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”
Tag Archives: Jesus
Dependence and Obedience
God is more interested in your dependence upon Him than your obedience to Him! This was tweeted out not too long ago. Like much of what bubbles up in the twitterverse, there was no context to nuance or qualify it—just a bare bones proclamation about what our Father is truly concerned with. And it’s my perceptionContinue reading “Dependence and Obedience”
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”
And What Gets You Out of Bed?
The Sabbath had been anything but a day of rest for Him who was its Lord! He had taught in the synagogue, casting an evil spirit out of one of the people there. Then He retreated to the home of Peter and Andrew where He healed Peter’s mother-in-law. After darkness set in there was a knock at the door—”theContinue reading “And What Gets You Out of Bed?”
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)”
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”
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 