February 2009 – Page 2 – 300 words a day

Our Father in heaven

For some people, the beginning of this prayer has to be rough. To start with, “our Father” brings horrible memories. And the thought, “if God is like that, then I’m not interested.” As I thought about this beginning, however, I realized that Jesus knew. Jesus knew that some men would be hopelessly cruel to their […]

by Jon Swanson

giving up and heads up (weekend)

This year, February 25 in the church calendar is Ash Wednesday. It is the beginning of the season of Lent, a period that ends with Easter. Lent is an old word that means spring. If you had to pick a phrase that best captures what people think of Lent it’s this: giving up. Not as […]

by Jon Swanson

so why do we have to ask

[Matthew 6:7-8] Sometimes I know exactly what our kids need. I can look ahead and know that they will be in that situation and will need that solution. I know it. But I may not tell them. Sometimes they decide to ask ahead of time. We can take care of their need. Sometimes they come […]

by Jon Swanson

I love to hear you pray

I confess. I have been told that I pray well in public. I don’t quite know what do to with that compliment. I mean, on one hand I’m not talking to her. I’m talking to God. It is almost completely irrelevant whether she loves to hear me pray. What matters far more is whether God […]

by Jon Swanson

Conspiracy

[Matthew 6:1-18] Jesus talks about doing things in secret. More accurately, he talks about doing three things secretly-giving, praying, and fasting. He seems to be talking about motives, about not doing good things only to impress other people. As he talks, he is contrasting the recognition from people with the recognition from God. He suggests […]