Category Archives: Peter DeHaan News

A Year in Review: Top Ten Posts for 2016

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Check out our readers’ favorite posts for the past year.

Another year has come and gone, and with it another year of blogging at “Pursuing Biblical God,” with over 100 new posts about God, the Bible, his church, and us.

Here are the ten most popular posts in 2016:

  1. The Truth about Seminary
  2. The Bible Uses a Third Person Omniscient Point of View
  3. 13 Reasons Why I Love the Bible
  4. Are You Spiritually Selfish?
  5. Do We Need to Listen to a Lecture Each Sunday at Church?
  6. Should We Confess the Sins of Our Nation?
  7. 5 Things God Asks of Us
  8. What Does an Eye for an Eye Really Mean?
  9. Can I Pray For You?
  10. Church Is For Girls

Some posts are “evergreen” content, meaning they continue to resonate with people for many years. Here are the ten most read posts of all time:

  1. What Does it Mean to Pray Hard?
  2. Beware of Spiritual Incest
  3. Four Angels in the Bible With Names
  4. Which Gospel Should I Read?
  5. Does God Receive Our Actions as a Memorial Offering?
  6. The Car That Cried Wolf
  7. When Was the Book of Job Written?
  8. Job’s Conclusion
  9. Are We Just Doing Our Job or Getting God’s Attention?
  10. Job’s Daughters

Thank you for stopping by this past year. You helped show that these posts are your favorites.

May you have an amazing 2017. Happy New Year and God bless!

Check out the top 10 posts at “Pursuing Biblical God” for 2016, by Peter DeHaan

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Read the New Testament in 2017

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Learn more about Jesus and his church as you read through the New Testament this year

The New Testament of the Bible is a great part of the Bible to read. It starts with a focus on the life of Jesus and moves on to cover his followers after he dies, rises from the dead, and returns to heaven. Whether you are familiar with the Bible or just starting out, the New Testament unveils most of the essentials, and it provides the foundation for Christianity as it informs how we should live as Jesus’s disciples.

By reading only one chapter a day, Monday through Friday, we can read the entire New Testament in one year. For the average reader this only takes three to four minutes each day.

Can you commit to that?

Invest 3 to 4 minutes a day, Monday through Friday, to read the New Testament in 2017.

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Download our 2017 New Testament reading plan to follow along with us. And then look for posts each Wednesday about that day’s reading.

Join us as we read through the New Testament in 2017. You’ll be glad you did.

(If you prefer, we also have an Old Testament reading plan and monthly guides as well. All this and much more is found at ABibleADay.com)

A Year in Review: Top 10 Posts on Pursuing Biblical God for 2015

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Here are the ten most popular posts on “Pursuing Biblical God” from 2015:

  1. A Year in Review: Top 10 Posts on Pursuing Biblical God for 2015Does God Receive Our Actions as a Memorial Offering?
  2. If You Have a Message to Share, You Need to Speak Up
  3. Four Angels in the Bible With Names
  4. Do You Arrive at Church Early, On Time, or Late?
  5. The Truth about Tithing
  6. Membership Has Its Privileges: Why We Shouldn’t Join a Church
  7. What Do We Do To Dishonor God?
  8. The Early Church Had a Great Reputation. What Happened?
  9. The Error of Evangelicals
  10. Are You a Christian Pharisee?
Read the Top 10 posts on “Pursuing Biblical God” from 2015

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In addition to these top ten posts from 2015 here are the top ten posts from prior years that people continued to read in 2015:

  1. Beware of Spiritual Incest
  2. Which Gospel Should I Read?
  3. Book Review: Secrets of the Secret Place
  4. The Use and Meaning of Amen
  5. What Does it Mean to Pray Hard?
  6. What Does it Mean to Give False Testimony?
  7. Book Review: From Times Square to Timbuktu
  8. Book Review: How People Grow
  9. Book Review: Prayer: Conversing with God
  10. Do We Read the Bible with Preconceived Notions?

Thank you for reading these posts and following this blog. May you have a great 2016!

Which post is your favorite? Which post is worth rereading? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Thursday Morning Bible Posts Have Moved to Tuesday

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Thursday Morning Bible Posts Have Moved to TuesdayIf you’re here today looking for my regular Thursday morning post about the Bible, it has moved to Tuesdays.

