Jesus Calling Magazine Winter 2021

WIN T E R

FREE

2021

THE

®

MAGAZINE

Joyful

THE DETERMINATION OF

TONY DUNGY LECRAE

Elisabeth Hasselbeck

RUNNING AFTER GOD

A Restoration Story

FIRST RESPONDERS IN ACTION

Meet Matthew Barnett, Tana Amen, and Terence Lester

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Books to Inspire Your New Year!

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Jesus Always Hardcover Edition

Dear R eader

Welcome to 2021! We finally got to the end of 2020, a year that seemed to go on forever. I’ve even heard people joking about staying up on New Year’s Eve—not so much to see 2021 come in, but to make sure that 2020 really did leave!

I realize that many of you had an extremely difficult time in 2020. I want you to know that I pray every day for all my readers. One of my many prayers for you is that God will bless, help, strengthen, encourage, and comfort you—especially in your struggles.

Jesus Calling Note-Taking Edition

Some of you may know that I have been chronically ill since 2001. So I understand what it means to struggle to find hope, especially when conditions worsen instead of improve. During my most difficult times, I found that only Jesus could provide the hope I needed. My health challenges trained me to cling to Jesus—not only in hard times but at all times. Jesus invites us to come to Him, and He promises He will give us rest. He understands us perfectly, and He meets us right where we are.

One of my favorite ways to draw near to Jesus is to say this brief prayer: “I trust You, Jesus. You are my Hope.” You may find it helpful to pray these simple words when you need more trust and/or more hope. I’ve discovered that hope is a way of seeing—a type of vision that defeats discouragement!

Jesus Calling for Kids

PHOTO CREDIT: JEREMY COWART

Jesus Calling for Easter

As you begin this New Year, I want to pray for you—borrowing the Apostle Paul’s beautiful words: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).

Bountiful blessings!

THE

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MAGA ZINE

W I N T E R

COVER STORY | 8

2 0 2 1

Laura Minchew SVP & Publisher

Coach Tony Dungy on His Latest Winning

Michael Aulisio VP, Marketing Editor in Chief

Season of Life

Linda Tozer Marketing Director Mandy Wilson Marketing Director

CONTENTS

Stephanie Chalk Sr. Marketing Manager

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Elisabeth Hasselbeck Chases After God

6

Doing Good: Terence Lester – No One Is Invisible in God’s Eyes

14

Lecrae: Emerging from a Tunnel of Chaos Toward Healing

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Pastor’s Corner: Matthew Barnett – Born for Such a Time as This

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Zim Flores: 6 Ways to Bloom in the New Year

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Kurt Angle: When You’re Broken, God Can Make You Strong

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Tana Amen: Your History Doesn’t Have to Be Your Destiny

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Jason Sautel: One Firefighter’s Battle for Courage & Love

30

Father James Martin: Q&A About Learning to Pray

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A Jesus Always Devotion to Honor Our First Responders

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Mark Eaton: Every Scar Has a Story

36

Jesus Calling Social Media Spotlight

37

Music Spotlight: Ryan Stevenson

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Rooted Family: First Responders – Our Extra-Special Helpers

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Games & Puzzles

Laura Neutzling Managing Editor Amy Kerr Copy Editor Abigail Nibblett Editorial Assistant Beth Murphy Senior Marketing Director Barbara Moser Senior Graphic Designer Candace Waggoner Senior Operations Manager Designer Michelle Lenger

Published quarterly by Thomas Nelson, Inc., P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214 Printed in the U.S.A. © 2004 Sarah Young

STORIES FROM FIRST RESPONDERS

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 Nick Pecori

Terence Lester | 6

Matthew Barnett | 17

Tana Amen | 25

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PORTRAIT © WIFF HARMER PHOTOGRAPHY, FOX NEWS PHOTO © SHUTTERSTOCK

Elisabeth Hasselbeck Chasing After God Former television broadcaster Elisabeth Hasselbeck spent more than a decade telling stories from different perspectives as a co-host on ABC’s The View, and later as an anchor at Fox & Friends. But after a few years at Fox, Elisabeth felt pulled in a new direction, as scary as it seemed. She gives a behindthe-scenes look at the tough decision to leave her broadcasting career, and how she learned to wait for God’s guidance as He continued to reveal her unique purpose as a storyteller in the world.

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by Elisabeth Hasselbeck

sitting across from you that their story had no value or worth? And that My work in their heart wasn't as important as somebody else's or unique?”

Everyone has a story. Write down where you've been and where you've seen God in it, because He's there. He just wants you to see it.

I WAS A TELEVISION BROADCASTER for almost 15 years. I’ve had the blessing of interviewing every living president but one, along with extraordinary people who have done wildly successful things. Those conversations were always instructive moments for me, to see the personal side of someone who's had such progress in life.

If you've ever studied broadcasting or watched something on TV, you know that the interviewer’s job is to get behind the lens of the person telling this story.

If you get the blessing to look at someone's story and tell it, man, that's awesome. But to do it well, you have to really get behind their lens, because we all see things differently.

I love being part of the team, so I will do anything to not let the team down. That's kind of how I operate.

I believe that God met me at Fox & Friends, but I also believe that I kind of went ahead of His blessing and sought it out for myself. I was working so hard to not let anybody down and to do the job so well that I was over exhausting myself, because I didn't feel like I should be there. It brought me to my knees in a new way, and it brought me to prayer in a new way.

I was literally on my knees with Jesus Calling every morning, just trying to get my mind right. I'd say, “Fill up on the Good News before the hard news.”

He showed up for me in a way that was awesome.

What He allowed for me in that time was the daily habit of being on my knees in the Word of God and Jesus Calling to get me through a season that started

“ a story.

Everyone has I was writing my book Point of View, and I wasn't really sure that my story had a value. I had this day where God was like, “Listen, if I created you, and if I have a story in you, would you ever tell someone

Left: Whoopi Goldberg, Abby Huntsman, Joy Behar, Elisabeth, Meghan McCain, Sunny Hostin 4

with me going ahead of His instructions. I'm so thankful for Jesus Calling. It was just this gentle, generous gift of a Friend early in the morning, and it always seemed to be just right.

“ for I'm so thankful Jesus Calling.

God was like, “No, I'm not asking you to have it all, and hold it all, and do it all. I’m really not.”

I thought, I'm not the mom I want to be. I'm not the wife I want to be right now. I give up. And I thought that was enough. I literally thought that giving up on that job of broadcasting dreams was enough to bring my heart where it needed to be, but it wasn't.

It required giving it over.

I don't think that I could have gotten through that season without just the daily, on my knees, in the dark, with the light of my phone or flashlight on Jesus Calling. It was a huge gift to me.

I felt so carried in the Holy Spirit on that day that I said goodbye to my team at Fox. That very day of admitting, “I can't do this anymore,” was a day where I felt so much of His love and power and permission to glorify Him in that process.

It just allowed me to fully prepare for what the next day held.

Adapted for print from Elisabeth’s interview on the Jesus Calling Podcast.

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

Top: Elisabeth and husband Tim Hasselbeck

The paperback edition of Elisabeth’s memoir Point of View, along with her children’s book Flashlight Night: An Adventure in Trusting God, are available in stores February 2.

