300 words a day

Paradise is a nice place to visit.

Paradise is a nice place to visit. But none of us live there. In fact, only about 411 people do. Most of us live in the middle of our callings, in less glamorous sounding places like Eckerman. Or Monday morning. We are called to places that we’d rather not be. Places like homeless and hungry, […]

by Paul Merrill

Attitude makes all the difference

Jon, Nancy and I have a friend named Glenda. She is amazing. I won’t go into details about everything she has faced and conquered, but a huge trait that has made a difference in her life and in the lives of those who she has inspired is her positive conquering attitude. Rather than focusing on […]

by Jon Swanson

Experimental love

(Part of a series on choosing to learn. First published August 14, 2013) Jesus said it was the greatest commandment: “Love God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind and all your strength.” But what counts? Does taking care of your aging parents count? Does secretly paying for the meal […]

by Jon Swanson

You can keep going.

(This is part of a series on making choices about learning. It was first published February 20, 2013) Many of my friends are making changes in their lives right now. That might include you. The change may have started because of Lent or wanting to learn a new routine, or may be the remnants of a New Year’s […]

by Jon Swanson

Going for two in a row.

(Part of a series this week on choosing to learn. First published April 3, 2013) As we make changes in our lives, we need to relax into the routines. We need to learn to take our actions from “days in a row” to “weeks in a row” to “months in a row” to “seasons in […]