Mornings with Jeff & Rebecca

There are times when I really want to reach out for help or prayer, but I hesitate. Not because I don't trust my friends, but because I'm afraid of what they might think if they knew I was struggling. In reality, they'd probably just think I'm human… because I am.Yesterday, I got a text from my friend Lisa...

When something good is on the horizon – a new opportunity, a fun idea, a big decision – I want to move fast. I want to make it happen. And in the past, I've even convinced myself I was doing the right thing… when really, I was just doing it my way.But here's what I've been learning: when I force things forward without waiting on God, even if it works out at first, it's exhausting.

At what age can you start telling someone about Jesus? Not your age – how young can they be?I just saw the sweetest video of a Papaw holding his great-grandson, who can't be more than a few months old, and he starts telling him all about Jesus.

There are plenty of things I've prayed about more than once (more like a thousand times). And sometimes I catch myself wondering, “Is this too much? Should I stop bringing this up to God?”But then I remember: silence doesn't make the problem go away. It just makes the enemy more comfortable.

Tobias, our cat, is obsessed with the front yard. Every day, he's meowing at the door like he pays the mortgage.So when I saw this couple online who filled a kiddie pool with real sod and put it inside for their cat… I thought: genius. 

The other day at a doctor's appointment, my doctor asked if I was still waking up early for work. I told him I was, and he mentioned that he'd been trying to stay consistent with early morning workouts himself. He said thinking about someone else who gets up early helped him stick with it.I didn't expect that. I hadn't said anything to inspire him... I was just doing what I always do. But it reminded me that our daily choices speak, even when we're not saying a word.

If I had a few million dollars lying around (and I don't), I know exactly what I'd buy: a 54-pound rock from Mars.No, seriously. It's going up for auction this week in New York.

A friend of mine recently started working out because she wanted to change how she looked. But after a few weeks, she wasn't seeing big results... at least not on the outside.She told me it was hard at first, but everything shifted when she stopped focusing so much on the mirror and started paying attention to how she felt.

When I was growing up, my dog Callie was my best friend. You never forget the pets that loved you like that. So when I heard Nicole's story, I just about cried.

There are moments in life that leave you wondering... Does God still care about me? I've had those thoughts too. Maybe you're walking through something right now that feels heavy, and you're wondering if God still sees you, if He still hears your prayers.

When someone offends me, I usually want to talk about it. And by talk, I mean vent. To someone else. About that person.I know that's not the right way to handle it... but it's just the habit I fall into.But reading the book of Job recently gave me a better picture.

Sometimes I say things to encourage my kids... and then I realize I need to hear them too.

Baseball season and summer just go together, don't they? The sounds, the snacks, and all the fun little traditions, like sometimes at smaller community games when they let everybody run the bases after the game.I saw this sweet story the other day about a woman named Gabrielle who went to a game with her 85-year-old grandpa. And when it came time to run the bases, he stood up and said, “I'm doing it.”

There's something about kids that makes them want to grab anything within reach... especially when it's not theirs. When our boys were little, I had to start every store visit with the same phrase: Don't touch it. It doesn't belong to you.I thought about that recently when I read Romans 12:19: “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” And it struck me: God's saying the same thing to us that I used to say to my kids.

After the devastating flooding in Central Texas, 9-year-old Corrigan wanted to do something to help. She'd just come home from Camp Mystic two weeks before, and hearing about the damage – and the girls who were still missing – broke her heart.So she did what any kid with a big heart might do: she prayed with her family, made a sign, set up shop in their Fort Worth neighborhood, and started selling lemonade.

What does it really mean to “trust in the Lord with all your heart”? I was thinking about that this week, and a twist on that verse came to mind: what if it also means trusting God with all that's in your heart?

You've probably seen those roadside fireworks stands popping up all over Texas this time of year. One of them, called Johnny Fireworks, was robbed this week. Thousands of dollars in fireworks gone. Even more damage done to the building.But what the owner, Jonathan, did next? Totally unexpected.

Sometimes, the pain cuts so deep that even God's help doesn't sound comforting. A listener recently asked me something really raw: “Have you ever been so mad at God that even if He offered help, you wouldn't take it?”

What are the odds that Final Jeopardy would ask a question about your own ancestor? That's exactly what happened to a contestant named Emily this week.

Comparison is sneaky, isn't it?Sometimes it's how someone else looks. Sometimes it's their family, their job, their spiritual walk... whatever it is, it's so easy to measure ourselves against what we see in someone else.I've done it more times than I can count. But I'll never forget the moment I saw it hit my son.

You know when you're in Sunday service and the pastor says something that hits exactly where you're at? That was me this week.

