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Personal Posts

Seeing Life Like a Child

Lessons From a Kid’s Matinée

I’m a bit of a movie buff and most any genre will do. I still remember when my wife and I went to our local theater to watch the children’s movie, The Smurfs 2. It was a matinée no less; we were by far the oldest people there.

I enjoyed the sequel, perhaps even more so than the first one. As a bonus, both stayed true to the original cartoon series, protecting the theme and characters, while smartly extending the storyline.

Overall The Smurfs 2 provided us with some charming entertainment.

The movie, however, also had some over-the-top, slapstick scenes. The first time this happened, my wife and I snorted a bit and shook our heads with incredulity. “I can’t believe it,” she whispered. She groaned and rolled her eyes in disdain.

Had we been alone, I’d have surely done the same back to her, but before I could, the kid’s laugher overwhelmed me.

Theirs wasn’t a pleasant chuckle or even a spontaneous giggle but a deep, unrestrained belly laugh that permeated the theater. Perhaps, it was the most hilarious thing they’d ever seen.

I couldn’t help myself. I laughed, too. Yes, the scene was stupid (by my standards), but the kids delighted in its excessive, exaggerated buffoonery. They we tended to hold back emotion and restrain ourselves, but I delighted in them.

Similar scenes followed. I laughed aloud. Not that it was funny, but I enjoyed it simply because they enjoyed it. Their laughter became my laughter; their glee produced my glee.

As we grow older, we risk becoming jaded, cynical, and hard to impress. We tend to hold back emotion and restrain ourselves. These kids reminded me just how foolish that is.

May that part of me never grow up. May I always delight in seeing life through the eyes of a child.

Do you like this post? Want to read more? Check out Peter’s book, Bridging the Sacred-Secular Divide: Discovering the Spirituality of Every Day Life, available wherever books are sold.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Bible Insights

Do You See Jesus?

The Disciples Walking to Emmaus Teach Us to Open Our Eyes and See God

After Jesus is executed and rises from the dead, he appears to two of his followers as they walk down the road, but they don’t recognize him. They don’t see Jesus. Yet he listens as they talk about him.

He pretends to not know about the events they’re referring to, and he asks them to explain. They eagerly do so.

After they fill him in about the hoped for savior who was crucified, Jesus begins teaching them. He connects Old Testament prophecy with how he just fulfilled it.

When the pair reaches their destination, they ask Jesus to stay with them. He does.

At the meal Jesus breaks the bread, thanks God, and passes it to them. At last they recognize him, they see Jesus, but then he disappears.

The two remark about how he deeply touched their hearts and engaged their minds as he talked with them and taught them from the Hebrew scriptures.

While it is easy to criticize these two for not recognizing their friend Jesus, I wonder how often we are guilty of the same thing.

Though Jesus may not physically appear to us as we go for a walk, I suspect he is all around. Jesus can show up in the things that happen to us and the people we meet.

His Holy Spirit guides us and directs us. We receive spiritual insight and wield supernatural power through Jesus.

Yet how often do we miss this?

Jesus is all around us, but sometimes—perhaps many times —we do not see him; we miss him. We close our eyes to spiritual things, and fail to see Jesus in action all around us.

Jesus, give us the ability to recognize you. Let never miss out on seeing you again. May we see Jesus everyday.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Luke 22-24, and today’s post is on Luke 24:13-32.]

Read more about the book of Luke in That You May Know: A 40-Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, now available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Bible Insights

We Must Listen to God and Do What He Says

God Promises Rewards for Obedience and Punishment for Disobedience

As we read through the book of Leviticus, which is a struggle for most of us, we read instruction after instruction of what God expects from his people.

With precise detail, his commands come forth one after another. Then, in chapter 26, the book begins to wrap up.

Here we see the prior chapters put into perspective. The key concept here is that we must listen to God and follow him.

The chapter opens with a detailed list of rewards for those who listen to God, follow his decrees, and obey his commands. He promises favor, peace, and fruitfulness. Isn’t this a life we all want to experience?

But then the tone of the chapter changes. The word “but” signals a transition.

