Last Sunday I only made it halfway through the church service. I completely missed the sermon—and it was the best church experience I’ve had in a long, long time. That’s not to imply I didn’t like the speaker (I do) or that his words lacked substance (my bride gave me a recap, so I know […]
We live in a society of blame. People shun taking responsibility for their mistakes and shortcomings. Instead they blame someone else: “It’s how I was raised,” “He talked me into it,” “It’s her fault not mine,” “If only I had a better education,” “I had no choice,” and so forth. In doing so, they fail […]
A legacy is something handed down from a predecessor. Yesterday in my blog about writing I shared ideas for leaving a legacy through words. Even more important is leaving a spiritual legacy, of making a godly impression on people today and generations tomorrow. This starts at home, with family, and extends to friends, rippling out […]
The Bible says that Jesus is God’s one and only son. However, God also calls the church his children. How can we be God’s children if he has only one son? Although the Bible is full of paradoxes—which are hard for modern people to accept but not so difficult for post-modern people and certainly not […]
For the past few days I’ve helped on a home improvement project. I’ve urged my body forward, performing physical tasks long ago forgotten. There’s an ache that permeates my muscles and reaches into my joints. But it’s a good ache; it’s an ache of accomplishment. When God completed his creation, he said, “It is good.” […]
I generally expect things to work out—except when I’m traveling. Experience has conditioned me to expect the worst when I leave home. I expect the airplane will be overbooked, the schedule delayed, or the flight cancelled. All these things have happened to me. At the hotel, I expect they won’t have a room, will dismiss […]
The speaker’s words were both, familiar and shocking: “Let’s say a quick prayer.” The familiar part came from hearing this many times before and even saying it myself. The shocking part came from realizing how disrespectful this is to God and how sad he must feel when his kids can only find time for a […]
Peter DeHaan’s Writing Blog Facilitates Reader Interaction and Fosters Better Connections Mattawan, Michigan, Jun 28, 2013—Peter DeHaan’s writing blog, Byline, celebrates thirty months of posts and reader comments with a fresh façade, supported by a robust platform. Powered by WordPress, the leading blogging platform, the revised Byline blog is greatly improved, with a clean, new […]
Transitioning from the Old to New Testament Consider that the Bible’s two testaments, its two sections. The Old Testament of the Bible presents God’s original way of interacting with his people (a covenant). It consists of a list of rules and expectations (the law). The New Testament of the Bible introduces Jesus and a new […]
I used to do business with an India-based company whose employees ended every phone call by saying “Good Karma.” This perplexed me. How should I respond? Was their ritual sendoff a theological reflection or merely their culture’s accepted way to say goodbye? I considered replying with “God bless” or some such response, but I usually […]