lent – Page 7 – 300 words a day

Not my problem.

I walked out of Grabill Missionary Church Sunday night. It was my last time in the building as a staff member. We’ll be back as attenders in a couple weeks. I resigned from the staff, not the relationships or the community. (And I’ll talk more about some of what’s next soon.) As I walked into […]

by Jon Swanson

Listening for Lent.

[This continues a conversation started yesterday] “That’s a great summary,” I said. “Lent is about talking and listening to God.” “But isn’t there more?” he asked. “Why do we always hear about Lent as a time for giving things up? When I was growing up, my friend always gave up watermelon and black licorice. Of […]

by Jon Swanson

Are you satisfied with your relationship with God?

(Lent starts with Ash Wednesday on February 10. This was first published February 17, 2014) We hadn’t talked for awhile. We met for coffee. We placed our orders and went to the end of the counter to wait. “Should I celebrate Lent?” he said. “I don’t know,” I answered. “Are you satisfied with your relationship […]

by Jon Swanson

Lent as adding compassion

(Ash Wednesday is in two weeks. This reflection was first published February 16, 2015.) “How can I be more compassionate?” she asked. I asked her why. She didn’t seem particularly discompassionate. “I was reading Colossians,” she said. “And I read Paul’s encouragement to clothe ourselves with compassionate hearts. And I realized that I have moments […]

by Jon Swanson

Reflecting on neighbors.

We were talking about the parable of the good samaritan. It’s a story that Jesus told to help someone figure out who counts as one’s neighbor. Take a couple minutes, read the story, and then think about these questions. (Luke 10:25-37) Really. Go read it. Just for a little background, the questioner was a teacher […]