My favorite song is “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” I grew up in a small church in Arizona where my dad preached and led the singing while my mom played the piano, so this particular hymn has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.

Fast forward from those early days in the desert.

Our family moved to Colorado Springs in the summer of 2009 and quickly connected with a soul care ministry called “The Potter’s Inn.” Located about 45 minutes to the west of the Springs, The Potter’s Inn provided a space for much needed retreat for those on the frontlines of ministry. I came to love going up to the retreat center and walking the prayer trail, which is also where I realized just how much the lyrics of “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” had been forming and speaking into the depths of my soul all these years. It was on the prayer trail in the mountains outside of Divide, Colorado, that I opened my mouth and allowed the lyrics and melody of this song to bear witness to what felt most true in my soul.

“Great is Thy faithfulness, Oh God, my Father. There is no shadow of turning with Thee. Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not. As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be. Great is Thy faithfulness. Great is Thy faithfulness. Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed Thy hands have provided. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.”

Whether sitting at a piano and leading worship in a church, or walking a mountain road in Nepal, or standing in a prayer labyrinth in Malibu, or waking up in a tent in Zimbabwe, or standing on the roof of a compound in Haiti, or overlooking the city of Antigua in Guatelala, I’ve continued singing these lyrics in countless spaces and places all around the world. And when my time on earth comes to an end, I hope these words will once again be lifted up in remembrance of a life fully surrendered to God.

The passage of scripture most closely connected to the words of my soul’s song is Lamentations 3:23-24.

“The steadfast love of the Lord NEVER ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new EVERY morning; great is your faithfulness.” (NRSV)

The context of this hopeful refrain is a lament by the ““weeping prophet,” Jeremiah, who feels alone in his calling and regularly struggles to see how his ministry makes a difference. Jeremiah regularly spoke out against the people of Judah for their penchant toward wickedness and a general failure to trust Yahweh’s commitment toward them. It’s easy to imagine how isolated and defeated he must have felt as he spoke up against corruption and pleaded with his people to return to their covenantal relationship.

One of the highlights of my sabbatical was hiking at the break of dawn in the mountains of Colorado and enjoying hours and hours of conversation with Jesus along the paths. Whether talking out loud or silently contemplating the love of God, it felt as if God’s goodness and faithfulness were lifting me to higher heights than I could’ve ever imagined. Heaven felt close and my troubles seemed like little ant hills.

There were numerous moments in which I sensed God’s still, small voice - not audible words, but the sense of a loving and clear response followed by an increase of peace, hope, and joy. Those conversations were captured in many pictures and journal pages. I want to remember the things God showed me, but I can’t rely on those moments to sustain me forever.

Healthy relationships are dependent upon ongoing, effective communication.

My son and daughter-in-law have recently experienced the reality of military life in which families are separated by thousands of miles for months on end. Thankfully, they were able to make good use of technology, thereby allowing them the ability to communicate nearly every day of his nine-month deployment. My son was able to see and hear his girls, they were able to talk to their daddy and hear his voice, and their mom was able to be reassured of his love and care, and (God-willing) his eventual return.

Thankfully, he did return home. Oh, the joy of this young family’s long-awaited reunion. Now they can finally be together and communicate in person - flesh and blood, no screens!

Whether we’re engaging in a face-to-face conversation in the same room, or we’re regularly communicating through other means, we are experiencing one of the hallmarks of God’s incredible design. We were created for relationship by a relational God, and our relationships are strengthened when we are truly seen, heard, understood, accepted and loved.

This is certainly true when we think about our relationship with God. Being with Jesus involves ongoing, effective communication. In their book, Joyful Journey: Listening to Immanuel, Jim Wilder and co-authors propose a method for strengthening our communication with Jesus called Interactive Gratitude. Their premise is that we miss God’s presence and fail to experience God’s shalom because we don’t recognize the ways in which God is regularly communicating with us. “Shalom is a state of harmony where everything works together, makes sense and is good. Shalom is the ‘peace of Christ.’” (p.3)

Thanks to incredible advancements in brain science we now know that “neural pathways in our brains have relational circuits that may be open, alert or impaired.” Our brains are designed to thrive in a relational state in which we are “receptive to interaction with God and people.” (p.2)

“The structure in the brain called the cingulate cortex makes it possible for meaningful communication to occur between two different minds by establishing a mutual-mind state. When establishing a mutual-mind state, we learn to think and feel the way people we love think and feel… As we have been raised with Jesus and set our minds on things above, our thoughts will naturally rhyme with God’s thoughts through our growing intimacy with him.” (pp.3-4)

In other words, learning to think God’s thoughts will help us remain in ongoing, effective communication, resulting in peace and growing intimacy.

Standing at the top of Andrews Glacier in Rocky Mountain National Park is both exhilarating and daunting. My day turned into a much longer adventure when I decided to hike over to this glacier instead of returning on the same trail I originally ascended hours earlier. Thankful for cell service, I took a picture from the top and sent it to Rebekah. “Just want you to know I’m attempting to descend Andrews Glacier. So you know where I am.”

Rebekah later told me she could tell I was nervous just from my message. She was right.

It’s an incredible gift to know that someone cares whenever we’re facing hard or scary things. Healthy relationships, in fact, are built on our shared human desire to know and be known by someone. In fact, it’s said that we’re looking for someone looking for us.

