Always lead?

My bike shoes have it all wrong. And the major message we hear today is wrong too: “Being a leader is the only way to succeed.” Jesus has a different idea. He wants us to follow. As he was calling people who would spend the most time with him, Jesus didn’t ask what degree they […]

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Grooves

Our minds love to go back to things, over and over. We obsess about what we did wrong, what we should have done, what we want to get or who messed with us. The image that came to mind is a record player. The needle traces a groove from the edge of the record to […]

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A good gift

On the first Friday of each month, Paul Merrill writes in this space. As Jon was reading the post for this month, he realized that both Swansons and Merrills are in an interesting place. We write here about following Jesus. And for both families, that following is calling for faith. You’ve read about Jon’s journey […]

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Who’s the fool?

The fool is anyone who ignores God. David said it first, not me. We’re all foolish, to varying degrees and in different ways. But to live a life that’s worth living, we need to listen to God – His gentle whisper. Life is noisy in the extreme. Messages constantly shout at us from every source to […]

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Better to know

Every day throws challenges at us. One simple idea has helped me get perspective on some of the trials I’ve been facing – and processing the trials that friends have been facing: Pain is normal. Our culture tells us the opposite, all the time. Whenever we watch a movie, all the problems are solved in […]

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