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Visiting Churches

Making Personal Connections (Visiting Church #41)

Personal Connections

“Hi, are you the DeHaans?” The usher’s question surprises me.

“Yes, we are.” I nod, a bit confused, but pleased at his acknowledgment.

“I’m Greg.” Then gesturing towards Candy, he explains, “I answered your email.”

I nod again, this time with a smile. “Thank you so much. It’s nice to meet you, Greg.” We shake hands.

Either he took time to Google my wife’s picture or they have few visitors and he assumed the new people matched the name in the email. Regardless, his extra effort honors me.

52 Churches: A Yearlong Journey Encountering God, His Church, and Our Common Faith

We exchange some quick pleasantries and then head into the sanctuary. With few people milling about and most sitting, we do the same.

The service leans towards formality but in a casual way. We sing hymns with organ accompaniment. Brief bits of liturgy occur throughout. There’s an upbeat song by the choir, followed by a children’s message, prayers, and a sermon.

The minister concludes the service with a blessing as he dismisses us.

We exit the sanctuary, making our way into the fellowship hall for refreshments. We pick up a beverage and snacks; then we look for a place to sit. Many of the tables are full, with the rest hosting people engaged in closed conversations.

I pick an empty table. After a few minutes a woman asks to join us. We gladly welcome her, enjoying a meaningful dialogue as we share our faith journeys.

Our conversation warms my heart. She readily understands our sojourn and is able to engage in discussing the vast variations we’ve encountered along the way.

Just as with our fellowship experience two weeks ago, one person makes the difference between us feeling welcomed and ignored.

Today marks another memorable Sunday at church, celebrating God in community.

[Read about Church #40 and Church #42, start at the beginning of our journey, or learn more about Church #41.]

My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Bible Insights

Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty

holy holy holy

Celebrate the Holiness of God

The prophet Isaiah has a dream, a vision. He sees into heaven. God sits on his throne over the temple. Six-winged angels, seraphim, hover above him. They sing out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty. Earth fills with his glory.”

As their voices ring out, the temple shakes and fills with smoke.

What’s Isaiah do? He shakes in fear. “Woe is me.” He trembles before God because he knows he is unworthy. So unworthy. The sight of the Lord God Almighty overwhelms him. He becomes undone.

If Isaiah would cower before God with a feeling of complete unworthiness, how much more will we?

Yet God offers Isaiah grace and takes away the guilt of his sin. Then God sends Isaiah on a mission.

Does the words of the seraphim, “Holy, holy, holy,” sound familiar?

It also appears in Revelation 4:8. Again, six-winged creatures hover around God. They worship him 24/7, saying “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.”

Three Times for Emphasis

These are the only two passages in the Bible that repeat the word holy three times. Saying that God is holy isn’t enough. Saying that he’s holy, very holy still falls short. Instead the Bible records that God is “Holy, holy, holy.”

Bible scholars tell us that the repetition of three gives emphasis. Today, it would be like bold, italic, and underlined all at the same time. God’s holiness is that significant.

We may gloss over the first holy and even miss it twice, but it’s hard to overlook it when we hear it three times.

The Lord God Almighty is holy, holy, holy. He was, and is, and is to come.

Let’s join the heavenly beings who worship God as holy, holy, holy.

God deserves our praise, and we will do well to offer it, always and forever.

Our Lord God is holy, holy, holy.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Isaiah 5-7, and today’s post is on Isaiah 6:3.]

Read more about the book of Isaiah in For Unto Us: 40 Prophetic Insights About Jesus, Justice, and Gentiles from the Prophet Isaiah available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Personal Posts

Checkmate

checkmate

Years ago my son Dan was on spring break from college and challenged me to a game of chess. Although I hadn’t played in several years, I readily accepted. It had been a while for Dan, too, so I figured we would be equally rusty.

After making a series of errors in the first game, I realized two things: I was not as patient a player as I used to be and Dan was much more thorough and thoughtful; he was making excellent moves.

I lost the first game—and then two more. I didn’t ever recall losing three games in a row.

With increased resolve and a commitment to focus, I started the fourth game strong. But after establishing a superior position, my play became haphazard and I dug myself into a hole.

Its conclusion would have produced exciting commentary for chess aficionados, but I will spare you the details.