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Bottom: Elisabeth with Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy and country music artist Scotty McCreery, 2015

NO ONE IS INVISIBLE IN GOD’S EYES

Terence Lester Extends “Love Beyond Walls” to Those in Need

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D O I N G

by Laura Neutzling

to the streets, where he lived for two years going from shelter to shelter, sleeping under bridges, begging for money, and experiencing every aspect of homelessness that he could have imagined, but never could have known as intimately as going through them himself.

On the streets, Terence solidified his conviction that “every single person has inherent worth and value of dignity—because weʼre all made in the image of God.” “One of the reasons Iʼm so passionate about this as a leader is that people who are experiencing homelessness are overlooked every single day of their lives,” Terence says. “But Jesus walks with us. He sees us. He supports us. He offers grace. And for people who are deemed invisible, itʼs important for us to model the same thing that He models toward us.”

The Love Beyond Walls team has taken on several initiatives that specifically help those who experience vulnerability in ways that others might take for granted.

“Weʼve done everything from helping people recover their identification cards to reuniting people whoʼve been out of touch with their family for years,” notes Terence. “Weʼve also helped people reclaim the broken pieces of their lives by helping them find gainful employment and even housing.”

Ultimately, Terenceʼs work with the homeless is centered around building relationships—not “making people projects,” as Terence says, “but walking with people.”

“When you live on the streets, you are passed by every single second of your life. People lock their doors, people roll up their windows, people cross the street to literally walk away. You are deemed invisible.

But to stop and pause and look at someone in their eyes and call them by their name and affirm them— I see youʼre doing a good job, I see youʼre trying your best— thatʼs invaluable because itʼs the start of what could be a relationship or Terence’s latest book friendship that lets I See You: How Love Opens them know God loves Our Eyes to Invisible People them and they are is now available. worthy.”

BACK IN 2004, TERENCE LESTER and his wife Cecilia were a newly married couple and, like many at the beginning of their journey together, just scraping by. Discouraged by their situation and motivated to climb out of their financial pit, they came up with an idea to lift their spirits: maybe if they could focus on others who had even less than they did, Terence and Cecilia could get their minds off their own situation by bettering someone elseʼs.

Gathering up a few extra shoes and clothes, the Lesters walked toward downtown Atlanta to see who might need what they had to offer. One homeless woman opened the sack the Lesters were carrying and excitedly fished out a pair of shoes while telling the couple she had been “praying that God would send her some shoes” (and come to find out, the woman wore the same shoe size as Cecilia!).

This spark of answered prayer and the need the Lesters saw in front of them burned into a desire for Terence and Cecilia to dedicate more time and resources toward helping the homeless community— not only meeting their basic needs like food and clothing, but giving back their humanity and dignity while fostering hope.

As Terence and Cecilia continued to find ways to give back and create awareness for the plight of many in their city, they inspired others to join them in this “movement of doers.” In 2013, this movement became an official organization called Love Beyond Walls.

“One of the main missions of Love Beyond Walls,” Terence explains, “is to affirm the dignity of people experiencing homelessness and poverty by giving them things like visibility, a voice, community support services, and also grooming services so they can take steps towards self-sufficiency.”

“ experiencing People who are homelessness are overlooked every single day of their lives.

PHOTO CREDIT: DANI ADUJO

G O O D

In order to fully understand what a homeless person encounters, Terence took a further step to “see” the people who are often so invisible to the rest of the world. With permission from his family, Terence took 7

NICE GUYS FINISH FIRST COACH TONY DUNGY ON HIS LATEST WINNING SEASON OF LIFE 8

C O V E R

by Laura Neutzling

town where everybody kind of watched out for each other. I accepted Christ as a really young boy. My grandfather was a minister, as were two of my uncles.

So I grew up hearing about the gospel from the time I can remember.”

The roots of Tony’s upbringing laid the foundation for the man he would become, but like many of the other kids he grew up around, sports became central to his boyhood dreams. Determined to honor the values modeled from his parents, Tony remembers the motivations that moved him forward: “I’m going to be a good son, a good athlete, and I’m going to try to go to college.”

QUIET. THOUGHTFUL. SPIRITUAL.

N

PORTRAIT © NICK PECORI. PHOTO CREDIT: MINNESOTA SPORTS INFORMATION DEPT

S T O R Y

ot exactly adjectives one would expect to describe someone whose career has largely been in the tense, high-pressure world of NFL head coaching. Yet those monikers are often applied to legendary coach Tony Dungy. The coach himself would tell you it’s an intentional way of being in a sport where yelling, berating, and losing your temper is often part of the coaching strategy.

One might think Coach Dungy’s seemingly measured approach toward coaching might have led to an unassuming tenure in the NFL that didn’t shake things up too much—but that was not the case. Coach Dungy quietly pioneered his way through a 28-year career to become one of the winningest coaches in the NFL—the first coach ever to defeat all 32 NFL teams, and also the first African-American head coach to win a Super Bowl—Super Bowl XLI with the Indianapolis Colts. The accolades continued as Tony earned two ESPY Awards and an induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And through all his success, Tony made time to work with benevolent organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and more recently, as a national spokesperson for the fatherhood program All Pro Dad. Tony’s early family life might have hinted at the style he would adopt as a player and coach. Growing up during the ‘60s in the small, industrial town of Jackson, Michigan, Tony’s mom and dad were both teachers—his dad teaching college biology and zoology, his mom teaching high school English and public speaking, along with leading a Sunday school class at Tony’s childhood church.

“I wouldn't trade my upbringing for anything in the world,” says Dungy. “We lived in a very small

Tony as quarterback at University of Minnesota, 1973

The groundbreaking future coach stayed true to his youthful intentions, going to college and excelling in sports. Those who encountered Tony during those years would describe him as that “nice guy” and a “hard worker.” But he hadn’t given much thought to becoming a professional football player. “When I was young, I never thought about playing in the NFL,” Dungy recalls. “I just played because I liked it. Then I got to the University of Minnesota. I got a scholarship. I still didn't think about professional football as a career. But then my senior year in college, I started thinking, Maybe I have a chance to do this. This is something I would enjoy and maybe I'm going to be good enough.”

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Proving more than “good enough,” Tony was the MVP for his college team in both 1975 and 1976, and was signed as a free agent by the Pittsburgh Steelers when he was 21. His new coach, the legendary Chuck Noll, began to shape the young player's direction and led him to places he never dreamed.

“ paid to You’re now getting play football, so that makes it your profession. But please, please don’t make football your whole life.

—COACH CHUCK NOLL

“At the first team meeting we had with Chuck Noll, he welcomed everybody to the National Football League. ‘You’re now getting paid to play football, so that makes it your profession. But please, please don’t make football your whole life.’”

Tony wrote down the words of his new coach and thought about how much they reminded him of the principles his mother had taught him.

“It really kind of blew me away,” Dungy remembers. “It made me realize what my mom said was true. It’s not what you do in life—it’s how you do it and who you’re doing it for. Here was this man who had won two Super Bowls already, and he was saying, ‘Don’t make your life about what you’re going to achieve. Don’t make it about the money.’ I didn’t know at the time, but God was really training me.”

After just two years in the league, Tony followed the Steelers to his first Super Bowl, which they won in 1978. Usually a career-defining moment for a player, it didn’t seal Tony's path as a player for the long term—and he reflects on the ups and downs after that winning year. “You dream about being in the Super Bowl—the scoring, making the winning touchdown. I ended up getting traded the next year, and I thought, Oh, gosh, this is the end of the world—my dreams are over.

