prayer – Page 15 – 300 words a day

Sometimes you have to reach out.

Two women were healed. One was a child, one was an adult. One had lost blood, the other had lost life. One was well-off. The other had spent everything. And Jesus healed them both. The child couldn’t speak for herself. She was dead. Her dad, a synagogue leader, a highly spiritual lay person, […]

by Jon Swanson

7 lessons to learn from sleepy disciples

Some Holy Week notes on Matthew 26:36-46 1. The leader keeps the vision clear, because the disciples don’t. Disciples are learners. Though they know increasingly much, they still don’t know everything. Jesus knew what the evening was about. The disciples didn’t. It’s what leaders learn to do. 2. Even earnest followers fall asleep when their […]

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

Waiting is hard

We all have stories about God not answering our prayer. We asked for help on the test. We failed. We asked for healing for the child. She died. We asked “why?” We didn’t hear anything. Given our experience, many of us read these words that Jesus said and we cringe: “Ask and it will be […]

by Jon Swanson

twice in two days

Twice in two days I’ve gotten stuck. Twice in two days I’ve been in conversations and not known what to say. Twice in two days I’ve been talking with people who came looking for money because of troubles. They come, of course, to a church because churches are where you go when you need money, […]