belief – 300 words a day

Physical Pain

Saturday morning, I turned the wrong way. My back immediately sent pain into that part of my brain that overrides everything else. Movement in any direction caused more pain. I did several stretches. My wife administered pain creme and brought out a heating pad. There was little change… simply putting on shoes was something that […]

by Jon Swanson

who else is there?

What makes you stay? When you are part of a group and public opinion shifts, what makes you stay? How much attention do you pay to the way people are talking? If lots of people are talking positively about your group, does that make you feel more attached? If lots of people start to raise […]

by Paul Merrill

God doesn’t do branding the way we do

Storms are amazing. The power of water molecules coming together to form baseball-sized chunks of ice on a warm day is astonishing. But they don’t have a stripe across them that says, “Made by God.” Thunderclaps roll across the vast valley with a roar louder and more encompassing than the best sound system you’ve ever […]

by Jon Swanson

An evening of hopeful stories.

Becky and Rich wanted to get some people who needed to hear stories about hope together with some people who needed to tell stories about hope. When I write that sentence, I realize that means just about everyone. But you can’t invite everyone, not to the same living room at the same time. The dream […]

by Jon Swanson

Stop for some tea with me.

Friends are saying goodby to parents and spouses and siblings and cousins and nieces. Friends are wondering how interviews are going to turn out, how to take the next turn. Friends are recovering from surgeries. Friends are wondering about the new guy. Friends are wondering how much of the pain in the world they can […]