But then you realize God’s got something different, and He’s leading you in a different direction with a new team and relationships with teammates. Then, I got cut

Tony during the Steelers' Super Bowl XIII season, 1978

for the last time, and my playing career was over.”

The 25-year-old wondered what God possibly had for him next, when he got an unexpected call. It was Coach Noll, the one who had influenced Tony so heavily with the Steelers. Impressed by Tony’s communication skills and his spirit, Coach Noll thought Tony should become a coach—and he hinted that there might be a position opening up for Tony with his team.

At the time, there were no African-American head coaches in the entire National Football League, and only ten African-Americans held assistant coach positions across the country. Tony didn’t have a lot of others to look to as trailblazers, and despite the challenges that could lie ahead, he knew the Lord was preparing him for just this role. A spot did open up, and from day one of the job, Tony was more excited than he’d ever been, knowing it was something that felt right—and that God had led him to a new place once again.

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C O V E R

“I wanted to help some young men get their first step into the National Football League, but also help some guys grow—just as my mentors had helped me.

I was pretty intentional about hiring young people with talent, but also empowering them, giving them positions, creating an assistant head coach position, and kind of helping those guys get going. And it is gratifying to see. Now I see Mike Tomlin and Lovie Smith doing the same thing, and it's pretty awesome.”

“ do in life— It’s not what you it’s how you do it and who you’re doing it for.

“I think God had just the right sense of timing for me. I asked Coach Noll the very first day, ‘What am I supposed to do? What's my job?’ And he said, ‘Your job as a coach, it's very simple: help your players be better.’ And I feel really blessed that I was able to not only find that out for myself, but help other young men find that out for the next 28 years.”

The intention of helping the players on his team “be better” remained a hallmark of Dungy’s coaching style. Throughout his career coaching talented players and teams, Coach Dungy was also adamant about growing and nurturing new talent in the realm of coaching itself.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PITTSBURGH STEELERS PR DEPT AND THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

S T O R Y

Retiring from full-time coaching in 2008, the coach has moved into other areas of sports—namely, broadcasting with NBC Sports, a job he approaches with the same faith and mission-minded attitude he did as a player and coach.

“Television has given me a great platform to not only talk about the game and encourage people to watch, but it's also given me the ability to talk about

Tony as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts 11

Coach Dungy’s Winning Strategies for Life

What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

Mark 8:36 NKJV, Tony's life verse Tony on NBC's Football Night in America, 2019

Make faith and family the top priorities.

Yes, I put a lot into coaching, but I couldn’t neglect

other things. Right now, we're certainly talking about social justice. We're talking about communities and making communities better. I think I can represent the Lord there in highlighting players’ inner character and helping America see some of the things they do that nobody really knows about, as well as tell people about the game on the field.”

As Tony considers what he’s been able to do over the last 12 years of his broadcasting career, it brings to mind a message he once heard at a chapel service with Pastor Tony Evans that shaped his approach to his latest season of life.

“He talked about being a Christian first. And he said, ‘I'm a Christian pastor, which seems redundant.

But then when I go home, I'm a Christian dad and I'm a Christian neighbor.’ And I thought about that. And I said, Yeah, that's me. That's what I want to be. I was a Christian player. I was a Christian coach. Now I want to be a Christian broadcaster, and I can take Christ to my job here as well.”

those two things.

Create an atmosphere where everyone can be their best selves.

I tried to create that culture for the teams I coached, an environment where we all worked together and tried to help each other be better. As a Christian, I tried to coach with respect toward each individual, letting them know that I would be demanding, but in a different way. I didn’t want to use yelling to motivate them.

Take a chance on people. staff, I picked good guys I liked. I wasn't looking for just young people, but I wanted positive people. We were trying to change the culture, so I needed guys who were going to persevere. A lot of people didn’t understand this approach and wondered if these young college coaches were going to be any good.

And some of them ended up becoming great coaches because they were positive, great teachers who were unifying. They really rewarded my confidence in them.

Give back to the community.

Adapted for print from Tony's interview on the Jesus Calling Podcast, airing January 14. Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to listen!

Coach Noll was so instructive about not making your whole life football, but being part of the community growing, making it a better place to live. That stuck with me. What you do for other people is going to be 12

so much more important and so much longer lasting.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF NBC SPORTS AND TONY DUNGY'S PERSONAL ARCHIVES

When I started out in Tampa picking my coaching

As soon as Candace sees a spotty little puppy, she knows he’s the one for her.

But, after some puppy challenges, will Candace be faithful to her promise to be a good dog-mommy even when it isn’t as easy as she thought it would be?

AVAILABLE WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD

ALSO AVAILABLE BY CANDACE CAMERON BURE NEW FROM CANDACE CAMERON BURE

EMERGING FROM A TUNNEL OF CHAOS TOWARD HEALING

by Lecrae Moore

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Lecrae Moore is a two-time GRAMMY-winning rhymist, activist, and author who has sold millions of records and achieved landmark success in his career. But the years toward success were hard fought, as Lecrae’s childhood was shrouded in brokenness and abuse.

I wondered about Jesus. When I was older, I began to seek and ask for solutions by studying world religions.

“ is the The work means by which God changes you.

Coming to know God while dealing with the trauma of his early years was filled with missteps and pain.

But when Lecrae began to unpack his story, he began to understand the deep and transformative love of God—and grew a desire to be a catalyst for restoration in the world.

Do I just accept this thorn?

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LECRAE MOORE'S PERSONAL ARCHIVES

This thorn in my flesh

Growing up and dealing with so many different types of abuse and neglect, I found performing to be a coping mechanism. When you're neglected and abused, you can develop a massive sense of insecurity. So in order to deal with that, I performed, because it was a way I could find affirmation.

The beauty of that was I developed gifts and talents to become a social scientist and see what makes people laugh and cry, and connect with people in an authentic way. The detriment of that is you lose a sense of yourself, because you're always on. You're always performing. You don't know who you are.

My grandmother exposed me to things that piqued my curiosity and made me question. I wondered about heaven and hell.

is the only thing I have left.

You know, it’s so hard to confess when everyone sees your success. from the song

CRY FOR YOU WRITERS: LECRAE MOORE, TAYLOR HILL, ALLEN SWOOPE PUBLISHER: KOBALT MUSIC PUBLISHING LTD. FROM THE ALBUM ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER (2017)

I went to a Christian conference on a whim, and I heard the gospel.

It changed the trajectory of my life and allowed me to have a sense of hope and purpose. That's probably where my music came from: expressing this newfound hope and purpose, these views and values.

The problem is, I had never dealt with my historical trauma.

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I thought coming into faith was a cure-all, and I didn't do the work.

The work is the means by which God changes you. I was still using the same coping tactics I used as a kid during my Christian journey: performing to get people to love me, accept me, and appreciate me.

When the performance trap crashed in on me, it got to a point where I began to talk about issues that were detrimental in society and to myself, and people didn't want to hear it. They just wanted me to perform. So I turned my back on God altogether. And once I turned my back on God, I lived with sort of a sense of purposelessness, which led me to the place of depression.

Even the“toughest people have a breaking point.

I didn't believe I could change.

I didn't believe anything could change. And once your mind is kind of taken over, it's like being trapped there. You've got to fight to get out, or you’ll just sit and suffer in silence. Fortunately for me, I got pushed off the edge of that cliff, and I got pushed by means of a clinical depression.

