disciple – Page 9 – 300 words a day

13 ways to be more like Jesus

Learn what he said. It seems obvious, but I need to say it. Do the things he said to do. Like any good teacher, the learning often happens by practicing, not just listening. Too often we expect perfection. Perhaps he didn’t. At first. Do things the way he did them. How did he live his […]

by Jon Swanson

my simplest statements about Lent for Non-Lent People.

I’ve tried to simplify how to talk about the book I wrote for Lent and how I describe myself in a couple places. With Lent starting one week from today, I wanted to share these with you and ask, if you would be willing, to share them with people who may find them helpful. And […]

by Jon Swanson

Notes from my summer: spiritual formation

“Spiritual formation is a process of being conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of others.” Robert Mulholland, Jr. An Invitation to a Journey That’s how one of my textbooks from this summer defined “spiritual formation.” For those who don’t know, I audited “CHMN 516: Spiritual Formation” from Bethel College. It was a […]

by Jon Swanson

The twelve

When we look at the original group of twelve disciples, and then when we look at the eventual replacement for Judas (Paul), we find that they all have a clearly identified tap on the shoulder. In some cases, we have stories of an individual calling as well as the twelve, as a group, being publicly picked, being clearly […]

by Jon Swanson

A hole in the hand.

It was a Good Wednesday several years ago. That’s the day two days before Good Friday. On Good Wednesday, creatives around churches are looking at their “really cool” concepts for Good Friday services and realizing all the pieces have to be ready in two days. It’s a scary time. We were going to have a […]