For those who refuse to listen to God, don’t carry out his commands, and reject his decrees, he adds a list of threats (Leviticus 26:14-16) that contrast to the comforting promises in the first half of the chapter.

He talks about terror, disease, and enemy oppression. We all want to avoid these things.

However, these aren’t to punish us but to get our attention.

After a few verses he says, “If after all this…” It’s like he’s taking a breath and giving his people—and us—a second chance.

We must grab this opportunity. Because if we don’t, more punishment will follow, with dire repercussions.

What follows in the rest of the chapter is a series of chances: a third chance, a fourth chance, a fifth chance, and so on.

God doesn’t want to punish us. He wants us to turn to him, follow him, and obey him. His message is clear. We must listen to God and do what he says. Then we will receive the rewards he wants to give us.

And this all starts when we listen to God.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Leviticus 25-26, and today’s post is on Leviticus 26:14-16.]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

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Christian Living

Is Your Church Inclusive? 

Jesus Welcomed and Embraced Everyone, Especially Those on the Fringes

Have you ever gone to a new place where people warmly welcomed and embraced you? A place where people warmly welcomed and embraced everyone? It’s not the location that matters. It’s the people. I’ve been in groups like this.

Everyone’s accepted as they are. They don’t need to prove themselves first. They don’t need to pass a screening process or fit an unstated list of expectations. There’s no judgment, condemnation, or rejection. There’s love. Acceptance. Harmony. Unity.

This should describe the church. It doesn’t.

Most of my experiences where everyone was welcomed and embraced didn’t happen in a church service or at a church building. It happened in spiritual groups outside the church. And it happened with groups that weren’t spiritual at all.

This is to our shame.

In the various churches I’ve attended in my life, only one warmly welcomed and embraced everyone. Even so, they held some underlying criteria of expectations and behavior.

Questions of Inclusivity for Your Church

Here are some items to consider for your church:

  • Do people at your church congregate with their friends and ignore others, especially visitors?
  • Do people at your church only hang out with those of their own age, race, and marital status? What about socioeconomic status?
  • Do people who visit your church need to meet some unspoken expectations of acceptable attire, worship, and language?

Consider this: someone walks into a traditional mainline church wearing jeans and a T-shirt, shouts “hallelujah” after the prelude, and talks about the Holy Spirit is if he’s their friend. It’s obvious they don’t fit in and won’t find acceptance.

Or what about the guy wearing a three-piece suit, sporting slicked back hair, and carrying a leather bound KJV showing up at a hipster millennial church? Yep. He doesn’t fit. And the chance of the church accepting him is slim.

Questions of Inclusivity for You

It’s easy to condemn the church for her lack of inclusivity, but what about you? Do you personally seek to include everyone? Ask yourself the same questions:

  • At church do you gather with your friends and ignore visitors?
  • At church do you hang out with people just like you, with the same age, race, and marital status?
  • At church do you expect people to look, talk, and act a certain way?

You Can Make a Difference

If your church is like most churches, it’s not inclusive. At least it’s not inclusive the way Jesus was inclusive. But you can make a difference, for both your church and for the kingdom of God.

You can be personally inclusive.

If you’re consistent and patient, given enough time, some people will follow your example—or maybe they won’t. Maybe they won’t appreciate your efforts to include everyone, and then they’ll exclude you. Then you might be at the wrong church.

But don’t worry how your church might react to your inclusivity efforts. Instead focus on the reaction of the people you include.

This will please Jesus.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

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Bible Insights

A Criminal Makes a Deathbed Confession

Don’t Put Off Following Jesus

While we shouldn’t wait to follow Jesus, it’s nice to know that he’ll give us up to the last minute to make a decision

In Luke’s biography of Jesus, the author sometimes shares details not found in the Bible’s other three accounts of Jesus’s life. One such example is about the two criminals who are executed with Jesus.

One of them mocks Jesus, but the other one doesn’t. Instead this second criminal rebukes the first. He says knock it off. We’re guilty and getting what we deserve, but Jesus is innocent.

Then the man makes a simple request of Jesus: remember me in your kingdom. What a simple statement, one filled with faith.