Even though I was hiking alone, I was glad to know that Rebekah cared about where I was and what I was facing. She wasn’t too sure about my sanity, but she cared, nonetheless. If I didn’t come home that night, Rebekah would be looking for me.

Reflecting on that final day of my Sabbatical, I remember a pervasive feeling of being “hemmed in” and surrounded by God’s love. I wasn’t alone at all - my friend, Jesus, was hiking with me. There was a deep delight and joy in sensing that I was known and cared for by the God who knit me together in my mother’s womb.

You might recall a time when you felt the loving presence of God so real and tangible that you could practically touch it, taste it, and take it in. Do you remember how comforting and freeing it was to know that the God of the Universe truly cares for you?

You also might know what it’s like to move directly from those consolations to feelings of hopelessness, abandonment, disillusionment, desolation and discouragement. How quickly we forget what we just experienced as good and beautiful and true. The struggles and questions of our real world experience leave us feeling as if we have been forgotten. And in our despair we cry out to Jesus, “Do you care?”

I know quite a few married couples who have not only survived but thrived in their relationships with the frequent use of a “Honey-Do” list. I’m always impressed to hear how they negotiate the countless things that need to be done in and around the house by simply writing them out and getting to work.

“Honey-Do” lists don’t really work in our home. I think I have a lifelong aversion to chore lists. Thankfully, Rebekah and I have managed to work through my issues and have found other ways to share what needs to be done.

It’s not a question of our desire to serve one another. There’s nothing better than Rebekah coming home after several days out of town and learning that I watered her flowers while she was gone. She could’ve asked, and I probably would’ve complied, but it’s so much sweeter when we recognize and participate in little acts of service with great love…without being asked or told.

Because we are relational beings, created in the image of a relationally constituted God, we are always engaged in the process of navigating and negotiating the conditions of what we consider healthy relationships. We instinctively know what loving relationships entail - care, communication, commitment, cooperation and companionship. Equally true, we all have more than our fair share of unhealthy relationships to, hopefully, learn from. In the process of healing and growth we discover the kind of people we want to be and the kind of people we want to be with. Our “doing for” comes freely and naturally when we finally know who we are and who we’re with.

The same is true in our relationships with God. There’s a big difference between doing a lot of good work for God and learning how to consistently “be with” God and live out of the overflow. It’s a different posture, to be sure. One I’m not sure we’re comfortable naming, let alone practicing.

Have you heard the good news? The King of Glory is coming!

Who is this King?

He’s the LORD, strong and mighty. He’s the God of Angel Armies. He’s the Creator of the earth and sky and all that exists - everything, everwhere - world without end.

“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all its peoples belong to him.” (Psalm 24:1 NLT)

He’s the Faithful One who called Abraham and Sarah and promised more descendants than could ever be counted.. He came through on his promise and a nation was born through “King-Glory’s” covenant. He’s the Redeemer and Rescuer who delivered the Israelites from the Pharoah and brought them out of Egypt. He’s the Great I Am who came near to Moses and revealed himself as “Yahweh! The LORD! The God of compassion and mercy…slow to anger, filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.” (Ex. 34:6)

He’s Immanuel (God With Us) who enters our darkness with love’s piercing light. ‘He lavishes unfailing love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion and sin.’ (Psalm 34:7a)

Our coming King is holy and just - without sin. Who can stand in his presence? Yet he took on flesh and became a “friend of sinners,” showing us that union with Love’s Family is possible, not by our doing but by God’s amazing grace.

Wake up, you sleepyheard city!
Wake up, you sleepyhead people!
King-Glory is ready to enter. (Psalm 24:7 The Message)

I’ve been waiting for this day! Psalm 23 has been a sure guide for my soul over the years. When I started my Advent journey of meditating (and writing) on a Psalm a day, I mentally circled this day on the calendar.

Dallas Willard’s book, “Life Without Lack,” will be the text book for my time with God today. As I type out his words, unpacking the phrases of the 23rd psalm, I pray the Holy Spirit will do a restoring work in me.

My heart is overflowing with joy as I dwell in the presence of Jesus, my good Shepherd. As I anticipate Christmas day,  I want all the parts that make me who I am to be brought closer still. I’m making my way to the Holy Child in Bethlehem. Along with the Shepherds, I rejoice at the proclamation of Christ’s birth. I must go see for myself.

(The following is from Life Without Lack by Dallas Willard,, pp.xviii-xix)

The Lord is my shepherd.
In other words, I’m in the care of someone else. I’m not the one in charge. I’ve taken my kingdom and surrendered it to the kingdom of God. I am living the with-God life. The Lord is my shepherd. And what follows from that?

I shall not want.
That’s the natural result. I shall not lack anything. That’s what Jesus teaches: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” and everything else will be added (Matt.6:33).

He makes me to lie down in green pastures.
What kind of a sheep lies down in a green pasture? A sheep that has eaten its fill. If a sheep is in a green pasture and she’s not full, she’ll be eating, not lying down.

He leads me beside the still waters.
A sheep that is being led beside still water is a sheep that is not thirsty…

He restores my soul.
The broken depths of my soul are healed and reintegrated in a life in union with God: the eternal kind of life.