Jamie Janosz

What are you up against right now? Does it seem impossible? For me, right now, it is fretting about my daughter leaving for college in just a few weeks. I know that she is perfectly capable of college - she is brilliant and funny and friendly and sensible. And I know that saying goodbye on drop-off day will not mean that we will never see one another again. But I also know that we are both stressed out about it. We did a mall trip - one of our favorite things to do together - and then in the midst of clothes shopping we were sad. Everything we bought reminded us of the upcoming event. Everything. So we ate a jalapeno pretzel with cheese sauce and then got really brutal back massages from the mall kiosk people (remind me not to do that again). But, for both of us, this whole daunting upcoming thing seems impossible. How will we do it? How will we survive? So I went for a walk. I do my best thinking while I'm walking on the beach. It was hot out this morning at 7 a.m., bu...

I walked on the beach this morning. And, as I walked, I prayed. I asked God to be with my good friend Jill as she says goodbye-for-now, today, to her father. for Teryn who has battled illness for the past year. for my friend Amanda and her daughter Meg who is serving God across the seas. for my friend Ben and his sister Stephanie, who is grappling with a diagnosis. for my brother-in-law Dave and for Bob and his family. for my friends Rachel and James and their baby son. for Junias, and Anna, and Melissa. for so many of you who have shared with me your fears and worries and struggles and concerns. I prayed and asked God for His healing and comfort - for His peace and joy - to do what only He can do. And then the sun came out, it peeked over the clouds, and it changed everything. God can do that. We serve an amazing, awe-inspiring God who can do anything. He holds all of this - all of our cares, worries, sicknesses, fears, concerns, all...

Yesterday, I felt like a tourist. We packed a picnic basket with ice and drinks and bag of salt and pepper chips that I can't stop eating. We drove the few miles south to the central area of Daytona Beach. Milt loves Daytona Beach because they allow cars to drive on it. He gets to look at the water and automobiles - all at one time. For years, Milt and I have made this stop on every trip to Florida. There is something magical about waking up to the sun rising over the Atlantic Ocean, so our hotels were always upgraded slightly to include an ocean view room. The trouble with vacations is that the weather doesn't always cooperate. Many times we were at Daytona on cloudy, cool days. We would stubbornly plunk down on our beach towels, wearing sweatshirts with the wind whipping sand pellets at our faces, refusing to admit that this just wasn't working. Today wasn't one of those days. It was Good Friday and the beach was packed. We squeezed our Kia Soul into the...

Sitting a midst piles of brown cardboard boxes, I’m the classic “day after move in” mess.  I still haven’t found our microwave or our kitchen table in the packing container, so I’m balancing my computer precariously on my lap and drinking coffee from my rapidly cooling mug knowing there is no chance of reheating. But I am also filled with a thankful heart. God has been with us throughout our cross-country move. Day after day I have seen His provision and His guiding hand, and I am deeply and utterly grateful. Last summer, in the midst of selling our house, I visited with a professor at Moody Bible Institute, Dr. Ron Sauer. I was interviewing him about his practice of praying, daily, for his students. Before classes begin, he walks through the room, stopping at each desk and remembering each of his students, individually, in prayer. He said that he believes that God answers these prayers and cares about each of us, deeply and individually. Then, he asked to...