To answer this we need to add another layer to the story—that of honor and shame. A number of recent commentators have pointed out that the manager’s wasteful actions not only brought shame upon himself but also upon the rich man (who would be viewed as weak and unable to control his employee as wellContinue reading “The Account Manager Who Cooked the Books (2)”
Author Archives: A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green
The Account Manager Who Cooked the Books (1)
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a story at the right place and time is worth at least that many words of facts, figures, and data. People who make commercials understand this so rather than push information on us they pull us in through characters like Flo of Progressive or Jake fromContinue reading “The Account Manager Who Cooked the Books (1)”
Seeing Jesus in New Ways
Dr. Oliver Sacks is Professor of Neurology at NYU School of Medicine but he’s best known for the dozen or so books he’s written. Most of these chronicle his clinical work over the years and deal with patients with unique and intriguing issues. The titles of his books tend to reflect this: The Man who MistookContinue reading “Seeing Jesus in New Ways”
Keeping Our Eyes on God
We’ve all heard that, “You can’t have a relationship without rules.” And it’s true. Friendships, marriages, and families all need the framework, support, and structure of rules. Although we don’t normally think of it this way, a wedding ceremony is the formalizing of a covenant between the bride and the groom. They exchange vows toContinue reading “Keeping Our Eyes on God”
Following Jesus in Determination
The professional exam lasted the entire day. He had been preparing for it for several months. This included hours of study, answering a few thousand practice questions, and attending a four day seminar in another state at a personal cost of $1,300. The exam was taken on a computer. During the test, a storm movedContinue reading “Following Jesus in Determination”
First Principles
It’s not uncommon (wherever you are) to hear someone say, “We need more teaching and preaching on first principles.” That may or may not be true—it depends upon the particular situation and circumstances they’re part of. I’m much more interested in exploring what we mean by the phrase “first principles.” My guess is that inContinue reading “First Principles”
Fearing Wrong and Trusting Right
Fearfulness is an overarching theme of Luke 12:1-34. Although the words of Jesus range from encouraging His disciples to remain strong in the face of persecution, a story about a foolish farmer, to teaching His disciples to be kingdom seekers above all else—the common thread is fearfulness. “Fear,” “afraid,” and “worry” occur 11 times inContinue reading “Fearing Wrong and Trusting Right”
Facing the Improbable
Luke does a compare/contrast with Zechariah and Mary in the first chapter of his gospel. Both love and serve God, are visited by the angel Gabriel, and are about to have unexpected sons who will alter the course of Israel and the world. Finally, both appear to have similar responses to the astounding news aboutContinue reading “Facing the Improbable”
Fabulously Clean and Invitingly Empty
These days, an empty stadium or ballpark is the norm. But before Covid, back in 2015, the Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago White Sox played a game in Baltimore in an empty stadium. The Orioles announced that due to the unrest and violence in the city, the game between the two teams would take placeContinue reading “Fabulously Clean and Invitingly Empty”
Dinner for 13
With less than twenty-four hours remaining in His life, Jesus is holding a meeting with His twelve apostles in an upper room. Though He has little if anything in terms of worldly possessions, He nonetheless has a strong desire to leave them with something to remember Him by (Luke 22:14). As you might expect withContinue reading “Dinner for 13”
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 