The Jesus Calling Magazine - Fall 2021

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2021

THE

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MAGAZINE

Jesus Calling

AUTHOR

SARAH YOUNG

PRAYER CHANGES THINGS–Including THINGS– Including Us

HARRY CONNICK, JR. “I'm a work in progess”

Cathie Wood

FAITHFUL INVESTING

CHRIS TOMLIN The Miracle of Christmas

Celebrate Christmas

JESUS CALLING FOR CHRISTMAS Celebrate the joy and peace of the season with this beautiful Christmas edition featuring 50 Christmas-themed devotions.

JESUS CALLING THE STORY OF CHRISTMAS Teach the Christmas story to your children by starting at creation and sharing that God has always had a plan for Christmas.

Available as a picture book for children ages 4-8 and as a sturdy board book for children under 4.

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Jesus Calling Fall Reads for All

Jesus Calling for Kids

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DEAR READER,

Jesus Calling Textured Gray Leathersoft Edition

Welcome to a special edition of The Jesus Calling Magazine! In this issue, we are celebrating the release of Jesus Listens: Daily Devotional Prayers of Peace, Joy, and Hope, an all-new 365-day prayer devotional from Jesus Calling author Sarah Young. You’ll learn more about Jesus Listens in the coming pages, including a behind-the-scenes look at why Sarah wrote this book for you, just for this very moment.

You’ll notice a common theme throughout the pages of this issue: prayer.

Over the past eighteen months, prayer has taken on a renewed sense of urgency for many of us. We’ve weathered hundreds of days where it’s felt impossible to make new connections or strengthen ones we’ve had for years. It’s left us feeling a bit untethered, even a little lost.

Jesus Always Botanical Edition

But in the midst of so much shutdown and uncertainty, there’s one connection that’s always open to us. It never fades or slips away; it’s not separated by time or distance, by illness or differing visions of the world. It’s something we can always rely on: our connection to God. He is always with us, eager to listen to our fears and hopes, our thanks and praise. And through the stories we share in the pages of this issue, we see that God is working to create good in our lives, even when we can’t quite see it.

Reader, I’m so grateful that you’ve joined us here. I’m also grateful to Sarah Young for creating devotionals that lead people deeper into their Bibles, and for praying daily for her readers. Most of all, I’m grateful to Jesus, who’s here to listen to us every single day.

Michael Aulisio Publisher, Jesus Calling Brand Editor-in-Chief, The Jesus Calling Magazine Jesus Calling Note-Taking Edition

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Laura Minchew SVP & Publisher

COVER STORY | 8 Jesus Calling author

Michael Aulisio VP & Publisher Editor-in-Chief

Sarah Young on how prayer changes our circumstances—and us

Robin Richardson Senior Marketing Director Mandy Wilson Marketing Director

CONTENTS

Stephanie Chalk Senior Marketing Manager

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Christine Caine: God Never Wastes a Hurt

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Doing Good: Tracy Lawrence Fries Up Hope

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Holly Hayes: Bringing Sanctuary to Broken Souls

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Pastor’s Corner: Jarrett Stevens – Pushing Past Obstacles to Praying

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Gary LeVox: Going the Distance with God

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Levi Lusko: Teaching Kids to Be Bold in Prayer

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Instagram Artist Danielle Coke: Creating Inspiration on Social Media

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SQuire Rushnell & Louise DuArt: Looking for Special “Winks” from God

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Sadie Robertson Huff: Living on Purpose

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Harry Connick, Jr.’s Prayers Through Music

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A Prayer Devotion from Jesus Listens

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Cathie Wood: Faithful Investing

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Jesus Calling Readers: Social Media Spotlight

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Music Spotlight: Chris Tomlin – Songs That Celebrate Christmas

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A Holiday Baking Recipe from The Bread Lady

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Games & Puzzles: Holiday Edition

Laura Neutzling Managing Editor 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 Jeremy Cowart

Gary LeVox | 18

Harry Connick, Jr. |30

Cathie Wood | 34

For advertising inquiries, visit JesusCalling.com/magazine

IMAGES COURTESY OF MESHALI MITCHELL, CHRIST FELLOWSHIP CHURCH, AND CHRISTINE CAINE'S PERSONAL ARCHIVE; ISTOCK

Christine Caine

never Embraces a

Brand-New

Start

by Laura Neutzling

GOD

WASTES A HURT

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AUSTRALIAN CHRISTINE CAINE LIVES TO HELP PEOPLE— whether it’s encouraging them to find their purpose, or advocating for those caught in the web of human trafficking. Her drive to aid others comes from a very personal place. Growing up as a victim of childhood sexual abuse, Christine acknowledges that she was well-acquainted with brokenness in her younger years.

“I had a lot of shame, a lot of guilt, a lot of bitterness. I think that’s what happens when you experience the rejection of being abandoned, and then encountering abuse after you’re adopted.”

As an adult, Christine sought help for her troubled past. She began the work of identifying and getting past her pain, then she channeled that very pain into helping others with similar issues. She founded the A21 Campaign in 2008, an organization working to abolish human trafficking, and Propel Ministries in 2015, which helps women develop their leadership skills and potential. But just a few years into her second ministry, pangs of Christine’s childhood trauma began to resurface as she experienced a series of huge personal losses.

“ too far gone You are never for God to bring you back.

“My mother passed away. My sister-in-law, who was my age, passed away.

My husband’s sister passed away—all in a matter of just a few months,” Christine remembers. “Losing my mum triggered a lot of pain around my adoption, and I think the Lord was wanting to do a deeper level of healing in my life. Sometimes your gas tank might be full, but your oil tank might be a little bit low, or your water level might be a little bit low. I hadn’t been checking all of my markers, and I had taken a lot of emotional hits. I think 4

part of moving forward is looking up and saying, God, I’m out here in a boat. I’ve lost my anchor, and I’m just drifting out to sea. Can You help me?”

For anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation, the speaker and author has this message of hope: “Your loving Father is right there to bring you back home. That is the hope of the gospel. That is the hope of redemption. You are never too far gone for God bring you back.”

As Christine reflects on the trials she’s had to face, she recognizes that at any point, she could have let her past stop her in her tracks. But she’s come to learn that God doesn’t waste our pain— He uses it to give us a future.

Christine believes God called her specifically to spread that message of hope to those who might be stuck in the mire of their past.

“ look You cannot forward if all you you do is keep looking back.

“Sometimes we drift because we just keep rehearsing the past: our past mistakes, our past disappointments, our past failures, our past hurt, our past rejection, our past betrayal. We end up getting on this treadmill, and we obsessively ruminate. You cannot move forward if all you do is keep looking back. There comes a time where we need to place our past at the cross of Jesus and allow it to stay there, because He has borne our guilt and shame, our pain and suffering.”

PRAYER THAT MOVES MOUNTAINS “Prayer is our ultimate connection with the God of the universe.

The God who spoke this world into being invites us into ultimate communion with Him through the privilege of prayer. I have found in my life that prayer moves God. And when God is moved, God can move mountains.

“Prayer is a privilege, an honor, and a delight that keeps me anchored to Jesus. Jesus Listens is a helpful tool in developing a regular prayer discipline so you can rest your soul in Jesus.”

Christine with her husband and daughters

As Christine continues her ministry work, she is always mindful of God’s hand in her life and how He rescued her from the pain of her past.

