BY BRUCE GREEN OPINION — Our mailbox leads a rather solitary existence. It interacts with our mail carrier once a day, sees either Janice or me the same amount — and that’s it — except for the many vehicles that drive by. Only the vehicles don’t...

OPINION — I worked as a lifeguard for a couple of summers when I was growing up. I got the job even though at the time, I hadn’t taken the course you needed for life-guard certification. The swimming pool where I was hired was in a pinch and needed...

OPINION — Abraham was 75 years old when he left Haran for Canaan (Genesis 12:4). God told him He would give Canaan “to your offspring” (v. 7), so he knew he would have descendants. But it didn’t happen over the next few years so when God spoke to...

OPINION — Even though the land of Canaan would be given to his descendants, when Abraham sojourned there he and Sarah didn’t live in the best house of a high-end neighborhood. They lived in tents—as their son Isaac would and after him, his son...

BY BRUCE GREEN The opening picture of Jesus in the book of Revelation is a breath taking one. It’s not the Jesus we’re used to seeing in paintings and pictures. From the way He’s described by John it’s clear it’s impressionistic and meant to convey...

BY BRUCE GREEN Paul Simmons is the head football coach at Harding University. In December of last year, they won their first ever Division II national championship in football. Pretty heady stuff, right? You wouldn’t know it from the press...

BY BRUCE GREEN OPINION — I came across a story — perhaps it was more of a parable — you decide for yourself. It was about two girls in their early teens who were best friends. They lived in a small neighborhood that was served by a mom-and-pop...

OPINION — Over the last three weeks, we’ve looked at Paul’s instructions from Ephesians on how we are to walk as disciples of Jesus. We’ve learned that we are to walk: 1) in a manner worthy of our calling (4:1), 2) differently from the world...

BY BRUCE GREEN OPINION — Paul has more to say about the disciples’ walk in Ephesians 5. We are to “walk in the way of love” (v. 2). Love has a way (1 Corinthians 13:1-8) and despite what popular culture tells us, it has very little to do with our...

BY BRUCE GREEN OPINION —Last week we began looking at the second part of Ephesians (chapter 4-6), paying special attention to the five places where Paul uses the word “walk” (ESV). We saw that the first walk had to do with disciples walking in a...

BY BRUCE GREEN OPINION — Paul’s letters often fall into a basic, two-part division. The first part is theology while the second is about turning theology into biography. Paul follows this pattern in Ephesians with the first three chapters focusing...

OPINION — “I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my pray-ers.” Paul to the Ephesians in 1:16 of his letter. Here’s one of those verses that’s easy to rush right by. It’s not hard to think of Paul’s statement as being the...

BY BRUCE GREEN OPINION — Last week we looked at the “heavenly realms,” a phrase Paul uses five times in Ephesians. We talked about it being 1) different than heaven, 2) the realm of spirit activity, 3) a place of both good and evil spiritual powers...

BY BRUCE GREEN OPINION — “Heavenly realms” or “heavenly places” (ESV) is a phrase unique to Ephesians. It comes from the Greek word, epouraniois. This word is found in other places in the NT, but only in Ephesians is it translated this way. Paul...

OPINION —Last week we saw an angel telling Daniel about how he was delayed three weeks by “the prince of the Persian kingdom (10:13). He also spoke of “the prince of Greece” (v. 20) and had more to say about Michael—“one of the chief princes” (v....

OPINION —We’ve seen some amazing things in Daniel: a king who becomes animal-like and then later has his humanity restored, three young men are thrown into a furnace so hot it killed those who threw them in — but the young men survive, Daniel...

BY BRUCE GREEN OPINION —I hope the past year has gone well for you and that the new one will be even better. I think New Year’s Day is a great holiday. It tends to get the short end of the attention stick because it comes right after Christmas and...

BY BRUCE GREEN OPINION —While we were enjoying Christmas with our loved ones two years ago, the James Webb telescope was being launched into space. It is effectively a second-generation space telescope (it was initially referred to as the Next...