rest – 300 words a day

Jesus needed a break.

He had been teaching, thoughtfully, skillfully. He had been taking on the powers of darkness. He was preparing his followers for his death, getting them ready for what they were going to watch. And for Jesus each day was full of resistance. There was the intentional resistance from those in power. There was the spiritual […]

by Paul Merrill

Can’t hear that voice because I’m going too fast

Jon was talking with another Paul in a recent post: “You think we could come up with some applications? Some simple take-aways?” That really resonated with me. I thought about how I often I write First Friday posts with the idea of giving you and me some things to do so that we can become […]

by Jon Swanson

Aching souls don’t come just from being on our feet.

Many people I know are tired. Others are exhausted. Some are stressed. A few are overwhelmed. Several are at the end of their rope. A bunch are weary, a handful are wiped out. You may be one of those people. Part of the problem can be blamed on the International Olympic Committee who chose London […]

by Jon Swanson

Saturday reflection: Lent 2012

The second most visited post on this blog is one I wrote about Lent in 2011: 33 things to give up for Lent. All year long people have come to this post by searching for Lent. Which is interesting, since Lent is a period of forty days (plus 6 Sundays) between Ash Wednesday and Easter. […]

by Jon Swanson

go ahead. be a sheep.

As much as I would like to believe that I am not a sheep, I am one. Not, I suppose, a blind follower of a random mindless herd. (Unless that’s what all followers of Christ are). I like to believe that I have the capacity to think with some originality. I like to believe that […]