Even the toughest people have a breaking point. I knew I had reached my breaking point, and I knew I needed professional help.

I met my therapist, who has been life-changing for me. Every day before our sessions, she would start with the Jesus Calling book.

I was blown away. I’ve seen the Jesus Calling book a million times

Lecrae with his family

over the course of my Christian walk. I was like, The cover’s pretty. This is a great book for soccer moms. This is not for me. And I never investigated it. I never opened it up.

For somebody like me who didn't grow up with their father and struggles to hear these affirming things, it feels like, I've got to earn that.

I've got to perform for those things. No, no, no. This is how He feels about you. And this is what He has to say to you. And it was so therapeutic, so life changing, and so helpful—I'm forever grateful.

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

Acceptance is“always painful, but denial is deadly.

In terms of finding yourself ready for restoration or healing, you do have to acknowledge the issue. You've got to accept the trauma you endured or are currently experiencing. And acceptance is always painful, but denial is deadly.

If you are trapped in trauma and problems and you just don't see any way out of that tunnel of chaos, look at the depth, the breadth, the height of God's love and what He's willing to do in order to rescue you from that. I think if we can get a taste of how vast His love is, that changed everything for me—and everything for this world.

Adapted for print from Lecrae’s interview on the Jesus Calling Podcast.

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Read about Lecrae’s life and how he found healing in his book I Am Restored.

I’m the pastor of the Los Angeles Dream Center. Every second of the day, we take in and house more than 700 people—including whole families—who are homeless, who have drug and alcohol addictions, or have any type of need.

The Coronavirus pandemic has changed everything that we normally do.

When the virus hit, it was a Thursday right before a church service. We immediately shut

“You may have been chosen … for just such a time as this.”

—Esther 4:14 NCV People are stopping by the food line three times a day—for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

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You can find God's Dream for You at your favorite book retailer today!

Adapted for print from Matthew’s interview on the Jesus Calling Podcast. Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to hear the rest of his story!

C O R N E R

by Matthew Barnett

down so we could prepare for Monday, because we knew what was coming next: the public school system in Los Angeles, the second largest in the nation, would close.

Children weren’t going to have meals, families were going to be struggling, and it was going to be a major issue.

I told our staff, “Guys, there are two things we need to do right now. Number one, we need to calm people’s fears by not having church service and gathering thousands of people in our church building. And number two, we need to be ready to meet the need. Calm the fears and meet the need. We’re going to open up for eleven hours on Monday and see what happens. We’re going to feed people through a drive-thru so nobody’s worrying about big crowds.”

P A S T O R ’ S

Born for Such a Time as This

When they’re coming by, we have a thirty-second encounter, and we just try to provide the greatest thirty seconds of people’s lives.

You always hear that people are changed in a moment—we’re seeing that can be a reality now. Because when people are coming through, we’re loving on them, saying quick prayers through the roof of their car or through the window, and we’re providing a spark that keeps people going through the day.

When the virus first hit, the city of L.A. came alongside us and said, “You guys are one of the most essential places to stay open during this time.” The mayor and the councilmen were begging us to keep going, and we have been.

We’ve been faithful in L.A. for twenty-five years, feeding fifteen hundred hot meals every day. We really believe that we were born for this era we’re facing right now. We were born for such a time as this.

ADVE RTI SEM E N T

Grow Inspire

Motivate Reveal As a professionally certified master life coach at one of the largest global institutes of professional coaching, La Vonne realized there was a need for a powerful, biblically rooted method.

She utilized her experience in counseling and inner healing to develop the YKI method of coaching and has trained hundreds of others in this powerful lifechanging program.

I’ve seen the power of being a coach for Christ firsthand, & it is amazing!

La Vonne Earl, founder and director of YKI Coaching What if you could experience greater freedom and balance in the Lord this year than ever before? What if you knew exactly how to share His Good News with anyone, anytime, with confidence—knowing it will produce real results that

draw others to the Lord?

Jesus is always to be our first love. His heart is to be our heart—and His heart is people!

He longs to draw people closer so He can set us free, transform lives, and bring about good.

“Now wherever you go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And teach them to faithfully follow all that I have commanded you. And never forget that I am with you every day, even to the completion of this age.” —Matthew 28:19-20 (The Passion Translation) 18

ADV E RTISEM EN T

A

s Christians, our highest calling is to serve Him in the freedom He has given us, and to draw others to Him so they can be free to serve Him too. We are called to be examples for Him, and we’re called to go into our communities and lead others to Him, filling the world with His glory and bringing hope wherever we go. And in today’s world, one of the greatest ways to do that is to become a coach for Christ.

Christian coaches are disciples for Christ— and they make disciples wherever they go.

Christian coaches dedicate themselves to growing more like God every day, and we coach others so they, too, can come into a greater relationship with the Lord.

As director of the nonprofit ministry YKI coaching, I’ve watched our unique, Biblebased methods help others let go of old thinking patterns and be transformed by a total reformation in how they think (Romans 12:2 TPT). I’ve seen many people come to the Lord through our Christian-based life coaching and practical techniques that create genuine, lasting results.

Yes—YOU can coach! Coaching is for everyone who loves Jesus and desires to help others improve their lives and draw closer to God. Combining scriptural principles and therapeutic tools that are in harmony with Biblical teachings, our innovative approach empowers people to develop

a godly way of thinking that matches who they are in Christ.

In turn, their mind begins to speak to them the way God would, to their true identity in Him. The YKI coaching program will help you heal wounds from the past and gain a sound mind and a full life. You’ll improve your relationships and learn how to be a godly coach for others— even those who are far from the Lord. You’ll be equipped to coach professionally after completing the program.

We all have an influence on others. It is important to invest in ourselves and learn all we can about connecting with other people, so we can teach them His ways. At YKI, our godly, one-on-one coaching method is personalized to each individual.

It’s great for helping people live balanced lives, grow closer to the Lord, and be effective disciples.

As this new year unfolds, I encourage you to stay true to your calling in the 19 Lord. Commit

yourself to growing in God, becoming freer in Him, and sharing His Good News with others—through the power of becoming a coach for Christ.

Are you ready to be the coach God has called you to be?

Get Started Today!

Go to www.YKIcoaching. com/coachtraining and enter the discount NEWYEAR to receive your 20% discount and the book A Coach for Christ for FREE— and learn to coach others into a closer relationship with Jesus.

Z I M

F L O R E S

O N

6 Ways t o B l o o m in the N e w Y e a r Zim Flores is a serial entrepreneur, former CEO of Travel Noire, and a Forbes

“30 Under 30” awardee who’s seen her share of endings and beginnings. She offers some hard-earned wisdom that can help us launch our new year to new heights.

WE ARE ALL IN A PERPETUAL CYCLE OF NEW BEGINNINGS. By choice or by circumstance, we all find ourselves in seasons where we have to start over.

And it’s easy to forget who we are in these times. But our identities never belong in our relationships, our financial situations, or our careers. Our identities belong to God and God alone.

GOD’S PURPOSE FOR YOU WILL CANCEL WHO YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE. When God changed someone’s name in the Bible, it was often because He was giving them a new identity—one that was directly connected with that person’s purpose. God wants to shift your purpose from finding glory in your own name to finding purpose in His name.

