🌅 How to Love Your Morning | A Conversation with Jennifer Dukes Lee

In this inspiring episode, Michele welcomes back bestselling author and Bible teacher Jennifer Dukes Lee to talk about her newest book and companion Bible study, How to Love Your Morning and How to Love Your Morning Bible Study. Together, they explore how mornings are more than just a time of day — they are sacred thresholds where hope, mercy, and purpose begin again.

Jennifer shares how the idea for the book was sparked by her daughter during a family vacation, leading her into a year-long deep dive into the 200+ mornings mentioned throughout Scripture. From Genesis to Resurrection morning, she discovered that God has a special affection for mornings — moments of obedience, renewal, courage, and fresh mercy. Whether you're an early riser or someone who dreads the alarm, Jennifer reminds us: you are a morning person because you are made in the image of a morning-loving God.

📖 What You'll Learn in This Episode

• Why mornings are woven throughout the entire biblical narrative

• The significance of Resurrection morning

• The powerful truth of Lamentations 3:22–23 — “His mercies are new every morning”

• How to create a personalized morning rhythm that works for your season of life

• Why you don’t need an Instagram-perfect routine to start your day with God

• How doubt and faith questions can actually deepen your spiritual journey

Jennifer also vulnerably shares about seasons of deep doubt in her early faith and how those struggles now allow her to be a safe place for others wrestling with belief.

🌿 About the Book & Bible Study

How to Love Your MorningRelease Date: April 7, 2026

This book and companion Bible study explore biblical mornings and provide practical tools for designing a life-giving morning routine tailored to your unique season — whether you’re a working professional, stay-at-home mom, retiree, widow, or college student.

Inside you’ll find:

• Deep dives into biblical “morning” moments

• Reflections on hope after hard seasons

• Practical guidance for creating sustainable morning rhythms

• Encouragement for women facing grief, busyness, burnout, or transition

🔗 Connect with Jennifer Dukes Lee

🌐 Website: https://jenniferdukeslee.com📖 Pre-orders & Resources: https://jenniferdukeslee.com📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferdukeslee📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferdukeslee🎙️ Podcast: The Jennifer Dukes Lee Show

💬 Join the Conversation

What does your morning currently look like?If God’s mercies are truly new every morning, how might that change the way you start tomorrow?

If this episode encouraged you, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with someone who could use a fresh start. 🌅

🎙️ Why Not You? | A Conversation with Ed Newton

In this powerful episode, Michele sits down with Pastor Ed Newton to unpack the heart behind his book Why Not You? and the journey that shaped it. Raised by two deaf parents — with his mother also living with cerebral palsy — Ed shares how growing up as the primary communicator in his family formed his faith, resilience, and calling. From interpreting for his parents as a child to becoming a pastor and author, Ed reveals how what once felt like limitation became divine preparation.

Together, Michele and Ed explore the tension between “Why me?” and “Why not you?” — addressing insecurity, self-doubt, and the negative self-talk so many believers wrestle with. Ed walks through the four circles that help uncover purpose: personality, passion, pain, and people. With honesty and humor, he reminds us that God repurposes pain, calls us up (not out), and believes in us more than we believe in ourselves.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Your pain may be preparation for your purpose.

• God confidence is different from self-confidence.

• Mistakes do not disqualify you — ask Moses.

• The voices around you often confirm what God has already placed within you.

• “Two great days in a person’s life: the day they are born and the day they realize why.”

📖 About the Book

Why Not You? challenges readers who struggle with insecurity, comparison, or feeling “not enough.” Through biblical insight, personal storytelling, and practical application, Ed invites readers to step into their God-given purpose with bold faith.

📍 Guest Information

Ed NewtonSenior Pastor, Community Bible Church (San Antonio, TX)Author & Speaker

🌐 Website: https://ednewton.com🌐 Church: https://communitybible.com📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ednewton📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ednewton

🎧 Connect with Michele

If this episode encouraged you, be sure to like, subscribe, and share. Drop a comment below:What would change in your life if you truly believed God believes in you?

#WhyNotYou #FaithJourney #ChristianPodcast #Purpose #EdNewton #MicheleVrabel

Show Notes: "Enchanted Crossroads: From Desert Dreams to Faith-Fueled Fantasy with Wilson Hickman"

Join Michele as she chats with Arizona-born filmmaker Wilson Hickman, whose Christian upbringing blossomed into personal faith at 15 via a conscience-awakening Ten Commandments gospel presentation—shifting from "earning heaven" to full trust in Christ's sacrifice. Homeschooled and immersed in physical books (Narnia his fave), Wilson started crafting makeshift stories young, evolving to 200-page novels, then screenplays blending sci-fi/fantasy with good-vs-evil themes. Wrestling theology degree vs. film school, he felt God calling him to glorify Him in entertainment's cultural sway—ditching desert-set sci-fi post-college for Kentucky's lush greens, inspiring character-driven fantasy like The Lost Healer series (Narnia meets *The Chosen*'s depth). Michele shares her daughter's ASU screenwriting path (potential London Prime Video gig) and pastry chef background, tying into Wilson's creative pivot.

Wilson unpacks The Lost Healer's plot: a princess fleeing her father's murder and kingdom's invasion, seeking a forbidden relic to save her people—shot as a low-budget proof-of-concept episode at Kentucky's Red River Gorge (Eden-like vibes), with original score, now festival-circuiting (Best TV Series win at International Christian Film Fest 2025). They geek on Christian filmmaking's shift (more heroic male roles amid emasculation trends, Westerns rising), faith integration without preachiness, and Wilson's nugget: Surrender life to God daily—not a one-time theological box-check, but conscious kill-the-natural-self commitment (per C.S. Lewis/Proverbs) to avoid entitlement/bitterness. Ideal for creatives blending art and faith—Michele eyes angel-investing his crowdfunding, praising his "current of God's will" trajectory.

Chapters

00:00 - Intro: Organic Chat & Guest Journey Tease

02:06 - Arizona Roots, Christian Home & Faith Awakening

04:02 - Early Writing: Makeshift Books to Novels

05:56 - Fantasy Love: Narnia Influence & Film vs. Theology

07:05 - Kentucky Move, Script Birth & Proof-of-Concept

11:52 - Gospel Tools: Ten Commandments Breakdown

14:38 - Christian Films: Subtle Faith & Heroic Males

18:46 - Series Plot: Princess Quest & Relic Hunt

20:10 - Filming Magic: Red River Gorge & Crew Miracles

27:24 - Michele's Books, Giveaways & Faith Parallels

33:20 - Episode Wins: Festivals & Composer Score

38:28 - Location Serendipity & Narnia Vibes

40:08 - Crowdfunding Hopes & God's Doors

41:18 - Daughter's Watch Plans & Investor Offer

44:02 - Trends: Masculine Westerns in Faith Films

46:00 - Nugget: Daily Surrender to God

48:26 - Wrap-Up: Prayers & Excitement

Keywords

Wilson Hickman, The Lost Healer series, Christian fantasy filmmaking, Narnia inspiration, proof-of-concept episode, faith integration, Ten Commandments gospel, Kentucky production, Red River Gorge, daily surrender nugget, heroic male roles

Guest Contact

Website (Series): thelosthealer.com](https://thelosthealer.com

Instagram: [@thelosthealerseries](https://www.instagram.com/thelosthealerseries/)

Facebook: [@thelosthealerseries](https://www.facebook.com/thelosthealerseries/)