Category: Christian Living

Pursuing a holistic expression of Christian faith that is true to the Bible and applicable for today’s world.

Pursuing Quality Over Quantity

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 26, 2014

Celebrating When Less is More

I read a lot of magazines. For some I pay a subscription, others are free, and a few just show up.

It used to be most magazines came out every month, but with increased costs, decreased advertising, and other publishing pressures, many magazines have wandered from a once-a-month schedule: they may skip some months, combine issues, or revert to bimonthly or quarterly distribution.

They strategically plan their schedule to when readers read and advertisers advertise.

As a result, it seems I receive fewer magazines over the summer months and during the winter holidays—when publishers are apt to skip or combine issues—and more magazines in the fall and spring—when the traditional schedules are likely to hold.

This means I sometimes have a pile of magazines awaiting my attention and other times, very few. The number of magazines in my reading queue affects how I read them.

When there are many magazines vying for my time, I’m more likely to skip articles, skim sections, or even toss entire issues.

When I have fewer magazines to consider, I slow my pace and read extra articles, enjoy the content, and learn better.

Less is more.

Quality Over Quantity When Reading the Bible

When I’m on a read-the-Bible-in-a-year quest, I read faster and may even skim some sections (the genealogies come to mind). I must read three to four chapters a day, every day, if I am to conclude with the book of Revelation by December 31.

In making my mad dash for the yearend finish line, there is no time to tarry. Slowing down or rereading a section is a luxury that time prohibits.

Most years, however, my daily Bible reading has a much less ambitious goal. Quantity is not important, quality is. It’s quality over quantity.

I read shorter sections so I have time to savor the words, contemplate deeper meaning, and internalize its truth.

I cherish those times for the relaxed attitude it provides and the more enjoyable journey that unfolds.

This year, I’m reading about women in the Bible and relish what I’m discovering.

Reading less, means learning more.

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.

Tags read the Bible, Women of the Bible

Christian Living

Are You Being Fed at Church?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 12, 2014

It’s Your Job to Spiritually Feed Yourself

Have you ever heard someone grumble about church by saying, “I’m just not being fed”? Perhaps you’ve even said it. I have. However, we’re not talking about physical food, but spiritual sustenance.

When we say this, we sound so righteous, but what we’re really doing is complaining that church doesn’t give us what we want. Where are you being fed?

We too often look at church through the eyes of the modern consumer, demanding church will meet our needs, to give us something in return for our investment of time and money.

When church fails to meet our expectations, our first impulse is to act like a shopper and take our business elsewhere.

However, the main purpose of church isn’t for us to receive what we want; it’s for us to give. We give God what he desires, and we give people what they need. Our goal at church should be to worship God and to serve others.

It’s countercultural today, but it’s what Jesus modeled for us two thousand years ago. Let’s follow his example today.

Yes, sometimes we are hurting, and sometimes we are in need. Then we should go to church to rest and to receive. But our normal, prevailing attitude at church—and everywhere else, for that matter—should be one of giving.

After all, it is better to give than receive. So don’t go to church to get something out of it but with the intent to give something to it: worship God and serve others.

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

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Tags church, God, worship

Christian Living

The Art of Celebrating Communion

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 5, 2014

Acknowledge What Jesus Did

A phrase I’ve heard often in church over the years is “celebrate communion.” Yet what I witness seems nothing like a celebration. Instead, it is the most somber, solemn of affairs. It feels even more crushing than a funeral.

Wait, communion is a funeral of sorts: Jesus’ funeral. Yes, communion commemorates Jesus’ death. That means communion should be a time to mourn. Why then do we talk about celebration?

People told me communion is a time to reflect on Jesus’ death, the pain he endured, and the sacrifice he made—for me. So that makes it my fault; I’m to blame. I certainly can’t celebrate that.

But the celebration is what happens as a result. Jesus’ death makes us right with God the Father. Communion reminds us of that, too—or at least it should.

Jesus died so we can live. I can celebrate that!

Yes, communion is a time to reflect on what was—Jesus’ death. But communion is also a time to embrace what is—our right standing with God the Father. Even more so, communion is a chance to anticipate what will be—eternity with God.

That’s worthy of a celebration. So why don’t we do a better job at celebrating communion?

Next time you take communion, dip the bread in the juice and then raise it as a toast. Say to your friends, “Jesus died so we can live.”

Then share tears with those who cry, be it tears of sorrow or of joy. And share shouts with those who cheer, praising God for what was, what is, and what is to come. That’s a party.

That’s how to celebrate communion.

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Tags communion

Christian Living

Our Time-Crunched Society

Does it Really Matter What Time it Is?

When I was young, my grandmother promised to buy me a watch when I learned to tell time. With Mom’s help, I did learn, but I wasn’t fast.

Not content to give approximate times, I’d carefully count the dots between the major divisions and announce the exact time, as in “It is 10:23.”

Then Grandma bought me my first watch.

From them on, I always wore a watch. It was inconceivable not to. How could anyone function without a watch? After all, we live in a time-crunched society.

