Joshua Rogers

Oct 7

Marriage was the one place I couldn’t hide

It was our second year of marriage and my wife wanted me to cook — or else — and she wanted me to do it with a good attitude. That’s asking a lot. I don’t like cooking as it is, and I sure don’t like cooking when I feel like I’m being forced to do it.

Raquel was pretty sick though, so I felt obligated to do it, rather than check out like I normally did when she was ill. That’s how I ended up standing over a pot of boiling water lowering raw chicken into it with a bad attitude. Read more

Sep 29

I tried to help two hostages escape terrorists — I was surprised to find that it helped

I stared at the TV and fought back tears while watching an interview with American missionaries Gracia and Martin Burnham, who were haggard, filthy and appeared to be disoriented. Read more

Sep 24

If you feel distracted in prayer, don’t worry—it’s a good thing

So many times the same frustrating thing happens when I try to pray. “Heavenly Father,“ I say, but almost immediately I get interrupted by my own thoughts. Read more

Sep 16

The most hurtful thing my wife ever said to me

Two years ago, my wife hurt me worse than she ever had before. Her big offense: She said something that wasn’t very nice. Read more

Sep 8

What happened the sixth time I went to the principal’s office

When I was in third grade, I had problems behaving. My heart was in the right place, but my good intentions didn’t make it to the surface a lot of the time. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to follow the rules. Read more

Sep 8

If you think God looks at you and sees ugliness, think again

One day when I was in my 20s, I was struggling with a lot of guilt and shame because I felt like the only thing God ever saw about me was my sin and brokenness. God must’ve told my mother.

I came into the dining room where my mom was and she said, “Joshua, look at that angel up there on the shelf,” and then she pointed to a ceramic angel behind me. Read more

Aug 25

Something to consider the next time you get annoyed with someone

I was standing across the counter from the lady at the hole-in-the-wall dry cleaners and I was getting irritated. She had lost my pants and I was sure of it, but I couldn’t find my ticket to prove it.

The woman kept insisting that I hadn’t dropped them off with my suit jacket. Read more

Aug 13

This lady had no idea she was about to be an answer to my desperate prayer

I was a poor law student living on $300 a month, and as soon as I saw the police cars down the road, I instinctively put my foot on the break. I couldn’t afford a ticket.

It was just a police checkpoint though. I slowed down, stopped beside the officer, and handed him my driver’s license. He furrowed his brow. Read more

Aug 4

This what God may be doing with your unanswered prayers

I wanted the job. I wanted it badly. And a few weeks after making it to the final round of interviews, I learned that I had just missed the cut.

I called my friend Shon to share the bad news.

“Is the door totally shut?” he asked. Read more

Jul 24

The most awful, humiliating, embarrassing thing that’s ever happened in my marriage (so far)

In my first year of marriage, my wife and I got into a disagreement while visiting a family member’s home. We went to the guest room to hash it out privately but we had no idea how badly we were about to embarrass ourselves.

While in the guest room, our tempers flared. Unfortunately, I became particularly disrespectful until suddenly, my wife’s face dropped and she said, “Oh my gosh – the baby monitor is right next to you.” Read more