“He’s given us a new life today that comes from a place where we say, Lord, I’ve given it to You. I’ve done everything that I know to do.

Now I want to focus forward. I think if we try to undo all the things that have been done to us or by us, we just cannot do it. We have

to place it in the hands of Jesus.

That’s what forgiveness is all about. That’s what redemption is all about. That’s what a brand-new start is all about.”

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

Christine’s book How Did I Get Here? is available wherever books are sold.

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FRYING UP A LITTLE HOPE Tracy Lawrence’s Mission:Possible Feeds Homeless During Thanksgiving

by Amy Kerr

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fry. We wound up having to do it the week before because of the pandemic. The concert is where we actually raise the money, and I think we raised over $150,000 last year. I’m thankful God has given me a platform where I can do a lot for other people, and we have a great vision of the things we want to do with Mission:Possible further down the road. I mean, I hope it continues to grow. We want to make the culture bigger.”

For the last fifteen years, on the frosty fourth Tuesday in November, country music superstar Tracy Lawrence rises before the sun. He puts on his boots, and drives to a parking lot in downtown Nashville filled with lawn chairs, propane tanks, vats of hot oil—and hundreds of turkeys waiting to be fried for meals for the homeless.

IMAGES COURTESY OF TRACEY LAWERENCE'S PERSONAL ARCHIVE; ISTOCK

G O O D

KNOWN FOR HIS SIGNATURE TWANG on songs like “Paint Me a Birmingham” and “Find Out Who Your Friends Are,” the fifty-three-year-old singer and his charitable organization Mission:Possible raise support for the homeless population in Middle Tennessee. Lawrence works hand in hand with the Nashville Rescue Mission, a faith-based nonprofit, to feed adults and children experiencing homelessness in the Nashville area during Thanksgiving week.

“Homelessness and the need across the country is just getting greater and greater. And, you know, it’s a little disheartening. It seems like the more you do, the more you realize you’re barely scratching the surface,” said the southwest Arkansas native.

Founded in 1954, the Nashville Rescue Mission serves 800 men, women, and children a day, working to provide services and give hope to the hungry, homeless, and hurting. Since its launch in 2006, the annual Thanksgiving turkey fry has become one of the Nashville Rescue Mission’s largest events. Lawrence and a bevy of volunteers have fried more than 6,400 turkeys, made more than 90,000 meals, and raised $600,000 for the Mission.

“My purpose is just to facilitate the thing, drive awareness to the Mission, and then bring some friends on every year to help me out and spread the word about the great work the Mission does,” says Lawrence. “They use the money we raise for all the other things they need throughout the year. They don’t get any government funding. Everything they get is privately donated.”

In recent years, the singer has added a concert to round out the event. But like so many other plans, the COVID-19 pandemic caused Lawrence and the Mission to shift how they conducted the event last year.

“We had to do the concert a little bit different.

Typically, we do the concert the night after the turkey

“ has given me I’m thankful God a platform where I can do a lot for other people.

Lawrence’s Mission:Possible shows no signs of slowing down. In April 2021, the organization hosted its first annual Celebrity Classic Golf Tournament.

Legends across entertainment—Vince Gill, Darius Rucker, Eddie George, Dennis Quaid, and more— played in the tournament and raised more than $200,000 for Mission:Possible. Planning is already underway for the second Golf Classic in April 2022.

“I think it’s really easy, especially when you have some notoriety and you find yourself in the public eye, to kind of lose track of everything,” says Lawrence.

“But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve tried to really make it a point to realize how fortunate I am to be where I am.

God has blessed me so much in my life. And I think whenever you know God has blessed you, then you have a responsibility to share those blessings with the people you come in contact with, and spread a little bit of that love and joy and humanitarianism around as well.”

To find out how you can contribute to Mission:Possible, please visit turkeyfry.org.

Adapted for print from an upcoming episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast. Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to hear more of Tracy’s story on the podcast November 25!

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JESUS

is Always

LISTENING Jesus Calling author Sarah Young on her spiritual journey, her brand-new prayer devotional, and how prayer changes our circumstances— and us

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C O V E R

Springsteen sold of his Born in the USA album, or Celine Dion’s album Falling into You—even more than The Beatles sold of Sgt. Pepper’s or Abbey Road.

THE STORIES ARE EVERYWHERE when you begin to look for them:

“I got Jesus Calling as a gift from my mom.”

“I found Jesus Calling on my wife’s bedside table. I couldn’t stop reading it . . . so I moved it to my bedside table.”

Both of Sarah’s parents were teachers, and from an early age she was taught to read widely and think for herself. She attended Wellesley College, majoring in philosophy, searching for truth. But it wasn’t until she had nearly completed her master’s degree in child development at Tufts that she began to encounter the truth she was looking for.

As she writes in the introduction to Jesus Calling: “My brother had asked me to read Francis Schaeffer’s Escape from Reason. To my great surprise and delight, I found in that small book answers to questions I’d long before dismissed as unanswerable. I was searching for absolute, unchanging truth—a foundation on which to build my life.”

A short time later, Young found herself in Switzerland, the home of Schaeffer’s ministry, seeking to understand more about the spiritual truths that had captivated her. One day, Sarah met with a counselor who asked her questions that set her on the journey she’d take for the rest of her life: “Are you a Christian?”

“I answered that I wasn’t sure,” Young admits.

“I wanted to be a Christian, but I didn’t really understand why I needed Jesus. I thought that knowing God might be enough.”

The counselor had a second question for her: “What can you not forgive yourself for?”

Sarah describes her response: “This question brought me face to face with my sinfulness, and immediately I understood my need for Jesus—to save me from my many sins. Later, when I was alone, I asked Him to forgive all my sins and be my SaviorGod.” A few years later, she attended Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, where she completed a master’s degree in counseling and biblical studies. While studying at the seminary, she met Steve Young, a third-generation missionary to Japan. The two completed their degrees and then married. They spent two four-year terms in Japan and welcomed two children, a girl and a boy, into their family.

“My sister texts the Jesus Calling passage to our family every morning.”

“The night I lost my dad, God reached out to me through this book and said, Iʼve got you.”

IMAGES COURTESY OF SARAH YOUNG'S PERSONAL ARCHIVE; RITA WILSON COURTESY OF JIM JORDAN; KRISTIN CHENOWITH COURTESY OF HALLMARK; ISTOCK

S T O R Y

“I’ve been on death row for years, and nothing has brought me peace the way Jesus Calling has.”

“At my lowest point, as I reached for the gun, I saw Jesus Calling out of the corner of my eye. I picked it up instead. I’m still here.”

It’s a small devotional book drawn from the prayer journal of a woman who, equipped with Bible, pen, and coffee, spent time quietly with God each morning.

No one knew what she wrote in the journal—not even her husband. So how did this prayer journal find its way into the world? It started with a question posed to Sarah at a spiritual retreat: “What is Jesus calling you to right now?”

“ calling you What is Jesus to right now?

The answer came to her almost instantly: to publish her writing.

Today, Sarah Young’s devotional books, other gift books, and picture books for children have sold more than 35 million copies.

It’s an impressive number by any standard. But when you consider how wide it stretches around culture, impressive becomes staggering.

35 million books is more copies than Bruce 9

The next couple of decades found the Young family traveling to Australia to plant churches serving the Japanese populations of Melbourne and Perth.

