe, Rosie called her mom and asked what time church was the next morning. She was ready to confront what she had been running from for so long. “I told God I was a mess. I still smelled like alcohol. I was at the front of the altar crying my eyes out, letting Jesus know everything that He already knew: that I didn’t want to live anymore without Him.” In the fourteen years since that night, Rosie has discovered there is nothing you could ever do to make God stop loving you. Wholeness in God has propped up Rosie in some hard days since—including a divorce and the loss of her beloved sister, Jenni. But it’s also been her foundation as she walked through some of her proudest achievements: becoming a sexual assault advocate, earning the CEO title of Jenni Rivera Enterprises, and landing a spot as a co-host of top Spanish morning shows Despierta America and Un Nuevo Dia. “By the grace of Christ, I have a reason to smile,” says Rosie. “I know now more than ever I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”

“This is the devotional we all need.”

When I feel at a loss for words, when I don’t know how to express all the emotions rumbling in my chest, this is the devotional I open up. Now it’s a part of my daily time with Jesus. I immediately walk into His presence and rest. This is the devotional we all need.

@@R osie 32

You can find Rosie’s newest book, God Is Your Defender, at your favorite book retailer today.

Adapted for print from the Jesus Calling Podcast. Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to hear more of Rosie’s story!

An exclusive excerpt from Sarah Young’s all-new, 365-day prayer devotional

Jesus Listens

February 20 My loving Lord,

S

atisfy me in the morning with Your unfailing Love, that I may sing for Joy and be glad all my days. I have sought satisfaction in a variety of

ways, many of which were hurtful. I’ve discovered that even good things can fail to satisfy me if I elevate them above You. So I come to You this

morning with my emptiness and my longings. As I sit quietly in Your

Presence, communing with You, I ask You to fill me up to the full with

Your limitless Love. I delight in pondering how wide and long and high and deep is this vast ocean of blessing!

Finding my satisfaction in You above all else provides a firm foundation for my life. By building on this solid foundation, I can be joyful and confident

as I go through my days. I know I’ll continue to encounter hardships because I live in such a terribly broken world. Yet I can count on You to

guide me along my way as I cling to You in trusting dependence. Lord, You make my life meaningful and satisfying while I’m traveling toward my ultimate goal—the gates of Glory!

In Your glorious Name, Jesus,

IMAGE © ISTOCK

Amen

PSALM 90:14 • EPHESIANS 3:17–18 PHILIPPIANS 4:13 NKJV • PSALM 73 : 24

EXCERPTED FROM JESUS LISTENS, COPYRIGHT 2021 BY SARAH YOUNG. USED BY PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Comedian Michael Jr. Creates Connection with Humor

by Laura Neutzling

LAUGHTER = HOPE lasted nine hours, and there was yelling and screaming from a pastor who had phlegm in his throat.”

The answer felt clear to the comedian who’d just had his best night ever: a hard no.

Twenty minutes later, the club manager’s beautiful fiancée approached him as well. “Michael, would you like to go to church with us?” she asked.

This invitation had a different effect, and Michael answered a bit more willingly. “Well, I was just looking for a church the other day—yes, I want to go to church!”

God works in mysterious ways, and before Michael knew it, the address of the church was handed to him on a napkin, everyone had cleared the club, and the now-penniless performer realized he hadn’t been paid for the gig. He was stuck, with no money and no way to put gas in his car to get home.

AS A STRUGGLING COMEDIAN trying to make it in New York, Michael Jr. was down to his last few dollars. He decided to use them to get to New Jersey, hoping to perform a set in front of iconic comedians George Wallace and Jerry Seinfeld. The men were there as Michael took the stage to perform. By the time he was done, he’d earned two standing ovations.

After that exciting night, Michael’s life would take a turn—but definitely not the one he expected.

“Right after the show was over, the club manager walks up to me and says, ‘Michael, hey, you’ve got a great set. Would you like to go to church with me tomorrow?’”

Michael was puzzled. “Church? For what?”

The last time Michael had been to church was early in his childhood. “It was miserable,” he remembers. “My grandmother forced me to go. It 34

PORTRAIT COURTESY FIVE WOOD'S PERSONAL ARCHIVES; ISTOCK IMAGES COURTESY OFOF CATHIE

As a dejected Michael walked by the bouncer on his way out, the man gave him a high-five and slipped some bills into his hand.

The grateful comedian expected he would find the typical amount for a new performer—maybe ten dollars, enough to get him home.

When he got to his car, Michael unfurled his fingers from around the bills and was amazed by what he saw.

“My eyes start to water as I notice it’s two $100 bills. I am done. I look over at the seat next to me, and that napkin with the address to their church is there. I’m like, I am going.”

Michael made good on going to church, and he surprised himself by going back each week.

Intrigued by the altar call to “give his life to Jesus,” but feeling like he needed to know more about Him,

he also started reading the Bible.

Between hitting the clubs, going to church and reading the Bible every hour in between, it took him thirty-six days to read the whole thing—and he finally felt ready to commit his life to God. He also began to find purpose in the gift of humor he was able to bring people through his performances.

“ is the Laughter tangible evidence of hope.

Michael set out to take this gift into unlikely places, which eventually led him to found a nonprofit called A Red Blueprint. “Our assignment is to make laughter commonplace in uncommon places, “ Michael says. “So we’ll go to homeless

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shelters and prisons and facilities that house children who have experienced abuse and take comedy there. We do it because laughter is the tangible evidence of hope. No matter where a person is, if they could just laugh, they know there’s hope.

