Monthly Archives: December 2025

Today I’m sharing “He Delights in Me”—a song rooted in Belhaven’s Verse of the Year (2009): Psalm 18:19 — “He led me to a place of safety; He rescued me because He delights in me.” This one doesn’t pretend life is calm. The lyrics start in a hostile place—waters rising, fear tightening, threats that feel personal. But then the turn: rescue.Continue reading “Day 31 of 37 Days of Christmas 2025 – He Delights in Me”

 This song was written based on Belhaven’s Verse of the Year (2007)—Luke 18:27: “What is impossible from a human perspective is possible with God.” Dr. Parrott’s kickoff speech that year framed that verse with the story of William Wilberforce—how God used a faithful, weary man (and even the arts) to turn what a whole culture said “can’tContinue reading “Day 30 of 37 Days of Christmas 2025 – It’s Possible with God”

Sometimes the hardest part of faith is accepting that God isn’t obligated to explain Himself to us. I wrote today’s song, “Higher Than the Earth,” around Belhaven’s 2006 Verse of the Year: “My ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9) That year, I sensed an invitation toContinue reading “Day 29 of 37 Days of Christmas 2025 – As The Heavens Are Higher Than The Earth”

“I Will Use Well” (Matthew 25:29) “To those who use well what they are given even more will be given, and they will have an abundance.” Matthew 25:29 ­ 2005/06 Verse of the Year Most of us want to plan our way into abundance — but Jesus calls us to something simpler (and harder): use well what we’veContinue reading “Day 28 of 37 Days of Christmas 2025 – I Will Use Well”

Today’s post is the song, “Be Made New,” based off Belhaven’s verse-of-the-year from 2004: “there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes” (Eph. 4:23). Real renewal isn’t an event we remember; it’s a spiritual work that reshapes our thoughts and attitudes over time—beyond a moment and into a pattern. Spiritually grounded renewal actuallyContinue reading “Day 27 of 37 Days of Christmas 2025 – Be Made New”

Dear Friends, Since 2003, each year at Belhaven University has been guided by a “Verse of the Year”—a Scripture chosen by President Roger Parrott to encourage and shape the life of the faculty, staff, and students. For more than two decades, I have had the privilege of writing a song each year based on thatContinue reading “Day 26 of 37 Days of Christmas 2025 – God Alone Knows”

Dear Friends and Family, I love the Christmas season—the sweaters (some better than others), the food, giving and receiving gifts, and all the little traditions that sneak their way into our lives each year. But if I’m being honest, my favorite part of Christmas has always been the music. I grew up with a slightlyContinue reading “Day 25 of 37 Days of Christmas 2025 – A New World ‘Wakens”

We were gathered around the green dining table in late November, easing into a annual conversation about Christmas. The kids were still small, and the air was full of anticipation. We talked through the long arc of the season: the twenty-four days of Advent, each day bringing activities of waiting; the Advent wreath glowing aContinue reading “Day 24 of 37 Days of Christmas 2025 – God Gave His Presence”

Suedale Schierman—one of my favorite artists and collaborators—once handed me the two verses of a song called Do Not Be Afraid. I later wrote the chorus, we made a few small adjustments together, and then, like many songs, it quietly found its way into a file cabinet where it’s been resting for years. Some songsContinue reading “Day 23 of 37 Days of Christmas 2025 – Do Not Be Afraid”

Joseph’s Song is shaped by my imagination—by wondering what might have passed through Joseph’s heart in those first quiet days after Jesus’ birth. I remember the joy and astonishment of holding my own children, and now my grandchildren, as they are new to the world. There is a particular kind of awe that comes withContinue reading “Day 22 of 37 Days of Christmas 2025 – Joseph’s Song”