This man, whose life is about to end because of a serious wrong he has committed, knows there is something more awaiting him after death.

Yet through no merit of his own and with nothing he can do to earn it, he asks Jesus to be part of Jesus’s future kingdom. It’s bold, and it’s sincere.

Jesus could have said, “Sorry man, but you messed up.” But no. Instead Jesus lovingly says “Yes!” And not only is the answer affirmative, but it is also timely. Jesus says, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

While we can wait until the last minute and make a deathbed conversion with full confidence that Jesus will say yes, the risk is too great. We don’t know when our last breath will come and if we’ll have time to ask Jesus to remember us.

So don’t put it off. Follow Jesus today so you can live for him in this life and live with him in paradise in the next.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Luke 22-24, and today’s post is on Luke 23:32-43.]

Read more about the book of Luke in That You May Know: A 40-Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, now available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Bible Insights

We Must Speak Up for the Accused

Remaining Silent Is Not an Option

The book of Leviticus in the Bible gives us a lot of instructions about things to do and to not do. It’s a challenging read and many readers skip it.

Yet there are bits of truth scattered throughout it that are relevant in our world today. Here’s one example.

If someone is accused, we have an obligation to speak up for them. To not do so is a sin. If we remain quiet God will hold us responsible for our silence.

Defend the Accused

The most obvious application of this verse is the direct one. If there’s a public charge against someone and we have knowledge that will clear them, we must speak up.

We must come to their defense. To remain quiet when we can help clear them is morally wrong and a sin.

Regardless of the circumstances and the situation that testifying may put us in, we must be courageous and share what we know.

Aid the Prosecution

What about the opposite situation, when someone is accused of wrongdoing and we have information that will help convict them? Does this verse apply to us in those situations? Though not clear, I suspect it does.

In this case, to remain quiet may allow the guilty to go free. This wouldn’t be right. Again, we must speak up regardless of the circumstances and the ramifications of testifying.

Pursue Justice

These are two aspects of justice. Is a wider application of this verse that we are to pursue justice? It could be. Certainly, the oppressed and disadvantaged need advocates to help them receive justice.

By extension, this verse may be telling us that if we have the means to help someone receive just treatment and we remain quiet, that we have sinned and will be held responsible.

Exactly how we understand and apply this verse is up for us to determine, but a good principle to follow is that we must speak up for what is right.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Leviticus 4-6, and today’s post is on Leviticus 5:1.]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

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Christian Living

Don’t Judge Jesus By His Church or Its Clergy

Our Spiritual Leaders May Fail Us and Let Us Down but Jesus Never Will

Relevant magazine cited a Gallup poll that revealed America’s trust in the clergy has hit a record low. And it’s fallen steadily since 2002.

In the early 80s two thirds of people respected spiritual leaders. Now only a bit more than one third (37 percent) do.

Though the clergy appears above the midpoint on the list, they’re still far from the top. Nurses hold the top spot at 84 percent, with the bottom slot going to members of Congress at 8 percent.

I mourn this decline in the standing of our clergy.

If there’s anyone we should be able to trust, it’s our spiritual leaders. Yet trust must be earned. And once it’s earned, it must be maintained. As a group, today’s clergy isn’t doing enough to maintain trust.

I won’t name names or mention specific organizations. I’m sure you can quickly make a list. It saddens me that most everyone can site a religious leader who has let them down through their moral failings or ethical lapses.

Standards for Clergy

Although the clergy are human and subject to temptation just like everyone, they must rise above their human failings. Because of their influence, they will be held to a higher standard (James 3:1). Yet they don’t always do this.

And when they falter, everyone knows it. Their sins are (eventually) broadcast for all to see (Luke 8:17).

They must be an example for us to follow, not to avoid. Paul got this. He urged people to follow him, in the same way he followed Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:1). That should be the standard for every leader in Jesus’s church

However, we shouldn’t judge Jesus by the shortcomings of our religious leaders. We shouldn’t turn our back on God and reject him, just because some of his representatives failed us and disappointed us.

