Fall 2026
Words of faith for your everyday life
A Voice on the Radio Changed Everything
For years, James Murray wore a badge.
Law enforcement wasn’t simply his career. It had become part of who he was. But eventually, James knew it was time to leave.
“I was burned out. I felt like the Lord was calling me to leave, but I had no idea what I was going to do with my life.”
James resigned, and he and his wife moved from New Mexico to North Carolina. Without the career that had defined him, he found himself wrestling with a question he wasn’t prepared to answer:
Who am I now?
But underneath that question was an even deeper struggle. James believed God loved him. He just wasn’t convinced God liked him very much.
Then, at one of the lowest points of his life, James got in his car and turned on the radio.
What he heard changed everything.
“I heard a pastor talking about the Gospel, grace, and shame in ways I had never heard before. He was convincing me that God didn’t just love me. God actually delighted in me.”
The voice James heard that day belonged to Alan Wright.
Wanting to hear more, James went online and found Alan Wright Ministries. He began exploring more of Alan’s teaching and discovered a message of grace that challenged so much of what he had believed about God.
The message of grace reached far beyond his faith. It changed the way he understood himself, the way he loved his wife, and the way he parented his children.
James began to understand that his identity wasn’t ultimately found in his career, his accomplishments, or his ability to get everything right. And the God he had once imagined as continually disappointed with him began to look very different.
“I am so thankful for AWM. I know firsthand what can happen when someone hears the good news at exactly the moment they need it.”
James’s story reminds us that we never know when a message of grace will reach someone at exactly the right moment. We are deeply grateful for every person who helps Alan Wright Ministries continue sharing the good news through radio and beyond. Together, we are helping more people discover just how good the Gospel really is.
Will You Pray With Us?
Every request represents a real person and a real story. Join us in lifting these needs before the Lord and trusting Him with every detail.
I am retired and in my mid-70s. I’m trying to understand what my calling might be this late in life… I don’t doubt that God still calls me to serve, but the opportunity has not presented itself.
I have been battling OCD, anxiety and depression for many years. I know I belong to God, but I am desperate for relief and rest. Please pray for His continued hand on my life, my family, and my children especially.
I’m requesting prayers for my sister Mary Deanne who has been through many recent surgeries, MRSA infection and several falls. She was a fairly healthy 60 year old before all this. Please pray for her healing.
Please pray for healing after nearly a year of illness, relief from financial pressure, and freedom from spiritual oppression. Pray for renewed strength and for God’s provision in every area.
Share your own prayer requests and pray with others. Visit our online prayer wall to submit a request, pray for someone in need, and celebrate answered prayers.
Visit the Prayer WallWhat the World Needs Now
Recently, I heard psychologist, Dr. Tim Hogan, point out that Christians throughout history have always been responsive to what the world needs. Whatever the era, Christians have seen the world’s needs and responded.
When the world desperately needed medical care, Christians pioneered hospitals. When the world needed centers of learning, Christians helped establish the great universities. Dr. Hogan suggested that what the world needs now is something that Christians, and maybe only Christians, have to offer: authentic, loving relationships.
In this anxious, digital, impersonal, social-media-driven world, Christians have the answer—the love of God expressed through human compassion, community, and shared joy.
I think the whole hope of the world hinges on Christians showing what authentic love is.
When Paul turns to practical Christian living in his epistle to the Romans, he exhorts: “Let love be genuine.” (Romans 12:9, ESV) Let your love be the real thing.
The Greek word he used for love, “agape,” was an uncommon word that became one of the defining words of life with God. Unlike “eros” (romantic love) or “philia” (friendship love) or “storge” (familial love), agape is covenant love—a love that creates and sustains attachment.
It’s a peaceful and beautiful thing to give a hungry baby a bottle and watch them doze off, milk-drunk.
I snapped a photo of Anne (aka “Nana Puddin”) after she’d fed Ezekiel and placed the milk-drunk cutie across her shoulder. As I looked at his little frame, pressed against her, arms draped in full surrender, I saw what I think God wants—the full weight of our lives connected to Him in utter trust.
That’s what agape does. It attaches us in love.
Paul begins his letter to the Romans with one of his favorite words for Christians: “beloved” (Romans 1:7). It’s a beautiful Greek word, “agapetos.” It’s the same word God spoke at Jesus’ baptism, “You are my beloved Son” (my “agapetos”).
You are not defined by what you do for God. You are not even defined by the extent to which you love God.
You are defined by the love of God for you.
You are defined by attachment to God.
The world is longing for attachment.
Kids will join gangs, maybe commit a heinous crime as an initiation rite, just to feel attached. But, in the church of Jesus Christ, there is no earning your way in—instead, you are born into it by the grace of God.
What the world needs now isn’t new. Christians have, from the earliest times, loved with God’s love.
One of the earliest non-biblical letters, “The Letter to Diognetus,” dates to around AD 130. The writer is giving a description of what Christians are like less than 100 years after Christ’s death and resurrection:
“They love all men and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned. They are put to death and restored to life…. They are poor, yet make many rich. They lack everything, yet they overflow in everything…. They are dishonored, and yet in their very dishonor they are glorified; they are spoken ill of and yet are justified; they are reviled but bless; they are insulted and repay the insult with honor; they do good, yet are punished as evildoers; when punished, they rejoice as if raised from the dead. They are assailed by the Jews as barbarians; they are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to give any reason for their hatred.”