Sarah worked as a counselor for Australian women who had experienced terrible abuse and spiritual bondage. All the while, Sarah sought to strengthen her ability to help others through nourishing her spirit— which she did by spending time alone with God each morning.

After she was called to share her writing publicly, Sarah began to arrange her prayer journals into daily readings. This project took more than three years to complete. She sent the manuscript to a number of publishers, but no one offered her a contract.

When she and Steve moved to Perth, Western Australia, she stopped looking for a pubisher. Yet she continued to pray every day for God’s will to be done with her manuscript.

Young says, “Two and a half years later, a publisher in Nashville found me in faraway Western Australia and asked if I would consider letting him publish my work. Imagine my surprise and delight! My many years of prayer were answered in a wonderful way.”

And so it was that Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence was published in 2004.

In the seventeen years since, this flagship book has been sold in a wide variety of sizes and covers. It has launched a podcast featuring guests from all walks of life who share how the book has impacted their faith. It’s even inspired a Jesus Calling television show on the Circle network. Sarah’s other devotional books include Jesus Always: Embracing Joy in His Presence, centered on celebrating joy—even in the midst of struggle. There are also picture books for children and devotionals for teens.

But her newest project is different from all the rest.

Over the past few years, Sarah has written a new 365-day devotional called Jesus Listens: Daily Devotional Prayers of Peace, Joy, and Hope, which hits stores on October 5. But instead of her signature style of writing that features Jesus directing thoughts and Scripture to the reader, Jesus Listens features prayers to the Savior.

It was a natural next step for her, she says, because prayer is such an important part of her daily life.

“Prayer connects us to God and helps us in

Mountain climbing in Victoria, Australia; Sarah and Steve enjoying the Japanese countryside; Wearing Japanese yukata at home in Suzuka, Japan FROM TOP:

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C O V E R

S T O R Y

countless ways. One of my favorite verses about prayer is Psalm 62:8. In this psalm, King David urges us to trust in God at all times and pour out our hearts to Him. Jesus knows everything in our hearts, and He longs for us to trust Him enough to open up and be real with Him in our prayers. Since He understands us completely and loves us eternally, we can safely unburden ourselves to Him.” In the introduction to Jesus Listens, Young writes about the relevance of prayer to coping with anxiety.

“We live in stressful times, and many of us struggle with anxiety. The apostle Paul’s teaching is very practical and timely: ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:6–7).

“Instead of focusing on our problems when we’re feeling anxious, we can bring everything to Jesus: our struggles and confusion, our prayers and petitions, our thanksgiving and praise. After pouring out our hearts to Him, we can ask Him to fill us with His wondrous peace. Sometimes when I’m feeling stressed, I sit quietly and breathe slowly while praying, ‘Jesus, help me relax in Your peace.’

If I continue praying this way for a few moments, I relax and feel calmer.”

But what about prayers that haven’t been answered? It’s a tough reality Sarah knows all too well. “I realize that unanswered prayers can be discouraging. While we’re waiting for answers, we need to trust that God hears our prayers and responds to them in ways that make perfect sense from His infinite, all-knowing perspective. Although we would love to understand more, it’s often impossible for us finite creatures to fathom God’s ways. The Bible encourages us to persevere in our prayers.”

This belief in the power of prayer is woven into Young’s new devotional, along with Bible verses that inspire the prayers for each day. “These verses can guide you gently into God’s Word,” Young suggests.

Prayers about peace, joy, and hope appear throughout Jesus Listens. Moreover, the boundless love of Christ is evident on each and every page.

Sarah dedicates a portion of each day to praying

FROM TOP: At church with friend in Perth; Family vacation in Queensland, Austraila; Sarah and Steve with Japanese women at church in Melbourne

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l

for her readers, a practice she began when Jesus Calling found its way into the world in 2004.

BRINGING PEACE TO EVERYONE

“ God uses I’m thankful that our prayers not only to change circumstances but to change us.

Jesus Calling readers weigh in

“I cannot count how many people are like, “Bro! Have you read Jesus Calling?”

“I consider it a wonderful privilege and responsibility to pray for readers of my books,” she says. “I’ve found that no matter how I feel when I first get out of bed, I feel better and stronger after spending this precious time with Jesus. So as you read Jesus Listens, remember that I’m praying for you. But most importantly, remember that Jesus is always with you, listening to every one of your prayers. I hope you will use the prayers in Jesus Listens to help you express your heartfelt longings to the Lord.

“I’m thankful that God uses our prayers not only to change circumstances but to change us. We bring our prayer requests to Him, trusting that He hears and He cares. As we devote time to communicating with Jesus and enjoying His Presence, we gradually grow to be more like Him.”

– David

Crowder Crowder,

WORSHIP ARTIST

“I got Jesus Calling as a gift from my friend Faith Hill. It’s kind of crazy that sometimes you read the passage from that day and it’s exactly what you need to hear.”

– Rita Wilson Wilson, ACTOR/PRODUCER

“Rita Wilson gave it to me, I want to say, ten years ago. It has been my constant, and I wonder if she knows just how much that gift continues to give to me.”

– Kristin Chenoweth, You can find Jesus Listens at your favorite book retailer today!

ACTOR AND AUTHOR

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loving PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR TRAUMA

Jewelry Designer Holly Hayes Brings Sanctuary to Broken Souls

by Laura Neutzling “THERE’S MORE TO HER THAN MEETS THE EYE.” It’s a statement that applies to so many—and certainly to Holly Hayes.

She’s a businesswoman moving in fashion power circles, selling her sought-after jewelry at popular retailers like Target and Etsy. But look a little closer, and you’ll also see a woman who has a heart for survivors of horrific situations, who’s created a safe space for survivors to find work, explore their creativity, and heal their hearts together.

Holly is the founder of Sanctuary Project, a social enterprise employing and empowering women who have survived violence, trafficking, and addiction.

Holly can identify deeply with the women she 13

shepherds so protectively—because she once walked in their shoes.

Growing up in the San Francisco Bay area, Holly’s home life seemed pretty idyllic, with two professor parents and a sister she loved. But behind closed doors, Holly endured abuse from a babysitter when she was in elementary school. Not recognizing the trauma for what it was, Holly internalized the abuse to the point where she couldn’t remember it and walked in a state of fear, seeking to numb the pain she couldn’t name.

I was on the fl“oor of a public bathroom, watching my tears hit the floor, and three words fell out of my mouth: ʻGod, help me.’

“I felt afraid all the time. I felt anxious all the time.

Early in my teenage years, I discovered drugs and alcohol—what I thought was going to be the solution.

I went from this normal, healthy young girl who had trauma but didn’t know it, to someone who began acting out in every way.”

At 15 years old, Holly was drinking and using drugs every day.

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IMAGES COURTESY OF HOLLY HAYES' PERSONAL ARCHIVE, ISTOCK

At 16 she dropped out of high school.

At 18, she’d been arrested multiple times.

At 19, she met a man at a party who become her boyfriend—whose intention was to manipulate Holly into the sex-trafficking trade.

A year into the relationship, Holly had endured frequent bouts of violence and become convinced she had no value when the trafficker convinced her to sell sex for money. Spiraling further, Holly’s drug use got worse. Before long, the man who had used her and destroyed her psyche abandoned her.

