By Rosalind Rinker (reviewed by Peter DeHaan) “I have discovered,” says Rosalind Rinker, “that prayer’s real purpose is to put God at the center of our attention, and forget ourselves and the impression we are making on others.” So begins the preface of Prayer: Conversing with God, aptly establishing the foundation for the rest of […]
When God’s people were in Egypt, he promised to send them back to the land of Jacob, that is, the Promised Land. God would give them the land because they deserved it, right? Surely God would bless them with freedom and a place to call home because they earned it. Their endurance while enslaved in […]
Connecting with God In “What are your priorities?” I wondered if God is a part of our lives. Does he have first place, given lessor attention, squeezed in, or an afterthought? Next is the contrast between our intention and our reality—which seldom match. A follow-up consideration is “How is he a part of our lives?” […]
Joining the Revolution to Lift the World Out of Poverty By Peter Greer and Phil Smith (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)Over half of the people in the world live on less than four dollars per day and one billion of them live on less than a dollar a day. Most of them reside in developing countries. […]
When the nation of Israel was in the desert between Egypt and the land God promised to give them, stuck in time-out, they needed something to eat. God supernaturally provided a substance called manna. It sustained them for forty years while in the Sinai Peninsula. Although the Bible describes manna, the explanation leaves me wanting. […]
It’s a good idea to be aware of the priorities in our lives. We should periodically review what’s important to us and make sure our actions align with our intentions. For example, if I consider watching sports to be a waste of time but devote hours to its pursuit, then my actions don’t align with […]
An Adventure of the Human Spirit By River Jordan (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)River Jordan proclaims herself to be a private person. She keeps personal things to herself and her faith is personal—strong and real, but personal. So why would a reserved novelist alter her preference and her practice to write about her spiritual journey? The […]
Once, when the Israelites were in the desert and thirsty, God told Moses to speak to a rock and water would pour forth. Instead, out of anger towards the people, Moses hit the rock with his walking stick. Water still gushed out, but God was displeased over Moses’ lack of following directions. Moses’ punishment was […]
What We Can Learn from My Overflowing Bookshelves I really enjoy books. I like to read them and I like to buy them. My library collection is vast, falling into six categories: 1. Worth Keeping I enjoyed reading these manuscripts, and I’ll refer to them again. 2. Reference Materials Some of my books contain information […]
Between last Easter and this Easter, my wife and I visited fifty-two churches. Today marks the end of that adventure but also the beginning of a new one. 52 Churches Wrap-up Our journey is over. I’m sad and excited at the same time. Our spiritual sojourn of fifty-two churches has ended; reunion with our community […]