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)”
Tag Archives: Jesus
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)”
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”
Dealing with the Detested
They detested the manna. That’s what Israel told God in Numbers 21:5. You remember they had been given the food in response to their grumbling (Exodus 16). After a while, they became bored with the blessing (Numbers 11), and then they reached the point of detesting it. As with all ungrateful people, they didn’t realizeContinue reading “Dealing with the Detested”
Alive but not Liberated
It’s possible to be alive without being liberated. Under the old covenant, someone who had committed manslaughter could flee to one of the six cities of refuge in Israel. There their case would be tried by an assembly to determine whether the killing had been premeditated or accidental. If the death was determined to beContinue reading “Alive but not Liberated”
The Good News is not the Fake News
Fake news is something we’ve heard quite a bit about the last few years. Although the phrase is relatively new in terms of popular usage, fake news has been around as long as man has. It’s just been called by different names: propaganda, false narrative, disinformation, etc. Fake news can be serious. At the time of thisContinue reading “The Good News is not the Fake News”
Too Wonderful for Words
When Peter wrote to the Jewish disciples dispersed in the five Roman provinces of Asia Minor (present day Turkey), he told them that even though they hadn’t seen Jesus (as he had), they loved and believed in Him. As a result, they were filled with an “inexpressible and glorious joy” (1:8). It’s that word “inexpressible”Continue reading “Too Wonderful for Words”
Thinking about Reverence
There’s something about Jesus’ cleansing of the temple that is startling. It seems out of character with Him, but it’s not. It’s simply out of character with the Jesus we have created—the One who accepts everybody and everything and makes no demands on anyone. Let me suggest if Jesus was really like that no oneContinue reading “Thinking about Reverence”
Living out the Story
Submission is a word that is offensive to many. It speaks of oppression, abuse and other relational evils. Unfortunately, there’s too much truth to that take. People have abused power and privilege in relationships from the beginning of time. We are all all-too-familiar with the sad stories we have heard too frequently from too manyContinue reading “Living out the Story”
Great in God’s Way
We had the opportunity to travel to Greece several years ago. Our youngest daughter was there as part of an international study program associated with Harding University. Their Greek campus was located just outside of Athens, so we were able to go to the city a few times and see many of its sites (including the Acropolis).Continue reading “Great in God’s Way”
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 