December 2010 – Page 5 – 300 words a day

Once more, with feeling.

In 1966, I was in third grade. I had a fourth-grade part in the Christmas program at church. I’m not sure what third-graders did, but I got to hold a wreath and repeat a few lines. The lines were typed on a card affixed to the back of the wreath, but I knew them. I […]

by Paul Merrill

A better gift

(Paul Merrill writes here every First Friday.) It’s that time of year when we buy gifts for others. Sometimes we give unselfishly – thinking totally of the other’s needs. And sometimes we give thinking of ourselves. I gave a selfish gift as a wedding present for Heather – a rugged sports watch. I thought she […]

by Jon Swanson

Are you the one we are expecting?

This is Advent, a time of expectation. It is easy to confuse the expectation which characterizes Advent with the expectation which characterizes Christmas. For Christmas, we expect gifts. Many of us look forward to something good to add to the pretty good we already have. There is an anticipation that we will get something which […]

by Jon Swanson

When the Bible is boring.

The Bible is boring when I read it just because I have to. The Bible is boring when I read it for ten minutes every day so that I can say that I read it for ten minutes every day. The Bible is boring when I spend my time looking for the ways that I […]