January 2009 – Page 2 – 300 words a day

Carry on

[Matthew 4:12-17] When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. It sounds like running away. John had been by the Jordan River. He was on the end of that river closest to Jerusalem. Closest to the authorities. Closest to the people in power that he was attacking. John got […]

by Jon Swanson

A break from obligation

I was thinking the other day about how God provided the manna for the Israelite in the wilderness. Okay, so I don’t know exactly how he did it. But I do know that he provided exactly the right amount for one day’s food on each of five days. On the sixth day he provided exactly […]

by Jon Swanson

These are tough times.

[post by Paul Merrill who writes and designs in Colorado.] Many are calling this the new depression. But then, the press tends to make things look darker than they are. Jesus said, “And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for […]

by Jon Swanson

when help comes.

Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. Matthew 4: 11 How far will a text stretch to absorb the applications we try to make? We often take what people say and we add to it, we misquote it, we leave words out, we add implications. It happens all the time in […]

by Jon Swanson

Binoculars.

[Matthew 4:8-11] Binoculars. That’s what must have been on the top of the mountain. Those binoculars that are at tourist places. You put some quarters in. A shutter opens inside the huge odd-shaped metal blob. You look through the eyepieces and see a portion of the beauty in front of the vantage point. You may […]