community – Page 2 – 300 words a day

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 Jon Swanson

A moment of clarity.

My academic roots are in communication. I’ve spent years trying to clarify and illustrate and explain and mediate. At my best, I’m only partially successful. Of course, most of us aren’t much better. The biblical account traces this confusion back to a place known as Babel. Humans were ignoring God’s direction to spread out. They […]

by Jon Swanson

Obliged. Thank you.

I talked with some junior high and high school students the other night about some of the ways that we are different. I spent some time talking about Gretchen Rubin’s discussion of the different ways we respond to expectations (See Expectations and Lent for more discussion). I told them that I’m a person who can meet the expectations […]

by Jon Swanson

Creating noise.

(First published May 30, 2013) I keep saying to people around church, “we are creating our own noise.” I realized that I need to take some time to explain what I mean. Imagine conversing with a friend in a quiet coffee shop. You’ve not seen each other for a long time. You’ve been looking forward […]

by Paul Merrill

Writing with excellent pens can make a difference in someone’s life.

I love pens. (Jon loves pencils.) We both love writing by hand. The very best ballpoint pens I have ever found are made by a German company called Schneider. What do quality pens have to do with following Jesus? Good question… Stride is the company that distributes Schneider pens in the USA. Stride employs people […]