letter from the editor: HELLO, autumn! 🍂

some encouragement, go-to titles, a delicious recipe, & more!

Letter from the Editor Hey, friends!   And, HELLO, autumn! (In my mind, there’s a confetti cannon going off behind this sentence.) Fall is, in my opinion, when God shows off with the prettiest trees, the loveliest weather, and the tastiest food. So, I’m ready for all the coziness of the season!   In Cozy Faith (a wonderful FaithGateway exclusive devotional), we read —   What better time of year than fall, as the year prepares to wind down and we start to think of pumpkin bread and spiced lattes, to cozy more into our relationship with our Savior, thanking and honoring Him for His sacrifice, love, and intimate care of us?   It may seem unusual to say that we can get cozy with Jesus, but we truly can. Even—especially—when life feels incredibly hard, stressful, discouraging, or heartbreaking, the Lord is with us. He loves us and wraps us in His care and protection. He longs for that sweet kind of relationship with us which requires intention on our part.   When I was growing up in the Lord, I learned to follow Christian methods and demands—be a leader, obey, and serve at every opportunity, but all of that didn’t automatically produce a deeper relationship with Jesus. It just made me anxious not to disappoint other Christians. Internally, I ascribed those expectations to God as if it’s what He wanted from me while I imagined that He stood far off waiting to judge me at the first letdown. It took years to discover that Jesus isn’t like that. We don’t need to achieve the impossibly high bar of perfect behavior or cross off a Christian checklist to be loved and cherished by Him. What we need is a near-and-dear relationship with Him.   One of the ways we can lean into that is to learn to choose determined faith in God no matter we’re facing… which is what we’re going to be doing in our next community Online Bible Study. Get ready for Unbreakable Courage, by Max Lucado starting October 5th! We’ll be diving into the story of Elijah who just might be the perfect hero for our times. Steeped in a culture that was turning away from God, overwhelmed and deeply lonely, battling anxiety and discouragement, Elijah’s story feels remarkably familiar. Despite impossible opposition, he chose to trust God when the road ahead looked completely uncertain. Elijah chose faith in God anyway. Join us for this OBS!   Hey, did you know that there’s a brand-new book by Lysa TerKeurst — Making Peace with What I Can’t Control? This is the book everyone will be talking about this fall! Lysa speaks right to the exhaustion of trying to fix people, trying to prevent the worst from happening, and allowing the decisions of others to rob our peace. Trust me—you want this one!   Here are some more great books for this month: Jesus Calling Harvest of Blessings by Sarah Young Devotions for the Fall 5 Minute Gratitude Journal My First Gratitude Journal (for kids) Let’s dive into the season and cozy up with Jesus!   Grace and peace, Laurie McClure, Editor   P.S. – Don't miss our Labor Day Sale! Get FREE SHIPPING on orders over $20 with code LD20.   P.P.S. – It’s still hot out here, but I’m all about the fall recipes this month. Here’s the recipe for Harvest Salad from The Living Table by Abby Turner. HARVEST SALAD Prep: 10 min. | Cook: 20 min. | Ready In: 30 min. | Serves: 10–12   Ingredients 1 14-ounce bag kale Handful of candied pecans Handful of dried cranberries Handful of pumpkin seeds 1–2 Honeycrisp apples, thinly sliced 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese   Apple Cider Vinaigrette: 1/3 cup olive oil 1 shallot, diced 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon fig preserves (the more the better) 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves Kosher salt and pepper Red pepper flakes (optional)   Instructions In a large salad bowl, combine the kale, pecans, and cranberries. To make the vinaigrette: Heat the 1/3 cup olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a medium skillet over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the shallots. Cook until fragrant, 2–3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Add the apple cider vinegar, fig preserves, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, and you can add red pepper flakes for a nice kick. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad, tossing to combine. The longer the dressing is on the salad, the more the kale will wilt and become softer and sweeter to eat! Top the salad with pumpkin seeds, sliced apples, and feta. Eat and enjoy! NOTE: If you love pears, you can slice pears very thinly and add them to the dressing as you are making it on the stove. This will marinate your pears and make them really soft! It will also give another texture to your salad—and I’m all about textures in salads!   Enjoy! VIEW THIS EMAIL IN YOUR BROWSER  ►   Copyright © 2026 HarperCollins Christian Publishing,  All Rights Reserved. 501 Nelson Place, Nashville, TN  37214  USA Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy Manage your eMail preferences or unsubscribe  Offer valid until September 8, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CST or while supplies last. Offer valid online and by phone only. Get FREE shipping on orders of $20 or more, after promotions and discounts and before shipping and handling costs are applied. 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