In short, Dan offered an intriguing gambit and I went for it. Though he played his endgame without fault, somehow I emerged victoriously. Garnering one win out of four, however, was not the outcome I expected.

Though I hate to lose, I am proud of how well Dan played. His academic focus on his engineering studies had served him well, developing his mental acuity and increasing his logical thinking. I am so pleased.

I, on the other hand, was dismayed at my difficulty in concentrating and propensity for the quick versus quality moves.

The culprit, I fear, is years of trying to multitask (which is really only an illusion). Now, when I try to stop multitasking, I can’t.

Rarely can I concentrate on a single chore without spurious thoughts impeding my focus.

And my chess game is among the victims.

Do you like this post? Want to read more? Check out Peter’s book, Bridging the Sacred-Secular Divide: Discovering the Spirituality of Every Day Life, available wherever books are sold.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Visiting Churches

New Friends to Guide Us (Visiting Church #40)

New Friends

We find the church easily. With a parking lot in front and another in back, I choose the closer one. Only after getting out of our car do I notice the sign labeling the building entrance as “offices.”

Looking for alternatives, I spot another sign marked “sanctuary.”

To my dismay, it points to the back of the building. With no sidewalk to guide the way and an icy parking lot, I decide it’s better to wander around inside the facility than outside.

52 Churches: A Yearlong Journey Encountering God, His Church, and Our Common Faith

We turn back towards the “office” entrance. Seeing a young couple just arriving, I ask if we can enter there. My wife recognizes the young man; he went to school with our kids.

The office entrance takes us directly to the back of the sanctuary. Our new friends invite us to sit with them.

After the service they offer a tour of their facility. First, they take us to the welcome area. Had we parked in back, we’d have entered there. Next is the library and then a gym, flanked by classrooms.

Around the corner are more rooms and the original sanctuary, which is now the domain of the youth, who have placed their unique stamp on the space. Last are the offices, then we return to where we began.

Along the way, we see several friends. Three people ask if we go to church there. The congregation is big enough for them not to know if we’re visitors or regulars.

We thank our tour guides for their kindnesses. Two hours after our arrival, we head for our car, thankful for new acquaintances, reconnection with friends, an engaging time, and a message to contemplate.

[Read about Church #39 and Church #41, start at the beginning of our journey, or learn more about Church #40.]

My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Bible Insights

Women in the Bible: The Wise Woman from Tekoa

Wise Woman

Influencing a King

Joab seeks an object lesson for King David to encourage him to reconcile with his estranged son, Absalom. Joab sends for a wise woman from Tekoa and coaches her what to say to the king.

The story she skillfully shares with the king—of how one son killed the other and is now on the run—is a ruse. With her surviving son being sought for murder, she seeks the king’s protection.

Her pretend story parallels David’s real story, of Absalom killing Amon and then fleeing to another country.

With increasing urgency, she three times asks for David’s support. Three times he promises his protection, each time with increased fervency.

Then, with boldness, she connects her story to King David’s, asking him to follow his own advice and apply it to his son Absalom. David suspects Joab’s hand in this and then tells Joab to arrange for Absalom’s return.

Playing her part brilliantly, the wise woman from Tekoa, sets in motion the homecoming of Absalom. Thanks to her, Joab’s plan worked.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is 2 Samuel 13-15, and today’s post is in 2 Samuel 14:1-20.]

Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in e-book, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Bible Insights

Are Seraphim the Same as Angels?

Seraphim

Quick, are seraphim angels?

Until recently I would have said “yes” without hesitation. That’s what I was taught. However, after researching for the post Holy, Holy, Holy, I’ve reached a different conclusion.

First, the dictionary says seraphim are “celestial beings.” Celestial implies heaven or the divine (God). I equate celestial to the supernatural or the spiritual realm.

So, that makes them supernatural beings or creatures from the spiritual realm (in contrast to us in the physical realm).

Second, I was surprised to discover that we only see seraphim in two verses in the Bible, both in the same passage, written by Isaiah. Isaiah doesn’t call them angels.

He does say they have three pairs of wings and they fly. Interestingly, they only need two wings for flight.

In Isaiah’s vision, these seraphim are in the temple, worshiping God. Their adoration is not subtle. On the contrary, it is intense. Their voices reverberate and the temple fills with smoke.

