Hi, and welcome to the Five Word Prayers Daily, a five day a week daily devotional where we share the word, prayers, in our heart.

I'm Lisa Whittle, and I welcome you to just five minutes with me, which I trust and pray will be five minutes well spent.

Our guest today on the Five Word Prayers Daily, Jennifer Dukesley.

As with a lot of our guests on here, Jennifer and I go way back.

We actually met as roommates

for the first time at a beautiful place called Laity Lodge. How's that for breaking a friendship in?

Yeah, be roommates. Jennifer is such a fantastic woman, a really talented writer, and she has a

cool new job on the other side of the desk now as an acquisitions editor for the fabulous Bethany

House Publishers. She's the wife of a farmer in the very chilly Iowa this time of year,

a mom of two amazing daughters, and the author of books like Love Idol, The Happiness Dare,

and her latest. It's all under control. Control is one of those things we realize at some point

we all have to die to

as a parent. So I'm looking forward to hearing Jennifer talk about it and give us some insight

into how to manage it in our lives. Welcome, my friend, to the Five Word Prayers Daily.

So I was sitting at the back of our country church near the computer where you'll find me many Sunday mornings.

I pick songs for worship and then I project the lyrics on big screens at the front of the church.

Yep, it's true. I am the church DJ.

Anyway, that morning, DJ Jenny Lee needed more than a few good songs to play. I actually needed prayer.

I needed prayer from my church family because I was scheduled for an MRI the following Wednesday.

But when the pastor asked for prayer requests, I fidgeted at the back of the church. I stayed quiet as a church mouse.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see my husband looking over his shoulder at me as if to say,

if you don't ask for prayer, I'm going to.

...