When I was a kid, I loved nothing more than choosing one of the colored patterns from the oval, braided rug that sat under our dining room table and walking as fast as I could around it. I did all this while trying to stay on one pattern. It was my personal racetrack. I especially enjoyed doing this while my father sat at the table. Middle-aged with two grown sons of my own, I now know that I must have been driving him crazy. Often my father would say, "Can you just sit still and go light somewhere!" The expression light comes from an Irish blessing, "May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun. And find your shoulder to light on."

This book is for my dad.

Keeping a fast pace didn't stop when I grew up. I used it as a defense mechanism repeatedly as an adult. When the tough times came, I got busy. Busyness kept me from thinking, feeling painful emotions, and the loneliness I associated with my childhood. If anyone asked about a situation, I could say, "Oh that, I've hardly given it a second thought." And it was a true statement.

Sit Still is a 52-week devotional, along with other encouraging stories, about what I discovered when I finally learned to "sit still" before the Lord. I invite you to pull up a chair and sit alongside me each week to begin a personal relationship with the Lord or deepen the one you already have.

Let your faith be deepened, your burdens lifted, your heart made joyful, and your hope made new as you quiet yourself before the Lord, cease doing, and listen.