Sorry to bother you. I know it’s Saturday. But tomorrow is the first Sunday of Advent, and I thought some of the people who visit 300 words might be interested in an Advent reader. Three years ago, I wrote an Advent series at advent2007.wordpress.com. I looked at the idea of anticipation, trying to see through […]

(This was first published the day after Thanksgiving 2009.) It’s the day after the ritual. We are exhausted and confused. Our bodies aren’t used to that much food, to this much time out of the routine, to the tension between expectations and reality. The antidote for the day after Thanksgiving confusion is not shopping. It […]

I’ll let Paul describe how I feel about you. Thanks for showing up here. You have no idea what it means to me. Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. […]

David assigned a group of Levites to praise God. He gave them a sample of how to do it, the first sentences of which are here: Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful […]

A good surgeon, before the surgery, will tell you what you will feel like afterward. A good contractor, before lifting a hammer, will help you see what things will look like after all those walls are smashed. A good disciplemaker will explain at the beginning the struggles that will come in the middle. The goal […]