At 21 years old, Holly was homeless and addicted, utterly broken and lost.

“I never believed in God,” Holly remembers. “I had no experience with God, I wasn’t looking for God. But one day, I was on the floor of a public bathroom, watching my tears hit the floor, and three words fell out of my mouth: ’God, help me.’”

That same night in 2001, Holly met someone who helped her enter a recovery program. It would take her years to get familiar with the God she cried out to that night. She knew she had been rescued by God, but she didn’t know anything about Him. And with only a stolen Bible to give her guidance, she began to develop a relationship with the One who had saved her on the floor of a public bathroom.

“I put my finger in the Bible, and I said, Okay, God, if You’re real and if You’re in here, speak to me. I tipped it open and saw John 8:7, where Jesus forgives the adulterous woman and says, ’Let he who is without sin throw the first stone at her.’ It was the most perfect moment to meet Jesus. I thought Christians were these picketing, stone throwing, judgmental characters. And yet here was Jesus, juxtaposing that image with a supernatural mercy and His incredible grace.”

Fast forward to 2018. After years of working with incarcerated women, Holly decided to build Sanctuary Project, inspired by the sanctuary she had found in Christ, to help women out of their broken journeys and find healing, work, and rest. Survivors create and sell jewelry designs that evoke a feeling of sanctuary, whether it’s found in the leaves of a tree, or the panes of a beautiful stained glass window, or from chains that no longer bind.

The symbolism of Sanctuary Project’s jewelry is woven into all aspects of the nonprofit. And much as Holly did, the community of women at Sanctuary Project are seeking a deeper relationship with the God who rescued them all.

“When I started Sanctuary Project, I wanted to have a daily devotional time with the women, and start each day with a little teaching from something simple, something that would meet them wherever they are on their spiritual journeys. I’ve loved Jesus Calling from basically the time I came to Christ—it’s one of the first devotionals I was ever given, and I love that Jesus becomes so accessible in it. It’s been a wonderful journey to walk with these women and offer a tool like Jesus Calling as they explore

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faith. It’s the very sweetest, most loving ’heart of God’ devotional I could possibly imagine. Every single day, these women feel so loved by the words in that devotional.

“In that incredible love story I found in the Bible, I started to discover who I was and how I was part of God’s story. The work I do today was birthed from the moment I learned who God is, and now I see myself woven into that story in a beautiful, powerful way.”

Find out how you can support Sanctuary Project at sanctuaryproject.com.

You can find Holly's book, From Basement to Sanctuary, 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 Holly’s story!

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by Jarrett Stevens Soul City Church Chicago, IL

Be still, and know that I am God.

PORTRAIT COURTESY OF JARRET STEVENS

—Psalm 46:10 NIV I stared at my computer screen, trying to write a sermon for Sunday. A full hour passed before I realized I had nothing to offer.

The church my wife and I started from scratch was four years old and growing like crazy. I, however, was not. I was spiritually exhausted, and my only connection to God was tethered to the content I was struggling to create for others. Something had to change. I needed another way to connect with God and refuel my spiritual life. I needed prayer.

At some point in our lives, each one of us will find it hard to pray. Our life with God is rarely all green lights and open doors, so it should be no surprise when we hit obstacles to prayer. If you want to connect to God but are having a hard time doing it through prayer, I’ve found a few things that have helped.

Whether you’re new to prayer or coming back after an extended hiatus, you may feel overwhelmed and under-equipped. But rather than feeling shame or embarrassment, what if you took the posture of a learner?

At some“point in our lives, each one of us will find it hard to pray.

At one point, everything you know how to do was new to you. You had to learn how to walk and talk, read and write, drive and send emails. My hunch is that you never 17

“ to I had uncomplicate prayer to get unstuck.

So instead of fighting the silence of God, I suggest you befriend it.

For me, this means spending 5–10 minutes at a time sitting alone with God. No Bible, no journal, no music. I practice the ancient invitation of Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God.” I join God in the silence, and I’m reminded He is there, He is good, and He is still in control.

When I hit that wall in my prayer life several years ago, I knew that something needed to change. Rather than throwing in the towel, I had to uncomplicate prayer to get unstuck. And what I found on the other side was a God who is far greater, far closer, far more mysterious, and far more interested in me than I could have ever imagined. I pray you find the same as well.

C O R N E R

Pushing Past Prayer Obstacles

P A S T O R ’ S

shamed yourself for not knowing how to do those things, so why would you do that with prayer?

Just start where you are. Talk to God like you talk to a friend. Free yourself from the expectation of doing it “right.”

Maybe you’ve been praying, and you’re just not hearing anything from God. While the silence of God can feel deafening and defeating, remember that silence is not the same as absence.

Just because you don’t hear God doesn’t mean that He’s not here.

Going the Distance with God

Gary LeVox is the lead singer of popular country vocal

by Gary LeVox

I GREW UP IN WESTERVILLE, OHIO, just outside of Columbus. My grandmother had us at church every Wednesday, twice on Sundays, and music was a huge part of that Pentecostal church.

Everybody played something, sang something. I learned how to sing harmony before I sang lead. The first song I ever learned word for word all the way through was “The Old Rugged Cross.” I think I was seven. My grandpa would play, I would sing.

You know, faith is believing in the things that you can’t see. And faith has really shaped the man that I am today, because I’ve had such a solid foundation in my upbringing. I’m so thankful to my mom and my grandmother for laying that spiritual foundation.

One day I was sitting in my mom’s kitchen and I was singing along to a Brian White song on the radio, “Someone Else’s Star.” And it was the weirdest

group Rascal Flatts. Gary’s rich, recognizable tenor voice has set the tone for the band’s seamless blend of contemporary country and pop sound. The group has topped the Billboard 200 Chart with albums like 2002’s Melt, 2004’s Feels Like Today, and 2009’s Unstoppable, scoring 25 hit singles (including 14 number-one hits). In his own words, Gary talks about his journey to country music fame, how his faith guided him through each step, and the inspiration behind his recent decision to make his very first solo Christian record, One on One.

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moment of my life. I thought, I think I sound like the guy on the radio. It was so weird, and I was like, Lord, I think You’ve given me the gift to sing. I just felt so convicted. I prayed, I’m so sorry that I have not used that gift.

So I took the biggest leap of faith in my life: I literally sold everything I had, threw everything else in my truck, and drove straight to Nashville, knowing I wasn’t going to go back home. And that was the truest test of faith.

In the music business, every record that you do, it’s the biggest record of your life. So it’s a lot of pressure and a lot of stress, because you just want to keep outdoing yourself and pushing the envelope. For all three of us in Rascal Flatts, a lot of times we’ve just hit our knees and individually had to tell God, Okay, we’re so lost. We don’t know what to do next, but we’re just going to ask You to cover us. And we know that You’ve got the perfect purpose and plan for our lives. So we’re just going to wait on You to reveal it.

Thank goodness for my spiritual foundation and my walk with Christ.

My relationship with Him is truly what got us through. With Rascal Flatts, there’s just no way we could have dreamed of all the wonderful things, the hits and all the things we’ve been able to do.

The Power of Prayer There’s so much power in prayer. I’ve seen it so many times throughout my life, the absolute strength and power that’s in prayer.

