the garden gate, vol. 3 🌿
a note from the gardener
This morning I’m remembering what Shauna Niequist calls the oil and vinegar prayer. Like the rhythm of the Psalms, you start with the vinegar—the ache, the things weighing down your soul, the raw and ugly. Only after that comes the oil. This is the grace of God. We can worship and give thanks and remember God’s promises and His goodness.
There’s been a lot of vinegar these last few days. As I moved my body and tried to pray, I mostly just complained and begged for mercy, feeling a knot of dread and fear in my stomach. But He is here—of course He is.
And as I wrote this email, the oil came.
Oil is smooth and gentle, soothing and filling cracks. Making things whole. This is what His grace does.
He doesn’t delight in my pain—but He draws so close in it. My needs are great, but His might is greater. My brokenness is deep, His grace is deeper still.
This morning I breathe in.
I breathe out.
I say, "Thank you, Yahweh."
to know Him and to be loved by Him
We were made for the with-God life — to live, walk, and work with Him in the everyday. Not from a distance, but side by side, moment by moment. These two prayers rise from a longing for that kind of life: that the children in our care (and we ourselves) would not just know about God, but truly know Him — and be deeply rooted in His love. Because to know Him intimately is to experience His love. That’s who He is.
Do you believe He loves you?
more from a prayer for the power to know →
more from a prayer for the children →
dusty blue berries
Spotted on my neighborhood prayer walk.
more delights to inspire you →
today’s invitation
Look around.
Not for the remarkable, but for what’s already here. For what’s real. The patterns of wood in a table. The mist of a low-hanging cloud in tree branches. The sound of a child’s giggle in the next room. When you choose to truly notice, you find the magic hiding in plain sight. This kind of seeing is not a luxury; it’s survival—especially in bleakness or suffering. It’s prayer. It’s how we wake up to God-with-us.
So train your eyes to be curious. Let your soul breathe. Encounter the glory of Yahweh and live the with-God life.
If you need a place to begin, my curated delight list is always open—not as a formula, but as a gentle nudge to start looking.
Thank you for going down the path with me today. If this is your first time, I encourage you to check out this note explaining the idea of the digital garden and what's up with the weird title 😄.
Peace to you! ✌️
