For as long as I’ve known it, the phrase “a man after God’s own heart” has haunted me. I’m jealous of David for carrying the title, and there’s something about it that causes my heart to burn. I’m certain I feel this way about this phrase because it screams of something that every one of us ache for but few (for whatever reason) seem to cherish: Intimacy.

One thing my pastor pointed out last week that has been so provoking is that the early church was marked by intimacy, for God and for one another.

I want to be marked by intimacy.

I’ve pondered this word “marked” and thought of being branded. A brand is permanent, a symbol seared into the flesh forever. You cannot fake a brand, and you do not “recover” from one either. Intimacy is the same. You cannot fake it, and you’re forever changed by it.

I pray that my generation is known throughout history for the way we loved, the way we worshiped, and the way that intimacy with God fueled us. I pray that we would be a generation branded by the Heart of God. I pray that we would understand the very core of John 15. Because on the other side of “apart from Me you can do nothing” is “with Me, all things are possible.”