By Bob Hostetler (reviewed by Peter DeHaan) Set in present-day Israel, Bob Hostetler’s The Bone Box relates the story of Rand Bullock, a down and out archeologist whose life is a mess: widowed, estranged from his only daughter, a career in shambles, and seeking solace through alcohol. Yet in the midst of this, he is […]
The Kalamazoo Christian Writers critique group holds the first meeting and generates excitement. Mattawan, Michigan, July 19, 2012—Peter DeHaan and Jerry Barrett have started a writers critique group, Kalamazoo Christian Writers (KCW), based in Kalamazoo Michigan. The first meeting was held July 11 at The Point, a non-profit community center located on the west side […]
The phrase “the finger of God” occurs four times in the Bible. The first is when the Egyptian magicians cannot duplicate the feats God is doing through Moses and they say, “This is the finger of God.” The second and third times are when God gives Moses the Ten Commandments inscribed on stone tablets. What […]
In continuing with the story of Jesus driving the demon out of the mute man there’s an interesting phrase. It is “Jesus knew their thoughts.” (In another account about Jesus, the Bible says, “Jesus knew what they were thinking.”) This suggests a divine power as being a part of Jesus’ human existence. Perhaps this is […]
How often have you heard the phrase “prayer warrior”? Have you ever attributed it to someone who prays a lot or prays with effectiveness? Interestingly, those two words are not used together in the Bible.* I wonder if the warrior metaphor is more a construct of modernity and a colonization mentality and not at all […]
After Jesus is criticized for driving out demons, he addresses his detractors. In doing so he makes a curious statement. He asks, by whose power do you drive out demons? Implicitly, Jesus was not the only one with the power and ability to drive out demons. In considering this, a bunch of questions come to […]
Once Jesus drove a demon out of a man. The man had been mute, but when the evil spirit was exorcized, he began speaking. The people should have been in awe of the power Jesus displayed. They were not. Instead they chose to be critical. Some questioned the source of his power and others insisted […]
I recently read about someone who is credited with producing over 55 million decisions for Christ. That’s the most impressive number. However, I wonder if it’s the correct focus. He needs to make disciples instead. Jesus didn’t tell us to go and make decisions—or to get people saved, to make converts, or to have people […]
Letters to Gabriel: The True Story of Gabriel Michael Santorum By Karen Garver Santorum (reviewed by Peter DeHaan) Karen Santorum’s book Letters to Gabriel is a touching true story about life and celebrating life, no matter how brief. The book is comprised entirely of letters Karen wrote to her son, Gabriel over a 16 month […]
For much of my life when I would stumble upon a confusing section in the Bible, I would rush through it to reach something else that made more sense. Lately, I’ve been doing the opposite. When I reach a confusing passage, I linger, seeking to dig deeper, contemplate more fully, and discover hidden truths. Such […]