Should Churches Pursue Excellence in All Things? A phrase I hear from time to time at churches is pursuing excellence in all things. Other churches don’t speak this directly, but they do understand it. One reason for this may be pure, to give God our best. Or the motive may be practical, to provide a […]
A Metaphor of God’s Provision Last weekend, my wife and I attended a wedding. The minister reminded us of when Jesus was at a wedding too. In his first recorded miracle, Jesus doesn’t address a big need, such as healing someone of a life-threatening illness or debilitating condition; he just turns some water into wine. […]
Last month I wrote about our grandpuppy Zane, our daughter and son-in-law’s eight-pound bundle of delight. Zane, however, is not our only grandpuppy. Our son and his wife, also have a dog, Maximus Decimus Meridius. Max for short. Max is our first grandpuppy, a beautiful Husky. At three years old, he’s actually no longer a […]
Today in the United States, a three day holiday weekend (for Labor Day on Monday) effectively marks the end of summer. As I anticipate going to church, I know I’ll see fewer people there. I’m bothered over the low attendance. And I’m bothered that it bothers me. Growing up, only two things kept me from […]
Magazine Publisher and Editor Seeks to Give Back to Writing Community Mattawan, Michigan, Aug 29, 2013—Author Peter DeHaan will speak at the 2013 Breathe Christian Writers Conference taking place October 18 and 19 in Dutton, Michigan. “This will be the fourth time I’ve had the privilege to attend the Breathe Christian Writers Conference, and this year […]
Are We the Same or Different? I’m so excited to guest post on a friend’s blog—and I hope you’ll find it worth your time to read it! (To make it easier, I’ll try to keep things short.) It won’t take long for you to notice that my writing style is different from Grace’s. She writes […]
It’s a shocking stat, but there are 42,000 Christian denominations in the world! Yes, the church that Jesus started is currently divided into 42,000 factions. Notice I didn’t say Jesus’ churches (plural), but Jesus’ church (singular). How do I know Jesus intended there to be only one church? Quite simply because he prayed we would […]
Many churches have a time of greeting at some point in their service. This can range from awkward to inviting. At some of these churches people merely shake hands and mumble a rote greeting. Folks at other congregations actually make eye contact and smile as they greet one another. And at a few places, a […]
When at a business convention, I once spouted off a grand sounding idea, but it was really a bad suggestion that warranted immediate rejection. Yet I proclaimed it with passion and the air of authority (I had just finished speaking on the subject, and this new added thought added to the discussion). I presented my […]
There’s much about God we don’t know. For a society that craves knowledge and desires to fully understand things, what we don’t know about God can cause frustration. This keeps many people from embracing God. They want all their questions answered before they say “Yes” to Jesus and follow him. But that’s not faith. That’s […]