Heather Thompson Day

Sep 1

7 min read ⭑

“Reading cultivates curiosity. It keeps me humble, reminding me there is always more to learn, always another story worth listening to. And that practice of listening is one of the most spiritual disciplines we can carry into every part of life.”

At heart, Heather Thompson Day is a teacher and communicator. After 15 years of teaching college and graduate students, she founded It Is Day Ministries, a nonprofit that trains people how to share the gospel in truth and love through a method she calls “Cross Communication.” As a writer, she also has contributed to prominent publications — like Religion News Service, Christianity Today, Newsweek and the Barna Group — and written several books, including her latest, What if I’m Wrong?

Join us now for an enlightening conversation with Heather about how running helps her hear God’s voice, why she reads 30 books a year and the simple practice that reminds her of God’s faithfulness.

QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT

Food is always about more than food; it’s also about home and people and love. So how does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind your web bio?

I grew up in a small town right next to the lake in St. Joseph, Michigan. Your nights were filled with bonfires, and your days were spent on the water. For me, nothing says home like Silver Beach Pizza. It’s an independently owned spot and tucked inside an old train depot, so as you eat, you can feel the rumble of the tracks. It’s a must-stop spot if you are ever in the area, and the pizza is incredible.

When I go back home with the kids, we sit by the windows and eat a pizza overlooking the same views I looked at as a teenager. They leave the windows open on the patio, and it feels like your life is a vacation.

Lake Michigan is super nostalgic for me. No matter how far I travel or what’s written on my bio, I’ll always be that small-town girl shaped by lake sunsets, train whistles and tables full of people I love.

QUESTION #2: REVEAL

What “nonspiritual” activity have you found to be quite spiritual, after all? What quirky proclivity, out-of-the-way interest or unexpected pursuit refreshes your soul?

I started running track in eighth grade. Running has become one of the most unexpectedly spiritual parts of my life. At first, it was just about scholarships or trophies or medals. But I do more mid-distance now as sprinting has become impossible with age. Pushing myself through the miles, feeling the tension of it all in my body became a metaphor for my life. Somewhere along the way, running turned into prayer.

It’s where I clear my head and let God speak. My body feels both strong and fragile, but my heart feels weightless. Running taught me that worship doesn’t have to look like singing in church. Sometimes it’s the steady beat of your heart and the miracle of being carried forward, step by step, on a journey you swore you wouldn’t finish.

QUESTION #3: CONFESS

Every superhero has a weakness; every human, too. We’re just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re all broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite, and how do you confront its power?

My kryptonite is releasing control. I like knowing what’s coming, planning for every possible outcome and holding the reins tight. On the surface, it looks like responsibility or leadership. But underneath, it’s fear. Fear that if I don’t always do my absolute best in every area of my life, everything will fall apart.

I can trace it back to childhood. Perfectionism helped me feel like I was in control. When life sometimes felt unpredictable, the only way I knew to protect myself was to stay one step ahead. That habit followed me into adulthood, and while it’s helped me accomplish a lot, it’s also made being still and waiting on God feel like a wrestle.

The way I confront it is by practicing surrender. This is a daily struggle in my life, which is why I go on so many runs. Leaving my year goals unplanned so that I am not telling God what the plan is, but rather receiving his plan for me and recognizing that uncertainty is actually an opportunity to keep trusting. Every time I loosen my grip, I’m reminded that freedom isn’t found in controlling everything, but in knowing I don’t have to.

QUESTION #4: FIRE UP

Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your current obsession? And why should it be ours?

Right now, my obsession is reading. I average about 30 books a year, and as someone who taught for 15 years, being a student is how I feel like I have anything worth teaching. Books have a way of slowing me down and pulling me into lives, perspectives and questions I never would have encountered otherwise.

Reading cultivates curiosity. It keeps me humble, reminding me there is always more to learn, always another story worth listening to. And that practice of listening is one of the most spiritual disciplines we can carry into every part of life.

QUESTION #5: BOOST

Whether we’re cashiers or CEOs, contractors or customer service reps, we all need God’s love flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it’s God when it happens?

For me, the Holy Spirit most often shows up in my writing. I’ll sit at my desk with nothing but a blinking cursor and a deadline looming, convinced I have nothing left to say. And then, almost like a whisper, an idea will surface. It will be a phrase, a story or a Scripture that feels too alive to have come from me. I know it’s God when the words carry weight beyond my own imagination. Sometimes it’s in the way a story suddenly connects two truths I’d never thought to link.

Writing is the one thing I would still do for free or for one person. It connects me to myself.

QUESTION #6: inspire

Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied habits that open our hearts to the presence of God. So let us in. Which spiritual practice is working best for you in this season?

In this season, the practice that’s been most life-giving for me is writing down my prayers. I keep a basket of small stones by my fireplace, and whenever I begin praying for something that feels big, I’ll write the request and the date on one side of the stone. When I see God answer, I write the date when he did it on the other side. Over time, the basket has filled with these little memorials — tangible reminders of God’s faithfulness.

QUESTION #7: FOCUS

Looking backward, considering the full sweep of your unique faith journey and all you encountered along the way, what top three resources stand out to you? What changed reality and changed your heart?

1. Scripture. Daily time in the Bible has been my constant. Even in seasons when the words felt confusing or distant, Scripture kept pulling me back to God’s character and his promises. It’s the one place I return again and again to reorient my heart. I read the Bible cover to cover every year. I am on my 16th time through.

2. “Tell Her Story” by Nijay Gupta. This book opened my eyes in fresh ways to the role of women in Scripture and in the early church. Reading it shifted how I understood my own place in God’s story and gave me courage.

3. “Words Can Change Your Brain” by Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman. As a communicator and professor, this book reshaped how I think about language and its power to heal or harm. It made me see communication not just as a skill but as a deeply spiritual practice.

QUESTION #8: dream

God’s continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?

I’ve recently published two books, one of which is “What if I’m Wrong?” It’s about believing in the vision God gives you with all your heart, and the tension that arises when your circumstances don’t reflect what you’ve heard.

The second is a children’s book, called “Can I Sit Here?,” that I wrote with my daughter about navigating bullying. These are the projects I am headfirst in right now, and it gives me life to share them with people.

On their way into the Promised Land, the Israelites encountered a big problem: the Jordan River (see Josh. 3). It was too deep and too wide for the entire community to cross.

Then God did something amazing. As soon as the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant stepped foot into the water, the river stopped flowing upstream, allowing all the people to cross safely.

It was a miracle. One that God didn’t want Joshua, the Israelites or any of their descendants to forget. So he commanded them to set up 12 memorial stones — one for each tribe — by the Jordan River as a reminder of how God came through. A reminder of his everlasting faithfulness.

We may not have 12 stones on hand to erect in our front yards, but we can still create reminders of how God has moved in our lives in the past. Maybe it involves actual rocks, like Heather with her basket of stones featuring prayer requests and dates when God answered. Or maybe it’s simply journaling or framing a special photo. Whatever it is, may it always remind you that God is for you — so who can be against you?

Dr. Heather Thompson Day is an interdenominational speaker and ECPA bestseller and has written for Religion News Service, Christianity Today, Newsweek and the Barna Group. Her new podcast, What If I’m Wrong?, debuted in the top 200 of all Christian podcasts. After nearly 15 years of teaching graduates and undergraduates, she is now the founder of It Is Day Ministries, a nonprofit organization that trains churches, leaders and laypeople in gospel-centered communication. She’s also the author of nine books, including It’s Not Your Turn, I’ll See You Tomorrow, Can I Sit Here? and What If I’m Wrong?