The Jesus Calling Magazine Summer 2020

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MAGAZINE

LORETTA LYNN

The Prayers of a Coal Minerʼs Daughter

The NFL NFL’s KURT WARNER Finds God in the Struggle

SANDI PATTY’S PATTY

COVID-19 Journey

A POW POW’s STORY Connection in Captivity

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for Everyone in the Family

For Busy Teens

,

Dear R eader

This time of year, many of you are anticipating life-changing moves to further your education or to try new opportunities. As you or your loved ones make your plans, I encourage you to keep your focus on Jesus. He is with you no matter where in the world you go!

I remember the time years ago when I made the life-changing decision to study at a Christian community in France. While living there, I was encouraged to keep a Thanks Book—taking time each day to think about recent blessings and jot them down in a notebook. I discovered that looking for good things and thanking God for them increases my joy and changes my perspective—helping me view my life through a grid of gratitude.

For Uncertain Times

I love the story of a an elderly coal miner whose body had been ravaged by years of hard labor in the mines. In his home there was a table with a small bowl of thin porridge on it. Holding a piece of bread in his coal-stained hand, he was ready to eat his meager meal. But first he knelt beside his chair, joyfully exclaiming over and over again: “All this, and Jesus too! All this, and Jesus too!”

For Seeking Joy

This story illustrates the wonderful truth that if we have Jesus in our lives we are blessed immeasurably!

For Family Devotion Time

PHOTO CREDIT: JEREMY COWART

Bountiful blessings!

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COVER STORY | 8

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Laura Minchew SVP & Publisher

Country music legend Loretta Lynn reveals how she’s relied on prayer and God’s Word to carry her through life’s valleys.

Michael Aulisio VP, Marketing Editor in Chief Linda Tozer Marketing Director Mandy Wilson Marketing Director

CONTENTS 3

Veteran & POW Carlyle “Smitty” Harris: Prayers a Prison Couldn't Contain

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Doing Good: Sky Ranch Camps Invest in the Next Generation

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HGTV’s Christina Anstead: Building Life on a Healthy Foundation

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Seeing God in America

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Pastor’s Corner: Dr. Jeremiah Knows When Our World Seems Dark, God’s in Control

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Sheila Walsh: The Chase for Approval, a Battle Against Depression

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RootedFamily.com: Boredom-Be-Gone Summer Survival Kit for Kids

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Weight Loss Hero’s Christine Carter: Caring for the Body God Gave You

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Rick Steves: Travel Builds Bridges to God’s Family Across the Globe

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Kurt Warner: Knowing God Through the Struggle

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Poet & Artist Morgan Harper Nichols: Connection Happens Through Imperfection

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Novelist Patti Callahan’s Favorite Page-Turning Summer Reads

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Music Spotlight: Chris Tomlin on Turning Worry to Worship

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Sandi Patty on Her COVID-19 Recovery

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Family Games & Puzzles

Laura Neutzling Managing Editor Amy Kerr Copy Editor 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 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 David McClister

Carlyle "Smitty" Harris | 3

Kurt Warner | 30

Sandi Patty | 38

For advertising inquiries, visit JesusCalling.com/magazine

INTERIOR OF HANOI HILTON POLITICAL PRISON

The Prayers a Prison Couldn’t Contain A VIETNAM POW AND THE SECRET CODE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

by Amy Kerr It only takes one small moment for our lives to split into Before and After. Retired Air Force pilot, Colonel Carlyle “Smitty” Harris, marks his Before and After on April 4, 1965.

The day began for the married father of two like many others in his military career. Smitty was running

a routine mission over North Vietnam, when he noticed enemy gunners on his tail.

"Some lucky gunner shot at me, and the exploding round hit my engine area,” he says. “It immediately knocked out my single-engine aircraft, and I knew I was in trouble.”

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clockwise from left: AVIATION CADET, 1952-53; KORAT AIRFORCE BASE, THAILAND, 1965; LOUISE WITH HER NEW SON LYLE AND DAUGHTERS; HANOI, MARCH 1966

about God, religion, and how important it was, especially now.

Years of emergency training kicked Smitty into autopilot. He pulled the trigger beside his seat, shooting the plane’s glass canopy hundreds of feet into the air and ejecting him out of the cockpit, still strapped to his seat. A half-second later, his parachute opened above him. And as he floated closer to the ground, the pilot realized he wouldn’t be able to hide from the enemy.

“I was right above a large Vietnamese village. I was met almost moments after I touched the ground, and I knew I was going to be in North Vietnam for a long time.”

Smitty was taken to the “Hanoi Hilton,” the infamous political prison that confined thousands of American POWs, including US Senator John McCain for a time. At first, Smitty was placed into solitary confinement, then pulled into a cell he shared with four other men. Seeing companions but knowing he couldn’t talk to them, Smitty had an idea. He remembered learning the Tap Code—a method of communication discovered during World War II, where soldiers conversed by tapping on a common water pipe—and decided to teach the code to his companions, which they picked up quickly.

“As time went by, our communication became so fast and so good,” Smitty reveals. “We found out about the lives of the people around us: their kids, what they did, what aircraft they flew. We talked

“ It was essential to our emotional health, praying together.

“We knew the date and the day of the week. On Sunday, one of us would thump the wall with our elbow, and we would observe some kind of Sunday service. If we could, we’d kneel and say the Lord's Prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, personal prayers.

I think it was essential to our emotional health, the feeling of community, of being part of something bigger than yourself, of praying together. We made a positive out of what the Vietnamese tried to make a negative—that is, solitary confinement and mistreatment.”

Days stretched into weeks, then months, then years. Smitty found his thoughts frequently turning to the wife and children waiting for him at home.

“The hardest part about those eight years was being away from my family. I knew that Louise would deliver our child a month after I was shot down.

We already had two little girls I adored. I missed those relationships so much, particularly on special 4

PORTRAIT OF SMITTY, LAUREN ZUELZKE PHOTOGRAPHY; JAIL PHOTO © SHUTTERSTOCK

occasions, like my wedding anniversary and holidays.

Over time, I found out that Louise had given birth to our son Lyle. I wondered what kind of little boy he would be. I was just totally separated from all those family things that made my life so meaningful.”

In 1969, the POWs learned from a loudspeaker that Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh had died. After a few months, Smitty noticed the captors’ behavior toward the POWs began to shift. Torture stopped. The men received better food, more time outside. They also learned there were peace talks taking place in Paris, and the men dared to dream they might leave the camp soon. Then one day, their captors loaded the men onto trucks for the first time without blindfolds.

When they arrived at an airplane hangar, Smitty knew where they were headed.

“An American escort officer marched with us toward the airplane. We never once showed the least bit of smile, even to the American officer, because the North Vietnamese were still watching everything we did. We got on the airplane, sat down quietly. We didn't smile.

“Shortly thereafter, during the climb out, we felt the big thump of the landing gear as it retracted, and the whole plane erupted. We were yelling and screaming, jumping up, hugging each other, because we couldn't before.”

times, when things were at their lowest ebb, I knew I could pray and someone was listening, and He could do something about it. He was there for me.”