But one day, I realized I’d become compulsive about checking the time—even when there was no reason to. I looked at my watch during each of life’s pauses and even more so when I had some place to go.

I was preoccupied with time, and that fixation heaped added stress on my day.

I tried to retrain myself, but the habit was ingrained and refused to leave. My only alternative was to go cold turkey. I ditched my watch.

That was over a decade ago. The result is less stress, more focus, and the opportunity to live in the moment. Life is better without a watch.

Now I shift my focus to nighttime. A light sleeper, I never make it through the night without waking up multiple times. My alarm clock taunts me: 12:07, 1:22, 3:15, 4:29, 4:43, 4:57, and so on until morning. I get up exhausted.

For the past two months, I’ve slept in a room without a clock. Frustrating at first, I now accept that I don’t need to know what time it is when I wake up prematurely.

Though I’m still waking up throughout the night, it seems less often—and somehow less infuriating. And when I do wake up, I pray until I fall back to sleep.

My lack of sleep is less stressful when I don’t have a clock watching over me.

We live in a time-crunched society, with clocks dictating too much of what we do and when we do it. But knowing what time it is won’t give us any more of it and may hurt what time we do have.

Minimizing the number of clocks around me is my small effort to reclaim life and make the most of the time I have.

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Christian Living

What’s the Best Part of Church?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 28, 2014
2 Comments on What’s the Best Part of Church?

Pursue Christian Community

As a child, my parents told me we went to church to learn about God. The sermon was when I learned about God, so I assumed the rest of the service was unnecessary.

I deemed everything outside the message as obligatory filler and tuned it out, waiting for the main event. According to my reasoning, a church service without a sermon was wasted time, as was a trivial message where I didn’t learn anything.

Other people focus on the singing part of church. They see it as their time to worship God. They may tune out the preaching, viewing it as unnecessary. For them, a church service with an hour of music is the best kind.

Singing to God is important and learning about God is important, but we can do both of those from the comfort of our home. So why, then, do we bother to go to church? Because there’s more.

The Best Part of Church

Church has a third element most people overlook. It’s community. It’s hanging out with friends on a like-minded spiritual journey. The music and message are secondary in comparison to experiencing rich spiritual connections.

Community is why I go to church. Sadly, too many churches don’t place value on real community and too many attendees don’t experience significant connection at church.

True spiritual connections with others rarely happen during church services—or at least how we practice church today.

Occasionally, brief community can occur before the service, but the primary opportunity for meaningful interaction is after church, once the final “amen” marks the end of the official service.

To realize meaningful spiritual community, we must be intentional, and we must be patient. Seek out people who aren’t in a rush to leave.

Engage them in conversation, but minimize small talk about the weather, the afternoon game, or last night’s movie.

Seek spiritual substance. Share life, talk about our spiritual journeys, pray for others and let them pray for us. Meet needs, help others, celebrate Jesus.

This is how we worship and serve God; this is why we go to church—and if your church doesn’t allow for this kind of deep community, then either fix your church or find a new one.

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Tags community, worship

Christian Living

What Does Christian Unity Mean To You?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 21, 2014

Let’s All Get Along

Why can’t we all get along? Living in peace and harmony are lofty goals that most everyone agrees with. Aside from wacko militants, no one says, “I want to live in constant conflict with my neighbor and quarrel with those around me.”

No one seeks to start a fight with others, be it verbal or physical. And if an argument or brawl does erupt, they usually feel terrible about it afterwards.

Similarly, when it comes to church, most people say they want the same thing. They advocate Christian unity: seeking peace and harmony, while avoiding conflicts and fights. They want to get along. Right?

Friend Unity

But I suspect what most Christians really mean is they want unity with people who think, believe, and act like them. What about those who act differently or think the opposite? Do they really want unity with them? I fear not.

What they really mean is they want everyone to come around and embrace their point of view. That’s what Christian unity means to them, but that’s actually friend unity and nothing more.

True Christian Unity

Jesus desires true unity for his followers—all of us. He even prayed for it, that we would be one (John 17:21). I firmly believe God will one day answer Jesus’ prayer for unity; but at the present, we are still waiting.

Through the centuries, Jesus’ well-meaning, but misguided, followers have argued with and killed one another over theology, ideology, and alleged heresy.

One idiotic example is a church that split over whether or not men needed to wear ties. Really.

Christian unity means accepting and embracing those who think, believe, and act differently. And the breadth of our thoughts, beliefs, and actions is wide.

Christian unity sets our focus on Jesus and nothing else should matter. Beyond that is to love everyone, Christian or not, the way Jesus loves us.

That’s what Christian unity means to me. May I pursue that and model that. Will you join me?

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Christian Living

Do We Ever Lie to God?

Be Careful of the Word You Sing

The song said, “We lift up our hands.” Except for my wife, no one else in the church service moved, not even me. It seemed disingenuous to only raise my hands when the song told me to. Shouldn’t I have already been doing that?