I look back through my career and my life, being a husband and a dad, and I see where God’s shown up. I see where I’ve fallen short, and where He’s picked it back up. God has always been with me—at times I didn’t even know—to help me get through things.

IMAGES COURTESY OF GARY LEVOX'S PERSONAL ARCHIVE

I can't believe He“chose me for this.

We’ve been going crazy for twenty years now, with touring and records and everything else. But I’d always wanted to do a gospel record—always.

So this pandemic, something that was so horrific, finally gave me the time.

I just locked in and did this project called One on One, and it’s fusing my music with my faith, and I’m so thrilled about it.

God has always been with me. There’s so many times in my life I look back and I’m like, You know, I did nothing to deserve all of this, all of these blessings. It’s just crazy. But in the end, God gets all the glory and all the honor and all the credit.

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

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Gary’s latest album One on One is available where you stream or buy music.

ROAR LIKE A LION

As a dad of five, pastor and author Levi Lusko is always looking for fresh ways to help his kids connect with God, just like his parents did for him growing up. Levi shares how his prayer life has taken on many forms since his childhood, and encourages fellow parents that there are many ways kids can communicate with their Creator.

I've always been intimidated by the subject of prayer. I think I’ve always had a lot of guilt and shame around an incorrect understanding of what God expects in prayer, and even this fear of it. But I’ve found freedom in realizing that's not what God wants.

In the Bible, here were these Pharisees wrapping themselves up in prayer shawls. And here was Jesus saying, “I don’t know if that’s what God wants, man. How about some humility and saying, ‘Hey, Dad, I love you.’”

When I remember how exhilarated I feel when one of my daughters gives me a hug or sits next to me on the couch and puts her head on my shoulder, that’s prayer. Prayer is me sitting next to Dad and putting my head on His shoulder and just unburdening myself to Him. When I come to Him and say, “Dad, I’ve got this situation, I’m frustrated, I’m alone,” and then I just remember He’s there—that’s freedom. That’s liberation. That’s what He wants for me.

Teaching Kids to Be Bold in Prayer

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IMAGES COURTESY OF FRESH LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY (FRESH LIFE CREATIVE)

Is there a “right’’ way to pray?

Do I need to be a prayer expert to teach my kids?

Your father was a preacher. How did he and your mom teach you to connect with God? My dad would have these weekly devotions. He’d get us together and read something from the Bible, and we would take communion together.

I remember those times very fondly, even though they were always like herding cats: someone’s falling off the back of the couch, someone’s punching their sister, all those things.

My mom would always pray if we passed an ambulance on the road.

She would always stop and pray for the person in the ambulance and pray for whoever the family was.

Those are things that I’ve tried to continue, because I know how much they shaped me.

How has your prayer journey evolved since you were a kid?

What does your prayer life look like today?

I’ve had to find my own way through prayer. What works for someone else may not work for me.

I’ve discovered I’m better at praying while I’m in motion. There’s a walking path by my house, and if I need a few minutes to recalibrate my heart, I just go walk. I also write out prayers. I keep a daily journal, and when I have something in my heart, writing it out to God seems to help.

I try to remind people that you don't have to always be talking.

Prayer can be silence: “Be still, and know that I’m God.” That’s prayer too. My wife Jennie and I have been married for seventeen years, and we’re not always talking. You take a road trip, there’s talking, and then it kind of starts and stops. But we’re still together, and there’s still a lot communicated in the silence. I don't think you have to fill all the air. It's listening. It’s just being together.

How do you pray with your own kids?

Jennie and I try to gather our kids’ hearts around devotions. We practice Sabbath as a family, and we always go around the table and share about our week, our highs and lows. We read the Bible together.

Do you have any advice for your parents about helping their kids learn to pray?

If you’d have asked my dad back when we were doing family devotions, he would’ve said, “I don’t know if the kids got anything out of this.” But I know I did. It took, even if I didn’t show it at the time.

So I would say to moms and dads that even if you think it’s a failure, just keep going. You’re probably doing better than you think you are. Your kids are probably absorbing more than they’re letting on.

Adapted for print from an upcoming episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast.

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You can find Roar Like a Lion, Levi’s new devotional for kids ages 6 – 10, at your favorite book retailer today.

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social justice become more digestible and easier to understand.”

Born in Brooklyn to Jamaican immigrants, Danielle and her family moved to Georgia soon after her birth.

Her childhood was steeped in Jamaican tradition, filled with the food, culture, and faith of her parents’ homeland. Her father worked as a pastor and showed his daughter what it meant to love God, encouraging her to create a relationship with Him for herself.

From the time she could hold a ball of Play-doh, Danielle was creating art. As she grew older, she began to dabble with graphic design, never considering her hobby as a career. She went to college, majored in business administration, and eventually landed a job as an event planner.

It didn’t take long for the budding artist to figure out that event planning wasn’t for her—and that her love for graphic design wasn’t going away anytime soon. In August 2019, she quit her job and took up freelance graphic design gigs, helping mission-based brands create social media images and campaigns for maximum impact. But she also began to create art for her own Instagram page.

In January 2020, she released her first Instagram art post to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday—and instantly the image struck a chord.

“I saw the opportunity to create an illustration that was different from the cute stuff that I would normally draw,” says Danielle. “I wanted to speak to his legacy, and to reframe what I felt his holiday had become into what I truly wanted it to be about. When I posted the piece, it was shared by people I didn’t know. I saw people outside of my family and friends sharing it, and I was like, Whoa, this is weird. I only have seven hundred followers. If I keep going with this, maybe I can illustrate harder topics, and if it’s pretty, I can get more people to listen.”

And that’s exactly what she did. With quotes from theologians like Frederick Buechner, to creating infographics explaining the art of “holding space” and empathy for someone else, Danielle’s work educates as much as it inspires. But some of the most well-loved of Danielle’s creations show the power of unity among people who come from different origins and life experiences.

“One of my favorite pieces, it’s called Worthy,” says the artist. “It’s an illustration that depicts arms of

SOCIAL MEDIA SOCIAL JUSTICE Artist Danielle Coke Creates Instagram Inspirations

by Kaitlyn Hein IT’S HARD TO SEE from someone else’s point of view even on a good day. In uncertain times filled with change and upheaval, our fear tempts us to clamp down and cling to beliefs we’ve held for a long time—even if they’re not true. That’s where twentyfive-year-old Danielle Coke saw an opportunity to open minds and change hearts through an unlikely medium: her Instagram art.

Danielle Coke is a digital illustrator and Instagram artist who’s passionate about, as she says, “using my art and my words to help ideas around race and 23

Follow Danielle on Instagram @ohhappydani to keep up with her artwork, and visit her online store at ohhappydani.com/shop.

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

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IMAGES COURTESY OF DANIELLE COKEʼS PERSONAL ARCHIVE

different skin colors, and the word worthy is written on each one. The piece grew to mean that no matter what your skin color is, no matter what your ethnicity is, we are all worthy of love. We are worthy of being valued and we’re worth fighting for.”

The faith nurtured by her parents informs the art and messages that Danielle puts in the world today.

“My favorite scripture of all time is Luke 10:27: ’You should love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength.’ That verse shaped the work that I do because when it comes to loving your neighbor, it sounds really good in theory. We all want to be able to do that. But when it comes to things like disagreements or not having the same lived experiences, it can put a barrier between you and the love you want to have for your neighbor. In that scripture, loving God comes first—because it’s through that love that we are empowered to fully love our neighbors as ourselves.”

