The Hello Mornings Blog

This post is by Jennifer Shultz.

 I live in Oklahoma, so with the beauty of life springing forth in what is literally called “Green Country” comes the threat of violence in the weather. Spring, also known in my neck of the woods as tornado season, is something that we who reside in the aptly named Tornado Alley look forward to, but also prepare for regularly. Storm shelters are swept out. Chairs are taken out and the cobwebs are washed away. Snacks and water are restocked and batteries are repl...

This post is by Amy Mykytiuk.

Discipline, as it pertains to disciplining one’s self, may conjure fear in some of us. I was an adult, in Bible college before I understood that the Christian life is a life of discipline. If it didn’t come easy to me, I gave up.

As a college student studying religion with plans to enter full-time ministry, I was required to read Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster. It was at this point in my life that I realized the Christian life required so much more...

This post is by René Bancroft.

New Year. 

New plans. 

New motivation.

 Fresh excitement. 

Fresh revelation. 

Fresh inspiration.

We’ve all been there in years past as we enter a new calendar year. Our hearts are full from spending time with family and friends as we celebrate the holidays. And every year, we are bombarded with all the new ways we can connect with each other, ourselves, and God. I’ll be honest, I usually make it to the end of January, and “life happens,” and I allow myself a...

This post is by Victoria Duerstock.

And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing. And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here in a desert place. But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. (Luke 9:10-13, KJV)

My current Bible r...

This post is by Patty Lewis.

List making is my thing.  But, lately I’ve been pondering whether or not my obsession with it is healthy:  driving myself mad and becoming very overwhelmed by all the things there are to do and accomplish, spending a lot of precious time prioritizing and sorting through, reviewing the items to do and ending up with multiple sticky notes of lists that demand accomplishment.  By the time I get halfway through my day, I am super worked up about everything and I dr...

This post is by Christina Painter.

My morning routine has been all over the place since our nation was swept up in a global pandemic. School was cancelled for the rest of the year (at least meeting in person was) and suddenly I found myself at home everyday with my husband and our two kids. Mornings began to look different and routines became very inconsistent with the exception of one little element that has become a habit, a joy, and a reset button. 

Back in January when everyone was maki...

This post is by Sarah Johnson.

...And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire: but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. (1 Kings 19:11-12, KJV)

After the wind, after the earthquake, after the fire, when everything is quiet... a still, small ...

This post is by Gianna Kordatzky.

When I started dating my husband, I could not spend enough time with him.  The relationship was all encompassing. There was no such thing as spending too much time together. 

We were having fun getting to know each other.  

I used to think getting to know God was much like dating.  I thought I should want to be so enamored with the Lord that I couldn’t get enough of Him.  

I am learning--slowly--that a relationship with the Lord is much more like a marriage ...

This post is by Jill Miller.

One thing I have always struggled with is being an incessant fixer. If there’s a problem or something that needs organizing, big or small, I strategize. It doesn’t even matter if it’s my problem to fix, it’s just something innate in me. I’m a natural problem solver, and this ability has allowed me to start a successful business, manage a crazy blended family, and juggle it all while teaching full time.

However, a major downside to the “fixer” (and why I struggle...

This post is by Shari Gabourel.

The question was asked, “What do you focus on in your God time?

Initially, I thought, that’s easy. I get out of bed before my husband and kiddos, grab my mobile phone, softly walk downstairs, grab a box of tissue (in case there are tears) and head towards the multipurpose room. Once I’m barricaded inside, I begin reading select passages from one of my various Bibles or a specific Bible app. The reading is usually influenced by my internal spiritual climate. I’m ...

This post is by Jen Kokal.

“What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.” – Matthew 10:29 (NLT) 

“Jen, will you please go outside and take pictures of the damage around the pond? I want to send them to a guy I know who can fix it.”

“Fine,” I sighed. I was tired and wanted to relax, but I didn’t feel like starting an argument with my husband - though I secretly mused that he could go take the pictures himself...

This post is by Briane Kearns.

We are living in unprecedented times. Early in 2020 a mysterious disease called COVID 19 emerged in China. Highly contagious, it spread silently and quickly until the local Chinese medical facilities were overwhelmed. Thousands died. The Chinese efforts to stop the spread were too late, and it spread around the world. Cases multiplied every day.  

A word I have never used became the news headline of every day: Pandemic.

The United States has worked for months to...