character – Page 5 – 300 words a day

Listening for Calling

A guest post by Aaron Charles. You love stories. You know how I know that? Because we all love stories. From fairy tales to that yarn your grandma spins every time you see her, stories captivate us. Many of us have something else in common too. It’s a question we’ve grappled with for so long. […]

by Jon Swanson

Starting the work week.

As a hospital chaplain, I often walk into to rooms of pain or uncertainty or waiting. I offer presence. I offer ears. Sometimes I offer conversation or counsel. And sometimes I say, “Would it be okay if I pray?” You may think that I should always ask that last question. Perhaps you are right. But […]

by Paul Merrill

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 […]

by Jon Swanson

Jesus sees what we may not

First published January 26, 2010. Andrew is a connector. He brings people to Jesus. The first person we know of is his brother, Simon. Andrew brings Simon to Jesus. Jesus notices Simon. He looks at him. He sees him. (Just as a thought experiment, imagine walking up to Jesus with your brother after listening to […]

by Jon Swanson

Inviting conversations

First published January 25, 2010. Andrew spent a day with Jesus. He had been a follower of John (the baptizing one). He was looking for something spiritual. He was looking for someone that would be the one, the answer, the Messiah. And after spending a day with Jesus, Andrew went looking for his brother and […]