Jon C. Swanson's Blog, page 310

Joab.

When Jethro heard that Joab had been talking to Uriah right before he was killed, he was curious. There were innocent connections between the two men. But Joab could arrange someone’s death. Joab had a history of moral innovation.

Joab was one of three brothers with outstanding military careers in David’s army. The other two were Abishai and Asahel. All three had been with him since David’s early days on the run from Saul. And they were David’s nephews.

Joab was the commander of David’s army. W...

A general connection.

The facts were simple. Uriah was part of an attack Rabbah. He was killed in a fierce battle.

It happened all the time in the early days of a siege. The generals would survey the city, looking for places that the walls seemed weak. Battalions of soldiers would attack the weak spot. The defenders of these spots would be the best soldiers, driven by the need to protect their homes and families and king.

These clashes were fierce. Death happened. The best soldiers kept engaged, younger recruits wer...

A questionable death

Jethro had been sitting on the boulder since midday. He had walked since early morning. As a soldier, he knew how to march. As a warrior, he marched with intensity. As a grieving friend, he knew how to sit silently.

The other boulders on the hillside were empty. So were the guard towers of the city in front of him. In other times, sitting still would have been deadly. But this city was in ruins. As sunset approached, the burned gates of the city seemed aflame again.

And Jethro reflected on his...

Simple actions 5: make a mark

First published May 15, 2009

“Every time yousay noorsay yes, put an x on a calendar.”

We’ve been looking doable actions coming out ofTitus 2:11-14. We’ve talked about activities that have been pretty spiritual – praying, knowing that God loves us, saying no to ungodliness, saying yes to godliness.

These are important actions, and doable. They also feel unmeasurable.

This isn’t new, of course, the feeling of wondering about progress. That’s why people piled up stones as reminders of what God had d...

Simple actions 4: learning to say yes.

First published May 14, 2009

“Every day, asking God for guidance, say yes to something.”

Often, when we think about disciple, we think about discipline. When we think about discipline we think about scolding. When we think about discipline, we think about pain. When we think about discipline, we think about saying no.

Maybe it’s just me.

I think about cutting back, about not doing, about focusing. I think about the pain of denying myself.

Ironically, being a disciple is as much about saying yes, a...

Simple actions 3: learning to say no.

First published May 13, 2009 as part of a Mother’s Day sermon.

“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. And we make it harder by picking what we think that God wants us to say no too, and then making a big deal of telling other people what those things are. “We” ha...

Simple actions 2: God knows.

First published May 12, 2009and part of a 2009 Mother’s Day sermon.

“Every day, say to yourself, ‘Jesus knows what it’s like to be a mom.’”

That is the second of five doable actions that came out of a sermon onTitus 2:11-14.

One of the things that often stops us in prayer and belief is that we think that God can’t understand us. And I understand that concern. I frequently have a hard time asking something of someone who doesn’t understand, who has never had to face what I am facing.

We read that...

Simple actions 1: A reminder

First published May 11, 2009

“Each morning, remind yourself that, for whatever reason, God loves you.”

I preaching on Mother’s Day in 2009. I wanted to have some simple application from Titus 2. I wanted to walk out with a simple list of doable actions that reflect what Paul tells Titus about how to live. I wanted. Not just the congregation.

Because you and I hear a lot about how to live. We hear a lot about how to follow. We say a lot about how to live. We say a lot about how to follow.

But lots...

Moving experiences

In the past ten days, I have made two all-day moving trips to the Chicago area.

The first was to move my mom from one care facility to another. My sisters and I trimmed down the stuff mom has in her room. In each move over the past four years, her belongings have diminished in keeping with her capacity to remember. It takes a smaller vehicle each time. More things are taken away than are moved.

The second was to move our son and daughter-in-law to their new home in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Andre...

One way to start reading the Bible.

I’m working on a new ebook. It’s a collection of starting points for studying the Bible. We’re encouraged to read the Bible, to just start reading. But we don’t know how to start. So I want to offer some specific suggestions. Like this:

Biography

We know the stories of the famous people in the Bible: David, Moses, Paul, Abraham. Often, we only know other characters by one word summaries of their life: “Doubting” Thomas comes to mind. But is there more to a person’s life than the adjective?

Pick...