Our spiritual leaders may falter and let us down, but we must remember that Jesus never will, and Father God never will either (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

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Bible Insights

Pray and Do Not Give Up

Jesus Teaches Us to Keep Praying and to Not Stop

Jesus gives us an object lesson (a parable) of a widow who keeps appearing before a judge to seek justice. A bad adjudicator, he cares nothing of her, of public opinion, or of God, but she wears him down with her continual plea.

He eventually grants her request, not because she’s in the right or because he desires to do what is just, but because he wants her to stop bugging him. He gives her what she wants to keep her quiet.

Keep Praying

Then Jesus compares this to prayer and seeking justice from God. If a corrupt judge will ultimately give in, how much more does a just God desire to give us what we want? The key is to not give up and to keep praying.

Of course we can ask a lot of questions about this simple teaching, and theologians have offered an array of explanations.

But lest we become bogged down in the minutia of questions and explanations, let’s not forget the basic principle to keep asking God to provide the things we need.

If it’s important to us, we need to keep praying and not give up until we receive our answer. Does this sound a bit like pestering God? I’m not sure, but Jesus taught us to do it, so it’s surely acceptable.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Luke 16-18, and today’s post is on Luke 18:1-8.]

Read more about the book of Luke in That You May Know: A 40-Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, now available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Personal Posts

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

We just recently celebrated St. Patrick’s Day. Though most view it as a secular holiday, the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day has a religious origin.

This has been lost over time, with his work and accomplishments having been long forgotten by most people.

After embarking on your favorite St. Patrick’s Day rituals and routines, don green attire, or imbibe in adult beverages of questionable coloration, let’s have a quick review. But, don’t worry; you will not be tested on this material.

  • Patrick is not really a Saint. That is, he was not canonized by Rome.
  • He was not Irish. He was English.
  • He did not rid Ireland of snakes. That is folklore.
  • Patrick did go to Ireland. Actually, he went twice, the first time, unwillingly as a slave; the second time willingly, as a missionary.
  • For 30 years, he traveled Ireland, promoting Christianity and setting up churches and monasteries

He died on March 17, 461 (yes, a long, long time ago), marking the day that we commemorate his life—by celebrating his myth.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Do you like this post? Want to read more? Check out Peter’s book, Bridging the Sacred-Secular Divide: Discovering the Spirituality of Every Day Life, available wherever books are sold.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Categories
Bible Insights

5 Biblical Truths about God

Discover Who God Is from Scripture

We can learn a lot about God from the Bible. After all, we do sometimes call it the Word of God. Every book in the Bible, even every chapter reveals truth about God.

This includes Psalm 33. It’s a psalm of praise. It reveals five biblical truths about God.

In this Psalm, the writer praises God by telling him who he is. If this seems a bit corny, know that we do this with the people we care about all the time. Why not do it to God too?

While this shortlist is far from inclusive, it’s a great start and a smart summary about who God is.

1. God is Right and True

God’s word is right and true. What he says reflects his character. So, if his words are right and true, so, too, is his character. While we always want to be right, no person can be right all the time.

But God is. He’s always right. And what he says is always true. We can count on it. God is right and true.

2. God is Faithful

God is faithful in all he does, every action. He’s loyal to us and devoted. This isn’t just part of the time. It’s all the time. God’s faithfulness to us is consistent. He’ll never let us down.

3. God is Righteous

God is righteous. He loves righteousness. This isn’t a word we use too much nowadays. This means he does the right thing. It denotes virtuous, moral behavior, without a hint of guilt or any stain of sin.

Though some people are more righteous than others, we all fall short of God’s perfect standard. Only God, exemplified by Jesus, is fully righteous.

4. God is Just

God is also just. He does what’s right. He’s honorable, and he’s fair. He loves justice. We should too.

5. God is Loving

God is love. His love fills the earth. His love is unfailing, never faltering, and without end. Despite our best intentions, we can never truly love unconditionally. But God can.

Our love is limited, while God’s love is limitless.

Who is God?

God is right and true. He is faithful. He is righteous. He is just. And he is loving. These are five characteristics of God that we can count on.

What can we do to show these traits to others? Doing so will glorify God and point others to him.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Psalm 31-35, and today’s post is on Psalm 33:4-5.]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.