Such a gift to spend the weekend in beautiful Seattle, but I'm glad to be home for a walk through Jackson Park to welcome back migrators like these yellow-rumped and palm warblers.

To paraphrase Abraham Joshua Heschell, a prophet is distinguished by the ability to hold the righteousness of God and the frailties of humanity "in a single thought."

Though it rarely ends well for those with this both-and call, our either-or churches and culture desperately need their voices.

Against Inevitability The future has not been foreclosed

"But if inevitabilism is an invention than it isn’t inevitable. Altman’s version of utopia isn’t a foregone conclusion, even if his investors want us to think it is."

buttondown.com/david.w.swan...

The old saints used to sing, "I will trust in the Lord... I'm gonna treat everybody right... I'm gonna stay on the battlefield... I'm gonna stay on bended knee... until I die!"

God, give our generation this kind of enduring faith.

Racial Reconciliation Workshop | Encounter Church Pastor and author David Swanson will help us grow in gospel-centered solidarity with People of Color, especially our African American sisters and brothers. Through four biblically grounded sessions, w...

Seattle, I'm headed your way this weekend and would love to see you at this workshop hosted by Encounter Church.

www.encountereastside.org/rrw

"Mrs. Long-Sullivan kept little treasures — like dolls or toy cars — in her backpack to give to kids for birthdays and other special occasions."

When they were younger, my sons were the recipients of these little generosities. She will be missed.

Jesus Doesn't Need Our Weapons Rejecting a violent vision of our Savior

“The problem with a vision of a violent Jesus who justifies our warmongering is not that it makes our Savior too powerful; it makes him weak, embarrassingly weak.”

buttondown.com/david.w.swan...

A people committed to the singular lordship of Jesus Christ will always provoke the empire's fearful and violent response.

www.thedailybeast.com/trump-offici...

A beautiful morning in Jackson Park made even better by the cherry blossoms and the first palm warbler of the season.

David W. Swanson's (Occasional) Newsletter An intermittent missive mostly about race, justice, and theology from the vantage point of a pastor on the South Side of Chicago.

So, I'll be ducking out for the next 7 weeks but hope to send out a handful of newsletters which you can sign-up for here: buttondown.com/david.w.swan...

Over the years I've landed on a few social media boundaries that have been helpful in keeping these spaces in their proper places:

- no SM before breakfast or after dinner
- no SM on my phone (IG is off unless I've recently posted)
- SM breaks for Advent and Lent

The song sparrows and cardinals were singing enthusiastically this morning.

Studying Revelation 13 for Sunday's sermon: A violent, blasphemous, power-hungry empire animated by Satan and legitimized by deceptive religion.

"Let anyone who has an ear listen." (13:9)

A Plea to Pastors The discipleship opportunity provided by this political moment

Pastor, the hour is late but there is still time to speak up.

buttondown.com/david.w.swan...

Heading out for a few days with the amazing A Rocha USA board.

A Rocha's mission is to live out God’s calling to care for creation and equip others to do likewise. Learn more here: arocha.us

At this point, people who deny the presidential administration's white supremacist assumptions and aims are either willfully ignorant or quietly supportive. The evidence is simply to overwhelming to deny.

I got to hangout with this little downy woodpecker for a few minutes during this morning's sabbath walk through Jackson Park.

Very tasty! I'd increase the spiciness a bit next time. Going to make quesadillas with the leftovers for tonight's dinner.

There are lot of ways a church could respond to the events of last week; this seemed right for our community. Did your church respond? If so, how? 5/5

We then prayed for God's blessing and protection over our children and for the Spirit to make them brave enough to tell the truth, love their neighbors, and live in a way that makes others safe. 4/

We admitted that powerful people's sin can make us afraid, but that Jesus makes us brave and that God's power lives in us through the Holy Spirit. 3/

The president's racism, I told the kids, is sin because it lies about people's worth, disobeys God's command to love our neighbors, and betrays the government's purpose to help people be safe. 2/

Yesterday during worship I invited our kids to reflect on the racist video posted by the president earlier in the week.

I said that the video was racist because it treated a group of people as less-than human than other people. 1/

Would 100% eat that!

Looks amazing! I can smell it from here!

Jalapeño-Corn Dip (Published 2024)

What's everybody bringing to the Super Bowl party? I'm gonna try my hand at this...

cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025...

Reminds me of the Minneapolis pastor who told me about the guy in his church who has started a door-replacement ministry for all the doors ICE agents have kicked in.

Same! The snow this winter has been wonderful.

When the President Is a Racist Telling the truth without getting distracted

"To describe the president as a racist is to say something almost too obvious."

buttondown.com/david.w.swan...

"God is not dead neither doth the ruler of the universe slumber and sleep. As a Nation sows so shall it reap. Men do not gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles. To sow the wind is to reap the whirlwind." - Anna Julia Haywood Cooper (1902)