CHANGE DOESN’T START WITH PLANTING; IT BEGINS WITH UPROOTING. You may currently find yourself in the middle of an uprooting. You may have lost your job. Your husband may have walked out on you. Someone you loved may have passed away. It may not get easier right away, but you’ll get stronger.

God wants to pour fresh oil over you to remove, remind, and restore.

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WITH THE PRESSURE COMES THE ANOINTING.

THERE IS SOMETHING GREAT HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, AND I WANT TO BE EXACTLY WHERE GOD NEEDS ME TO BE WHEN IT DOES.

The best olive oil is made from olives that are plucked just before they are fully ripe— when they aren’t quite ready to be used.

There’s something special that happens when we, like unripe olives, feel trapped and pressed on all sides. The crushing produces character, allowing us to speak powerfully and boldly about what God has delivered us from. But to be delivered, we have to endure the tension.

No matter how painful or how terrified we are of the unknown, we have to remember that our former lives weren’t necessarily better. They were just different. Where you are right now is ordained. You’re there because it’s exactly where God needs you to be.

GOD WILL ORCHESTRATE CIRCUMSTANCES TO FORCE YOUR PAUSE.

Zim’s new book, Dare to Bloom, is available in stores now.

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The Bible tells us in Isaiah 66:9 that God will not cause pain without something new being born. It is in the stillness of the storm that we will find peace. Even Jesus retreated into solitude. And when He was tempted by the devil, He didn’t run. He stayed, eventually fulfilling His purpose.

WHEN YOU’RE BROKEN,

GOD CAN MAKE YOU

STRONG

Former WWE wrestler and Olympic champion Kurt Angle was in the business of being strong. He captured national attention in 1996 when he won the 220-pound freestyle wrestling competition at the Olympic Games in Atlanta with a broken neck. Four years after earning Olympic gold, Angle joined the WWE and became one of its most prominent figures. But behind the powerful facade was a man who struggled with addiction, just as his father did. Kurt realized his own strength would not be enough to save him—he needed God’s help.

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by Kurt Angle

I didn't really get to spend a lot of time with my father. When I was fifteen years old, he died in a construction accident. One thing I remember thinking was, I don’t want to become that guy.

Twenty-five years later, I was pretty much the same guy.

My father had a relationship with Jesus Christ. He went to church every week, and he prayed quite a bit, in a way that said, “Hey, God, You and I are cool. So when I do this little thing on the side, let me have this.

And I'll stay true to You every step of the way.”

I made that deal, too. I had this love affair with alcohol and drugs, and I also had my relationship with God, but I never mixed it. So I was like, “God, I'm going to turn off right now. I'm going to go to my drinking and my drugs, and I'll get back to You in a few hours.”

The first time I broke my neck was in 1996, right before the Olympics.

It sounds crazy, but I knew that I would sacrifice anything to be out there and compete. So I had to convince a doctor to clear me with broken vertebrae and discs stuck into my spinal cord. I did find a doctor, and that doctor would stick me with ten or twelve different shots of novocaine in my neck. When I would go out there, I literally couldn't feel it. But an hour later, I was in excruciating pain. I never looked at it from a long-term standpoint—I didn't care. I was in the Olympics, and this is all I ever wanted to do. So I decided I was going to do it, whether it killed me or not, whether I became a paraplegic or not. And I won.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF KURT ANGLE AND IMPACT WRESTELING. PHOTO ON PAGE 24 © KMAZURE / CONTRIBUTOR

GROWING UP, MY FAMILY WAS DEDICATED to athletics. It was the thing that we talked about at the dinner table, it’s what we watched on TV. And if you weren't a great athlete in the Angle family, you weren't very important. I wanted to be the best at something.

And I found my true love, and that was wrestling.

My dad was a very good father. He was very responsible, as far as providing for us. But he did have a problem—he was an alcoholic. He did it all day, every day.

The great thing about my dad was he never missed a sporting event. He would go straight from work to whatever event we had, and he would watch it. Then he would go home, drink, and pass out. This was a daily thing I saw as a child.

“ I took 65 extra-strength Vicodin a day.

A lot of people wanted me to continue to wrestle. I was going to get a big shoe deal if I continued. But here I was with a broken neck, and I just wanted to just get away from it. It was too much for me, and I put way too much pressure on myself. I didn't like that feeling, so I had to get away from it.

I was introduced to painkillers, and I got hooked right away. One wasn't enough, so I went to two, and

Kurt at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia 23

Kurt Angle and Eddie Guerreo, WrestleMania XX

then two went to four. My body built a tolerance, so I had to keep doubling it. I got to the point where I took 65 extra-strength Vicodin a day.

The alcohol didn’t come in until I got over the painkillers and I wanted that high feeling again. It was two beers, then three, then twelve. I started taking Xanax, too. I would mix different drugs and try to get high after I finished work every day. I remember my dad did that when I was growing up.

I was doing this for a good seven years. It wasn't until 2013 that I decided to get clean, and that's because my wife was going to leave me. She said, “I can't do this anymore, and I don't want your money. I just want to live a life without drugs or alcohol. I want to live happily. And I'm not happy because you're not here.”

When I got into rehab, I was terrified every day. I kept praying, “God, please, I don't want to be a screw up. I don't want to come out of here and go back to where I was. I want to move forward.” And I’ve continued to pray, because it's not easy staying clean.

But I've been clean and sober for almost six years now.

“ changed My life has dramatically because of my relationship with Jesus Christ.

What keeps me rooted? Being reliable for my kids. I want to be a person my kids look up to, and that they say, “You know what? Dad's a good dad, and he's a good person.” My life has changed dramatically because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. I gave myself to Him entirely, rather than a portion of me.

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

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YOUR HISTORY

DOESN’T HAVE TO BE

YOUR DESTINY Tana Amen´s Relentless Courage

years later, Tana was assaulted by a stranger while walking to school, and that trauma led her to develop an eating disorder.

“ invisible was I thought being safer: not being seen, not being heard.

Over the years, Tana was lost in a sea of confusion, danger, police calls, and overwhelming fear. “Growing up, I never really felt like I had a voice,” she says. “I was really timid because of all the chaos. I learned to hide. I thought being invisible was safer: not being seen, not being heard.”

As she slipped into her twenties, Tana started to build a life for herself: going to school, getting a job.

She began to distance herself from the family members who filled her childhood with uncertainty, creating a picture-perfect life she could be proud of.

But when she was twenty-three, life dealt Tana another blow: she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, forcing her to quit her job and school. “I finally thought I had the world by the tail, and it all just came to a screeching halt,” she remembers. “I fell into this deep depression, and I wished I could just die.” And for the next eleven years, as the cancer metastasized to her lymph nodes, Tana endured countless surgeries and radiation treatments to fight the disease.

Stressed and burned out, Tana leaned heavily on a carefully constructed facade that was beginning to crumble. Soon, she found herself quietly going through an ugly divorce and custody battle, and relying on coping mechanisms from her youth to

by Abigail Nibblett WHEN SHE STEPPED INTO A TRAUMA UNIT for the first time, a place filled with blood, stress, and intubated patients on the brink of death, nurse Tana Amen didn’t realize she had chosen to work on that particular floor because she was afraid of the alternative: treating patients who could actually talk to her, especially if those patients suffered with addiction and mental illness.

Looking at the trauma she’s survived, it’s no wonder.