Danielle puts as much research as she does passion into her graphics, and she’s determined to not only help change minds—she wants to empower anyone who’s interested in loving their neighbors to remember that they can love someone else anytime, anywhere.

“You don’t have to have a degree in racial justice to help people feel like they have a seat at the table.

I encourage people to seek scriptures like Micah 6:8 about how God is consistently calling us to seek justice and love mercy. He gives us stories like the Good Samaritan and illustrates what it means to not just walk past someone who is struggling, but to help them, lift them up, and be there in a tangible way.

That’s what I want to do: try to understand God’s heart in that area, and help Him equip us to love our neighbor as well.”

S e s p o e c h t i a r l o f k o Lo m o G r f o ” d S — K N I “W and Your D og (Yes, Your Dog!)

by Laura Neutzling

EVER THINK YOUR DOG KNOWS something you don’t? Like he’s giving you a look saying “Hey, buddy, everything’s gonna be okay. The sun is shining, there are balls to fetch, and I’m always going to be happy to see you when you get home.”

Or, how about this: have you ever been at a crossroads and not known which way to go? You’ve been praying and seeking God’s guidance, but you’re still not sure how to move forward. Then one day, you feel moved toward a particular path, but you aren’t quite sure why. Maybe you got a phone call out of the blue that shifted your perspective, or you met

someone who totally changed your path altogether.

Those moments are what SQuire Rushnell calls Godwinks.

As the ABC executive-turned-bestselling-author explains, “Godwinks are the seemingly random events that are signposts to help you navigate your career, relationships, and interests.” Others would describe Godwinks as the answers to our prayers, sometimes in ways we’re not expecting. And by recognizing the Godwinks our Creator has placed in our paths, SQuire says, “we can understand—and embrace—the journey God has laid out for us.”

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A ‘dog wink’ “ is simply God using that vessel to love us.

It’s a phenomenon many of us may see in our own lives, even if we call it something different. SQuire’s co-author and wife, speaker and entertainer Louise DuArt, explains it like this: “Someone might be grieving a mother they just lost, and maybe they’re coming home after a funeral saying, ‘My mother always loved roses.’ And then, in the winter, one red rose appears where they are walking. It’s like a beautiful message from above saying, ‘It’s going to be okay, I’m taking care of everything.’ That’s what a Godwink is.”

SQuire and Louise began collecting these Godwink stories described by all kinds of people, including high-profile figures like Thomas Jefferson, Oprah Winfrey, Kevin Costner, Barbra Streisand, Mark Twain and more. And in their latest Godwinks installment, the couple explores how God sends His goodness through our canine friends, who infuse love in our days and make the tough times just a little easier to get through.

Adapted for print from the Jesus Calling Podcast.

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

“ in nature.

God uses everything

SQuire and Louise’s Godwink series of books is available at your favorite book retailer today.

“I love how God uses everything in nature—He uses everything. And a ’dog wink’ is simply God using 26

IMAGES COURTESY OF SARAH JAKES ROBERTS' PERSONAL ARCHIVE; ISTOCK

that vessel to love us,” Louise says.

“Dogs are faithful. And they’re not only faithful, but they’re in the moment. They love you unconditionally. You can be gone for a month.

And when you come back, they’re just so happy to see you. They’re not mad at you. They’re just so happy to see you.”

Has your faithful furry companion brought you an extra piece of joy when you needed it? Have they ever paid you some loving attention when you weren’t at your best? Then according to SQuire and Louise, you can believe it’s just one of the many gifts God gives us in His own delightful, creative, and loving way.

Try Your Hand at Journaling!

1. Have you ever encountered a “coincidence” that felt like something more?

2. Has God has ever answered your prayers in an unexpected way?

3. Have you ever had a furry companion who showed you unconditional love?

How did that kind of love make you feel?

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S adie Robertson Huff

FACING FEAR, FINDING CONFIDENCE, AND LIVING ON PURPOSE Sadie Robertson Huff is no stranger to showing the world what it’s like to, as she says, “live original.” From competing on Dancing with the Stars to hosting her podcast Whoa, That’s Good, Sadie has vulnerably shared her struggles to find confidence on a platform she never expected to have while growing up in West Monroe, Louisiana. She joined The Jesus Calling Magazine to share more about her latest book, Live on Purpose, and the newest chapter in her life: as a mom.

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JC: Congrats on your new book! Tell us more about Live on Purpose. Why’d you write this book now?

SRH: One of the most common questions I am asked is, “How do you find your purpose?” I wanted to write a devotional where I could encourage people and remind them that when they find their greatest purpose in following Jesus, they can start to live fully free!

JC: Where do you think true confidence comes from?

What does it look like to live as a confident person?

SRH: I get this question a lot, and I always quote one of my favorite

verses, Hebrews 10:35: “So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you!” (NLT).

I remember reading this verse when I was on a journey to find confidence. From the outside, I seemed confident—I was modeling, competing on Dancing with the Stars, and had a large following.

However, that wasn’t reality.

It was during that season that I found Hebrews 10:35, and it stopped me in my tracks. The phrase “in the Lord” stuck out so clearly to me. We must find our confidence in the Lord and not in our image, influence, or status. All of those things will fail us. But when our confidence is rooted in Jesus, we will never be disappointed.

JC: Can you tell us about a time you saw your fear and took steps to overcome it?

IMAGES COURTESY OF SADIE ROBERTSON HUFF'S PERSONAL ARCHIVE

SRH: Yes, fear almost kept me from competing on Dancing with the Stars!

I was terrified when I was asked to be part of the show because, hello, I was not a dancer! How could I possibly go on live TV and dance in front of millions of people when I didn’t know what I was doing?

The changing point came when my little sister called out my fear and asked me if my decision to not go on the show was “Sadie, or the fear talking?” Yikes. Getting called out by my little sister that day helped me see that fear was going to hold me back from something amazing.

JC: As Honey grows up, what will you tell her about God, how we can talk to Him, and know His presence in our lives?

SRH: I hope that Christian and

I are able to model that we can talk with God at all times and invite Him into every moment of our lives. Even now, we sing worship songs over her, pray out loud over her, and sing Scripture over her. We want to cultivate an environment for Honey where she sees us inviting Jesus into every moment of our lives, not just on Sunday morning at church.

JC: Tell us about life as a new mom. What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned about yourself in your new chapter?

SRH: I am loving this season of motherhood more than I could have ever

imagined. It was so amazing to plan and dream about what it would be like—but when it actually arrived, it was more amazing than I ever dreamed.

The biggest thing I am learning about myself is to trust God as the perfect Father. Honey is an amazing gift, and I want to do everything I can to raise her in the best way. But I know that my husband Christian and I are not perfect humans, and we need our Heavenly Father’s guidance every step of the way. I am learning more than ever how to be dependent on God each day for His wisdom, leadership, and guidance as we steward this amazing gift of parenthood.

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You can find Sadie’s new book, Live on Purpose, at your favorite book retailer today.

FAITH THAT RUNS DEEP HARRY CONNICK, JR'S P R AY E R S T H R O U G H M U S I C

by Laura Neutzling

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be 95 this year—it’s something that grows. Although he’s been a man of faith his entire life, I think his faith is even deeper now, and I’m seeing how that works.”

