Morning With Jesus — a daily devotional from Following the Leader, with Dr. Joe Pettigrew

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Newest episode · October 8, 2026 · Are You Ready For Some Church?

A Daily Devotional from Following the Leader

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100 episodes

  • Are You Ready For Some Church?

    October 8, 2026·2:34·Episode 221

    Sunday morning arrives, and your feelings are mixed. Part of you longs to be there, and part of you would rather stay curled up with coffee and quiet. Maybe the week wore you down, and the bed feels more inviting than the pew. Maybe an old hurt still lingers from something said or done inside those walls. Maybe church simply slipped down your list of priorities without you noticing. If gathering with God's people has felt complicated lately, please know you are not alone. Many faithful hearts have wrestled with the very same tension.

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  • Do You Have A Best Friend?

    October 7, 2026·2:34·Episode 220

    There is a certain kind of loneliness that surprises you. You can be surrounded by coworkers, neighbors, and a phone full of contacts, and still feel like no one truly knows you. Maybe the friends of your younger years drifted away with moves, marriages, and busy seasons. Maybe you have plenty of acquaintances but no one you would call at two in the morning. If you have quietly wondered whether you even have a best friend anymore, please know you are not alone. This ache for real connection is one of the most human longings we carry.

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  • Who Is Your Brother and Sister?

    October 6, 2026·2:34·Episode 219

    We tend to think of family in simple terms. Family is the people who share your last name, your holidays, and your childhood photos. It is the branches on the family tree, the folks who show up for weddings and funerals. And there is beauty in that. But if you have ever felt distant from your relatives, or found your deepest belonging somewhere unexpected, you know family can be more complicated than a bloodline. Maybe your closest kin are hard to reach, or maybe the people who feel most like home to you are the ones you met at church. If you have wrestled with what family really means, please know you are not alone.

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  • You Are Made In The Image Of God

    October 5, 2026·2:34·Episode 218

    Some days you just do not feel like much. You catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and see only the flaws. You compare your life to everyone else's and come up short. Maybe a harsh word from your past still echoes, telling you that you are not smart enough, not good enough, not worth much at all. It is easy to let those voices shrink you down until you forget who you really are. If you have ever struggled to believe you carry real value, please know you are not alone. This ache is one of the most honest struggles a heart can carry.

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  • What Is So Special About Home?

    October 2, 2026·2:34·Episode 217

    There is a certain feeling that only home can give. It might be the smell of a familiar kitchen, the creak of a floorboard you know by heart, or the way you can finally exhale the moment you walk through the door. Home is where you are known and where you belong. Maybe you have a place like that, or maybe you are still searching for it, carrying a quiet ache for somewhere you truly fit. If your heart longs for home in a way you cannot quite explain, please know you are not alone. That longing is one of the deepest and most human things we carry.

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  • What Boat Is Jesus Inviting You Out Of?

    October 1, 2026·2:34·Episode 216

    We all have a boat. It is the place that feels safe, familiar, and dry. Maybe your boat is a job that pays the bills but no longer stirs your heart. Maybe it is a relationship you keep at arm's length, or a calling you have quietly ignored because saying yes feels too risky. We cling to what we know because the water looks wild and uncertain. If you sense God nudging you toward something new but fear keeps your feet firmly on deck, please know you are not alone. This tension is one of the most honest struggles of faith.

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  • Controlling Your Anger

    September 30, 2026·2:34·Episode 213

    We all have a breaking point. Maybe it is a driver who cuts you off and never looks back. Maybe it is a child who tests the same limit for the tenth time. Maybe it is a sharp word from someone you love that lands harder than they know. In a flash, your jaw tightens, your voice rises, and you say something you cannot take back. If anger has gotten the better of you lately, please know you are not alone. Even the most faithful people have wrestled with this fire, and admitting the struggle is the first step toward freedom.

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  • Do You Really Love Your Neighbors?

    September 29, 2026·2:34·Episode 214

    It is a strange thing to admit. You can live beside someone for years and still not know their name. You wave from the driveway, nod at the mailbox, and offer a quick "How's it going?" then never wait for an answer. Life is busy. Doors stay closed, garages hum shut, and evenings disappear into screens and schedules. If you have realized lately that your neighbors are mostly strangers, please know you are not alone. In our hurried world, real connection has become one of the rarest gifts we can give.

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  • What Will You Do For Your Children?

    September 28, 2026·2:34·Episode 215

    There is a particular weight that settles on your shoulders when you look at the young faces around you. Maybe it is your own child asking a hard question you feel unqualified to answer. Maybe it is a grandchild growing up in a world that looks nothing like the one you knew. Maybe it is the restless teenager in the church youth group who seems to be drifting. You feel the responsibility, and honestly, it can feel overwhelming. If your heart carries a quiet burden for the next generation, please know you are not alone. That burden is holy, and it matters more than you know.

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  • Why Is Football Such A Big Deal?

    September 25, 2026·2:34·Episode 212

    Few things capture our hearts quite like football. We paint our faces in team colors, plan our whole Sunday around kickoff, and rearrange the furniture so everyone can see the big screen. Fantasy leagues turn casual fans into obsessed managers checking stats at midnight. Rivalries can heat up a family dinner faster than anything else. There is something wonderful about the passion, the shared excitement, and the way a game can bring people together. If you love football, please know there is nothing wrong with that joy. But it can also reveal something deeper about where our devotion truly lands.

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  • Who Needs Your Help?

    September 24, 2026·2:34·Episode 211

    If you slow down and really look, you will see them everywhere. The coworker who seems unusually quiet lately. The neighbor whose driveway has not been cleared. The single mom juggling more than any one person should carry. The friend who keeps saying "I'm fine" while their eyes tell a different story. We brush past so many struggling people in a single week, often without noticing. Yet God has a way of placing them right in our path, quietly inviting us to pause, pay attention, and lend a hand.

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  • Is This Really All There Is?

    September 23, 2026·2:34·Episode 210

    You reach a Friday evening, and something surprises you. The bills are paid, the calendar is full, and by every measure your life looks fine. Yet a quiet whisper stirs beneath the surface: Is this all there is? You get up, go to work, come home, and repeat it again tomorrow. You have chased the goals you were told would satisfy, and still a small ache lingers. If that feeling has crept into your heart lately, please know you are not alone. This longing is one of the most honest and human things we carry.

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