The news over the weekend has been heavy. As tensions rise, it's understandable if you've felt anxious, even afraid.I found myself glued to the coverage for a while… and I could feel it getting to me. My heart started to race. My thoughts got a little loud. That's when I knew I needed to pause.I put the phone down, opened my Bible, and found myself in Psalm 46... and the words there were exactly what I needed.

Some conversations with Jeremy start simple, like “What's our Hulu password?” and then turn into a whole philosophical discussion about digital safety.

We all know what a "fair-weather friend" is: someone who's around for the fun times but disappears when things get hard. And let's be honest, most of us have felt that kind of disappointment at some point.Paul knew that feeling too.

It's summer camp season, which means parents everywhere are waiting to hear how it's going. Some kids write home with sweet updates… and some? Not so much.

I saw a headline the other day that just said, “Carrots are in season.” Not exactly life-changing news… unless you're really into carrots.But it got me thinking... I wondered if I'm like that with my faith. Am I only “in season” when life feels easy, or when I'm feeling extra spiritual?

When I was about five, we stopped at one of those roadside petting zoos... you know the kind. And they let you hold a baby wildcat for a photo. I don't remember what kind of cub it was… but I do remember deciding I needed it. 

I doubt you'd recognize Dan Meers if you passed him at the grocery store. But if you've watched a Kansas City Chiefs game anytime in the last 35 years, you've definitely seen his work. Dan was the man inside the KC Wolf mascot suit: bringing joy to fans, visiting hospitals, encouraging kids, and staying totally anonymous the whole time.His story got me thinking. Dan's whole job was to make someone else the star. 

There are few things funnier than a good group prank... and this one was top tier. Over 200 dads at a church in Coppell showed up on Father's Day wearing the exact same blue polo. Why? Because their wives secretly coordinated it.

Is your house God's house?That question really got me this week. I was reading in Titus 1, where Paul is laying out the qualities of someone who manages God's household. And it made me stop and think: if Caryn and I want our home to belong to the Lord, what kind of qualities should I be living out as the one leading it?

I think most of us want the same things in life: to be healthy, to stay sharp, and to live with joy for as long as we can.Well, there's a 90-year-old woman who says she's figured out a few keys to doing just that. Things like being kind to yourself, practicing gratitude, choosing joy... all stuff that makes sense.But then she said something that made me laugh: she decided to cut onion rings out of her diet. At 90!

Do you ever overthink things? I do. I can spiral pretty quickly, playing out every possible outcome before something even happens. And one place this shows up for me is with a friend of mine who doesn't want anything to do with God.

If you've ever been to an animal shelter and you're an animal lover like me, you know how hard it is not to just say, “Yep, I'll take them all.” I mean, surely there's some room left in the house, right?Well, at this one adoption event, a sweet shelter dog named Sienna was walking around greeting people, just being her friendly, adorable self. But when she came across one man, she stopped. 

Some people just seem to radiate joy. They always know how to encourage, always find the silver lining, and somehow make you feel lighter just by being around them. I thank God for people like that – but sometimes I wonder, could I be that person for someone else?Scripture says yes.

There's a video making the rounds that had Caryn and me cracking up. A little girl, probably no older than three, is standing there with lipstick smeared all over her face. And when her dad starts asking questions, she holds her ground like a seasoned lawyer.Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZXl9AUgxdE

If someone Googled you, what would you want them to find? That question hit me hard the other day. Because honestly, my first thought was, “Please don't let them see my mess.” My sin. My failures. My past. But because of Jesus, those things don't get the final word.So what do I want people to find? 

Father's Day can be complicated. There can be deep joy and deep sorrow – celebration and aching – all in the same day.If that's what this weekend looks like for you, I want you to know you're not alone. The grief just means the love was real. And in all of it, God is near.

Let's be honest – people aren't always easy to love. And when I feel that tension, I have to stop and ask myself: What's my motivation here? Is it to be right? To get my way? Or is it to reflect God's love?

When something went wrong with my car, my first call was always to my dad. One night after church, my headlights randomly stopped working. I panicked, called him, and he drove 20 minutes to meet me. Of course he helped me... but the next day, I received an invoice. Would you believe it's now one of my most treasured possessions? 

There's a moment in Luke 1 that stops me in my tracks every time. The angel tells Mary she's going to give birth to the Messiah – life-altering, overwhelming news – and her response is, “I am the Lord's servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”That kind of faith blows me away.

I did not have “Texas team helps catch a runaway zebra in Tennessee” on my 2025 bingo card, but here we are.Learn more about Ed the zebra's dashing escape (and eventual capture) here: https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/pet-zebra-captured-after-8-days-on-the-loose-in-rutherford-county/

I almost gave up on college. I had the books, I was enrolled – but I stopped going to class. I watched friends graduate and figured I'd missed my shot. But then a few friends started encouraging me: You're not too far gone. You can still finish.Their words helped me believe again. And it reminded me how powerful encouragement really is – not just in school, but in faith.