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

Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to listen to the rest of Smitty’s incredible story.

“ Even in the darkest times, I knew I could pray and someone was listening.

Smitty’s book Tap Code is available wherever books are sold.

Smitty was happily reunited with his family.

Decades later, as he remembers the time he spent communicating with his fellow soldiers, he recalls the most special connection he made.

“During my eight years in Vietnam, I developed a communication with God. And even in the darkest 5

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D O I N G

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ROPE & CANDICE MYERS INVEST IN OUR NEXT GENERATION

PHOTO CREDIT: AUDREY REED; ILLUSTRATIONS © ISTOCK

by Cynthia Stuckey Summer Camp. Those two words conjure up memories of arts and crafts, horseback riding, balmy nights—and perhaps a few souvenir mosquito bites.

For generations, the summer camp experience has been a rite of passage for children and young adults, but few organizations can claim the rich history of Sky Ranch Camps.

The vision of Sky Ranch first came to Mel and Winkie Brewer while they were separated by an ocean during World War II. A decade later, in 1955, their dream was realized as the first sixtyfive kids arrived at the Texas camp, which grew steadily on the premise that there is “no greater investment than the life of a child.”

In 2004, Rope and Candice Myers had never heard of Sky Ranch. Rope was a worldchampion steer wrestler who led rodeo Bible camps. His wife Candice, a Christian music artist, was invited to Sky Ranch Camps to sing at an FCA banquet—and she had no idea God was about to reveal her new home. Candice was impressed by the camp’s mission, and she called Rope that night to share her excitement: Sky Ranch Camps needed someone to develop a rodeo program to steward the seventy equine members of the camp staff.

Rope and Candice immediately uprooted their lives to join the camp family.

Around“70,000 people come to Sky Ranch Camps every year…and we share with them the love of Christ.

It was an unexpected pivot for the Myers family, but a happy one.

“The Lord had us in a different place—He had a new assignment for us,” remarked Candice about their move.

Sixteen years later, the Myers are still loving life at Sky Ranch.

And the crowd of kids that flock there every summer? It just keeps growing. “Around 70,000 people come to Sky Ranch Camps across four locations in Texas, Oklahoma, and Colorado every year,” Rope says. “And we have an opportunity to share with them the love of Jesus Christ.”

Year after year, as Sky Ranch watched campers grow in their confidence, their social skills, and their faith, they decided to make this growth opportunity available for more kids. For several summers, they’ve partnered with the Dallas 7

nonprofit BridgeBuilders to offer a camp experience for kids who might not have one otherwise.

“I have seen significant growth spiritually and educationally in all the kids that attend,” says Regina Suttle, executive coordinator at BridgeBuilders. “They come back more disciplined and always full of stories about camp.”

This summer, Sky Ranch Camps celebrates its 65th anniversary. And although the camp experience this summer may be different from the 64 before it, Sky Ranch is adapting with the times to serve kids and families while exceeding CDC guidelines for health and safety.

As for the Myers family, Sky Ranch is the place they call home and will continue to serve God, no matter the season.

Adapted for print from Rope and Candice’s interview on the Jesus Calling Podcast.

Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to listen to Rope and Candiceʼs story.

PRAYERS OF A COAL MINER’S DAUGHTER Loretta Lynn on Faith and Family

by Deborah Evans Price Photography by David McClister

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“ nothing I would be

PHOTO OF LORETTA ON GUITAR COURTESY OF ARTIST'S PERSONAL ARCHIVE; PHOTO OF LORETTA AND SISTERS, JEREMY WESTBY

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S T O R Y

has also recorded several gospel albums and written heartfelt songs of faith.

Despite her impressive career, a conversation with Loretta doesn’t contain a trace of ego. She’d rather share her recipe for chicken and dumplings than talk about her career achievements. Lynn credits her parents for providing a foundation that has kept her grounded all her life. “All we had was love,” she says of her childhood. “We would go from meal to meal, and that’s all we did. We didn’t know what the next meal would be, and all of us had to work hard.”

Loretta was the second of eight children born to Clary and Ted Webb. Their youngest daughter, Brenda Gail, became famous country singer Crystal Gayle. “I’ve always said I was so lucky to have the family values we had growing up—that faith was there, the honesty, the truth. Loretta and I had a great background with our family,” says Gayle, who is 19 years younger than Lynn.

Lynn recalls going to church as a child, and the service became so filled with the Spirit that she thought the building might come down. “When I was a little girl and I went to Sunday school, Daddy had a cousin who was a preacher.

He’d preach about hellfire and brimstone, and when you listened, it scared you to death,” Lynn recalls. “I’d be standing by the door when women would start to shout and the house would start shaking. I’d say, ‘Lord, if this starts to fall, I’ll run out the door.’”

In 1948, Lynn married Oliver “Doolittle” Lynn, and the young couple moved to Washington State, where they worked and raised their children. It was there that Lynn found her faith deepen in a way she hadn’t before.

By the 1950s, Lynn had begun performing locally, and the shy housewife, who now had four

without Him.

oretta Lynn seems to have lived the American Dream.

Raised in poverty in tiny Butcher Holler, KY, the 88-year-old icon overcame her hardscrabble roots to enjoy a successful career as one of the world’s most beloved entertainers. Away from the spotlight, Lynn has known the heartbreak of losing her husband and two of her six children. Yet from every mountaintop and through every valley, faith and family have been the anchors that have sustained her.

“I would be nothing without Him,” Lynn says of her relationship with God. “If I hadn’t had my faith, I don’t think I could have went through nothing. He’s the best friend I have. He’s pulled me through stuff, and when I got through it, I looked back and said, How did I make it through that?

God pulled me through. He’s always been with me.”

Calling from her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, Lynn is friendly and upbeat, sounding more like a girlfriend who called to catch up than a superstar who has sold millions of records and won nearly every award imaginable, including the Academy of Country Music’s Artist of the Decade for the 1970s. She even received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama.

A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Lynn is well-known for such hits as “Coal Miner's Daughter,” which became the title of her bestselling autobiography and an Academy Award-winning film starring Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones. Lynn 9

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children, began earning fans with her original songs and evocative voice. Lynn and Doolittle moved to Nashville, where she signed a contract with Decca Records and became a member of the famed Grand Ole Opry.

As her career gained momentum, she continued to lean on her faith. “I was busy. I was working hard on the road, but I read the Bible,” she says. “I had the Bible in my room and read the Bible as we were going down the road in the bus, and that’s how I kept it. I still have my faith.”

These days, scripture continues to be an important part of her life. “I have a great big white one,” she says of the Bible she keeps on her nightstand. “I keep it there so I can read it when I want to.”

Before the COVID-19 pandemic shut homes to visitors, Lynn routinely had girlfriends over for Bible study. “We meet, and we read the Bible and talk at home,” she says of her group. “It really makes you feel better, and you learn a lot. You are reading the Bible, so how can you not learn?”

If you’ve got “ a great friend, you’ve got everything.

