Are You a Pharisee? When we think of the word pharisee, we envision a narrow-minded, hypocritical, self-righteous person. To call someone a pharisee is an insult. So, when we read pharisee in the Bible, we automatically think ill of that person...
Book Review: The Reluctant Prophet The Reluctant Prophet: A Novel By Nancy Rue (reviewed by Peter DeHaan) In the novel The Reluctant Prophet, by Nancy Rue, forty-something Alison is still trying to figure out what she wants to do when she grows...
Is Being Good, Good Enough? When a man asks Jesus, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life,” he is showing proper respect for Jesus by calling him good. Jesus, however, is quick to assert that only God is truly good. If ever anyone...
Jesus Often Did the Unexpected Jesus seems to specialize in doing the unexpected. For instance, consider when the rich young ruler asks Jesus, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus side-steps the question about eternal...
Can We Really Pray Without Ceasing? The Bible encourages us to pray without ceasing, to pray continually. This seems to be an impossible task. If we always prayed, we’d be doing nothing but praying. However, Brother Lawrence did approach...
Are We Just Doing Our Job or Getting God’s Attention? Jesus gives a brief story about the interaction between a servant and his master. The conclusion is that the servant should not expect any praise or special treatment for merely doing his job...
Accepting Those Who Believe Differently The Meaning of Life By James Rutz (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)In The Meaning of Life, author James Rutz takes a new look at some of the standard thinking about God. He examines anew God’s creation, corrects...
Are We Really Supposed to Always Forgive? In the post on forgiveness, I cited the instructions of Jesus: when someone treats us wrongly we are to first confront (“rebuke”) them about the issue. If they apologize or acknowledge their error...
What Did Jesus Have to Say About Forgiveness? Once when teaching his disciples, Jesus addresses forgiveness. He says when someone treats us wrongly we are to first confront (“rebuke”) them about the issue. If they apologize or...
What Does it Mean to Follow Jesus? When people approached Jesus, wanting to connect with him, he would offer a variety of instructions. It seems his response addressed their particular situation and issues. What he said most often was “repent and...
