Jon C. Swanson's Blog, page 312

I sometimes cannot think hard enough.

My friend is writing a paper about propitiation and atonement.

“There are five definitions of propitiation,” he told me. And I know that there are at least five major approaches to explaining atonement. I know this because I’ve spent so0me time recently reading those explanations. And listening to lectures.

And I walk away from the conversations about theological concepts feeling tired and a bit defeated. I cannot muster the energy to weigh all the aspects of each of the definitions, each of th...

one at a time

I started digging dandelions out of our lawn on a Saturday. I had wanted to put fertilizer with weed-killer on the lawn. I couldn’t get the timing right between rain and projects. So I started digging dandelions on Saturday.

One a time. Section by section. Front yard, then back. Stooping, then kneeling.

It took time, but there weren’t drifts of color, only dots.

I walked into the house. “The lawn is free of blooming dandelions,” I said calmly. I wasn’t using the British sense of the word bloomin...

Praying with open eyes.

The king was up early, before the rest of the household. It was an old habit from years of living in caves and in fields. He couldn’t forget being watchful of sheep and soldiers, watching for wolves, both animal and human.

He slipped through the building and out the door, nodding silently at the salute from the sleeping sentinel. He sat on the portico, in David’s chair. He looked east, across a valley. The top of the hill, in later years to be known for it’s olive trees, was tinged with pink.

“...

Setting down gratitude.

I’m sitting in my office at church on Sunday evening. Hope’s in the gym rehearsing for a worship time. Singing, praying, listening, laughing, being together. That’s what happens in these gatherings we have every few months. I’m grateful for them.

My friend Lee leads us and works hard to not work hard. He creates space for us. And most of the other people on the platform and running tech are friends of mine. I’m grateful for the community that Lee has cultivated in our worship team, grateful fo...

Personal stones of remembrance

Yesterday we talked about a pile of stones near the Jordan river. They were a conversation-starter for kids. But there was another pile as well. Joshua gathered some stones from the riverbank and made a pile in the middle of the river. Where no one would see them again.

There is value in remembrance actions that no one will ever see. There is value in small tangible actions that are gone from sight quickly, but before they disappear etch reminders on your heart.

It’s the funeral message for you...

What’s with the pile of stones?

If you made a pile of stones this week, you may have gotten some questions, like “What do those stones mean to you?” It’s possible you changed the subject. It’s possible you told them that some guy in Indiana told you to make a pile of rocks. Or it’s possible that you said,

I’m learning how to build habits of daily obedience. For a week, I picked up a rock a day. For the next week, I picked up a rock and thought about the people I need to treat with grace and forgiveness. And this week, I’m pu...

Stones of help

Monday, I suggestedmaking a pile of rocks. This story is one reason.

Most of us don’t have archenemies. Israel did. The Philistines.

They were called Philistines before that became a name for the culturally inept, the artistically challenged. The Philistines had argued with Abraham. They gave Isaac a place to live. They were waiting on the most direct route from Egypt to Israel, but God sent the refugees the long way,“Lest the peoplechange their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.”They...

Remembering a dream.

Yesterday, I suggested making a pile of rocks. This story is one reason.

Jacob saw angels. And a ladder. And angels on the ladder. And God. God told Jacob that he would have kids, that he would own the land, that he would be safe.

And then Jacob woke up.

It was a dream. It was the kind of dream perfect for a young adult running for his life. Jacob had extorted the rights of the firstborn from his brother. He had conned his dad. The night of the dream, Jacob was on his way to his mother’s family,...

Stones of remembrance

Some of you have been gathering fist-sized stones for a couple weeks. Some of you haven’t. But you can start now.

Pile the stones you have in a little pile. In the old days, this happened often. It was a way to remember something amazing that happened. People would make a pile of stones, or set a stone on end. And whenever you passed the pile, you would remember what what happened.

So take a few of your rocks and make a little pile next to the driveway or under your window at work. In a corner...

Setting down the rocks

On Monday, I wrote about the next step in picking up a fist-sized rock:

This week, when you pick up your rock, think of someone who annoys you. Not an enemy, not really, but a person who gets on your nerves. Then, when you put the rock down, on your desk, in your car’s console, say “I’m not going to throw this at you.”

And this week, I’ll write about doing hard things.

The other day, I got an email from my friendJim.

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Dear Jon,

Doing hard things!? How does choosing not to be annoyed sound for a...