For the past 19 weeks, my bride and I have been visiting different churches to expand our understanding of how others worship and understand God. We call this initiative “52 Churches” and I blog about the experience each Monday morning. However, friends frequently ask for more: “What are you learning,” “Is your journey changing,” or […]
Local Author to Give Writers Workshop Author Peter DeHaan will be speaking at the upcoming Breathe Christian Writers Conference taking place on October 12 and 13 in Dutton Michigan, just a couple miles from the Grand Rapids airport (the Gerald R. Ford International Airport). “I’ve attended the Breathe Christian Writers Conference for the past two […]
Secrets of the Secret Place: Keys to Igniting Your Personal Time with God By Bob Sorge (reviewed by Peter DeHaan) The intent of Secrets of the Secret Place is directly stated in the subtitle: to ignite your personal time with God. Towards that end, author Bob Sorge takes readers on a journey of starting and […]
Since eternal life is the result of following Jesus, what’s the alternative? Might “eternal death” be the opposite? If eternal life starts immediately when we begin our journey with Jesus, does eternal death start as soon as someone rejects him? If eternal life results in heaven, don’t eternal death result in hell? Some opine that […]
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. However, a Pharisee was someone devoted to following a strict moral code aligned with Moses’ instructions, which he received from […]
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 up. Though she has been a faithful church attendee for seven years, her faith is still nominal. Then […]
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 deserved the label of “good,” it was Jesus. But instead he offers this accolade […]
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 life. Instead, he goes into teaching about good. That was unexpected. Another time, four men bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus to […]
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 this goal, learning over the course of many years to be in a constant attitude of prayer as he went about his daily […]
First Meeting a Resounding Success Peter DeHaan and Jerry Barrett have started a writers critique group, Kalamazoo Christian Writers (KCW), based in Kalamazoo Michigan. The first meeting was held on July 11 at The Point, a non-profit community center located on the west side of Kalamazoo. KCW materials passed out at the inaugural meeting state: […]