rest – 300 words a day

Listening to the right sources

Jon recently shared the value of audibly telling our souls to rest. I thought a lot about that, as I love to consume information. Most Saturday mornings, I wake up too early and enjoy the weekend edition of a national newspaper over a slow breakfast, before anyone else in the house is awake. I gravitate […]

by Paul Merrill

A deeper part of our souls

God created music. Music touches our souls in a way that nothing else can. At lunch the other day, I stumbled upon a scene of snow falling with Bach’s Prelude number 1 in C Major playing, and it touched me deeply. Somehow in contrast to the sunny heat outside my office window, that soothing scene and […]

by Jon Swanson

Expectations, Lent, and how we are similarly different.

(First published February 8, 2016) Some of my friends with spiritual interests anticipate Lent with a sense of gratitude. They are thankful for what they learn about themselves through the disciplines of giving up and of moving toward God. They appreciate the invitation to participate with others known as the Body of Christ. I have […]

by Paul Merrill

Can’t hear that voice because I’m going too fast

Jon was talking with another Paul in a recent post: “You think we could come up with some applications? Some simple take-aways?” That really resonated with me. I thought about how I often I write First Friday posts with the idea of giving you and me some things to do so that we can become […]

by Jon Swanson

Benched.

In February, while on a short vacation, I saw a leopold bench. I decided I wanted to build one. To put out by the garden, I thought. It would be simple to build, sturdy to use. It’s August. All I have is the photo. I thought of it this weekend while on another short vacation. […]