Lynn’s faith has seen her through a lot of heartache, including the death of her close friend Patsy Cline in a plane crash in 1963. This spring, Lynn released a new book, Me & Patsy Kickin’ Up Dust: My Friendship with Patsy Cline. Written by Loretta and her daughter Patsy Lynn Russell (who was named after Cline), the book chronicles their friendship. Lynn also released her version of Cline’s hit “I Fall to Pieces,” accompanied by a video celebrating their friendship. “I’ve often wondered what she would be doing today if she was here,” Lynn says. “It would be something else. I can’t even imagine.”

In the book, Lynn recalls career advice Cline gave her and also personal things she learned from her friend, like how to shave her legs (something Lynn had never done at 29). “I helped her through stuff, and she helped me,” Lynn recalls. “If you’ve got a great friend, you’ve got everything.”

Losing Cline hasn’t been the only devastating

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loss in Lynn’s life. In 1984, her 34-yearold son Jack Benny drowned as he attempted to cross a river close to Lynn’s ranch on horseback. In 1996, Lynn lost her beloved husband Doolittle to diabetes and heart disease.

Tragedy hit again in 2013 when Lynn’s oldest daughter Betty Sue died from emphysema.

“It’s been hard for me, losing my husband and losing my kids,” she says quietly. “There’s no way anybody can pick you up when you lose a child and say, ‘Hey, it’s going to be all right,’ because you know what you have to go through and you know how you feel. Nobody else does.”

Prayer has always been her source of comfort. “I pray a lot,” says Lynn, who suffered a stroke in 2017 and broke her hip in 2018. “When I need God, I think God is always with me.”

When asked if she thinks people are turning back to God in the wake of the pandemic, Lynn replies, “I wish they would. We have got far off course, haven’t we? It’s so simple. It’s so simple to be a child of God. All you have to do is say, ‘Forgive me.’”

Loretta with si

sters, Peggy Su

e (L) and Cryst

al.

She knew I had to have my own style and my own voice. When I started recording, she said, ‘Be a little different,’ and she was right. I do not think I would have had the success I had if I had just went down the same path, the same style. And definitely, that was the best advice for my career.”

Both women are still making music. On her 2019 album, You Don’t Know Me, Gayle recruited Lynn and their sister Peggy Sue to join her on the classic “Put It Off Until Tomorrow.”

“That’s the first time we’ve ever recorded together.

We’ve just sung on stage here and there,” Gayle says. “Through the years we kept talking, saying, ‘We’re going to go in and do an album.’ We almost did it a couple of times and always something would happen.”

At 88, Lynn is planning to release a new album and has no plans to ever stop making music. “I’ve got the album already cut. It’s new stuff that I’ve written,” she says. “When you write songs, you feel like you are giving yourself. You are in that song. That song is you.”

With her faith as her foundation, her family always close by and her music as a constant creative outlet, Loretta Lynn remains an American treasure.

“ Calling.

I love Jesus It’s a comfort.

—Crystal Gayle, Loretta's Sister Like her older sister, Crystal Gayle loves to spend time with her Bible and her copy of Jesus Calling. “I love Jesus Calling. It’s a comfort,” she says. “It makes you feel good. It’s good for your heart.”

Faith, family and music are bonds the sisters share. “God has worked in my life and the health of my family,” Gayle says. “Loretta has had her health problems, but she always pulls out of it. She’s doing really good now.”

Gayle credits her sister for influencing her faith and giving solid advice about her career. “She told me to quit singing her songs,” Gayle says. “She said, ‘There’s one Loretta Lynn, and we don’t need another.’

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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FIND THE

Promise of Joy

IN SCRIPT URE When joy feels out of reach, Jesus Always, the 365-day devotional from Sarah Young, shares joy-filled reminders from God’s Word and connects you with Jesus—the One who is always with you.

Choose Your Style SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Hardcover (4x6)

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FULL SCRIPTURE TEXT

Leathersoft (6x9)

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Also available: Jesus Always: 365-Day Devotional for Kids Learn more at JesusCalling.com

BUILDING OUR LIVES ON A Healthy FOUNDATION HGTV’s Christina Anstead Takes on a Wellness Remodel

by Laura Neutzling

As a young girl, Christina Anstead would explore the neighborhoods near her home in the Anaheim Hills, fascinated by the construction of new houses in the area. She loved to take in the framing and watch the walls go up, imagining what the spaces inside and out could be.

“I loved houses,” Christina remembers.

“I loved going to open houses, even as a kid. There was a community being built behind my parents’ house. My favorite pastime was to go check those out.”

This love for homes would carry into Christina’s twenties as she pursued her real estate license and then became a “house flipper”—buying, renovating, and selling homes—which ultimately led to her role on HGTV’s wildly popular show Flip or Flop.

But the road to television success and design fame wasn’t without its 14

challenges. In 2013, the young mother found herself juggling a grueling film schedule, alongside her parenting duties. Feeling rundown, she sought help from a nutritionist, Cara Clark, who quickly became a friend. Cara observed Christina wasn’t feeding her body or her brain adequately to keep up with her fast-paced schedule.

“When Cara looked at what I'd been eating, she could see I was super over-caffeinated, and living on protein bars. I had been bouncing from house to house, getting coffee and thinking, I need to stay on. I'm on camera, and then I have to go home and be with my kids.

There's no time to have downtime.”

Cara began to work with Christina on her path toward wellness, but more challenges would cross the HGTV star’s path that left her searching for ways to feed not just her body, but her mind and soul as well.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTINA ANSTEAD; HOUSE DRAWING © ISTOCK

“ how I realized important it is to be an advocate for your own health.

“After my divorce, I got so stressed. I felt so sick and was losing so much weight. No matter what I would eat, I would just get these weird pains. I even went to the E.R. at one point because it was so excruciating.”

After assessments from several doctors who weren’t able to pinpoint what was wrong, Christina finally got a diagnosis: Hashimoto's Thyroid.

I would literally just pray for peace. And after doing this ritual for thirty to sixty days, I was like, Peace, finally. That was all I wanted.”

Although Christina still maintains a packed schedule with her TV shows, writing a new book about her wellness journey, and taking care of her family of five children alongside her new husband Ant, she makes a point to find time for herself and to focus on gratitude, a practice she wants to pass on to her children.

“Right now, I have a lot to be grateful for. And even though I went through such a hard time, it led me to where I am now. When you go back and focus on the Lord and focus on peace, joy will come.”

“I had no idea what that was,” Christina recalls. “Basically, my thyroid was attacking itself. After seeing so many doctors, I realized how important it is to be an advocate for your own health.”

Facing storms in her personal life and her health took a toll on Christina’s spirit. And for a time, she struggled to find peace.

“After the divorce, a series of things happened that were straight from God. It led me to start going to church, and it actually made me able to relax a little bit when everything else was so crazy. I was able to mentally refocus and know there was a bigger purpose in all this, which was huge for me.”

As Christina started to get a taste of spiritual renewal in her life, her nanny’s mother gave her a copy of Jesus Calling, in hopes that it would help Christina in her quest for peace.

“Back when I first received the book, my brain was so cluttered, 15

Adapted for print from Christina’s

interview on the Jesus Calling Podcast.

Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to listen to more of Christina’s story.

