August 2010 – Page 4 – 300 words a day

confident humility

I’ve been trying to decide how to write about Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. Yesterday, I hinted at a feeling of entitlement among the disciples, just a moment of it. I think it was too much of a hint. So I’ll be less subtle. Confidence let Jesus be humble. Deservingness causes humbleness to be needed. […]

by Jon Swanson

so he got up from the meal

Your team has been fighting hard on this product launch. You’ve spent three years trying to get it right. You’ve done extensive market research. You’ve talked with everyone in the whole country, it seems like, multiple times. In fact, your team split up into 6 teams to do focus groups in different parts of the […]

by Paul Merrill

God loves fast and slow

(Paul Merrill writes here every First Friday) Since I was a little kid, I always thought God valued what was long-lasting more than what was quickly over. Lately, I have been seeing that God lives and breathes in both worlds. In Matthew 6, Jesus says, “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies […]

by Jon Swanson

A lousy teacher

Jesus is an effective teacher. His capacity to use stories to illustrate concepts is fabulous. The verbal images he creates are used by people who don’t know they are his: good Samaritans; walking on water; the good shepherd; turn the other cheek; “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” His internship program has worked with great resilience for […]

by Jon Swanson

Four stories.

Here’s what I meant yesterday. At the end of chapter 12, John writes that some people didn’t believe Jesus, even though they had seen all the signs that John describes. Other people believed, but they were afraid of the religious leaders. They “loved praise from men more than praise from God.” Then Jesus has a […]