In 1 John 3:21-22, John writes: 21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. What does John mean by this? Is he saying God gives disciples carte blanche when it comes to them asking and Him answering? Understand,Continue reading “Praying Up”
Tag Archives: Jesus
Who Is My Neighbor? (Crash)
“It’s the sense of touch.” “What?” “Any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people. People bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We’re always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much we crash into each other just so we can feel something.” Those are the opening lines from theContinue reading “Who Is My Neighbor? (Crash)”
Singing, Hope, Joy, And Life (Enchanted)
Enchanted is enchanting! It’s utterly predictable, completely over-the-top, and there’s not a single car chase in the movie. Nonetheless, it’s wonderfully refreshing and uplifting! Enchanted is about what happens when a young lady leaves her fantasy/animated world and goes into the “real world” of New York City. Will, she change? Of course she will! How will she change? Well, that’s the story.Continue reading “Singing, Hope, Joy, And Life (Enchanted)”
No Treasure Like This Treasure (National Treasure: Book Of Secrets)
National Treasure: Book of Secrets is a fun movie (as long as you’re not watching it to learn history). It’s what would happen if Indiana Jones went on The Amazing Race. Benjamin Gates and company travel to Paris, London, Washington and Mt. Rushmore. They visit Buckingham Palace, the White House, Library of Congress, and Mount Vernon—retrieving clues and solving puzzles. It’sContinue reading “No Treasure Like This Treasure (National Treasure: Book Of Secrets)”
Lonely Eyes And Jesus (The Graduate)
Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio,Our nation turns it’s lonely eyes to you.What’s that you say, Mrs. Robinson.Jolting Joe has left and gone away. My memories of the song, Mrs. Robinson, have to do with my older brother and my mother. My brother was taking a class to learn Morse code that was taught at theContinue reading “Lonely Eyes And Jesus (The Graduate)”
Listening to God
How do you think God would do in a political debate? One take is that He would be awesome and dominating. Every time He would speak there would be thunder and lightning and no one would care what anyone else had to say. I have to admit, I can see that scenario playing out. ButContinue reading “Listening to God”
Exploring Spirituality
Everyone, it seems, is interested in being spiritual (even many who don’t believe in God). Understanding what is meant by this isn’t always easy. Spirituality can be quite a fuzzy term. It’s not so fuzzy when it is used to indicate a deeper dimension that what is commonly associated with formal religious practice. Much ofContinue reading “Exploring Spirituality”
Broken Bread and Crushed Grapes
One of the more interesting historical possibilities concerns how the Nobel Prize came into existence. Many people know that the prize is named after Alfred Nobel, a Swedish man who lived in the last half of the nineteenth century. He was a prolific inventor who earned over 350 patents. He had an element (Nobelium) named after him. And, thereContinue reading “Broken Bread and Crushed Grapes”
True Power and Trusting God
When Jesus sends His disciples out to preach to the towns and villages, He tells them to “take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt” (Luke 9:3). The text doesn’t tell us exactly how long they were to be gone but we are told they went “from village toContinue reading “True Power and Trusting God”
The Account Manager Who Cooked the Books (2)
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)”
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 