Check out Christina’s new book with co-author Cara Clark, The Wellness Remodel.

SEEING GOD IN AMERICA

Finding Beauty Around the Corner Experience God’s nearness in all the places around you, and those places will never again seem ordinary.

White Sands, New Mexico The southern border of New Mexico is like no place else in America—275 square miles of shifting, moving, snow-white dunes, the largest such dune field in the world.

He . . . brings utter darkness into the light.

—JOB 12:22

Bar Harbor, Maine A national treasure on America’s northeast Atlantic coast for generations, Bar Harbor is the home of Baker Island Light, a historic lighthouse that has warned sailors away from rocks as early as 1828.

Light in a messenger’s eyes brings joy to the heart.

—PROVERBS 15:30

The Three Sisters Mountains, Oregon A trio of volcanic peaks in the Cascade Mountain Range of Central Oregon. Early settlers in the area named the mountains Faith, Hope and Charity.

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

—1 CORINTHIANS 13:13

Excerpted from Seeing God in America: Devotions from 100 Favorite Places, copyright 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

Find more wonders near your doorstep in Seeing God in America: Devotions from 100 Favorite Places.

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The Bible is filled with such great encouragement. I think often of our Lord’s words about His ability.

He’s able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think. He’s able to save us to the uttermost. The ability of God against the disability of the world is no match, it’s no contest, and God wins. God is in control.

God has a plan that lasts for eternity for those who put their trust in Christ. We have a message of hope that’s so desperately needed in this world. Wherever there’s hopelessness, the hunger is always for hope. The hope that we have in Christ should be—and is—a hot commodity. We ought to be sharing that hope with everything we have.

And He is—God is enough.

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

“If My people will humble themselves and pray…”

Just stop the verse right there. If we want to see God work in the culture in which we live, which we see going so rapidly and gaining momentum in the wrong direction, that’s what we should do.

I have people come to me and say, “Well, I’ve tried everything else. I guess I’m just going to have to pray.” I remind them that they’re reducing the most powerful influence in the world.

Prayer can do what nothing else can do, so why should we make

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You can find inspiration from Dr. Jeremiah's devotional, Ever Faithful.

Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to listen to watch more of Dr. Jeremiah’s message.

C O R N E R

by Dr. David Jeremiah

In this world today, an actual Christian who’s sold out for Jesus Christ stands out. The backdrop against which we live our lives is darker than before, but that just means the light is brighter than it’s ever been.

In the book of 2 Chronicles, which is the biblical handbook on revival, the most famous formula is in the seventh chapter. It’s really interesting. It says,

P A S T O R ’ S

When Our World Seems Dark, God Is in Control

it a last resort? Why wouldn’t we make it a first resort? God says if you want something to change in the culture in which you live, you better start with prayer.

When we decide that we want to serve the Lord, He puts us through a training school, and He shows Himself to be sufficient for every need.

When I came back after two bouts of cancer and a stem cell transplant, I walked into the pulpit of my church, and I didn’t know what to say. I knew that I was being watched by everybody. I just stood in the pulpit, looked at everybody for a moment, and then I just said, “God is enough.”

The Constant Chase for Approval Sheila Walsh’s Battle with Depression

This year, our world is experiencing changes we

As a child, I remember being told that God was my Heavenly Father. Something in me interpreted that as having one more chance to get it right: I determined whatever my earthly dad saw in me, my Heavenly Father never would. So I think much of my early relationship as a young believer was based on trying desperately hard to never disappoint God. My antidote was, “I’ll just work harder.” I went to seminary in London when I was 19. I felt that somehow proved to God that I would do whatever I could to gain His approval.

I came to America, and I ended up being the cohost of The 700 Club. After five years, my life crashed one morning on live national television. I literally just fell apart.

never anticipated. Bestselling author Sheila Walsh shares how, as her own world spun out of control, she realized God’s hand was always holding hers.

I was born on the west coast of Scotland, to a family who loved Jesus. It was a wonderful start in life, although it took a very sad turn when I was about five.

My father had a massive brain aneurysm, which affected him in all sorts of ways. He lost his ability to speak. The brain injury impacted his personality, which cast quite a dark shadow over our family.

My father’s behavior became too violent, and he was taken to a local psychiatric hospital, where he eventually took his own life at 34 years old.

I was very much my dad’s girl. Yet the last time I ever saw my father, there was such a look of hatred in his eyes. I couldn’t process as a child what I’d done to make my own father hate me, so I grew up with what I would call a profound sense of shame. I think that ultimately led to depression.

“ God takes I think sometimes you to a prison to set you free.

I’d asked my first question to the guest, and she didn’t answer. Instead, she turned to me and said, “Sheila, 18

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SHEILA WALSH

you ask us every day how we’re all doing, but how are you doing?”

There was something in the kindness of her question that was like taking the first brick out of the wall. I started to cry and couldn’t stop. That morning I was the cohost of The 700 Club, and by that evening I was in the locked ward of the psychiatric hospital. And I was about the same age as my father.

I think sometimes God takes you to a prison to set you free.

And it was the beginning of my healing, not the end of my life.

I remember sitting with the sun coming through the stained glass windows and feeling profoundly lost, because if you’ve based your whole life on performance, it’s hard to know, Where do I go now?

In my last week at the psych hospital, I was sent with a young nurse to a small church. The pastor said, “Some of you in here feel as if you’re dead inside. I just want you to know that Jesus is here, and you don’t have to get yourself out of the hole. You simply have to call on His name, and He will grab hold of you.”

Right then, I remembered the words my grandmother used to sing when I was just a little girl from the hymn “Rock of Ages”: “Nothing in my hands I bring.

Simply to thy cross I cling.”

In that moment, I finally understood that God’s love for me was never about anything I did; it was always about what Christ had

Today, Sheila spreads hope as a sought-after Bible teacher.

already done. I think that is the most profound gift.

Romans 8 is probably my favorite chapter in all of Scripture.

I love the last two verses where it says: “For I’m convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

No matter what’s going on in my life, when I remember that nothing today or tomorrow, nothing above me or below me will ever be able to separate me from the love of God that’s in Christ Jesus, then I can say, “It is well with my soul.”

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

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Check out Sheila’s devotional series, 5 Minutes with Jesus.

Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to hear how Sheila shares Jesus Calling with her loved ones!

B OREDOM - B E - GO NE S U M MER SURVIVAL K IT Psst, kids: there are zillions of ways to have fun this summer (but you already knew that, of course). Here’s how you can keep the fun going, no matter the time or the weather.

WHEN IT’S DAYTIME: • Grab some sidewalk chalk and draw a scene from your favorite movie—bonus points if you’re the hero!

• Use that sidewalk chalk to draw 10 hopscotch squares, find a pebble, and hop to it.

• Try to blow the biggest. bubble. ever.

• Look around and see if you can spot a butterfly or dragonfly, and try to can catch them in a net. Then let them go (they’re pretty busy, you know).

• See if you can break your jump rope or Hula Hoop record!