WHEN HARRY CONNICK, JR. was just a kid, his biggest dream was to be on a stage. He saw a glimpse of that dream when he was just 5 years old, during a campaign rally for his father, Harry Sr., who was running to become District Attorney in New Orleans.

As he climbed onto the “stage” of a flatbed truck to play piano during the rally, Harry thought, If I can play the national anthem on the back of this flatbed truck and make people happy, I’m in good shape.

I truly believe“prayer works.

Harry’s ever-deepening faith sustained him during a crisis shared all over the world: the COVID-19 pandemic. As the world tried to navigate how to live in the face of lockdowns and the loss of community, Harry asked himself, If I made an album right now, what would it be? He found the answer: a gospel album called Alone with My Faith.

“I’ve sung gospel songs onstage for years,” Harry reflects. “I grew up playing spirituals, but I never decided to press the button and officially make a

IMAGES COURTESY OF GEORGIA CONNICK, ERIK KABIK, ISTOCK

Iʼm a work “ in progress.

Harry saw his dreams expand as he became one of the world’s most popular entertainers, selling millions of records, packing auditoriums for live performances, and acting in television shows and blockbuster movies. A winner of two GRAMMYs and three EMMYs, Harry’s exceptional voice and piano playing were evident at a young age, earning him a deal with Columbia Records when he was just 18 years old. He found his first big break after working on the soundtrack for the hit movie When Harry Met Sally, which led to more appearances in movies, on Broadway, and on television. The piano prodigy credits his desire to “try as many things as possible” as the fuel that ignited his success in entertainment.

But despite his accolades and accomplishments, Harry doesn’t think he’s got it all figured out.

“I’m a work in progress,” Harry says. “I’m imperfect. I have a long way to go. So I feel like my purpose is trying to be the best person I can every day.

I don’t always succeed, but if I try to emulate what I believe to be true, I think that’s the most powerful way I can get the message of my faith across.”

Harry’s faith is something that’s always been part of him. It’s something he’s acknowledged during moments of success, and something he’s clung to in his most difficult moments.

“I’ve had some tough times in my life, but the toughest was when my mom died, when I was 13.

Many years later, my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. That was another incredible test of my faith. I feel like my faith has passed that test every time, and when that happens, it deepens just a little bit more.

Like I was saying to my dad last night—my dad will

Harry performing in Las Vegas, 2017 31

Harry with his wife Jill

gospel album. So when I was at home, I was sitting in my studio. I have all these instruments. I have all these songs like ‘Amazing Grace,’ and ‘Because He Lives,’ and ‘How Great Thou Art.’ Recording this music was a form of prayer, where I could close my eyes and kind of sink into the lyrics I was singing.

“I truly believe that the power of prayer works.

Prayer is keeping that line open with God. I believe He’s listening, and I believe He’ll answer us in ways He thinks they should be answered, maybe not what we expect. Prayer is important to me, and I believe in it.”

You can find Harry’s latest album Alone with My Faith wherever you stream or buy music.

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

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

Dearest Jesus,

September 14

YOU ARE WORTHY OF ALL MY CONFIDENCE, all my trust! So instead of letting world events spook me, I’ll pour my energy into trusting You and

looking for evidence of Your Presence in the world. I love to whisper Your

Name—to reconnect my heart and mind to You. You are near to all who call upon You. Please wrap me in Your abiding Presence and comfort me with Your Peace.

Help me remember that You are both loving and faithful. Your Love reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the skies. This means that I can never come

to the end of Your Love; it is limitless and everlasting! Moreover, I can stand on the Rock of Your faithfulness, no matter what circumstances I’m facing.

I realize that putting my confidence in my abilities, education, or success is futile and displeasing to You. Teach me to place my confidence fully in

You—the Savior whose sacrificial death and miraculous resurrection opened the way for me into eternal Glory!

In Your breathtaking Name, Amen

IMAGE ISTOCK

PSALM 145:18 NKJV • PSALM 36:5 • 2 CORINTHIANS 4:17

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

Faithful Investing

by Amy Kerr

oldest child in her family, Wood felt she had to carry the mantle for her family and approached her time at the University of Southern California feeling pressured to succeed.

She needn’t have worried.

She graduated from USC and began her career at the tender age of twenty. Her college mentor Art Laffer, the celebrated economist, introduced her to the Capital Group, one of the world's oldest investment management organizations. She became an assistant

WALL STREET TRADERS WHISPER Cathie Wood’s name with reverence held for titans like Warren Buffett and Jack Bogle. The sixty-five-yearold has made a name for herself by staking huge investments in innovative technologies—and having an unwavering faith.

Wood is the founder, CEO, and CIO (Chief Investment Officer) of ARK Invest, an investment management firm focused on companies transforming how the world lives and works. The companies in Wood’s portfolios are household names—Tesla, Square, Roku, Teladoc Health, Shopify. She openly shares her research on social media, unheard of in the investing world, believing the rising tide of information will strengthen her company, the companies in her portfolio—and even her competitors.

Her embrace of innovation isn’t new. Wood’s been doing things a little differently for decades.

She was born in 1955 to Irish immigrants who had settled in Los Angeles. Her father was a successful radar system engineer in the U.S. Air Force, an extremely detail-oriented thinker who pushed his daughter to think about how two things that seemed unrelated could be connected.

While she was introduced to faith in her childhood home, “when I was on my own, faith took on a completely different dimension,” she remembers.

“It deepened as I was going through college.” As the

Cathie at work, c. 1980 34

IMAGES COURTESY OF CATHIE WOOD'S PERSONAL ARCHIVES; ISTOCK

Cathie with her three children

economist before moving on to hedge fund Jennison Associates where, at twenty-five, she became their chief economist.

“While I was at Jennison, I started thinking about the markets in a way that began to differ from the way markets are analyzed today,” says Wood. “I couldn’t cover something at the firm that someone else was, so I had to wait for ones that nobody wanted. I often say I was like a little dog under the table scrapping for bones.”

One by one, Wood found stocks her colleagues weren’t covering, like database publishing companies Reuters and Telerate. The business model was foreign at the time: the companies collected data from financial companies, then sold it back to them. “Nobody wanted database publishing companies,” she says. “And I thought, Wow, that’s a very interesting concept. So I picked it up.”

That concept ended up becoming the precursor for the Internet.

“That is what made my career, but also made me appreciate the power of innovation, how much it’s underestimated in the early days and how exponentially explosive growth can be over time.”

Wood spent eighteen years at Jennison. She went on to co-found a hedge fund called Tupelo Capital; three years later, she joined AllianceBernstein as a portfolio manager and thematic risk strategist, responsible for managing more than $5 billion.

As she blazed her trail, Wood raised three children and held tightly to her faith.

“I belong to a group at Walnut Hill Community Church, an incredibly supportive group for leaders of companies. In 2006, one of the leaders introduced me to Jesus Calling and said, ‘I’ve started reading this book, and it’s transformed me in terms of thinking about my business in the context of my faith.’

“So I began to read Jesus Calling every day, and it’s really helped to center me and ground me. First thing I do in the morning as my coffee is brewing, I read Jesus Calling. I would say almost every page is meaningful.”