The love that Christians show is altogether different from the world’s versions of love because the love of God is an exotic from heaven.
Agape is a love without condition or qualification. It is a love that flows from God Himself and, as such, has power to attach and heal and build trust.
I’d like to at least change one word in the chorus of the old song:
“What the world needs now / Is love, God’s love….”
Jeanne Wilkinson
Get to know the people behind Alan Wright Ministries.
We’re excited to introduce the newest member of the Alan Wright Ministries team! Jeanne Wilkinson, who began earlier this year, is at the command hub of the AWM office. Her fruitful work experience, first as a marketing executive with Hanesbrands and then as the leader of corporate philanthropy at Compassion International, makes Jeanne a perfect partner.
A Note from Jeanne
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
I grew up in a family where gratitude and service were simply a way of life. My parents, first-generation born immigrants who knew what it meant to live with very little, taught me to recognize God’s provision and share it freely. There was never a person in need of a meal whom we turned away. I learned early that God provides for our every need, and through Him, we are blessed to be a blessing to others.
That foundation shaped the path of my life. After 18 years as a marketing executive with Hanesbrands, I left the corporate world to follow a deeper calling to serve others. I spent seven years with Winston-Salem Industries for the Blind and later joined Compassion International, serving alongside people committed to changing the lives of children living in poverty through the indigenous church.
Today, I have the joy of serving with Alan Wright Ministries and, especially, serving you—our donors. My family taught me to be grateful for what God provides; my years of serving others taught me the profound difference one person can make; and my own faith journey has taught me how deeply we all need hope and encouragement.
That is what makes my work with you so meaningful: helping you see the impact of your generosity—from the person who hears a message at just the right moment, to someone who finds hope in a difficult season, to a life transformed by encountering the love of Christ.
I am grateful for the privilege of serving you as you serve the mission of Alan Wright Ministries, and I look forward to meeting each of you!
Get to Know Jeanne
- Family
- Married to Tim, with four adult children: Daniel, Alex, Katie & Michelle
- Favorite Book
- Cutting for Stone
- How I Unwind
- Creating deliciousness in the kitchen
- Must-Do Activities
- Running, biking & skiing
- On Repeat
- “Ventura Highway” by America
4 Ways Not to Waste the End of Summer
By Chris Lawson
For most families, summer is already over. At least officially. The backpacks have been bought. Practices have started. Lunches are being packed again.
But the calendar tells a slightly different story. There are still long evenings, warm weekends, and a little sunlight left after dinner. There is still some summer left to use, not because every season has to be maximized, but because ordinary moments can become holy moments when we pay attention to Jesus in the middle of them.
Slow Down Long Enough to Notice What God Has Done
Before everyone rushes into the next season, take a little time to look backward. Ask what your family loved about this summer, what was hard, where you saw God provide, and what you are thankful for.
We move so quickly toward what is next that we often forget to thank God for what just happened.
Choose Presence Over One More Activity
Sometimes the best use of the end of summer is not doing more. It is simply being together.
Put the phones away. Sit outside. Take a walk. Get ice cream. Stay at the table ten minutes longer than usual. The activity is almost beside the point.
Your children may not remember everything you planned for them, but they will remember whether you seemed glad to be with them.
Give Your Family Something to Look Forward To
The beginning of school does not have to mean the end of fun. Plan something small: Friday-night pizza, a family movie, a Saturday hike, or a backyard fire when the evenings cool down.
Give your family something on the calendar that says, “Life together is still good.”
Start the School Year With Jesus at the Center
Instead of hoping Jesus finds His way into the cracks of a busy family calendar, ask: “What would it look like for our family to follow Jesus together this school year?”
Maybe you pray in the car before school, read Scripture at breakfast, eat together one night each week, or ask your kids at bedtime, “Where did you see God today?”
Small rhythms shape people.
You don’t need another vacation to make these final weeks meaningful. Remember what God has done. Be present with the people He has given you. Make room for joy. Establish rhythms that keep Jesus at the center when life speeds up again.
The final weeks of summer may look like dinner outside on a Tuesday night, ice cream after homework, or a prayer before the school bus arrives. Those ordinary moments are often where God does some of His best work.
Encouragement for Every Day.
Wherever you are in your day, we offer biblical teaching and practical encouragement to help you see your life in a whole new light through the grace of God.
Listen
Find biblical teaching and conversations that help you understand Scripture and experience more of God’s grace in everyday life.
Read
Begin your day with a word of blessing or explore articles designed to bring fresh Gospel perspective to the questions and challenges of everyday life.
Grow
Go deeper with Pastor Alan’s books and additional resources created to help you see your life in a whole new light through the freedom, joy, and transforming power of grace.
Watch. Follow. Share.
Watch Pastor Alan’s latest teaching on YouTube and stay connected throughout the week on Facebook and Instagram for encouragement, updates, and more.
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