Author Archives: A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green

Grace and Community (2)

Both pop psychology and American culture thrive on playing up to our individualism. You’re different! You’re unique! You’re not like anyone else! Snowflakes, fingerprints, and DNA are all called in to make the case for how wonderfully special we are. And while that’s true, it’s a partial truth that needs balancing because we hear itContinue reading “Grace and Community (2)”

Grace and Community (1)

Luke recorded a parable by Jesus in 18:9-14 of his gospel. The story Jesus told was about two men in the temple and their approach God. The first man, a Pharisee, came before God reciting a checklist of all of the good things he had done. Interestingly, Christ never suggested that the man didn’t do the things of which heContinue reading “Grace and Community (1)”

For What It’s Worth

We are a fragmented nation, with fragmented leaders (official and otherwise), speaking fragmented messages that offer fragmented solutions with the promise of producing wholeness! Picking and choosing who to love, who to help and whose sins we will recognize and condemn is what has brought us to this point. Treating complex, involved issues by ignoringContinue reading “For What It’s Worth”

Entering the Arena for Christ

In the series Rome, Titus Pullo is a proud soldier of Rome’s Thirteenth Legion. But the time comes when there are no more wars to fight and he descends into a life of cold-blooded, mercenary killing. When he is captured and condemned to die in the arena for his crimes, he is resigned if not relieved, in regardContinue reading “Entering the Arena for Christ”

Connecting with Church (2)

How does a person connect with God’s community (the church)? Since church is God’s community, it is entered into by coming into relationship with Him through Jesus. In the fifth chapter of Ephesians, Paul speaks of Jesus loving the church and giving Himself up for her (v. 25). He then says in v. 26, that Jesus cleansed her,Continue reading “Connecting with Church (2)”

Connecting with Church (1)

Church is not a good idea – it’s God’s idea! Jesus spoke of building His church (community) in Matthew 16:18ff. The Scriptures also speak of this community being purchased by God (Acts 20:28). If church is this important to the Father and the Son, surely it will be to us. Okay, but what exactly is church?Continue reading “Connecting with Church (1)”

Community and Communion

What happened in Eden did more than alienate us from God—we became estranged from each other! Redemption then is not only about us coming to God, it is about us coming to one other. The church as the body of Christ is the community of the reconciled, composed of people who belong to the LordContinue reading “Community and Communion”

Celebrities or Servants?

I caught the last snippet of a commercial recently where someone was identified as a celebrity landscaper. Well of course—why just be a landscaper when you can be a celebrity landscaper? The possibilities are endless: celebrity school teacher, celebrity pharmacist, celebrity construction worker. And let’s not forget the kids—we can have celebrity teenagers, celebrity children andContinue reading “Celebrities or Servants?”

Caring as Community

Our church has four words for its motto:  welcoming, caring, seeking, sharing. They represent values we hold dear because they reflect our understanding of what God wants us to be. What does it mean to care? It means more than to feel a certain way. It is also more than performing good deeds for others. To care is toContinue reading “Caring as Community”