choices – 300 words a day

Why do you think you have to do that?

One of my friends asked if I had any suggested resources on time management for chaplains and pastors. I wrote back and said that often times when I dealing with time management, the questions are really dealing with dealing with attention management or focus management or identity management or other things. When my friend and […]

by Jon Swanson

learning to say no

“Every day, asking God for guidance, say no to something.” There is a place for saying no. There are things that are good but not best. There are things that are not good at all. Learning to follow Jesus means learning to say no to both kinds of things. It is hard to say no. […]

by Jon Swanson

gates

I have written elsewhere about deliberate practice. Simply, it is choosing to work in a focused way on the weakest parts of what you are best at. Such specific work can, I think, apply in following Jesus. And it came to mind when looking at what Jesus said about gates and roads. “Enter through the […]

by Jon Swanson

on hogs and dogs

As much as we work to understand and explain what Jesus said, we need to be honest: sometimes he wasn’t clear. At times it was purposeful. He even says that he is speaking obscurely at times. However, in the middle of a fairly clear sermon, when he seems to be trying to be clear, he […]