Jesus – Page 11 – A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green

Thinking About Community (3)

It was John Donne who said, “No man is an island, entire of itself . . . Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” The language of Mr. Donne may be antiquated but the truth he spokeContinue reading “Thinking About Community (3)”

The Power of the Table

Gregg Popovich is the coach of the San Antonio Spurs, an NBA basketball team. To say that he is successful would be an understatement. Consider the following: He has coached the team since 1996—that’s longer than any other current coach in professional basketball, football or hockey. He has more wins with the Spurs than anyContinue reading “The Power of the Table”

The Second Mile Attitude

I remember watching an NFL playoff game between Seattle and Minnesota. The game was in Minneapolis and the temperature at game time was – 6! (It did warm up during the game to at least -2). Most of the players (especially the offensive and defensive lineman) were wearing short sleeves. Part of the reason forContinue reading “The Second Mile Attitude”

No workarounds for us!

We’re all familiar with workarounds—those stop gap measures we employ when we don’t have the time, money, or opportunity to fix something correctly. What they sometimes lack in aesthetics they can make up for in functionality. For example, years ago the lock on my truck’s fuel door stopped working. I wasn’t concerned about the locking aspect but I alsoContinue reading “No workarounds for us!”

The Pain of Failure and the Power of Love

All roads eventually end. For some, it’s a dead end (no fun for the driver), but most provide us with an option of some kind—we can go left or right. The best roads though, merge onto other roads and we never have to stop. That’s the way we should think of John 21, as wellContinue reading “The Pain of Failure and the Power of Love”

Jesus and Organized Religion (4)

There’s more to say from Matthew 23 concerning Jesus’ teaching about organized religion. These bullet points will give you a starting point for your own research and study. 3. Jesus was for humility and against pride. (v. 5-12) 4. He was against building walls and for building bridges. (v. 13-14) 5. He was against winning people toContinue reading “Jesus and Organized Religion (4)”

Jesus and Organized Religion (3)

It seems that these days disciples of Jesus bear the responsibility of not only being apologists for anything and everything claiming to be Christian, but in the eyes of an increasing amount of people, they should be defenders of all religions and faiths—especially the radicalized ones. Read the vitriol of people like Sam Harris andContinue reading “Jesus and Organized Religion (3)”

Jesus and Organized Religion (2)

There are several approaches we could take in regard to Jesus and organized religion. We could speak about Him promising to “build My church” (Matthew 16:18). We could look at His words to the seven churches of Asia in Revelation 2-3 and discuss how, despite the failings of some of the groups, He claims themContinue reading “Jesus and Organized Religion (2)”

If You Get To The Funeral Home You’ve Gone Too Far

We lived in Arkansas for fifteen years years and this is what would I tell people when giving directions to our church building. If nothing else, it usually got their attention because for better or worse, funeral homes usually stand out. Nothing else really looks quite like a funeral home. Architecturally, they might resemble a church or aContinue reading “If You Get To The Funeral Home You’ve Gone Too Far”

Grace and Community (2)

Both pop psychology and American culture thrive on playing up to our individualism. You’re different! You’re unique! You’re not like anyone else! Snowflakes, fingerprints, and DNA are all called in to make the case for how wonderfully special we are. And while that’s true, it’s a partial truth that needs balancing because we hear itContinue reading “Grace and Community (2)”