Tana’s early life was packed with chaos. She was abandoned by her drug-addicted father at a young age. One of her uncles was a heroin addict, another was murdered in a drug deal gone wrong. She was molested by her stepfather at twelve years old. Three 25

process her feelings. “I was under so much stress, but I had to have it together,” Tana says. “I financially was very secure. I owned my own home. I had a good job. I would paint my face every day and do my hair. Everyone thought that I had it completely together, but on the inside, I was a complete mess. I couldn't even say the word bulimia. I would call it ‘the B word’ because I just needed my exterior world to be so perfect.”

“ I had it completely Everyone thought that together, but on the inside, I was a complete mess.

As she felt her life dissolving, Tana met renowned psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen. Before their first date, when she found out what Daniel did for a living, Tana kept a wall up toward him—she had no interest in being analyzed. But Daniel kept pursuing her, and finally her walls broke down, and she let years of pain she’d endured alone pour out of her heart. Daniel helped her begin to process her trauma, showing Tana that she was strong because of the things she’d be through, not in spite of them.

After taking time to heal her wounds, Tana felt God pushing her to heal those suffering from addiction and mental illness, and toward reaching out to reconcile with her family. Though she fought tooth and nail to avoid it, Tana became what she calls a reluctant healer—realizing the help was for others, but the healing was for her.

Eventually, Tana and Daniel married and today, Tana is vice president of Amen Clinics, helping others heal through nutrition, exercise, meditation, and prayer. “Reclaiming our health and wellness is one of the most empowering things we can do,” she declares. “And I did not grow up

healthy. So I went on a mission to learn how important our physical health is to our mental health.”

One of the pillars of healing at Amen Clinics is to strengthen spiritual health, and Tana uses Jesus Calling as a tool for her growth.

“I love the daily devotional.

Spending quiet time with God is very important. I notice that when I get too busy, my life feels chaotic and hectic. When I take the time to pray and meditate, I feel like I can handle what's going on in my life.

It's just that simple.

“I agree with Sarah Young, that no matter what your life looks like today, God definitely has a plan. I am an example of that. I feel like my life is so much better today not in spite of my struggles, but because of them.”

Adapted for print from Tana’s interview on the Jesus Calling Podcast, airing January 21. Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to hear more of Tana’s story!

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact: THE NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE Call 1-800-273-8255 CRISIS TEXT LINE — Text HOME to 741741

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Tana’s new memoir, The Relentless Courage of a Scared Child, is available January 5.

Try Your Hand at Journaling!

Take some quiet time, and think about these three questions Tana asks herself each day to balance her physical, spiritual, and mental health.

1. Why is the world a better place because I am here?

2. What are three things I am grateful for today?

3. Picture the things you worry about most. Do any of those things have eternal value?

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Rescued

by Grace One Firefighter’s Battle for Courage and Love

It was much“easier for me to just shut down.

by Cynthia M. Stuckey IN A WORLD OF MANY DANGERS, heroes have long been celebrated. For veteran firefighter Jason Sautel, his own need for a hero prompted him to try to be one.

Jason’s childhood was one marked by landmines of heartbreak. After his parents divorced when he was seven, his mom moved 500 miles away. Jason’s father, a Vietnam veteran, held so much of his own private pain that Jason was left with no true care or support.

“My dad struggled to be a father, and those struggles came down upon me,” Jason says, remembering his early years. “It was much easier for me to just shut down and live within myself, as opposed to asking for help.”

What began as Jason’s resistance to ask for help at home became a conscious decision to go hungry at school, rather than asking his dad for money. Feeling alone led the boy to use avoidance and inner retreat as coping mechanisms. Even as a child, Jason soon hardened with an impermeable exterior of selfpreservation.

Jason left school at sixteen and joined the California Conservation Corps, where he experienced what it was like to be part of a team for the first time. At the age of eighteen, Jason became a firefighter with the Oakland California Fire Department. Now a first responder, Jason learned what it meant to be viewed as a hero, a rescuer whose job was to rush into impossible situations and make them better. He talks about the emotional and physical toll this kind of work brings.

“If you’re at a fire, you absorb the chemicals, the bad stuff that’s in the air,” Jason says. “But what’s even worse is watching someone take their final breath and not being able to save them. You absorb that too, and it doesn’t go away.”

Jason witnessed all kinds of tragic outcomes. The misery of a broken world was always within view, and slowly a feeling of hopelessness grew inside him.

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convince a suicidal jumper to come back over the barrier and get help.

In the eyes of the man desperate to jump, there was a vacant look that Jason felt mirrored his own pain. “His emptiness reflected my emptiness,” Jason reflects. “I knew I needed something more.”

Though some may expect that faith equals absence of hardship, Jason’s faith revealed just the opposite to him. While attending church at the invitation of his now-wife Kristie, Jason found that “something more” he was looking for: a God who understood suffering and was full of grace and forgiveness.

“The beauty of putting my faith in Jesus was that things did not get better,” he says. “I was still seeing the worst of the worst, but now I had clarity.”

Deep in a spiral of trying to fill the void, the rescuer desperately needed a rescue.

Even then, the hope of Jesus was calling to him through pain, and would soon be the breakthrough he so gravely needed—but first, Jason would stare into the depths of human despair.

Early one morning on the Bay Bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland, Jason tried to

I knew I“needed something more.

his Bible, praying, and memorizing scripture.

As heartbreaking as his early life was, Jason attributes his current ministry to those dark days. “Being an outcast my entire life has really helped me to seek out the same. I believe God left me where He left me, because He was preparing me for where I am now.”

Today, instead of a heartbroken wanderer, the man Jason is becoming is one who loves God and people, and is seeking to be a first responder for those who need the power and healing of the ultimate Rescuer.

“I’m just praying for people to draw closer to and put their faith in Him,” he says. “I can’t fix anything, nor can time. Time alone heals nothing. Time with Jesus heals everything. That’s my prayer, that people will grow closer to Jesus and follow Him.” Adapted for print from an upcoming interview on the Jesus Calling Podcast.

Just as a firefighter’s helmet or “lid” becomes dented and hammered by years on the job, Jason’s faith became seasoned with the stress and brokenness he continued to encounter. He found new ways to cope when he was feeling weak and unsure: studying

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact: THE NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE Call 1-800-273-8255 CRISIS TEXT LINE — Text HOME to 741741

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You can read more of Jason’s story in his book, The Rescuer, in stores now.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ABOUT LEARNING TO PRAY with Father James Martin Father James Martin is a Jesuit priest, an editor at large at America Magazine, and the author of Learning to Pray: A Guide for Everyone. The Jesus Calling Magazine’s managing editor had a chance to catch up with Father Martin as he explains what prayer is, how to start praying, and how a daily prayer practice can transform our lives.

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talking to God, trying to essentially convince God of why I deserved something. A little more conversation, still kind of one way.

But, you know, there can be a lot more to prayer than that.

Thanks for talking to us today. Before we dive in, will you share about your "unconventional" path to priesthood?

I didn't go to a Catholic high school. I ended up going to the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, where I studied finance. I took a job with General Electric in New York City, which was very exciting. But then gradually I just sort of realized it wasn't for me. Business is a real vocation for a lot of people, but I felt like the square peg in a round hole.

