300 words a day

After the virus

I started a list: “After Virus.” I’m writing down things I want to do after things return to a new normal. So I’m trying to be optimistic. As I see so many people in really tough situations, like several friends who have lost their jobs, I get sad – and frustrated. This has been unlike […]

by Jon Swanson

I do believe

A guest post from Rich Dixon. +++ “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” At face value, this father’s plea to Jesus seems a bit odd. It’s a simple choice…either you believe or you don’t, right? My sense is this fellow wasn’t suffering a bout of spiritual schizophrenia. I think he expressed a common internal […]

by Jon Swanson

An April First story.

I first published this in 2014. The story happened nearly a quarter-of-a-century ago. +++ I should have guessed that starting a new job on April 1 wasn’t a good idea. I’m not sure who picked that date. I can imagine that it was my own choice. It gave an opportunity for a laugh when I […]

by Jon Swanson

A short sermon and a story of family loss.

The story of Lazarus being raised from the dead is also a story about two sisters talking to Jesus with honestly and loss in the hardest season of their life. It’s the story of disciples being a little fearful and then being resolute as they decided to follow Jesus into a dangerous area. It’s also […]

by Jon Swanson

Design limits

A guest post from Rich Dixon. +++ My hometown of Fort Collins, Colorado, is home to an international industrial design firm called the Woodward Company. Their original product was “governors” for all kinds of engines. Basically, an engine governor constrains speed. To a layperson that’s a buzzkill, but my engineer friends say the governor protects […]