60 Days of Prayer

1 min read

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had. ROMANS 15:5 (NIV) DO YOU EVER wonder how you wound up in the life that you have? Maybe you feel like you’re in the wrong pl

JOY Magazine

2 min read

It was Monday evening, 23 March, 2020. The entire nation was sitting in deep suspense, waiting for an urgent broadcast from our President, Cyril Ramaphosa. No one wanted to miss this all important announcement. The wait was long, eventually the Presi

60 Days of Prayer

1 min read

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” JOHN 14:6 (NIV) START THE NEW year right by making this life-changing practice a habit: for two focused minutes every day think only of Jesus. F

JOY Magazine

1 min read

Today, there is little understanding of the message of the Kingdom in the marketplace, yet we are all called as ministers to grow His Kingdom (2 Cor 3:6). Many set worldly goals for the selfish advancement and selfish rewards, where work has just bec

Mornings with Jesus

1 min read

I WORK AS A CHURCH administrative assistant. My first day on the job, I asked the pastor how often people stopped in to request financial help. “Not that often” he said. I sighed in relief. I knew there would be times when I’d have to say no to a req

Mornings with Jesus

1 min read

SEVERAL YEARS AGO, I READ studies that revealed the huge amount of chemicals we’re exposed to by the different toiletries and personal care products we use daily. Since then I’ve jumped on the DIY (do-it-yourself ) bandwagon. I’ve been making many of

Mornings with Jesus

1 min read

“MAKE A U-TURN AND CONTINUE to the route,” my husband’s smartphone insisted. The GPS was angry with us because we’d pulled off the freeway to get gas. We appreciate the electronic map, but often our GPS misses the point. To reach our destination, we

Mornings with Jesus

1 min read

I’VE BEEN MARRIED TO MY husband, John, for twenty-six years, but for many years I didn’t think that would be the case. My doubt was due to the fears and mistrust I carried into my marriage. I didn’t know my biological dad, and my stepfather was uninv

Mornings with Jesus

1 min read

I LOVE DECORATING WITH WORDS. Each time I walk by a plaque stamped with an encouraging thought, it gives me a boost. My kitchen wall shouts, Chill . . . God’s Got This. My hallway, hung with a beautiful print of two sparrows perched on either side of

60 Days of Prayer

1 min read

Those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable. 1 CORINTHIANS 12:22 (NIV) THE APOSTLE PAUL explains that God’s power is made possible because of your weakness. The areas of your life, and the parts of your body that you feel are we

60 Days of Prayer

1 min read

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. JOHN 14:26 NIV IF YOU ARE lacking a clear plan for your life, go before Jesus and pray. Let Him

Mornings with Jesus

1 min read

LAST NIGHT, I DREAMED ABOUT a close friend I knew as a teenager, someone I haven’t seen for decades. For many years, we lost touch with each other, but both of us kept searching. At last, we made contact through social media. I had my dear companion

Mornings with Jesus

1 min read

IT’S SOMETHING A PARENT PRAYS for. My husband, John, and I dropped off our daughter, Leslie, at camp when she was fourteen years old, and when we picked her up she was different. The messages and worship times at camp truly made a difference deep ins

Chicago Tribune

3 min read

Sister Stephanie Baliga no longer runs for herself, but for her community and for God. So she was undeterred as the predawn thunderstorm rolled in. The thunder roared, the sky flashed a bright blue and the obliquely falling rain whipped across her gl

JOY Magazine

2 min read

We Christians haven’t really got a clue –We know quite well what we’re supposed to do.But when it comes to practice, it’s a shame,And we’ve really only got ourselves to blame. We love to read our Bibles and we know that this is right.We love to pray

Mornings with Jesus

1 min read

WHENEVER I VISIT MY MOM, I love it when I can attend Sunday services with her. The minute I walk into the small country church, memories flood my mind. On the last visit, I remembered the time I sang a special duet with the only other girl my age in

PEARL

1 min read

For your guidance! 1. What seek ye? 2. The call for the helper 3. The Antichrist 4. Morality 5. Awake! 6. Silence 7. Ascent 8. Cult 9. Rigidity 10. Childlikeness 11. Chastity 12. The first step 13. The World 14. The Star of Bethlehem 15. The conflict

60 Days of Prayer

1 min read

What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” MARK 10:51 (NIV) IN THE ABOVE verse the blind man doesn’t simply say, “I want you to help me,” or “I want to feel better,” he says, “I want to see.” Bei

Mornings with Jesus

1 min read

ONE OF THE NEW PROJECTS I took on this past year at my church was coleading a social justice study. We named the course “How Are We Called?” What I didn’t realize during the planning was that this seven-week class would work its way into my soul on a

PEARL

1 min read

1. What seek ye? 2. The call for the helper 3. The Antichrist 4. Morality 5. Awake! 6. Silence 7. Ascent 8. Cult 9. Rigidity 10. Childlikeness 11. Chastity 12. The first step 13. The World 14. The Star of Bethlehem 15. The conflict 16. Modern psychic

Mornings with Jesus

1 min read

YEARS AGO, I WATCHED A show that featured people who brought in old stuff to have it appraised by experts. Naturally everyone hoped to hear exciting news about their vase, painting, article of furniture, or whatever. Many people left disappointed, bu

Mornings with Jesus

1 min read

ONE OF OUR GRANDCHILDREN—who shall remain nameless—was in trouble again. The situation called for some carefully constructed grandparent-talk. I started formulating my grandma version. Something to convince the child to make a better choice. Point A

Mornings with Jesus

1 min read

EVERY TIME I READ THIS Scripture I get excited: Jesus knows my name! I am important to Him! One day, I decided to look up the meaning of my name. According to several websites, Tracy means brave, fighter, or warrior, but my mom wasn’t thinking of any

Mornings with Jesus

1 min read

Isaiah 12:2 (NLT) I HADN’T RECOGNIZED MY LOVE for and dependence upon a predictable, daily routine until I lost it. For two years prior, I’d habitually risen at 5:00 a.m., spent an hour at the gym, returned home to enjoy my quiet time with Jesus, a

Mornings with Jesus

1 min read

DO YOU EVER FEEL LIKE you’re running on empty? Perhaps like the widow at Zarephath, your cupboards are bare and your bank account is empty. Or perhaps you are exhausted from difficult people, conflicts that never resolve, and daily wounds. You may fe

Mornings with Jesus

1 min read

I GUESS YOU COULD SAY that my dad was not into clothes. For sixty-nine years, my mom made the decisions on clothes purchases, and each day she laid out what he would wear. When he died, Mom encouraged family members to take the items they could wear

60 Days of Prayer

1 min read

The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?” JOHN 12:34 (NIV) WHAT HAS HAPPENED? How can this be happening? These were the q

JOY Magazine

2 min read

Last month we laid my mother – Professor Serara Segarona SeleloKupe Mogwe – to rest after she transitioned to glory on Wednesday September 2, 2020. Tributes and posthumous awards came pouring in from around the world, speaking about the legacy that s

Mornings with Jesus

1 min read

“THE CLOCK WILL START WHEN I leave the room. You’ll have one hour to escape,” the game guide told us. I looked around at our group and the elaborate set and props surrounding us, my heart beating fast. Our youngest daughter worked at this new facilit

Mornings with Jesus

1 min read

MY HUSBAND, GENE, AND I train and lead short-term ministry teams to Eastern Europe, where we host evangelistic family camps. As part of our morning routine, we break into small groups to discuss a Bible lesson based on the parables of Jesus. Team mem