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A woman of deep conviction, Wood’s faith compelled her in 2014 to launch her own investment firm when she was fifty-seven years old. As she says, “the future of investing is investing in the future,” and she aims to fund companies that she believes “change the world and make it a better place.” She named her company ARK after the Ark of the Covenant, which the Israelites carried into battle before them.

“They believed that the presence of God was in the Ark, so I knew I had to name my company ‘ARK,’” she says.

For the first three years, Wood funded the company by herself.

She watched her bank account dwindle while her company stayed stagnant. “I would kneel down and say, ‘Okay, God, You’re in control. Even if this company fails, I know I’ve done the right thing. This is a walk of faith for me. Your will be done.’”

Today, ARK has nearly $50 billion in all of its funds combined.

“It is by God’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit that I moved in this direction. I believe that in starting ARK Invest, I was fulfilling His will for me here on Earth. It’s about allocating capital to God’s creation in the most innovative and creative way possible.”

Learn more about Cathie and ARK Invest at ark-invest.com.

Adapted for print from the Jesus Calling Podcast.

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

®

SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT We love to see how Jesus Calling inspires you!

Here are some friends who recently caught our eye.

@caitlinhubbard_ “You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” -John C. Maxwell

@ifyougiveateacherabook Y’all know I love my @jesuscalling devotional…how beautiful is this Christmas version?! It has a devotion for each day in advent

@karenmoellerwellness Chocolate Chip Banana Oat Muffins made with Greek Yogurt. These are my favorite!!

Need inspiration on the go?

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M U S I C

CHRIS TOMLIN Songs That Celebrate the Greatest Miracle

by Amy Kerr

IMAGES COURTESY OF ROBBY KLEIN

carols. But, you know, the person who wrote those songs didn’t think, I’m writing a Christmas carol. They said, ‘I’m just writing a song of worship for my congregation.’ It’s been a couple hundred years now, and these songs have lasted. I think there’s a reason they’re some of the greatest songs ever written.”

Inspired by the songs of worship celebrating the holiday and Savior he loves, Chris decided to try his hand at writing his own songs befitting the Christmas season.

“When I try to write songs, I’m always thinking, I want to write songs that bring worship to God, the reason we have Christmas,” he says. “I’ll never match ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ or ‘O Holy Night’ or anything like that. But I’m always shooting for it. I want to write something that helps people sing and worship God. Because Jesus is the greatest miracle that’s ever happened to the world. I love that the Christmas season is the season of hope. Even with the hustle and bustle, it slows us down to be thankful for what we have. My encouragement is that you would find the peace and hope of the season.”

Learn how you can enjoy Chris’s music and performances this Christmas at christomlin.com.

Adapted for print from the Jesus Calling Podcast. Put your phone in Camera mode, and hover over this code to hear more of Chris’s story—including his most hilarious Christmas memory ever!

Christmas Tour 2019 37

S P O T L I G H T

For platinum-selling worship artist Chris Tomlin, the Christmas season has always held a special place in his heart.

“I have two brothers, so there were three boys in our family growing up in East Texas. We were so fired up about Christmas every year. As little boys, we’d sleep in the same bed on Christmas Eve and be thinking, This is going to be the greatest night.”

He’s carried that passion into his GRAMMY and Dove-Award winning career as performer and songwriter. For the past decade, Chris has put on a popular Christmas tour that’s a favorite of fans—and the artist himself.

“The Christmas tour is what I look forward to more than anything, because I love the Christmas season.

I love all the different Christmas songs, but there’s something special about the ones that are the songs of worship, what Christmas is really about, like ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ and ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.’ We’ve sung them so many times that they’ve become Christmas

HOLIDAY BAKING WITH THE BREAD LADY

GINGERBREAD SPICE CAKE With a nickname like “The Bread Lady,” you know Sarah Gonzalez has a mouth-watering recipe or two planned for her holiday table. Owner of a small-town bakery in the rolling hills of Tennessee, Sarah found herself flipping the pages of her great-grandmother’s cookbook when she noticed a 170-year-old recipe for a spice cake filled with ginger and cinnamon, perfect for Thanksgiving dessert or even Christmas morning. She’s shared this from her brand-new book, Baking with The Bread Lady.

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FOR THE CAKE ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened ½ cup white sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon ground cloves ½ teaspoon ground allspice 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or ¾ teaspoon table salt) 1 cup molasses 1 cup buttermilk

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM 10 tablespoons salted butter, softened 8 ounces cream cheese or mascarpone, softened 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

BAKING TIP!

DIRECTIONS 1. First, prepare the cake. Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Line a 9 x 9-inch pan with parchment paper, and grease with nonstick spray.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer or with a hand mixer on medium speed, cream together butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes.

Add egg and vanilla, and beat until fluffy.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, and salt.

4. In another bowl, whisk together molasses and buttermilk.

5. Add half the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, and mix until thoroughly blended. Then, add all of the buttermilk mixture to the batter, and mix well until blended. Finally, add the rest of the dry ingredients into the bowl, mixing one last time until all ingredients are blended together.

Don’t have buttermilk on hand? You can make your own! Just mix one tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar with a scant cup of milk.

Gently stir, and let the mixture sit for fi ve minutes. That’s it!

IMAGES COURTESY OF SARAH GONZALEZ, ISTOCK

6. Pour batter into prepared cake pan, and smooth the top to distribute batter evenly.

7. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cake for 30 minutes in the pan, then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.

8. While the cake cools, prepare the buttercream. Cream together butter and cream cheese (or mascarpone, if using) in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer on medium speed.

Occasionally scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

9. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing on low. When all sugar is added, gradually increase whipping speed to high, mixing until thoroughly blended.

10. Add vanilla and give the frosting a final whip. Don’t over mix, as this will cause the frosting to separate.

11. Spread frosting completely over cooled cake. Lightly dust cake with cinnamon, and serve.

Sarah’s book Baking with the Bread Lady is available at your favorite book retailer today!

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Games & Puzzles Winter Maze

Christmas Charades

P L A Y T H I S G A M E O F H O L I D A Y- T H E M E D C H A R A D E S A T Y O U R N E X T F A M I LY G AT H E R I N G !

Help get the Snowman to the snowflakes by tracing a path through the maze.

HELP THE SNOWMAN GET TO THE SNOWFLAKE B Y T R A C I N G A PAT H T H R O U G H T H E M A Z E .

• Decorating the Christmas tree

• Ugly sweater

• Snowball fight

• Unwrapping presents

• The Grinch

• Santa Claus

• Christmas shopping

• Caroling

• Elf on the Shelf

• Sledding

• Eating Christmas dinner

• The Nutcracker

• Little drummer boy

• Wrapping gifts

• Hanging lights

• Ice skating

• Making a snow angel

Snowflakes as Unique as You Psalms 139:14 reminds us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made—just like these snowflakes!

IMAGES © ISTOCK

I N T H E S PA C E B E S I D E E A C H S N O W F L A K E , S E E I F Y O U C A N D R A W T H E M .

Has God Forgotten Me? In God Has Not Forgotten You, Dr. David Jeremiah assures you that God does hear your prayers and will help you through your troubles. In fact, God is right here with you in every moment, in every circumstance of your life. As surely as God knows the number of hairs on your head, He knows your heart’s concerns. You are not forgotten.

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L E T E V E R Y H E A R T,

Prepare Him Room Get your FREE copy today at JesusCalling.com/offers J E S U S C A L L I N G .CO M

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