WHEN IT’S NIGHTTIME: Camp out at your house!

e how • Grab a jar, and se you can many lightning bugs go!) catch (then let them ! Hand each • Play flashlight tag stay in person a flashlight, house, ur your yard or in yo spot each and see if you can thout other. Last person wi ! getting tagged wins es (hint: • Make some s’mor make in they’re super easy to the microwave). hand them a • Pick one person, m tell a flashlight, and let the silly (or scary!) story. living room • Pitch a tent in the t some or backyard, roll ou get your sleeping bags, and ht. snooze in for the nig

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WHEN IT’S RAINING: Live it up inside!

• Read a funny book (FYI: we love the Wally McDoogle series!)

• Put together a big jigsaw puzzle.

• Grab a grownup or sibling, and play your favorite board games.

• Call your grandparents, and ask them what they used to do on rainy days when they were your age.

• Make your own modeling clay dough—then make a sculpture and bake it to keep it forever!

IMAGES COURTSEY OF ROOTED AND © ISTOCK

Head outside!

Homemade Modeling Clay Dough You’re three ingredients away from putting together awesome, squishy clay dough. No trip to the store required!

1 cup all-purpose flour ½ cup salt ½ cup water Food coloring (optional) 1. In a bowl, mix together flour and salt.

2. Slowly pour the water into the flour and salt, stirring the mixture until it comes together.

If it feels too wet and sticky, add some flour. If it feels too dry, add some water.

3. Store the dough in a closed container in the fridge for up to four weeks.

4. Optional: To color your dough, divide it into sections and place each in a zip-top bag. Add 5–10 drops of food coloring, seal the top, then squish the dough around until all the coloring is worked through.

Want to make a sculpture gallery?

Did you make something cool you want to keep forever?

Awesome! Grab a grownup, and turn the oven to 200ºF. Put your sculpture on a baking sheet, and stick it in the oven. Smaller pieces may take 45–60 minutes, but larger pieces might take 2–3 hours. It all depends on how big your sculpture is! Once the dough is hard, it’s ready to come out of the oven and admire forever.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY ROOTEDFAMILY.COM, THE ONLINE HUB FOR ALL THINGS PARENTING.

Get instant access to the members-only RootedFamily.com community so that you can ask questions, get support, and feel inspired by people who are on the same parenting journey as you are. See more from Rooted Family by subscribing to their YouTube Page!

Facebook Group: @RootedFamily

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Instagram: @RootedFamily

CARING for the BODY GOD GAVE YOU As a young adult, when Christine Carter began to struggle with weight, the battle became an allconsuming part of her life.

But it wasn’t until Christine changed the way she thought about her health— and where to actually find her worth—that she was able to shed more than 150 pounds. Our editor caught up with Christine to hear more about her lifechanging journey.

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“ all the I had lost weight, and yet I still felt so empty on the inside.

Q: Tell us the moment you decided to begin your weight-loss journey.

Growing up, I wasn’t overweight. I was actually very thin my entire life until I was an adult.

When I was at my heaviest weight, my family was having our annual family reunion. And I will never forget this: I was looking across the room and saw my favorite uncle, Bruce.

He started walking toward me, and I assumed he was coming to talk to me.

So we walked toward each other—and he kept walking past me.

So I went back and said, “Bruce!”

He looked at me and goes, “Hi, can I help you?”

He had no idea who I was. I know it's not because he forgot what I looked like. It's because I had become unrecognizable.

When I left, I thought to myself, I don't know what I'm going to do, but I will never feel this way again.

That was the beginning of saying, No matter what, I'm not going to give up this time.

Q: After you met your goal, how did you feel?

Honestly, I thought losing the weight was going to fix my problems. But I didn't know the weight I carried was actually a symptom of what was lurking beneath the surface.

I wanted the world’s version of success. I wanted to live in a high rise. I wanted a nice car. I wanted to make a lot of money in corporate America. That fueled me—and I did everything I set out to do.

One day, I was in my high rise, and I remember crying my eyes out because I still felt so empty. I had lost all the weight.

I looked the way I wanted. I had every material possession I could possibly have, and yet I still felt so empty on the inside.

What I have found since then is that most of us who have gained a considerable amount of weight usually have something that we're fighting in our hearts. I realized I needed to work not only on the outside, but I also had to work on the inside. I had to do the hard work and the heart work.

Hindsight being 20/20, God was planting so many seeds in my life.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHRISTINE CARTER; © ISTOCK

Q: How did you begin to tackle losing the weight?

First, I found a diet that worked for me whether I wanted to eat out or at home, while I was traveling— wherever I was. I found a workout strategy that works for me. I'm not ever gonna be a gym rat, so I want to be able to go in and get out.

And then last, I took in strategies that helped me reshape how I thought about the habits and the disciplines that ran my life. Ultimately, we’re all run by our habits and our disciplines. And when we take some of these strategies and apply them the right way to weight loss, then we can see lasting effects.

Q: You’re a fitness coach now!

What inspired you to go that direction?

If you ever overcome something, I feel God calls us to help someone else do the same. I had women who 23

were reaching out and asking, “Can you help me?

Can you coach me?” And I just got to this place where I said, You know what? I’m going to leave corporate America. I'm going to leave behind the dreams I thought I wanted, and I'm going to help as many people as I possibly can.

I've had my coaching company for about three years now, and I’ve worked with thousands of women from more than 100 countries. I show them what I did and try to help them not only with diet and exercise, but also with mindset.

Change Your Mind, Change Your Life

“ love into We pour so much every other person in our lives, but we put ourselves last.

1. Choose what you want most, rather than what you want in the moment.

2. Find a mentor to learn from. You can draw so much inspiration from people who have been where you are and succeeded.

Q: You say that self-love is an important step on any weight-loss journey. Tell me more.

3. Try some daily affirmations! Whether a Bible verse or an inspirational quote, pick one positive phrase and read it again and again throughout the day.

In Matthew 22, God calls us to do two things: to love the Lord with all your heart, and to love your neighbor as yourself. But here's the thing: for most of us, if we talked to our neighbor the way that we talk to ourselves, if we shamed our neighbor the way that we shamed ourselves, our neighbor would move. They would not want to be there.

We are God's creation, and He loves us. So why shouldn’t we love us? We pour so much love into every other person in our lives, but we put ourselves last.

There's something to be said about having a servant's heart, but you can never pour from an empty cup. And when you drain yourself, it becomes so difficult to be there for the people in your life.

So when I say self-love is a step on this journey, to me that means truly saying, “Hey, I'm going to appreciate this body God gave me. Maybe it has some marks and scars, but I'm going to love myself for who I am.”

4. Take time to care for yourself. We see something different in ourselves when we intentionally set aside time to take care of us.

5. Don’t allow the scale to dictate your day—you’re worth far more than any number.

Adapted for print from Christine’s interview on 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, Weight-Loss Hero, is now available.

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Getting Out to Meet the Neighbors Travel Expert Rick Steves Builds Bridges to God’s Family—All Over the World

by Laura Neutzling

Rick during the filming of Luther and the Reformation, at Wartburg Castle in Germany.

