So I’m here with my fam at Saint Meinrad Archabbey this morning. We were loving our time here so much, we decided to stay an extra nite. Ana, not known for her spontaneity, checked her work calendar and said, “We can stay!” This place does funny things to a person.

It’s amazing being at a place that is so bathed in prayer. You feel it. I mean you can actually feel a palpable difference in peace, tranquility, quiet, and clarity. Something actually happens with your neurons, but that’s for a different day.

Lately. God has shown me so affirmitively that He is at work where I don’t always look or expect, and sometimes He is silent where I am looking. And in my looking, many times it is more my effort and conjuring in trying to get Him to do something than mere “looking.”. On my worst day, I treat God like what my daughters called me yesterday–a “trained monkey.” “Entertain us, trained monkey!” Zayra uttered from the backseat.

This is one of the many things I receive from coming to this wonderfulhaven of worship. I am set back in my proper place before my Creator who I can never control, but only surrender to. Two nites ago, I walked out to the car to get a bag and looked up. The stars. Beautiful. Awestruck was I. And for some reason I began thinking of the sun setting and rising. I began to contemplate the rhythmic rotation of earth. The greatness of it. I can’t really explain it, but it has given me a trembling awe before YHWH. More respect. More love. More surrender.

He is ineffable, incomprehensible. And yet He has reached out to us, revealed Himself in different ways–nature, Scripture, and ultimately in Jesus of Nazareth. He is too much. Of course, He is God. Here at Meinrad, you are in constant remindation of the greatness of our loving Creator and Sustainer. I can do no justice with words describing the rich times in nature we’ve had with Gaby & Zayra here.

Walking hand in hand with them noticing every beautiful thing God made–flowers, trees, water, turtles, fish, Chloe the monastery cat, the clouds, sky…

Just noticing and paying attention and giving thanks. I’m overwhelmed by the blessings of YHWH. And the, as if that’s not enough, every twenty feet or so Zayra would just burst out, “I love my daddy so much!” Taking time to notice, you never exhaust the list of gifts He has bestowed upon us every single day. My agendas go out the window as forgotten ridiculosity. So much that does not even enter my mind as there is a focus here of all that is actually important.

So thinking of foundational keystone habits that simply place us before God in love and gratitude and surrender. And allow Him to work as He will and maybe it will even be through us. I am so nothing without Jesus. I am understanding this just a bit more deeply. That it really is all Him. Yet at the same time, He is crazy about me because of all He has done for me. You and I are of infinite worth.

So we’ll take April to look at foundational keystone habits that have been game-changers for me, and that I believe will be for anyone who truly from the heart practices them. Because of their opening of your heart to be filled with God’s love.

• The Examen
• Lectio Divina
• Spiritual Partnership
• Memorization
• Practicing the Presence of God
• And much much more! (I don’t know if there’s any more, I just thought it’d be fun to say that)

I know this is a jumbled mess today, but it goes along with the fact that I am a jumbled mess today. A wonderful jumbled mess before the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who was, and is, and is to come.

In the Name of Jesus,
Soli Deo Gloria