by Jon Swanson

On helping people get better, not resemble me.

I’m teaching a homiletics (preaching) course right now. I’m still trying to figure out how to be most helpful. In this version of the course, in addition to other course work, learners choose a Bible text (from a list) and prepare two talks. In the first one, they spend time with the text, reading, reflecting, […]

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by Jon Swanson

The moment Nehemiah became more than lists.

I thought of this story the other day and decided to share it again. +++ Q: What captivated you about the book of Nehemiah? The more I slowed down and looked at the text to see what was going on, the more excited I got about everything I had missed by skimming. Probably the first […]

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by Jon Swanson

Risky Business

Rich Dixon has thought a bit about risk. +++ Road cycling is risky. Public highways, distracted drivers. Descending steep mountain passes. If you seek absolute safety, a bike tour probably isn’t for you. Our FREEDOM TOUR 2017 team examined the intersection of risk and faith. To prepare for the discussion, we read Ecclesiastes 10: 8-9, […]

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by Jon Swanson

In front of us.

It was a typically unpredictable couple of days at the hospital. Almost all of what I do as a staff chaplain is unscheduled. We are at the mercy of the pager and the phone. And the strokes and heart attacks and accidents and illnesses. And yet, in all this unpredictability, I have conversations that I […]

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