One of the most basic truths of Christianity is that we are always in God’s presence. The challenge for many of us is to come awake to that reality. Of the many ways that I’ve been blessed by my friend Jonathan Parnell, this is at the top of the list—he helps me to feel the realness of Jesus. Whether it’s pressing home the fact that I can actually praise God, or helping me to own the fact that my main problem is my distorted heart, or making me to feel the earnestness of David’s prayer for God’s presence, or reminding me that joy is at the center of the Christian life, Jonathan has a remarkable way of connecting God’s truth and my experience so that I walk away with a greater sense that Jesus is real and God is merciful.

Joe Rigney, Assistant Professor of Theology & Literature, Bethlehem College & Seminary, Minneapolis