pray – 300 words a day

compassion

Jesus was preaching and teaching and healing. That’s what the text says. He was preaching and teaching and healing and he saw crowds. The text doesn’t say, though it implies, that the crowds were coming to where he was, because of what he was doing. The text does say, “When he saw the crowds, he […]

by Jon Swanson

pray, pray, pray

[This is a First Friday post by Paul Merrill] The Apostle Paul said, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” (Philippians 4:6) When I was a kid, I memorized this in the King James Version, which says, “Be anxious for nothing…” […]

by Jon Swanson

like the hypocrites do

[Matthew 6:1-18] The church is full of hypocrites. That’s what people say. I’ve heard it said. It’s hard to argue with that statement, mostly because I look in the mirror. I go to church. I have huge gaps between what I do and what I want to do. I say noble things and don’t do […]

by Jon Swanson

standing on the edge, nervously

Matthew is, according to some scholars, broken into five distinct sections, in addition to an introduction and a conclusion. Each of the five major sections has an historical narrative and a discourse by Jesus. The first narrative section ends at the end of chapter 4. The discourse starts with chapter 5 and runs through chapter […]