Most people do not wake up one morning and decide to ruin their own life. It almost never happens that way. What usually happens is quieter than that. They get tired. They get disappointed. They get distracted. They tell themselves they will get serious later. They make a little room
Before the sun came up over El Paso, while a woman on the east side of the city stood in a hospital bathroom trying not to cry where anyone could hear her, Jesus was alone in quiet prayer above the city on Scenic Drive. He had come there before first
Before the sun came up over Fort Collins, while porch lights still held their place against the dark and the town had not yet fully decided to wake, Jesus was kneeling in the quiet on the Oval at Colorado State University. The air carried that thin morning cold that slips
A lot of people do not struggle to believe that Jesus loves people. They struggle to believe that He loves them without first requiring a cleaner record, a stronger spiritual life, a better week, a more disciplined mind, or some kind of visible proof that they are finally becoming the
Before the light came up over Hermann Park, before the city settled into its usual roar, Jesus was already there in quiet prayer. The grass still held the night’s dampness. The trees stood dark against a sky that had not yet decided what kind of morning it would become.
Before the first full wash of light touched the limestone walls of Mission Concepción, Jesus was already awake and alone. The city had not fully opened its eyes yet. The traffic on Roosevelt Avenue was still thin. A delivery truck moved in the distance. Somewhere behind a fence a dog
There is a quiet way many believers lose a day before it even begins. It does not happen with some dramatic rejection of God. It does not happen because they stop believing in Jesus. It happens in a much smaller place, which is probably why it is so dangerous. It
Before the sun came up over Austin, while the skyline still looked half-asleep and the water by Auditorium Shores held the last of the night in it, Jesus knelt in the dim blue quiet and prayed. The grass was still damp. A breeze moved across Lady Bird Lake and pressed
Before daylight had fully opened over Fort Worth, Jesus was already awake. He stood near the Quiet Pool at the Fort Worth Water Gardens while the city still held that thin hour when even traffic sounded tired. The rush of water moved against the concrete with a steady sound that
Before the city found its voice, before the traffic thickened and the towers began reflecting a hard clean light back into the morning, Jesus was alone in quiet prayer near White Rock Lake. The sky was still dark enough to hold the last of the night, and the water moved
Before the first light had fully opened over Oklahoma City, Jesus was on His knees in the quiet stillness near Scissortail Park, with the skyline standing dark and patient behind Him and the city not yet loud enough to hide what it carried. He prayed without hurry. He prayed like
There is a strange kind of sadness that can settle over a person on a quiet day. Nothing terrible has happened. The world has not ended. The bills may still be there, the grief may still be there, the stress may still be there, but on the surface everything looks