Do you remember the United States Army recruiting slogan, Army of One? If not, don’t feel bad—it wasn’t around too long. For those of you who don’t remember, it replaced the quite well known, Be all that you can be—a motto that attracted young people into the service for two decades. Supposedly the marketing strategy behind Army ofContinue reading “Rhubarb Pie and the Community of Christ”
Author Archives: A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green
What Sets Us Free
“Truth” is a big word in the Scripture (and life), so it’s no surprise that we find John employing the word a number of times in his gospel (23). Fittingly, he initially uses it to tell us that Jesus is “full of grace and truth” (1:14). There was veracity in the covenant that God brought through Moses, but theContinue reading “What Sets Us Free”
Part of a Family
One of the more challenging tasks parents have in raising their children is in helping them to understand the proper relationship between the individual and community. This undertaking is complicated by the facts that our culture places an extremely high value on individualism and that most children tend to be naturally self-centered. Any parent or teacher canContinue reading “Part of a Family”
Worship and a Well
One of the greatest discussions in the Bible about worship takes place at a well in Samaria between Jesus and a woman from Samaria. The well was associated with the patriarch Jacob (4:6). Their discussion causes the woman to question whether Jesus is greater than Jacob (4:12). This fits right in with one of the features of John’sContinue reading “Worship and a Well”
The Bigger Message
Green Book tells the story of Dr. Don Shirley and Tony “Lip” Vallelonga as they travel together through the South in 1962. Dr. Shirley is a black musician of Jamaican ancestry while Lip is an Italian American who works as a bouncer. They are worlds apart in personality, background, lifestyle, and just about anything else youContinue reading “The Bigger Message”
Little Fingers and the Body of Christ
I cut my finger on a chainsaw one time. Now that I have your attention, I can tell you that it was one of those small chainsaws that is powered by a battery. Furthermore, the saw wasn’t even on at the time—I was pulling the plastic over off the blade when I sliced my littleContinue reading “Little Fingers and the Body of Christ”
Learning to Love
The following are from the book, Children’s Letters to God by Stuart Hample and Eric Marshall: They all begin with Dear God. From there , well, they go everywhere as you’ll see. Dear God, If we come back as something, please don’t let me be Jennifer Horton because I hate her. (Denise) Dear God, My brother isContinue reading “Learning to Love”
A Mother’s Perseverance
(I wrote this for Mother’s Day 2013, just a few months before Mom passed away. I’ll never forget I was heading home from Arkansas and was going to stop by Madison and take her out to lunch. My brother Andy called me somewhere around Corinth, Mississippi and told me that Mom had suffered a strokeContinue reading “A Mother’s Perseverance”
There’s No App for Moms!
Just in case anyone is wondering, moms (biological as well as those who are functionally mothers) are still critically and fundamentally important. They always have been and always will be. Even though motherhood had been through the blender over the last several decades, their importance remains unchanged and should be unchallenged. We neglect this foundationalContinue reading “There’s No App for Moms!”
Blind Spots and Due Diligence (1)
All of us have a blind spot in regard to ourselves—it’s part of the human condition. There are things about ourselves, both good and bad, that we simply don’t see (Psalm 19:12 speaks to the bad). Other people, perhaps many, are aware of these things—but we’re not. So it’s best to have a spirit of humility and not take ourselvesContinue reading “Blind Spots and Due Diligence (1)”
