pmerrill – Page 9 – 300 words a day

Moths and rust

I tend to forget a basic truth that Jesus shared in Matthew: “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.” I grab satisfaction out of getting a thing I can hold, something that works well and doesn’t break. That satisfaction lasts […]

by Paul Merrill

Grooves

Our minds love to go back to things, over and over. We obsess about what we did wrong, what we should have done, what we want to get or who messed with us. The image that came to mind is a record player. The needle traces a groove from the edge of the record to […]

by Paul Merrill

A good gift

On the first Friday of each month, Paul Merrill writes in this space. As Jon was reading the post for this month, he realized that both Swansons and Merrills are in an interesting place. We write here about following Jesus. And for both families, that following is calling for faith. You’ve read about Jon’s journey […]

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 Paul Merrill

Let’s just ask

He asked for healing. Jesus did what he asked. We forget the many accounts of Jesus and his actions in Matthew. (Or maybe you haven’t read them yet.) Go to Matthew 8. Two in a row – first there’s a guy with leprosy. He comes up and says to Jesus that if he’s willing, he […]