PHOTO: TIM FRAKES

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Rick Steves first got the travel bug from his father, a piano tuner in suburban Seattle. One day, Rick’s dad decided the family should open a store to sell fine German pianos, and the Steves family should make a trip to Germany to tour piano factories. Rick made the trek with his parents to Germany and visited a smattering of other places across Europe. That’s when Rick determined the world outside his own home in America was a pretty interesting place.

PHOTOS: RICK STEVES’ EUROPE

14-year-old Rick poses with an eyewitness to the 1914 assassination of Archduke Ferdinand (far left). Between them are his mother, June, and a family friend.

Rick started traveling on his own during his college years. Along the way, he experienced his share of travel hits and misses.

“I was traveling on a very tiny budget and learning from my own travel mistakes. I thought if I could package the lessons into a talk or a book, other people could learn from my mistakes and travel

better. So slowly, I went from being a piano teacher to a travel teacher.”

Since then, Rick has made his life and career about traveling— and he empowers Americans to take overseas trips that are fun, affordable, and culturally broadening. He produces bestselling guidebooks, has a popular public television show, a radio show, and a syndicated travel column. His company, Rick Steves' Europe, also runs a successful small-group tour program, taking more than 30,000 travelers to Europe each year.

Rick combines his desire to explore the four corners of the world with a mission to introduce others to spiritual enlightenment via international travel.

“ a The world's beautiful place, and it's fun to get out there and get to know the neighbors.

“I've just had such an interesting life because I've been able to travel, and I've traveled with my faith.

If you take the things we learn in the Bible with you on the road, you realize, Yeah, we're all in this together. We're all brothers and sisters in Christ. When you travel, you humanize the rest of the world.

You realize the world's a beautiful 27

Rick’s buddy and longtime co-author Gene Openshaw are packed up and ready to have the Eurail trip of a lifetime.

One of Rick’s favorite views high above Vernazza, in Italy’s Cinque Terre.

Sailing the Markermeer in the Netherlands.

place, and it's fun to get out there and get to know the neighbors.”

As he carries his faith around the world, Rick explores the different ways other cultures worship God. “It’s good for me to get out there and worship with people who don't have the same hymnal, who don’t have the same accent. Travel helps you appreciate how many people, over how many centuries, with how many styles of faith have praised God. I just love to go into a place of worship and get caught up in that emotion, and get close to God in terms of that culture. It's a celebration. I would imagine God likes to see that, too.”

As Rick closes in on nearly forty-five years of shepherding people around the world, he reflects on why travel can open our eyes and hearts to world of

faith and to people we might have never known.

“When I travel, I can see God's presence in the world. I can see it in the way people glorified God so long ago. I can see it in nature when I'm walking on a ridge high in the Alps, and I've got lakes on one side stretching all the way to Germany and peaks on the other side. It makes me just want to raise my hands to the heavens, even if that's not my style of worship. I just want to shout to the glory of God.” Adapted for print from Rick’s upcoming interview on the Jesus Calling Podcast.

Visit RickSteves.com for resources and free travel information available through his travel center. And check out his new TV series, Hunger and Hope.

PLACES AROUND THE WORLD THAT HAVE IMPACTED ME

INDIA

India rearranges my cultural furniture and humbles me. I thought I knew what love is.

I thought I knew what time is. I thought I knew what pain is. And then you go to India and you find, Oh, well, that's my definition. But there are different definitions, and it's fun to be aware of that.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

GUATEMALA

Guatemala is a good classroom for finding out why there’s hunger in a world with such abundance.

Half of humanity is trying to live on $5 a day. At that level, you can still have dignity, raise your kids, get educated, and have health care.

But at $2 a day, that's desperation.

And 10 percent of humanity is living on $2 a day. This is an opportunity to be tuned into the need of our fellow brothers and sisters.

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One of the people we met in Papua New Guinea said he can identify each of the children by the footprints they leave in the sand. I also learned they live in a community where there's no word for orphan because it would be inconceivable that a child wouldn't have love from the community if they didn't have their biological parent. Talk about love.

Try Your Hand at Journaling!

O n your next t rip , whether it’s a shor t d ista nce or ac ross t he wor ld , ta ke notice of wha t you are seeing a nd exp er iencing !

1. Today’s destination: Where did you visit? Then think about the people you encountered— what were they like?

2. What was the highlight of what you saw and experienced today?

3. Where did you sense God’s presence in what you saw and experienced today?

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KURT WARNER Knowing God Through the Struggle

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PHOTO CREDITS: GETTY IMAGES/JONATHAN DANIEL; YEUNG PHOTOGRAPHY; KURT WARNER'S PERSONAL ARCHIVES; © ISTOCK

What a lot of people recognize about me is not so much what I did on the field, but the kind of journey that got me there.

through all these hoops and go through all these struggles to get to that point?

My wife really helped me to see and understand what life was about and what God wanted me to do— it was about having a relationship and talking to Him everyday.

This passage from Jesus Calling really hits home for me. Just the first line alone: “Thank Me for the very things that are troubling you.”

I was a guy who had that dream like a lot of kids do: to play in the National Football League and be a superstar. But I got a little sidetracked in college. I sat on the bench for four years, got cut from my first NFL team, and then found myself working in a grocery store before trying to get back into football. It wasn’t until I was 28 years old that I got my second chance in the league.

There were a lot of things that built my foundation. I grew up in a single-parent household; my parents were divorced when I was very young. I have a relationship with both my mom and dad, but I was raised with my mom and one brother. We had a great relationship. Faith was a part of my life, even though it wasn't necessarily the thing that drove me.

Growing up, I was more driven by sports than by faith.

My faith really took shape when I met the woman who would eventually be my wife.

Brenda would often challenge me. “Okay, you believe that. Where does it say that in the Bible? Open up your Bible, and tell me the crux of what you believe and what you think this faith life is all about.”

When I really started to look, I realized I saw God as kind of a “spare tire,” like He was in the back of the car and I never really thought about Him until I needed Him.

And then I needed Him and I was like:

Can You get me out of this jam?

Can You help me with this?

You know this is my dream—can You make this happen?

It was almost like rubbing a genie’s bottle, thinking He would answer whatever wish I had. And then I would go back and live my life until I needed Him again.

I can't tell you how many times I’d sit back and go, Why me? Why couldn't I have been the top draft pick? Why couldn't it have been easier for me? Why did I have to go

God, thanks“for all those struggles I went through.

It shaped my journey.

When I look back at my journey—the trials and the struggles—at the time, it didn’t seem fair that it was so much harder for me. It wasn’t until much later I came to the point where I could say, Hey, God, thanks for all those things. Thanks for all those troubles, trials, and struggles that I went through. It really shaped who I was, and it shaped my journey.

When I finally did get to the NFL, I was so grounded in who I was, what I believed in, and what

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I wanted to accomplish. When I was 21, I wanted my face to be on TV, and I wanted to make a lot of money.

But when I actually got there, I realized it was so much bigger than that, so I asked for different things: How can I use this to inspire and help other people? How can I use this to have a lasting impact on the lives and hearts of those who have also struggled?

I thank Him “ for giving me the journey that I had.

And what I’ve come to understand is that my unique story has a chance to impact more people, because of that journey, more than anything I’ve ever accomplished on the field.

