The story of Ruth must have knocked the socks (or at least the sandals) off of its Jewish audience. It’s the account of a young Moabite woman who, rather than remain in a pagan land with her people upon the death of her Jewish husband, made the radical decision to accompany her mother-in-law (Naomi) toContinue reading “Surprised By God”
Category Archives: Opening the Bible
Remembering Who We Are
We were getting ready to take our oldest daughter to Bible camp. Another young lady, who would be riding with us, was being dropped off by her parents. She was their oldest child as well. But her parents didn’t engage in a long, drawn-out farewell (as I might have done). Nor was there any listContinue reading “Remembering Who We Are”
Creation, Marriage, & Family
1. Marriage is not a good idea, it’s God’s idea. Marriage is more than a social construct—a concept adhered to by people in order to promote stability in families for the greater good of society (although it’s true that marriage does this). Marriage is of divine origin—it comes from our Father! If marriage is anythingContinue reading “Creation, Marriage, & Family”
We’re Not In Kansas Anymore
Well, we’re not in Kansas anymore. You remember the scene in The Wizard of Oz where Dorothy’s house crashes after the tornado had spun it around in the sky. She opens the front door and outside is not the drab black-and-white world of a farm in rural Kansas, but the brilliant Technicolor world of Oz.Continue reading “We’re Not In Kansas Anymore”
Putting Ourselves In The Position Of Power
We’ve all had the experience of being out of position—the wrong lane in congested traffic, in the checkout line behind someone whose gift card has brought the system down, or in a job that doesn’t match our skill set. It’s not a good place to be and we try to get out as quickly asContinue reading “Putting Ourselves In The Position Of Power”
Don’t Hold Back!
This is My body, which is given for you (Luke 22:19 ESV). When we come to these words marking the institution of the Lord’s Supper or communion, we would do well to take off our shoes because we are standing on holy ground. What was purposed in eternity was about to come to fruition. EverythingContinue reading “Don’t Hold Back!”
Seeing Ourselves Correctly
It wouldn’t be impossible to feel compassion for Haman (he was, after all, someone’s son), but you’d have to work at it. The portrait painted of him in Esther is of someone who long ago said goodbye to any attempt to be a decent human being. In place of that is a dark, foreboding, destructiveContinue reading “Seeing Ourselves Correctly”
The Heavy Heart Of Hate
While we might be challenged in several ways to understand and appreciate the significant differences between Esther’s world in the 5th century BC and ours today, Haman presents no such problem. That’s because unfortunately, there’s nothing new or novel about hate. When I speak of hate, I’m not referring to the label some are soContinue reading “The Heavy Heart Of Hate”
Less Than Paradise
The Book of Esther is a head turner. It’s about a Jewish woman (Esther), who parlays a place in the king’s harem into becoming queen of Persia. And oh yes, her cousin (Mordecai—who is her surrogate father), encourages and helps her to accomplish this. Sounds like the latest from Netflix or Hulu, doesn’t it? ButContinue reading “Less Than Paradise”
Shine Jesus Shine!
The background of Jesus’ claim to be the light of the world is the Feast of the Tabernacles (John 7:2,37; Leviticus 23:33-43). During this feast, not only did the Israelites live in booths/shelters for seven days as commanded, but the Levites built huge menorahs which they placed in the temple courtyard to illuminate the eveningContinue reading “Shine Jesus Shine!”
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 