We all sang the words, but we failed to do what our words declared. I wondered what God thought about our supposed worship. We said one thing but did another. We sang a lie to God.

I was still agitated by our disconnected praise to God when another song declared “down on my knees.” No one knelt. Why did we profess we were doing something we refused to do?

Raising our hands to God is a sign of adoration, while kneeling before him depicts reverence. Our worship of the Almighty was half-hearted, claiming one thing with our words but then denying them through inaction. We were lying to God.

Our third strike came at the end of the service when we sang, “I surrender all.” I thought I meant it but wondered if I really did.

After all, I didn’t actually lift up my hands when I said I was or literally kneel when I claimed that in song, so was my surrender in words only?

Was I really surrendering all to God or was I holding back, only surrendering in part? Did I again lie to my Father in heaven?

May I be like David, who says he will “live what I sing every day.”

What about the other 200 people present? They lied to God about raising their hands and about genuflecting. Was there any reason to suspect their claim of surrender was genuine?

Even more convicting, did they bother to consider the words they sang? That might be a worse affront to God, to mouth the words with unthinking routine, to simulate worship when their mind was elsewhere.

That might be an even bigger lie and a rut I fall into too often.

God, forgive us for lying to you in song. Grant us focus when we sing.

[Psalm 61:8]

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Tags good music, worship

Christian Living

Does Your Church Need a Building?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 7, 2014

It’s the People, Not the Place that Matters

When visiting a church with family, the minister prayed, “God you know we need a new church building.”

I recoiled at his claim. They don’t need a new building; they merely want one. There’s a difference between needs and wants, something we must distinguish.

What this church need is to throw aside assumption. They need to look at their situation with a creative eye, not follow what other churches do and society expects.

They need to read the books When Not to Build and When not to Borrow. Seriously.

One of the things I like about this church is that they rent space on Sunday and aren’t shackled by an expensive building that sucks away mass amounts of money and is underused most of the week.

I don’t want to attend a church that will assume a million-dollar debt just to have a nice place to meet on Sunday.

Instead, what if they would commit the same fervor and funds to help those in need or send missionaries around the world? That would be a holistic cause, righteous stewardship of money.

I could go to a church that thought like that; I could support a church that acted like that.

If this church builds a new facility, I doubt I’ll ever go there again. I want to attend a church committed to making a difference in the world around it.

We already have too many churches housed in grand edifices or erecting self-serving monuments to their view of success.

This church doesn’t need a new building. What they need is a new perspective, God’s perspective.

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Tags church, money

Christian Living

Welcome Back to School

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 2, 2014

As school starts, we salute all teachers everywhere

Celebrate Your Teachers Who Impacted Your Life

As kids and college students head back to school this fall, I recall many of the teachers who worked hard to educate me.

I learned something useful from every one of them, even the few who probably shouldn’t have been teaching any more.

Most, however, were amazing teachers, while a few standouts helped shape me into who I am today.

My training from these educational superstars went beyond the textbook and surpassed the curriculum learning objectives. Their instruction transcended the lesson plan and offered up valuable life lessons.

Thank You, Teachers

Mrs. Frank established a good foundation for my subsequent teachers to build upon.

Miss Robinson instilled in me a thirst for learning.

Mrs. Wedel inspired me to reach high, that I was more than I realized.

Mr. Binder taught me science, but his big life lessons came as my track coach.

Professor Britten guided me in living fully by merging knowledge, work, faith, and family into one holistic understanding.

My list of honorable mentions is a lengthy one, comprised of longsuffering educators who toiled to give children a better chance at tomorrow.

Though not always appreciative of their efforts, and occasionally disrespectful, we learned nonetheless, sometimes in spite of ourselves.

We complained about homework, grumbled over unannounced quizzes, and struggled to study when other things beckoned more loudly. They persisted, and we benefited.

Thank you teachers everywhere. You have the most important job of all—even if you seldom hear it.

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Christian Living

Worship God in Spirit

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date August 31, 2014

Do You Worship God on Sunday or All the Time?

What is it to worship God? Ask different people and receive different answers. To worship God is to:

Go to church
Pray
Sing hymns
Give money
Serve in some area

These are all facets of worship, but there’s more. Worship is as much attitude as action. To worship God is also to love him and be devoted to him; to show him respect and adoration; to honor and admire him.

It’s one thing to go to church to worship God for an hour on Sunday, but do we really show him our love, devotion, respect, adoration, honor, and admiration while we’re there? What about the other 167 hours of our life each week?

The Bible talks a lot about worship, about worshiping the God of creation: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Starting with Genesis and all the way through to Revelation, the Bible mentions worship in 162 verses, giving instruction and examples of worship offered to God.

In one of these verses, John tells us to worship God in spirit and in truth. It is imperative. We must do it. While I don’t fully comprehend what it means to worship God in spirit and in truth, it’s something I strive to do as a lifelong pursuit.

What I am sure of is that worshiping God in spirit and in truth requires a lot more than spending an hour in church each Sunday.

Today, and every day, may we worship God in spirit and in truth.

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