Backstory
When I was 20 years old as a new believer, I was taught to have a "quiet time" with the Lord every morning. It is one of the greatest gifts God ever gave me. Since we are a product of our patterns, this is one of the most important patterns I can recommend.
Each day I endeavor to meet with the Lord before I begin the many activities of the day. Rare is the day that I am unable to do this. To make sure I have enough time in the morning, I go to bed by 10 PM each night. I enjoy this time so much that I can easily spend two hours when the day's schedule allows. On normal weekdays I average an hour. It has changed quite a bit over the decades, but here is what my current flow looks like.
Entering the Space
I go to my home office, close the door, and turn on my soft lighting (two Turkish lamps). Sometimes I light candles. I stand for the first 20 minutes or so, focused on spirit. I strap on my guitar, open the blinds, and look out toward the horizon. I am fortunate to have a long view across a canyon that cuts through our neighborhood.
Spirit Time
I start by playing simple chords that help center my thoughts. This is when I begin my dialogue with Jesus. I allow him to speak his love for me out loud through my lips — through the impressions he gives and the Scriptures he brings to mind. Galatians 2:20 and various verses from John 15:1–17 feature prominently in this time. I intersperse this with verbal worship and gratitude.
I then play and sing one or more songs from my current worship repertoire — Revelation Song (Kari Jobe), The Blessing (Chris Brown, Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe, Steven Furtick), Amazing Grace (John Newton), and Star of the Morning (Leon Patillo). I know Leon is old school — I rediscovered it last year while watching a family video from 1998 when our kids were little and I played it for them while they danced around our small French apartment.
After singing I move into intercession, which I do in one of two ways. Sometimes I play recorded prayers from my phone and pray along with them, covering certain people on a regular basis. Other times I slowly pick two alternating chords on the guitar (A/E or G/Cadd9) while praying for people the Lord brings to mind. Occasionally I will be prompted to text someone: "I am praying for you right now."
Mind Time
When I sense I have prayed enough, I put the guitar down and sit in my office recliner. This time is more mind than spirit. I will start by either reviewing a few of the God-thoughts I have captured in a journal over the years, or reading a page or two in a theological text. Currently I am alternating between Søren Kierkegaard's Works of Love and Ibn ʿUqbah's The Maghāzī of Sayyidunā Muhammad, one of the definitive biographies of Mohammed. I find the Mohammed biography to be devotional because it provides a startling contrast to the way of Jesus (click here for the backstory).
I then move to my time in the Word. For the last six years I have been immersed in the Scriptures in their original languages. I have developed my own methodology that has been a breakthrough for me — particularly after five failed attempts at New Testament Greek. I would love for you to join me. I have a generous offer to help you get started.
Because I began diagramming New Testament verses in Greek six years ago, I eventually stopped studying in English. My stack of 4×6 cards filled with verses has grown by a verse a day — I now have nearly 2,000 verses diagrammed, including a few dozen in Hebrew. Each day I take the card from the back of the pile, bring it to the front, review it, and pray through it. I then write out the next verse in the passage. Yesterday I went a bit further and diagrammed Galatians 3:1–5 in Greek. This stack of cards has become my version of the Bible.
Studying Scripture in the original languages makes me feel I have my finger on the pulse of God. Every day brings an aha moment — there is always something lost in translation. For example, today in Galatians 3:8 it struck me that God justifies (present tense) the nations/Gentiles (ethnē) through faith. It is something he does the moment someone believes, yet there is a sense in which he continues to justify us every day.
If I have time, I record a short video of my translation of a verse along with a prayer related to it. I post these on my TikTok channel and to my Facebook and Instagram stories. Feel free to follow or friend me to have access.
This daily practice orients my heart, soul, spirit, and mind to walk and talk with Jesus like he's here — because he is.
I'd love to hear how you spend your time with the Lord.
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