God was preparing me as a football player. God was preparing me as a Christian. He was preparing me as a husband and father. He was preparing me to be able to handle all the stuff that would come my way. So now, I thank Him for giving me the journey that I had. Because no one else will ever have that journey again.

Kurt’s Son Inspires Treasure House Kurt and Brenda Warner believe that all people, regardless of ability, have a purpose and call for their lives, and should be able to establish personal relationships and contribute to society. They’ve been inspired by their own son, Zack, who suffered a traumatic brain injury as an infant, and who has accomplished so much, despite the debilitating nature of his injury.

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

Inspired by Zack, Kurt and Brenda created Treasure House, a living community that not only supports those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, but also allows them to thrive as they share their gifts with others. Zack was the first resident of the facility, which last winter reached 50% of their capacity in its goal to house 29 residents.

Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to watch more of Kurt’s story.

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Read the Jesus Calling Devotion that inspired Kurt Warner

JU NE 22

T

HANK ME for the very things that are troubling you.

You are on the brink of rebellion, precariously close to

shaking your fist in My Face. You are tempted to indulge in just a little complaining about My treatment of you.

But once you step over that line, torrents of rage and selfpity can sweep you away. The best protection against this indulgence is than ksgiving. It is impossible to thank Me and curse Me at the same time.

Thanking Me for trials will feel awkward and contrived

at first. But if you persist, your thankful words, prayed in faith, will eventually make a difference in your heart.

Thankfulness awakens you to My Presence, which overshadows all your problems.

PSALM 116:17 • PHILIPPIANS 4:4-6 • PSALM 100:2

EXCERPTED FROM JESUS CALLING, COPYRIGHT 2004 BY SARAH YOUNG. USED BY PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. SCRIPTURE VERSES WRITTEN OUT IN PRINT BOOK EDITION.

CONNECTION H APP E N S T H ROUGH IM P E R F E C T I O N Morgan Harper Nichols Discovers How Light Gets into Broken Places

by Abigail Nibblett

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TRYING TO FIND YOUR PURPOSE CAN SEEM DAUNTING. But on her own journey to discovery, Morgan Harper Nichols has learned when we find connection, we uncover who we were made to be.

A Southern California-based artist, writer, and musician, Morgan has embarked on a unique journey of storytelling. And along the way, she’s found a path to faithful service by becoming an encourager to others. Growing up a pastor’s daughter, Morgan and her sister found a model showing the importance of outreach and connection in their mom and dad.

“I saw my parents setting the table for people and inviting people to our home, whether they went to the church or not. They were just very hands-on and present with people,” Morgan says.

The concept of serving, giving, and pursuing others wove itself into Morgan’s perspective, and in her work today, she does her best to share one of her core values: when we inspire others to see their worth, it helps us discover our own.

PHOTO/ARTWORK COURTESY OF MORGAN HARPER NICHOL'S PERSONAL ARCHIVES; © ISTOCK.

But the road to discovering her own purpose was filled with twists and bumps along the way. At one point, Morgan found herself battling a “quarter-life crisis” when she, like so many in their twenties, began to question what God’s plan for her life might be.

Morgan turned to writing poetry to speak hope into her spirit, and posted the poems and accompanying artwork on social media. In the weeks that followed, she received hundreds of messages from people all over the world who were moved by what she had shared.

A bit stunned by the response, Morgan began to recognize that her words had the power to encourage others. She went back online and asked readers to submit their stories to her. And when they did, she would write personalized letters back, paired with visual art to reflect their situations.

Reading the life stories of strangers led Morgan to understand what her calling in life might be: to be present with others and to connect with them on a heart level. Morgan didn’t always feel qualified to do the job—she was battling feelings that told her she wasn’t “good enough” and questioning whether she should’ve dropped out of her Master of Fine Arts program—but she knew that she was meant to take on, as she says, “this opportunity to make something that helps someone else feel seen.”

be pitfalls to pursuing that kind of love. And as a visual reminder of this truth, Morgan includes little imperfections intentionally in her artwork. “There's going to be messiness here. There's going to be brokenness here, but there's grace for that,” she says.

“Connection happens through the imperfection, and it happens through the broken places. This is where the light gets in. This is where love gets in.”

For all the wisdom of her young years, Morgan recognizes as each of us seeks to find answers, we may come up short, but we can still help others feel they’re not alone. We can foster a community that allows others to feel safe enough to ask questions and be heard, to find out what’s missing, and to discover humility and empathy for one another. As Morgan says, “The small things we say, the brave acts we take to get out of our comfort zone and do something for someone else—those things can have a much larger impact than we'll ever know.”

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

“ called to not We're still being be afraid of engaging with what's bigger than us.

The project helped Morgan grow her faith in a way she never anticipated, and looking back, she realized that all along she had been blooming. “Over and over, I have found that when I surrender my plan, while simultaneously staying faithful to wherever I am, that's when things start to flourish in unexpected and beautiful ways,” the artist admits. “I’m learning how to go deeper and deeper into faith by going beyond the realm of where I feel comfortable and seeing what God wants to show me there. We're still being called to not be afraid of engaging with what's bigger than us.”

Although that all-encompassing love can be beautiful in the end, the artist recognizes there can

You can find Morgan’s poetry and artwork collection, All Along You Were Blooming, wherever books are sold.

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PAGE - TURNING SUMMER READS Patti Callahan is the NYT bestselling author of Becoming Mrs. Lewis, which tells the unlikely love story of C.S. Lewis and American writer Joy Davidman. Given Patti’s love of a good tale, we had to ask her which books are keeping her turning the pages!

The Water Keeper

London Restoration

On Ocean Boulevard

From the author of The Mountain Between Us, this riveting story of heroism is also a story of redemption and love.

A post-WWII love story and mystery set in London.

Need I say more? Oh, and cathedrals—loads of beautiful cathedrals. A pre-order must! (available August 18)

With Book 6 in her beloved Beach House Series, Mary Alice takes us back to Isle of Palms and the people we love, forging new beginnings in the natural world.

PHOTO CREDIT: ISTOCK

by Charles Martin

by Rachel McMillan

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by Mary Alice Monroe

Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to listen to Patti’s story!

M U S I C

Turning Worry into Worship

by Celeste Winstead When GRAMMY Award-winning, platinum-selling recording artist and worship leader Chris Tomlin heard his local church pastor Darren Whitehead begin a sermon about “praise,” he couldn’t help but wonder what he would possibly learn from it. The songwriter had been a praise leader across the globe for more than two decades. Little did he know the sermon would change his life and begin the rise of a “holy roar.”

One of the world’s most acclaimed worship artists, Tomlin sat in awe as Whitehead addressed why we praise God and what it actually means to praise Him. Using the Psalms, Whitehead explained even though the English language has one word for praise, Hebrew has seven—and understanding these translations can change the way we worship.

“That may be the most powerful and most important message on praise I have ever heard in my life. Everyone needs to hear this,” said Tomlin afterward to his pastor.

One of those seven words, toldah, refers to thanking God for things we haven’t received yet.

The family did not know where she was.

