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 […]
A friend recently asked for advice about fatherhood. Over the years, I’ve done some things right and some things wrong. I had much to share, but I wanted to reveal the best, the most important thing. Here it is: There will always be time to work late, volunteer more, take it easy, or do the […]
The phrase “the Lord’s anger” occurs 29 times in the Bible. Is God an angry god, frequently mad at us for messing up? Does he enjoy punishing those who disappoint him? The answer is no. This phrase only appears in the Old Testament of the Bible (before Jesus) but not at all in the New […]
I recently listened to some people talk about spiritual matters. Their language perplexed me. While some of their expressions fit within my biblical worldview, other utterings did not. I resist labeling people, but labels can aid in understanding, even though they’re more likely to produce misunderstanding. I wondered if they operated within a New Age […]