300 words a day

Double Answer

The tale of George Muller and his orphanage stands out as a testament to unwavering trust in God. One crisp morning, the pantry of Muller’s orphanage stood bare, with nothing to feed the 300 hungry children under his care. Yet his faith remained unshaken. With quiet confidence, he instructed his assistant to seat the children […]

by Jon Swanson

Presence: and celebration

Jesus went to the wedding. Cana was 16 miles, a day’s walk, from Capernaum. Turning water into wine has become a humorous reference. We often preach (or laugh) about the miraculous sign, but there’s a story wrapped around the wine. The story is about Jesus going to a family celebration with his mom and with […]

by Jon Swanson

Hurt Feelings

Rich Dixon is thinking about perspective. +++ One last lesson from the second FREEDOM TOUR – a little bit of theology can lead to hurt feelings. It was my first attempt at leading a group discussion about justice for the kids at the Home of Hope. We read Micah 6:8: And what does the Lord require of […]

by Jon Swanson

Presence: Already present

“God has the first word.” I wish I could remember who said that simple statement. When the gospel of John starts, it starts with, “In the beginning was the Word.” So that may be where that simple statement comes from. When we are talking about Jesus being present with people, it’s not that we are […]

by Jon Swanson

Presence

I’m teaching a class in pastoral care this fall. For the weekly devotions, I’m exploring the idea of presence, particularly as we look at Jesus. I’m sharing those reflections here over the next few days. +++ We talk about presence all the time when we are talking about how to offer support to people who […]