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 back to God, it is about us coming back to one other. The church as the body of Christ is the community of the reconciled, composed of people who belong toContinue reading “Community and Communion”
Category Archives: community
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”
Love and Spaghetti Trees
It was several years ago that the BBC ran a piece about a bumper spaghetti crop in Switzerland. There had been a confluence of ideal conditions for the Swiss farmers: a mild winter, the nefarious spaghetti weevil was practically non-existent that particular year, and the Swiss, long known for their precision, had developed a strain of spaghettiContinue reading “Love and Spaghetti Trees”
Communion Thoughts
Being alone is nice . . . for a little while. Then we need people. If you think about it, even some of the things we do when we are alone give us away. We read a book, listen to music, watch something online, and do other things that to some degree involve the human touch and aren’tContinue reading “Communion Thoughts”
Patching a Rough Spot
About ten years after his presidency, Harry Truman was giving a speech at a university in California. After he spoke there was a question and answer session during which a young man stood up and in his query referred to the state’s governor in a way that was less than respectful. Truman, never known for mincingContinue reading “Patching a Rough Spot”
Celebrities or Servants?
I caught the last snippet of a commercial 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, and celebrityContinue reading “Celebrities or Servants?”
Building the Patience Bridge
I heard a college president speak to a group of honor students. He congratulated them on their academic achievements and then went on to make the point that what would determine whether they would be successful in their chosen fields wouldn’t be their technical or academic knowledge—but the utilization of their soft skills. He notedContinue reading “Building the Patience Bridge”
A Tree in the Rocks
Saul had come out to take his life. And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God,” (1 Samuel 23:15-16). When we were living in central Arkansas, one of our favorite places to go was Pinnacle Mountain, located just west of Little Rock. As the picture suggests, it’s not much more than aContinue reading “A Tree in the Rocks”
Brand Names and Brotherhood
“Church” is a relational word! It is used in the New Testament to speak of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:20-23, 2:19-22), or our relationship with other Christians in the assembly, a local congregation, or the universal body of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 12:13). In fact, a quick look at the names used in the NewContinue reading “Brand Names and Brotherhood”
Is the Church a Hospital?
The church is a hospital for sinners . . . is a truth worth telling! Jesus’ justification to the Pharisees for His embracing of tax collectors and sinners was that they were sick and in need of a physician (Matthew 9:9ff). He went on to say that had the Pharisees understood the prophets, they would know that GodContinue reading “Is the Church a Hospital?”
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 