And then one night I came home and turned on the TV and saw a documentary about a Trappist monk and writer called Thomas Merton. That prompted me to read his book, The Seven Storey Mountain, and that got me thinking about doing something else. And I entered the Jesuits, which is a Catholic religious order, at age twenty-seven.

So really, I mean, my image of God was the image a lot of Christians have. I felt that God was kind of out there and would dispense favors to me if I did the right thing. In the Jesuits, I was invited to think about having a personal relationship with Jesus and a real, open relationship with God.

So walk us through how we can make our prayer time move beyond the petitioning stage.

I think the first thing is to be honest about it. One of my favorite models for prayer was pointed out by a Jesuit theologian—and that model is Jesus Himself.

And Jesus's prayer is characterized by three things:

1. HONESTY. When Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane, He says, “Lord, let this cup pass Me by.” He's being honest, right? I mean, at that moment, He's saying, “I don't want to suffer.”

2. TRUST. When Jesus raises Lazarus in John 11, He says in front of the crowd, “God, I know that You hear Me,” right?

So that’s trust.

God loves us.“Once people

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are able to accept that love, it really is transformational.

3. ACCEPTANCE. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus says, “Yet not My will, but Your will be done.”

So I found that super helpful—honesty, trust, and acceptance.

For a lot of us, our understanding of God goes back to our childhood and what we learned from our parents and in church.

How do you think most of us view prayer when we’re growing up?

Okay, this may seem like an odd question, because I’m sure there’s not really a wrong way to pray. But when it comes to prayer, how do we know if we’re doing it “right”?

I think most children have experiences of God, but they're not encouraged to think about them as such.

When I was young, one was petitionary prayer: ”Please help me right now,” which is fine. I would ask for things when I was little, like a puppy or doing well on my math test.

Then the second way of praying was sort of

Well, exactly! And we can laugh about it, but I would say some people are enslaved to this notion of what they should and shouldn't talk about, and what's appropriate for prayer, and that everyone else does it well and they don't. We think, Okay, all anybody else has to do is close their eyes, and they're instantly in contact with God, and I'm the only one that deals with dryness or distractions or confusion or falling asleep or frustration.

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Father Martin talking with Pope Francis

I want to remind people that everybody has dry patches, but also everybody can experience prayer and have really rich prayer as well. The desire that you have for prayer is coming from God. This is God's way of drawing you closer. And once they are able to admit to themselves that this might be coming from God, as an invitation or a call, it puts things in a totally different perspective.

the right thing. But that's not the guy that you find in Jesus Christ. He is a God of compassion and mercy and forgiveness. God is not your mom or your dad.

He’s a lot bigger than that.

God loves us. Once people are able to accept that love, it really is transformational. They know that they're valued, they know who they are, and they know that they are enough.

Just one more question. For many of us, the trust piece of prayer can be a tough one. How can those of us who have dealt with hurt and pain, or maybe even feel abandoned by God—how can we break through that to get “real” about those difficult things with God?

Adapted for print from Father Martin’s upcoming interview on the Jesus Calling Podcast.

Father Martin’s book, Learning to Pray: A Guide for Everyone, is available in stores February 2.

So many people have an image of God from their childhood that can be really burdensome, really unhelpful, and actually not be God. One of my friends memorably described God as “the parole officer,” which I love. Like, we've just gotten out of jail and the guy’s looking for something that we've done to condemn us and send us right back to jail. Obviously, God wants us to lead good lives, act lovingly, and do 32

A devotion from Jesus Always to honor the courage and sacrifice of our First Responders

FEBRUARY 7

D

O NOT FEAR, for I am with you. I will uphold you with My

righteous right hand. Let these words enfold you like a warm

blanket, sheltering you from the coldness of fear and discouragement.

When trouble seems to be stalking you, grip My hand tightly and stay

in communication with Me. You can trust and not be afraid, for I am your Strength and Song. My powerful Presence is with you always. You face nothing alone! Moreover, I have promised to strengthen you and help you.

My strong hand supports you in both good times and bad. When things

are going well in your life, you may not be attentive to My sustaining

Presence. But when you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death, you become keenly aware of your neediness. During these difficult

times, holding onto Me keeps you standing—and able to put one foot in front of the other. As you endure this adversity patiently—in trusting dependence on Me—I bless you with abundant Joy in My Presence.

ISAIAH 41:10 • ISAIAH 12:2 • PSALM 23:4

EXCERPTED FROM JESUS ALWAYS, COPYRIGHT 2016 BY SARAH YOUNG. USED BY PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. SCRIPTURE VERSES WRITTEN OUT IN PRINT BOOK EDITION.

EVERY SCAR HAS A STORY

by Mark Eaton

pretty tough mountain/logging/fishing kind of guy.

Although my dad traveled a lot for work, generally he was home until I was in sixth grade. Then he took a job that kept him gone during the week, and he'd be home on weekends.

Mark Eaton has a 35-year history in nonprofit and ministry efforts, from directing a wilderness camping program for delinquent youth, to consulting and mentoring business leaders, to touring with his wife, Susie McEntire Eaton, who has a thriving music ministry.

Life is tough,“and adversity comes every single day.

Mark’s road to ministry wasn’t easy. Growing up with a strict father shaped his view of God as a judge, and Mark never felt he measured up. Mark compensated by achieving in multiple areas, all in an attempt to receive the approval he craved. But there was always a hole in his life, one that needed to be filled by the love of a Father.

We started to move around a lot. I was a new kid in school every year. I was small, and it was scary because there was a lot of bullying going on. He didn't come to my sporting events. And when he did, he was distracted—he was talking with his friends. I missed Dad more than I really was aware of.

I was scared at home because my dad would overdiscipline. I don't think he was comfortable coming off the ranch and into the city life, where suits and ties and college degrees ran the day. There was a lot of anger involved in that for him. He took that out on me several times.

I WAS BORN IN 1956 IN THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF WASHINGTON STATE. I was the firstborn boy. I have a little brother, and we were raised together in a pretty standard house with a mom and a dad.

Dad was 6-foot-3 and came off the farm, went to World War II in the Coast Guard, and was a 34

And through it all, my youth pastor was so kind.

He taught me some verses to memorize, and they had a profound effect on me. But I think what impacted me more was the way he intentionally connected with me.

Not just on Sunday mornings at youth group, if you will, but looking for me and saying, “You're okay.”

He's one of many people who saved my life.

Years later, I was in my twenties, married with kids. And because of this youth pastor’s work in my life, there was a point I decided to try to reconcile with Dad. And the only way I knew how to do that was to confess my stuff.

Mark and wife, Susie McEntire Eaton

“ I want to be around people who have scars.

mine and said, “I'm so sorry. I really am sorry.”

Most things in life aren't gone in an instant. But after that, my resentment was gone.

From then on, we were best buddies, as much as a 24-year-old and a 62-year-old can be best buddies. We did a lot of stuff together. I think Dad respected what I was doing in my career, and in my family. We cleared the air, and I think it was man to man.

I so wanted that affirmation from Dad, and so wanted to be affirmed by him on his terms. I was with Dad as he died, and some of his last words were, “I know what you've done. I know where you are in your life. I'm proud of you.”

Life is really tough, and adversity comes every single day. I want to be around people who have scars, who are willing to talk about them and aren’t afraid to show them. Every scar has a story.

