character – Page 14 – 300 words a day

in praise of staying put

I love Don Miller. He inspires and challenges me (even when we don’t agree). Of course, that makes it sound like we’ve talked. We haven’t. I’ve read. The other day, I was thinking about interviewing hm, about questions I would ask him if I had the opportunity. I was thinking about the new things he […]

by Jon Swanson

loving through interruptions.

Jesus is counting down the hours he has with the disciples. He’s facing death. It’s a burden. Though he knows it will turn out okay eventually, he is not looking forward to the process. So he’s covering the important stuff, the ideas that will be on the exam. Judas leaves the room, Jesus takes a deep […]

by Jon Swanson

do why I do.

We look for punishment. We want to know what the penalty will be if we don’t do something. We want to know where the boundaries are, how far we can go before we get hurt or scolded or destroyed. I understand that feeling. I get a phone call and think, “Oh no, what did I […]

by Jon Swanson

Pride in the name of respect

Peter is the only one who responds when Jesus washes feet. Maybe no one noticed it was Jesus. His point wasn’t to call attention to himself, after all, but to call attention to the hearts of the disciples, to the opportunity to serve each other that is always present. So it could be that he […]

by Jon Swanson

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. […]