Justin Gambino will release Garden of the Lord on July 17 through Residence Music. It is his first worship project.
Gambino produced the six-track EP with longtime collaborator Walter Halliwell. The project includes five original songs and an instrumental opener titled “The Invitation.” Gambino co-wrote each vocal track.
The collection uses the image of an overgrown garden to explore testimony, renewal and parts of life that need patient attention.
“As I began telling my story publicly, one that had been buried for so long, I felt as though I was walking through a neglected garden,” Gambino said. “Looking back on my life became an invitation from the Lord to walk with me through the garden of my heart and tend to the places that had gone dormant over the years.”
Songs Shaped by Personal Experience
Gambino wrote “Depend on You (All I Need)” while he and his wife were experiencing infertility.
“Let Me Not Forget,” co-written with Halliwell and Tony Wood, takes the form of a modern hymn.
The title track reflects on rest, renewal and God’s care through the image of someone tending a garden.
Gambino initially viewed the songs as private expressions rather than material intended for release.
“I held onto these songs for a while, feeling they were just meant for me in my secret place with Him,” he said. “But God ultimately led me to record and share them.”
He hopes the project gives listeners space to consider neglected or dormant parts of their own lives.
“Perhaps He is inviting you to take that same walk with Him through a neglected garden,” Gambino said.
The project also draws from Gambino’s personal history. After an arrest for theft at 18, he entered the U.S. Navy and served for eight years.
While deployed in Iraq, he was asked to lead worship on base. The experience renewed an interest in music that began during childhood.
After leaving the military, Gambino struggled with post-traumatic stress, anger, alcohol and depression. He later reached what he describes as a turning point in his faith.
He now returns each year to the Texas courthouse where he was sentenced as a teenager to hold the Brazoria County Revival.
Garden of the Lord follows three EPs and two full-length albums from the Texas singer-songwriter.
Gambino was also named Christian/Gospel/Inspirational Male Artist of the Year at the 2024 Josie Music Awards.
Garden of the Lord will be available July 17 through Residence Music.