That sounds like a Christian rock concert to me, which gives us something else to contemplate.

In addition to worshiping God, one seraph talks to Isaiah.

That’s it. That’s all we know about seraphim. They’re not angels, they worship God, and they can fly and talk.

Next we’ll look into cherubim and then angels. Stay tuned.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Isaiah 5-7, and today’s post is on Isaiah 6:2.]

Read more about the book of Isaiah in For Unto Us: 40 Prophetic Insights About Jesus, Justice, and Gentiles from the Prophet Isaiah available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Christian Living

What About Spending Time with Christians Who Believe Like Us?

believe like us

Hanging Out with Those Who Share Our Beliefs May Be Comfortable, But It Isn’t Good

In the post “Can You Be a __ and Still Be a Christian?” we discussed our tendency to judge other Christians and evaluate their faith through the lens of our life and the spiritual decisions we make. But these choices are secondary.

What matters is Jesus. The key, the one essential, is following Jesus. All other concerns dim in importance to this one eternal, all-encompassing truth.

It’s human nature to seek out those who believe like us—just like us. And in our increasingly polarized world, we more than ever seek like-minded people with single-minded fervor, pushing aside those who think, talk, and act differently—even a bit differently.

But when we focus our time only on people who believe exactly as we do, we run the risk of producing misguided beliefs—and then promoting them with unexamined confidence.

I call this spiritual incest, a provocative, yet apt label for an inevitable outcome we should avoid when we congregate only with like-minded people.

Go to Church with People Who Believe Like Us

When we seek a church to attend, we look for a place that aligns with what we’re used to and where we feel comfortable. This makes sense, but embedded in this goal is people who believe like us.

This is what we’re used to and what makes us comfortable.

Yet what we end up with is a spiritual echo chamber that allows us to feel good about ourselves and our choices but fails to produce meaningful, significant spiritual growth.

Instead we should seek a church that will challenge us spiritually to look at our faith, practices, and convictions from different perspectives.

We need spiritual diversity—not uniformity—if we are to thrive and grow into the people God wants us to become.

Don’t seek a church that makes us comfortable—that’s a consumerism mindset.

Instead seek a church that makes us a little bit uncomfortable, that stretches us spiritually, that challenges us to become more than who we are. This is a holistic, spiritual mindset.

Follow People on Social Media Who Believe Like Us

The same holds true for social media. We seek people who believe like us. They support our perspectives and reinforce our choices.

We feel smugly content with their affirmation. Similarly, we push aside those with conflicting ideas because they confront our choices.

We feel uncomfortably unsettled with their divergent ideals. So we ignore them.

I get this. This is my default mode on social media. And I sometimes question if I should be there at all. Yet when I allow myself to truly consider the perspective of someone who believes differently than I do, I grow as a result.

This can produce one of two outcomes. Either I tweak what I thought I knew to produce a more enlightened, inclusive understanding. Or I embrace with greater intellectual honesty what I already believed.

Only now my perspective becomes an examined one and not blindly accepted. Either way I grow.

Read Content from Authors Who Believe Like Us

Continuing this perspective, we tend to only read content from authors who believe like us. We do this for the same reasons we use to select what church we go to and who to follow on social media—of who we hang out with.

However, I doubt that you read my writing because you agree with everything I say. I’ve never met anyone yet who believes exactly as I believe.

I suspect, I hope, I pray that you read my writing because I occasionally challenge you to think of spiritual issues a bit differently, to tweak what you believe to be more spiritually enlightened and inclusive.

And whether you agree with what I write or not, my goal is for you to emerge with a more examined honesty in what you believe and why.

I want to move us more in step with Jesus and who he desires us to become. The goal isn’t to produce uniformity of belief, but to help us grow into the unique disciples he wants each one of us to become.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Bible Insights

Epaphras Wrestles in Prayer

Epaphras

The letter to Philemon ends with a list of supporting players who send their greetings and implicitly endorse Paul’s missive of reconciliation.

First up is Epaphras, who by being singled out, stands alone in noteworthy acclaim.  Simply and succinctly, Paul notes that Epaphras is “my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus.”

