Freedom is a word that has been appropriated over the years to every imaginable cause and issue—from noble pursuits such as the deliverance of people from injustice and oppression, to not-so-noble causes like recreational drug use, abuse of natural resources, aborting the unborn and selling the body parts . . . well, you get theContinue reading “For Freedom (1)”
Category Archives: Opening the Bible
Life Wins!
That’s what happened today when the Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade (and Casey) and ended almost 50 years of federal support of abortion. The essence of the majority ruling penned by Justice Alito is that there is not and has never been a constitutional basis (right) for abortion. There has been no issue thatContinue reading “Life Wins!”
The Disciple And Freed Speech (2)
The book of Proverbs is full of powerful passages about our speech. A good place to begin is in 18:21 where the writer tells us, “The tongue has the power of life and death.” Framing it in such absolute terms gets our attention—but it’s more than that the writer is after. Words can bring deathContinue reading “The Disciple And Freed Speech (2)”
The Disciple And Freed Speech (1)
I remember a man, a WW II veteran, who liked to say that free speech wasn’t free—it came at the cost of the lives of the people who fought to preserve it. It was a needed reminder of the difference between an entitlement and a legacy. It is not helpful or healthy to think ofContinue reading “The Disciple And Freed Speech (1)”
Overcoming Bad Choices
1. All choices have consequences. I throw a rock into a pond and the water ripples. The ripples are the result of me choosing to throw the rock. 2. You cannot have choices without consequences—life doesn’t work that way. If I choose to throw a rock into the pond (unless it is winter and the pond isContinue reading “Overcoming Bad Choices”
Learning The Hard Way
FINA, the organization that oversees watersports competition, recently came up with a third category for sanctioned contests. In addition to the classifications of men and women, there will now be an open division where those who with gender dysphoria* will compete. The creation of this category is in direct response to the obvious competitive disadvantagesContinue reading “Learning The Hard Way”
Proverbs And Corporal Punishment
Five times in the book of Proverbs the writer encourages his readers to employ the rod in disciplining children (13:24, 22:15, 23:13, 23:14, 29:15). Though some contend that “rod” is used in a figurative rather than a literal sense, there’s no real evidence for that. Since a word is to be understood literally unless weContinue reading “Proverbs And Corporal Punishment”
No Disciples Without Discipline!
Discipline is spoken of in Proverbs from multiple perspectives. 1. Quite often, parents are being addressed and instructed to discipline their children: Discipline your children, for in that there is hope . . . (19:18). 2. There are also quite a few passages where everyone in general is addressed and encouraged to accept discipline inContinue reading “No Disciples Without Discipline!”
Something We Should Value
The word discipline is used 16 x’s in the book of Proverbs. That’s more than in any other book of the Bible and accounts for about 25% of its total occurrences in the Scripture. Obviously then, Proverbs has some important things to say about discipline. Discipline is an important part of human development—no one can move toContinue reading “Something We Should Value”
Background On The Twelve Prophets
When the earliest of the Twelve (whoever that was) began their ministry in the latter part of the eighth century BC, God’s covenant people were almost two centuries into their time as a divided kingdom. The northern kingdom of ten tribes (referred to as Israel, Ephraim, or Samaria), had plunged into idolatry and numerous otherContinue reading “Background On The Twelve Prophets”
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 