In disbelief Whitehead expressed to him, “You must be worried out of your mind.”

Ken replied, “I don’t worry. I worship.”

“When he was tempted to be thinking about what was out of his control, instead Ken focused on the One who is in control, and he actually moved his worry to worship. Instead of being stuck in worry, he proactively lifted his eyes and started to worship the One who’s in control,” Whitehead explained.

Moved by what he was learning from his pastor, Tomlin joined forces with Whitehead to write the book Holy Roar: Seven Words That Will Change the Way You Worship. The pair also launched the Holy Roar tour and went on the road together for two years, singing and teaching audiences about worship.

“This message is so important for the church,” stated Tomlin. “People say to me, ‘I had no idea this is what’s in Scripture about praising God. I’ll never praise God the same way again.’”

PHOTO COURTSEY OF CHRIS TOMLIN

“ praise You for I’m also going to what has not yet happened.

“Toldah is lifting your hands in faith saying, ‘I’m choosing to put my trust in You instead of in my circumstances. I’m going to thank You for what has happened, but I’m also going to praise You for what has not yet happened,” stated Whitehead.

The pastor also shared the story of his friend Ken, who asked for prayers many years ago when his daughter had been missing since the previous night.

Adapted for print from Chris’s interview on Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith.

Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to watch Chris’s story!

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S P O T L I G H T

Worship Artist Chris Tomlin and a New Season of Praise

GOD REMEMBERS US in our DARKEST HOURS Sandi Patty’s COVID-19 Recovery Story

by Laura Neutzling AS GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING SINGER SANDI PATTY stepped off a plane from one of her many singing engagements in early March 2020, she felt a bit under the weather. News of a virus sweeping across the world had just started to impact the US. When Sandi’s husband Don picked her up from the airport, he knew he needed to take her to the doctor to get checked out.

“The doctor tested for flu, strep, pneumonia,” Sandi recalls. “All of that was negative, and we went home to rest. After a week, I wasn't feeling any better, and Don was starting to feel symptomatic. It was suggested we go to the emergency room because they had the COVID-19 tests. After ruling other things out, they did a COVID-19 test and sent us home saying

that the Oklahoma Health Department would be calling us.”

At that time, the US was seeing a rise in cases of the novel coronavirus since the first had been confirmed on the west coast weeks earlier. Congress was in the process of passing a spending package to help combat the virus as the number of cases increased worldwide.

Sandi got the news about her diagnosis one day after her test. “They said I was positive and told me everything to do—stay at home, quarantine yourself, don’t see anyone. It was really tough sharing that news with our family and our church family.”

As Sandi began to quarantine with her husband Don, who was also infected, the rest of the country 38

Left: Sandi assuring folks on social media that she was okay after testing positive for COVID-19.

PHOTOS COURTSEY OF SANDI PATTY'S PERSONAL ARCHIVES; © ISTOCK

Right: Sandi reads to her grandkids while in separate quarantines.

began to follow suit as one by one, states mandated “stay at home” policies and businesses on every street corner began to shut down. Like so many others, Sandi reached toward what the new normal for her family might be.

“The biggest change was seeing how this impacted our kids. We had four kids who were pregnant at the time, and my daughter who lives in Indiana was due when I was still recovering from the virus. As a momma, I wanted to be there for my daughter, so I felt that loss. But in the midst of this season of great loss and grief, she brought a beautiful new life into the world.”

Faced with an undetermined amount of days under quarantine, Sandi and her husband cooked together, caught up on old movies, and sought comfort in music and God’s Word.

“One of the things that helped me was getting out the hymn book and playing 10 hymns a day on my piano. I didn't sing them because I couldn't—I was crying—but I kept looking at the words. They are such beautiful old songs that speak truth into my soul.

“I also gleaned so much from the stories of God's Word. The people throughout the Bible who God used mightily are the ones who had a really hard time.”

As Sandi reflects about this period of her life, she recognizes the toll it takes to go through something this difficult, but also where gratefulness can be found.

“We’re very thankful that we were in good hands. The nurses, the doctors, the CNAs were unbelievable,” she concludes. “It was a ‘both/and’ time. It wasn’t ‘either/or.’ It wasn’t a great time or a really horrible time. It was both. It was a really hard time, and it was a time to see God at work.”

Adapted for print from Sandi’s interview on Jesus Calling’s Peace in Uncertain Times video series.

Put your phone in Camera mode and hover over this code to see Sandi on video while she was recovering from COVID-19.

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How Sandi Found Peace in Uncertain Times I have been reading Jesus Calling for a very, very long time. And it is amazing to me how it is so spot-on for whatever we’re going through. Sarah Young had no idea that the Coronavirus was going to be here in 2020.

Here’s a section from August 10th that really spoke to me: “Relax in My healing, holy Presence. Allow Me to transform you through this time alone with Me. As your thoughts center more and more on Me, trust displaces fear and worry."

Games & Puzzles SUMMER SNACKS CROSSWORD

FUN IN THE SUN Word Challenge

SUMMER SNACKS

SUMMER SNACKS CROSSWORD

HOW MANY SUMMER-THEMED WORDS CAN YOU COME UP WITH USING THE L E T T E R S I N " S U M M E R V A C AT I O N ? "

Crossword

Across Across 3. meal A mealyou you grill grill and on on a bun 3. A andserve serve a bun 5. Fried batter often found at carnivals 5. Fried batter often found at carnivals 10. Some like them plain and some like 10.them Some them plain and some like withlike cheese them cheese 12. with A sweet and cold drink Something freshly squeeze 12.13.

A sweet andyou cold drink 14.

A vegetable similar to squash 13. Something you freshly squeeze 17. A vegetable that grows in stalks 14. A vegetable similar to squash 17. A vegetable that grows in stalks

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

ICE CREAM CONE BY FREEPIK.COM

Down Down 1. you Something cook 1. Something cook you on a grillon a grill 2. A vegetable (or is a fruit?) used in salads 2. A vegetable (or is a fruit?) used in salads (plural form) (plural form)4. Something you can pick in the woods 4. Something in the woods 6. you A redcan fruit pick with seeds 7.

A snack you keep in the freezer 6. A red fruit with seeds 8.

A dessert made over a campfire 7. A snack you keep in the freezer 9. A common beach lunch 8. A dessert made over a campfire 11. A fruit used to make cobbler 9. A common lunch 15.beach A fair food served on a stick 11. A fruit used make cobbler 16. Ato frozen treat on a cone or in a cup 15. A fair food served on a stick 16. A frozen treat on a cone or in a cup

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B R I NG I NG S T R E NG T H &

Encouragement This 52-week discussion guide, based on devotions from Jesus Calling, encourages those receiving a life-changing diagnosis.

The guide is written by Kristanne Stewart, founder and CEO of Compassion That Compels.

Compassion That Compels supports women during and beyond a cancer diagnosis.

Compassion Bags remind a woman fighting cancer that she is brave, BEAUTIFUL and never alone. Visit their website to explore the programs and to learn how to share in their mission of hope. www.compassionthatcompels.org

For all FREE Jesus Calling Discussion Guides visit www.JesusCalling.com/groups