Yesterday was the first day of spring—and the temperature hit a record-breaking 86 F. The average high for this time of year is 48.
That’s an astounding in 38-degree difference. And today, the high temps pushed 90.
Interestingly, the average high temperature for us in three months, the first day of summer, is only 84 degrees. That implies that our seasonal temperatures are about three months ahead of schedule.
Now if this difference continues and the high for the first day of summer is also 38 degrees above the average, that would put it at a sweltering 122 degrees.
While I don’t think that will actually happen, I do suspect we are in for a hot summer this year.
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.
Last week I attended a convention and gave a couple of presentations. Traveling is not an adventure I enjoy; instead, it is a duty I endure.
Knowing this—and that self-focus is not God-honoring or kingdom advancing—I asked God for opportunities to interact with and help others during my trip.
This did indeed happen, especially after my presentations, but there was one opportunity I think I missed.
While staying at hotels, I always try to be nice to the staff who work behind the scenes, the employees who most guests tend to overlook, ignore, or see through.
The maids at this hotel were always smiling and seemed happy, yet meaningful communication with them was hard, as it didn’t seem they knew much English and—save for a few common words—I know no Spanish.
While English words were spoken between us, the dialogue often didn’t make sense.
I greeted one of the maids while awaiting the elevator and attempted to communicate, but it was as if she had merely been taught to phonetically say “good morning” and “have a nice day.”
I imagined myself giving her $20 and smiled at the absurdity of it as I stepped onto the elevator.
While God has directed me to give money to people in the past, it had never been like this, evasive and non-specific. Yet as I traveled downward, I began to wonder if I had indeed heard from God.
I briefly considered returning to the ninth floor and giving her a twenty-dollar bill.
I could say, “I think God wants me to bless you with this” or, “I think God told me you need some money,” but if my words made no sense to her, she would be left to her own imagination to decipher the meaning of my gift.
She could very easily have reached the wrong conclusion. I shuddered at the thought of other men, with less than admirable intentions, having handed her cash in the past, not giving a gift, but expecting something in exchange.
It wasn’t until I returned home that I realized what I could have done.
I could have gone to the front desk and requested an envelope, put the money inside and her name on the outside asked the manager to make sure she received it and given him the explanation.
I hope next time I will realize this right away, so I don’t have another missed opportunity.
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.
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I’ve never been a fan of our twice-annual time change, in and out of daylight savings time. My perspective is to pick a time and stick with it.
This is in part because of the hassle of resetting clocks, but also because it takes my body about a week to fully adjust.
I also struggle with jet lag after traveling. That, too, takes a few days for my body to recover.
This past weekend, I was able to experience both, the switch to daylight savings time Sunday morning and an airplane flight, spanning two time zones, Sunday afternoon.
I think that the first partially offset the second. But then there was the return trip, from which I am in recovery from the jet lag.
Even so, dealing with the adjustment to daylight savings time simultaneously with jet lag, is better than dealing with them on separate occasions.
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.
Those who follow Jesus used to be called “disciples” but that term has fallen out of favor. Now the common label is “believer.”
It is easy to believe; it takes a lot more to be a disciple.
To believe is essentially a one-time act, a singular decision made at one point along life’s path. To be a disciple is a continuing commitment, an ongoing determination to steadfastly follow Jesus.
Although believing in Jesus is a great place to start—and the requisite beginning—merely believing isn’t enough. James notes that even the demons believe.
Jesus wants more and deserves more. He desires that all will believe, but once we believe he wants us to become his disciples: fully committed, totally dedicated, and steadfastly pursuing him throughout our entire life.
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.
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.
In my prior post about Joseph, we saw that Joseph’s audacious sharing of his dreams was likely the catalyst for his brothers’ selling him as a slave and then staging his death.
Joseph would have been better off to have kept his mouth shut.
However, had Joseph kept quiet, his brothers may not have sold him as a slave. Joseph would not have ended up in Egypt. He would not have interpreted the Pharaoh’s dream and been promoted to second in command.
He would not have been in a position to stockpile foodstuffs during the good years in preparation for the lean years to follow.
He would not have been distributing food when he’s hungry brothers came calling—and it would not have been him that they bowed down to.
This is an example of how God can work bad things out for good—which is something that he does for those who love him and are aligned with him.
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.
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.
An area church has invited other nearby churches to participate in a joint Palm Sunday service for the “Blessing of the Palms.”
That phrase in an unfamiliar one to me, but with millions of exact matches in an online search, it’s likely known to many within the Christian community.