The Bible only contains two other references to Epaphras, both occurring in Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae.  First, in the opening lines, Paul calls him a “dear fellow servant” and then a “faithful minister.”

Later, in his closing remarks, Paul, again confirming that Epaphras is a servant of Jesus, adds that “He is always wrestling in prayer.”  I’m not really sure what it means to wrestle in prayer, but it is a compelling image. 

I welcome anyone who would wrestle in prayer for me—and I hope to do the same for others.

So, Epaphras is a servant of Jesus, a faithful minister, and a devotee to prayer.  For this, he spends time behind bars.

Doing the right things for Jesus doesn’t necessarily keep us from suffering for him.  In fact, suffering for Jesus, may just be affirmation that what we are doing for him is right.

[Read about Epaphras in Philemon 1:23, Colossians 1:7, and Colossians 4:12.]

Read about more biblical characters in The Friends and Foes of Jesus, now available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Categories
Visiting Churches

Love God More (Visiting Church #39)

love god

Today we attend our final church service of the year. With it falling between Christmas and New Year’s Day, I expect a light turnout. We are greeted by friendly faces and hearty handshakes.

The sanctuary seats about 90, plus a balcony. I count 55 present, but with a few late arrivals, our number eventually surpasses 60.

52 Churches: A Yearlong Journey Encountering God, His Church, and Our Common Faith

Though an organ is present, we only use the piano, singing numbers from the hymnal. After the first song, the minister gives an opening prayer, reads Mark 12:28-34, and makes many announcements.

Several members are absent due to illness; a few, in the hospital; and two families, traveling.

In a first for us, the congregation recites their memory verse for December in unison, Romans 5:8 as rendered in the King James Version of the Bible.

The pastor challenges them to recall their November memory verse, which he then leads them in saying.

We launch into another song and after two verses, pause to greet one another. During this extended time, we surely meet most of the adults present.

We return to our seats and sing the remaining two verses. Next is the prayer and offering, followed by another song; the children are excused for junior church.

Teaching from Matthew 9:14-17, the minister draws out a series of lessons from the text’s four verses, frequently returning to his theme of loving God more next year than ever before.

Presented with simple clarity, the profound meaning strikes me.

Being intent on loving God more in the coming year surpasses any New Year’s resolution and trumps all annual goals. I appreciate his future-focus and in keeping God pre-eminent.

He concludes by challenging us to make a pledge: “God, I will love you more in the new year.” What a fitting way to transition into a new year.

[Read about Church #38 and Church #40, start at the beginning of our journey, or learn more about Church #39.]

My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Peter DeHaan News

Dear Theophilus, Isaiah

Dear Theophilus Isaiah

40 Prophetic Insights about Jesus, Justice, and Gentiles

Isaiah was an awesome prophet, but do you sometimes struggle to understand what he wrote?

End your frustration.

Read Dear Theophilus, Isaiah for accessible, practical, no-nonsense insights into God’s most prolific prophet. Then connect his words to our world today.

Discover what Isaiah says about:

  • Peace—and about woe.
  • The critical importance of justice and the evil of injustice, both then and now.
  • The coming savior, Jesus, who will embrace all people of all nations.
  • Our future and the end times.
  • The amazing parallels between the books of Isaiah and Revelation.

Dear Theophilus, Isaiah is part devotional, part Bible study, and part commentary, but it’s fully an exploration of biblical spirituality for today’s followers of Jesus.

Did you know?:

  • Isaiah predicted the deportation of Judah and its repatriation 70 years later. (Both events happened just as he said.)
  • New Testament writers refer to Isaiah more than any other prophet (79 times).
  • Isaiah also includes some psalms and historical accounts.
  • Jesus read from the book of Isaiah in the synagogue. (It told us about Jesus!)
  • Later, a man from Ethiopia reads Isaiah and then gets baptized.

Get your copy of Dear Theophilus, Isaiah today, and start digging into this most amazing prophet whose words can still inspire and inform us today.

Note: Dear Theophilus, Isaiah has been updated and republished as For Unto Us: 40 Prophetic Insights About Jesus, Justice, and Gentiles from the Prophet Isaiah.

Get your copy today.

Read more about the book of Isaiah in For Unto Us: 40 Prophetic Insights About Jesus, Justice, and Gentiles from the Prophet Isaiah available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.