faith – A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green

Trifling with God

At Meribah the people of Israel “gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron” (Numbers 20:2). The problem was a lack of water and Israel was so despondent over it that they told Moses they wished they had died “When our brothers fell dead before the Lord” (v. 3)! Think about that a bit. It wasContinue reading “Trifling with God”

We’re Going To Need A Bigger Boat!

We’re all familiar with the movie director, Steven Spielberg. He’s made a boatload of movies—from franchise pictures like Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park, to the cute movie about the extra-terrestrial, to the powerful, dramatic portrayals of Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan. But before he made any of those, he made a movie about three guys, a boat that was tooContinue reading “We’re Going To Need A Bigger Boat!”

Grateful Hearts Make Us Whole

When Jesus was traveling along the border of Samaria and Galilee, He went into one of the villages. On His way in, ten lepers met him. It wasn’t uncommon for such groups to station themselves outside of towns and villages so they could petition passersby for help. They were somehow aware of who Jesus wasContinue reading “Grateful Hearts Make Us Whole”

Wearing God Down

There’s a popular belief that if disciples pray hard enough about something and with enough faith, it will happen. After all, didn’t Jesus say something about having faith and moving mountains? Therefore, if we just get enough people with enough faith to pray hard enough about something, God will give us our heart’s desire—right? ChurchContinue reading “Wearing God Down”

Reaching Out To Jesus

Here’s the wonderful story of Mark 5:25-34 put into verse. I’ve found that doing this helps me get deeper into the story and see it in new ways. I hope you will find it helpful in some way. Reaching Out To Jesus Twelve years, painful isolation, finances drained, spiraling frustration. Somehow there was still aContinue reading “Reaching Out To Jesus”

When A Little Water Gets In Your Boat

The familiar story of Jesus calming the storm is presented by Mark through a series of contrasts (4:35-41). There is an initial contrast in the early actions of the story (Jesus is asleep while the disciples are afraid). Then there is the contrast between their question (“Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”) and Jesus’Continue reading “When A Little Water Gets In Your Boat”

Lions And Tigers And Bears (1)

1939 was a great year for movies. Jimmy Stewart was in a couple of popular ones: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Destry Rides Again. Some guy named John Wayne was in picture called Stagecoach. Then there was a ridiculously long movie—so much so that it had an intermission in it. It was based on Margaret Mitchell’s story setContinue reading “Lions And Tigers And Bears (1)”

Buckling Up (The Bourne Identity)

I’m a big fan of the Bourne trilogy, but especially the first movie (The Bourne Identity). If you haven’t seen it or need your memory jogged, Matt Damon plays Jason Bourne—a man who has been programmed to be an assassin by the CIA as part of an experimental program known as Treadstone. While on anContinue reading “Buckling Up (The Bourne Identity)”

Divorced from his Father

It was the first week of school. The teacher mentioned something about the students taking some class work home to show their parents. A little boy spoke up and said he couldn’t do that because he was divorced from his father. The teacher knew his situation and did her best to explain to the young boy thatContinue reading “Divorced from his Father”

The Birth of Moses and the Power of God

When the midwives refused to be part of Pharaoh’s genocide (Exodus 1:15ff), the wickedness escalated. A new policy was instituted requiring all male babies born to be thrown into the Nile. Where surviving birth had meant life, it now meant death. We can only imagine the sadness and despair that fell upon the Hebrew community. It had toContinue reading “The Birth of Moses and the Power of God”