If you are perplexed by this like I am, some quick research—Wikipedia notwithstanding—indicates that the “Blessing of the Palms” is a liturgy often used on Palm Sunday.
Whenever I encounter a church practice I see if I can connect it directly with what I find either prescribed or described in the Bible. This is not to imply that everything that lacks a direct biblical connection is wrong, but it is a reason to proceed carefully.
Though Palm Sunday is a remembrance directly related to Jesus’ celebratory procession into Jerusalem, just days before his execution (Good Friday) and resurrection (Easter), there is nary a biblical indication of any blessing being afforded to palm fronds.
Again, this is not a reason to disregard the practice, but it is a sign to carefully consider its relevance.
While, the “Blessing of the Palms” is a foreign idea to me, to others it is normative. This causes me to contemplate the opposite. How many practices that are normative to me, give others pause?
May we all carefully consider the things that comprise our faith practices, embracing the relevant and dismissing the rest.
Discover more about celebrating Jesus and his passion to save us in Peter’s new book, The Passion of Jesus. It is part of the Holiday Celebration Bible Study Series.
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.
Technically, the first day of spring will not be for a couple more weeks (this year on March 20—unless you live south of the Equator, then you have a much longer wait).
However, the seasons seldom line up with the calendar.
For me, the best sign of spring is when I see a robin for the first time. That happened today. Another typical sign of spring’s arrival is bulbs whose new growth begins to emerge from the ground.
Unfortunately, for me, that indicator is flawed this year, as my tulips got confused with a warm fall and actually began showing their greenery last October.
Bravely these early arrivals, with their one-inch stalks, stood guard all winter long, despite repeatedly being covered with snow. Though they are no longer a vibrant green, they did nonetheless maintain their general color all winter long.
And now, with warmer temps, they seem to be growing again.
It will be interesting to see if they have enough energy left to produce flowers later on, but nevertheless, they do assure me that spring is on its way.
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.
In the story of Jacob’s son Joseph, we read that Joseph had a couple of dreams.
The implicit meaning of his dreams was that his older brothers would become subservient to him, as would his father and mother.
To his family this no doubt seemed to be mere wishful thinking of a young boy who was tired of being last and wanted some attention.
The dream, however, was correct and its predictions did eventually happen. In these two dreams, it was later confirmed that Joseph had heard from God and that he heard correctly.
It may not, however, have been a good idea to share the dreams with this family. His father was insulted and chastised him for his impudent remarks.
His ill-advised revelation also fueled his brothers’ jealousy towards him, no doubt hastening their selling him off as a slave.
The lesson to be learned from Joseph is that just because God has revealed something to us, does not mean that it is prudent to share it.
While it is often helpful to tell others what God is doing in our lives or teaching us, sometimes his words to us are for our ears only.
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.
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.
One of the central characters in the book of Genesis is Father Abraham. God calls Abraham to move to a different place, a location that God would reveal to him as the journey progressed.
Because of Abraham’s obedience and faith. God promised to make him into a great nation. But the story doesn’t end there. As Abraham continues in obedience to God, God keeps promising him more and more.
Consider the following sequence:
“I will make you into a great nation” (Genesis 12:2).
“You will be the father of many nations” (Genesis 17:4).
“I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you” (Genesis 17:6).
“All nations on earth will be blessed because you have obeyed me” (Genesis 22:18).
With each step of obedience, the scope of the promise increases. God’s ultimate promise to Abraham is that all nations will be blessed through him.
Why? Because Abraham obeyed God.
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.
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.
Sometimes when praying or meditating I’m profoundly struck with the powerful realization of just how much God loves me, that he really, really loves me. In fact, he loves you, too! God’s love is always there.
I shake my head in amazement and wonder why. I don’t deserve God’s love; I have not earned his affection. I have done nothing noteworthy to garner such attention. But it’s there nonetheless.
In my mind, I know that God’s love for me is unconditional; that I don’t deserve it and that I can’t earn it.
Intellectually I am aware that there’s nothing I can do to cause him to love me anymore nor is there anything I can do to cause him to love me any less. This reality overwhelms me.
But in my heart, I waver; my soul doubts—just a bit—that this could really be true. Why, God?
Why do you love me with such overflowing, non-ending, unwarranted capacity? Don’t I need to do good first? Don’t I need to behave in a certain way to get your attention? Don’t you have a list of prerequisites for me to achieve?
Thankfully not.
Earning God’s love is not up to me; it’s all on him. God loves us and it’s a gift.
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.
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.