“God gave me this gift not to serve me, not so I can do a bunch of shows and make a bunch of people laugh. It's so much more than just laughter. Comedy is the vehicle—it is not a destination.”

To keep up with Michael’s latest projects, visit his website at michaeljr.com.

Adapted for print from the Jesus Calling Podcast. Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to hear more of Michael’s story!

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M U S I C

COUNTRY MUSIC’S

Lauren Alaina Is Getting Good at Being Herself

by Abigail Nibblett

“ me exactly I know He made

themselves with kinder eyes. “The people I respect the most in this world have nothing but love for me, so why can’t I give that love to myself? I can—and so can you! Loving yourself makes the people who love you most so happy. It especially makes God happy.”

As her career reaches new heights, Lauren realizes there’s one constant keeping her grounded through it all: “In my life, God has never left me. I know He never will. That’s where I find my peace.”

IMAGE COURTESY OF KATIE KRAUSS

how He wanted me.

“I really struggled for a few years, until it caused some serious health problems for me,” Lauren admits. “I started doing therapy and learned how to deal with that scrutiny, because no amount of confidence in the world prepares you for total strangers to have an opinion about you. In times of sadness or frustration about myself, I try to see myself through God’s eyes. I know He made me exactly the way He wanted me.”

Over time, Lauren began to love herself again.

Her music career took off, and when she was about to make her next big appearance on national television, this time as part of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, she says she faced a “true test” to her growth as a woman. As Lauren felt waves of anxiety from being under the spotlight again, she became determined to push herself and connect with people—including the young girls—watching at home. While she’s proud of her fourth-place finish, she feels her biggest accomplishment is something no one can see but her: growing into a woman she’s proud of.

Today Lauren’s using her platform to encourage fans to identify self-sabotaging beliefs and looking at

Adapted for print from the Jesus Calling Podcast.

Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to hear more of Lauren’s story!

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You can find Lauren’s new book, Getting Good at Being You, at your favorite book retailer today.

S P O T L I G H T

Fresh off a runner-up finish on American Idol, sixteenyear-old Lauren was hustling to break into the music industry. She expected the hard work that came with the territory. But she wasn’t prepared for the onslaught of vicious insults about her appearance.

“The negative comments that hurt the most were about my weight,” the singer remembers. “People called me fat. One blog went as far as to call me ‘Miss Piggy.’ It was extremely hurtful and severely damaged my self-esteem.”

Eventually, the remarks pushed the teenage artist to develop an eating disorder.

DECLUTTERING MADE EASY FOR THE NEW YEAR Dana K. White is a blogger, podcaster, and (much to her own surprise) a decluttering expert. In an attempt to get her home under control, Dana started a blog called A Slob Comes Clean and soon realized she was not alone in her housekeeping struggles and feelings of shame. She’s sharing a few of her favorite doable decluttering tips from her brand-new book, Organizing for the Rest of Us.

Use Containers as Limits I used to think containers were for putting things in. I knew organized people loved them, but when I put my stuff in containers, my house just looked junky. But a container’s purpose isn’t to hold stuff, it’s to contain that stuff. To serve as a limit. If I put my markers in a bucket and I have seventy-five markers left over, I don’t need another bucket. I need to let the size of the bucket decide how many markers I can keep. When I look at it that way, my brain realizes, “Oh, I guess I don’t actually need 125 markers.”

Time Your Tasks Time yourself doing the thi thing you put off doing. Get a reality-based understanding of how long it takes to do this thing instead of letting your mind exaggerate. I hate emptying the dishwasher and would’ve sworn it took at least fifteen to twenty minutes. It doesn’t. It takes me about four minutes. It’s pretty hard to justify not emptying my dishwasher when I have four minutes available.

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Lazy Susan Your Spices Like with any kind of storage, get-to-ability is everything with spices. Lazy Susan turntables are the best solution I’ve found. With taller spice containers in the middle and shorter ones on the outside edges, I can see all my spices without rearranging anything. I turn until I find what I need, and they’re easy to put back.

Use Laundry Tongs This was a suggestion a blog reader made when I couldn’t reach the last sock in my washing machine (I had to stand on a stool and felt like I was going to topple headfirst into it!).

Now I keep a pair of tongs on a hook right by the dryer.

IMAGES COURTESY OF DANA K. WHITE

Store Your Food Containers with Lids On This is my number one controversy-sparking tip. But hear me out!

When you need to put leftovers away, you can pull an already-puttogether container and matching lid out of your cabinet without having to dig. I may not have as much room in the cabinet when I store food containers with lids on, but that’s a good thing: that means I have to actually eat the food in the fridge instead of shoving more and more to the back of the fridge (while the food turns fuzzy).

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You can find Dana’s book, Organizing for the Rest of Us, wherever books are sold.

Games & Puzzles

Heart MaZe F I N D Y O U R W AY T H R O U G H T H E H E A R T S !

Random Acts of Kindness B E I N G K I N D D O E S N ’ T J U S T A P P LY T O P E O P L E Y O U K N O W. S H O W L O V E TO OTHERS (INCLUDING STRANGERS!) WITH SIMPLE ACTS LIKE THESE.

❏

Pay for the drive-through order behind you

❏

Deliver a flower to a neighbor

❏

Give a stranger a compliment

❏

Hold the door for the person behind you

❏

Send a care package to someone in need

❏

Offer to pick up groceries for someone

❏

Praise someone for something they’ve done well

❏

Do a chore for someone without them knowing

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GO GET THEM BLESSINGS! God’s blessings are all around, and He’s inviting you to reach after them.

Get ready to level up your faith and celebrate the blessings God has for you today!

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