So we took a hunting trip. We left Mt. Vernon, Washington, headed up for the three-hour drive over the North Cascades Highway. I pulled over to the side of the road, put my hand on his and said, “Dad, I've held a grudge against you for ten years. And you've probably known that I've avoided you, but I get it now that I have my own family. You were working, so you couldn't be there. But that had an effect on me, Dad. I’d wonder, ‘Where were you when I needed you?’ I forgive you for that. I don't know how else to do this, but can we talk about that?”

And by this time, his hand is on top of mine.

And mind you, I'm fully grown, and his hand was still bigger than mine. This was the hand that would stretch and put an arm around me in church. I knew that hand as comfort. But it was also the hand that beat me. I knew it as pain. He put his hand on top of

Jesus Calling Men’s Minutes

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

Mark has a passion for ministering to other men. And together with Jesus Calling, he’s created a series of three-minute videos to help men face some of their most pressing issues, like: › How to make and keep loyal friends › Talking to God about your struggles › Building true confidence › Finding calm and preparing for battles ahead

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Put your phone in Camera mode, and hover over this code to watch the Men’s Minutes video series now. And subscribe to our YouTube channel at youtube.com/jesuscallingbook to find more great resources for you or a loved one today!

®

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

Here are some friends who recently caught our eye.

@fabulousruru Take time to be still “in my presence”

Tom and Pam Banwart When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Tom and Pam Banwart, a retired couple in Florida, felt torn. They wanted to help others in their community, and realized, “What a wonderful opportunity God gave us to fight a spiritual battle.”

Donning masks and making sure to social distance, the Banwarts began to pray publicly outside their local hospitals. During their twice-a-week visits, the Banwarts are still pouring blessings over doctors and nurses, patients and families, and even an inmate in handcuffs. They’ve built incredible relationships in a time when

@ellie_child_of_god Sipping a delicious cup of pumpkin spice cappuccino, reading a beautiful devotional journal by Sarah Young, while wrapped up in my daughter’s snowman blanket. I can’t think of a better way to start my morning!

interaction is limited and plan to give a copy of the Jesus Calling booklet “40 Days with Jesus” to each hospital employee.

“We’ve got warriors in these hospitals,” says the couple. “So we’ll just keep suiting up and showing up.”

WE WANT TO SEE YOUR JESUS CALLING MOMENTS! Tag us and use the hashtag #jesuscalling so we can keep up with you.

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@Jesus_Calling

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M U S I C

Weathering the Storm of Uncertainty

by Laura Neutzling When Ryan Stevenson released his first studio record as a Christian musician, his path to becoming a fulltime artist had a unique jumping-off point—one that informed his music and message in huge ways.

“I was a paramedic for almost eight years,” Ryan reveals. “That job changed my life and gave me an incredible perspective and an incredible sensitivity for people.”

Ryan’s time on the front lines was a constant wakeup call, as he often met people in the middle of their tragedies and pain. In his spare time, he wrote music and played small gigs, hoping one day he could make a recording of his songs.

no complications. Ryan recalls how they crossed paths again.

“She and I met up a year later at a banquet the county put on, showcasing the most noteworthy calls—the biggest, coolest survival stories from the year before. We had this cool, kindred connection that happens when you intervene in someone’s life to that degree.”

Flash forward a few months later, and the woman who was tagged “dead on the scene” was funding Ryan’s studio recording that would lead toward his very first record deal.

After this experience, Ryan came to a strengthened belief that God has a unique plan for all of us—and it won’t all be sunny skies. “I have definitely learned that God’s ways are not my ways, and that it’s really important that we try not to control. We need to believe that He’s good and He’s trustworthy.”

PORTRAIT © LEE STEFFEN

“ for almost I was a paramedic eight years. That job changed my life and gave me an incredible perspective and sensitivity for people.

One day Ryan got a call that would change his life forever. On a stormy night, he was summoned to a scene where a woman had been struck in the head by lightning while hiking with her two young sons.

Arriving on the scene, Ryan found the woman had no pulse. “I saw her kids, and I just felt like, Man, I know she's not going to make it. But I just can't leave her here on the side of the hill in front of her family.”

Loading her into the ambulance and on to an uncertain fate, Ryan began to work on her during the trip to the hospital. Miraculously, he was able to revive her. The woman survived and recovered with

Adapted for print from Ryan’s interviews on the Jesus Calling Podcast and Peace for Uncertain Times video series.

Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to watch Ryan’s Peace for Uncertain Times video!

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S P O T L I G H T

Musician Ryan Stevenson’s Front Line Season

I am alway with you; y s o can do all u things wit h my help.

Je sus Calling fo r Kids, November 2 2

FIRST RESPONDERS: OUR EXTRA-SPECIAL

HELPERS

The world can feel like a big, scary place sometimes. But you know what?

God is always with us—promise.

And when we’re feeling hurt or afraid, He gave us some extra-special helpers called first responders to patch us up and keep us safe.

DOCTORS AND NURSES Did you take a tumble from your bike? Do you need a shot to help you feel better? Doctors and nurses are here to help you when you’re feeling crummy so you can feel good as new in no time!

THE POLICE FORCE Whether they’re walking along the streets or cruising on the roads, the people (and animals!) on the police force help to keep everyone in our neighborhoods safe.

FIRE FIGHTERS When there’s an emergency, their alarm bell rings, they slide down a pole, hop in the truck and are on their way! Firefighters battle blazes and sort through rubble to help people get back to safety.

THE MILITARY Soldiers, sailors, pilots, and so many more—our military keeps watch so they can keep our country safe and sound.

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dy a e r s ay ou! w l a m I’ py to hel ovember 22 alling Jesus C

,N

s for Kid

You can be helper too!

You don’t have to wait to help your friends, your family, and your neighbors. There are so many ways you can help others right now. Let’s think through what you could do!

How can you be a helper for your parents?

Want to help kids remember they’re loved, even in not-so-certain times?

God Is Always Good: Even When Bad Things Happen is available now.

(hint: maybe you could set the table, bring in groceries, tidy up the house, make your bed, mind your manners …) __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

How can you help your brother or sister, and your friends? (hint: how about sharing your tablet, helping with their chores, letting them go first, saying kind words, giving them a turn, lending a hand with homework …)

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

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ROOTEDFAMILY.COM,

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How can you be a kind neighbor today?

(hint: with your parents’ permission, you could rake leaves, bring the mail to the doorsteps of older neighbors, walk their dog, wave and say hi as they walk by …) __________________________________________________________________

THE ONLINE HUB FOR

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Games & Puzzles

SOLVE THE

NUMBERS PUZZLE

HOW MANY WORDS CAN YOU MAKE?

MAKE YOUR WAY GH THE MA U O R ZE H T

Find the answers at RootedFamily.com/freebies, or hover your phone in Camera mode over the code to get answers.

MAZE BY: MAZEGENERATOR.NET. NUMBERS PUZZLE BY: OPENSKY.CA

SET A TIMER FOR TWO MINUTES, AND SEE HOW MANY WORDS YOU CAN MAKE FROM THE LETTERS IN: HAPPY NEW YEAR

RELEASING

February 9, 2021 EMILY LEY is the founder of Simplified, a brand of planners and organizational tools for busy women.

Emily has been featured in national publications including Forbes, Family Circle, and Glamour.

As a bestselling author, entrepreneur, wife and mother to three, Emily lives in Pensacola, Florida with her husband, Bryan, and their son Brady and twins, Tyler and Caroline.

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