People who study blogs, social media, and Internet things, say that more people read Tuesday posts than Thursday posts. Who would have thought? Since I want more people to see my posts, I’ll try Tuesdays.

By the way, thanks for stopping by!

If You Have a Message to Share, You Need to Speak Up

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Last weekend I attended the Speak Up Conference in Grand Rapids Michigan. Speak Up is a two and a half day educational and networking opportunity for Christian speakers and writers. As a bonus, it was also a spiritual experience.

Speak Up ConferenceIn addition to making new friends and reconnecting with existing ones (some of whom regularly read this blog – thank you!), I also learned a lot. The highlight for me was being able to meet agents and acquisition editors to talk about some of my books. There was much interest in my just completed work Women in the Bible, as well as two others that are awaiting publication.

I also attended several workshops and learned some tips on various topics, such as how to better connect with readers, editing my work, balancing writing and life, interjecting humor into my writing, social media, and developing our writing voice. As an added treat, two of the sessions were given by friends Amelia Rhodes and Lorilee Craker.

The conference was held on the campus of Calvin College at The Prince Center. Everything was first rate. Some people think of this as a women’s conference, but guys attend as well, even though us males were an unrepresented minority.

If you are a Christian writer or a speaker – or want to become one – I encourage you to consider attending next year’s Speak Up Conference. It will be July 7-9, again at the Prince Center in Grand Rapids Michigan. Maybe I will see you there.

Were you at the Speak Up Conference? What did you think? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

What’s the Focus of Your Bible Reading for 2015?

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I spent all of last year studying women in the Bible. As the year progressed, my initial list of thirty kept getting longer. By yearend, I had found over seventy-five, and I wrote blog posts for about half of them.

Although I don’t plan on blogging about the rest, I am working on a short book on the subject, Women in the Bible. The first draft is almost done, and I’m about ready for some beta readers to review it. When the book is finished, I’ll post a notice here.

For this year, I’m reading the New Testament, starting with the writings of Dr. Luke.

Although we’re a week into the new year, it’s not too late to start a Bible Reading Plan for 2015, courtesy of ABibleADay.com:

As for me, I’m following the 2015 New Testament plan.

What about you?

Top Ten Posts About “Pursuing Biblical God” in 2014

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Here are the ten most read posts on this blog, “Pursuing Biblical God.” Some were written this year, while others are perennial favorites from prior years.

  1. Which Gospel Should I Read?
  2. Beware of Spiritual Incest
  3. Great Teaching, But Something’s Wrong (Visiting Church #49)
  4. 52 Churches: The Journey Begins
  5. Why I Don’t Dress Up For Church
  6. Book Review: Secrets of the Secret Place
  7. The Use and Meaning of Amen
  8. Why Don’t You Go To Church?
  9. A Glimpse into the Future (Visiting Church #15)
  10. What Does it Mean to Greet One Another With a Holy Kiss?

There was one more, which I liked so much, that I copied it over to the home page: Do You Want More From Life? Seeking a Spiritual More. This, of course, is the most viewed page on the site.

Which post is your favorite? Which one would you recommend?

News Release: Read the Bible in 2015

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Read the Bible in 2015 by Reading Only a Few Minutes a Day

ABibleADay.com and Peter DeHaan Unveil Comprehensive Bible Reading Schedules for 2015

Dec. 16, 2014 – Grand Rapids, Mich. – Now in its tenth year, ABibleADay.com has released its Bible reading plans for 2015 to encourage regular Bible reading. In addition to the plan to read the entire Bible in 2015, author Peter DeHaan also has two less ambitious Bible reading schedules to cover just the New Testament or just the Old Testament in one year. All three plans are available by a free download from ABibleADay.com. Readers may freely share the Bible reading plans without restriction, as long as it is for a noncommercial use.

“Every December people email me asking about Bible reading plans for the New Year. Last year we added a plan to read the entire Bible to our perennial plans for the New Testament and the Old Testament,” said Peter DeHaan, PhD. By reading about fifteen minutes a day, an average adult reader can cover the entire Bible in one year, while it takes only twelve minutes a day to read the Old Testament. “It only takes three to four minutes a day, five days a week, to read the New Testament in one year,” added Bible scholar Peter DeHaan, “The New Testament plan is our most popular.” For people who want a less ambitious approach, DeHaan also provides monthly suggestions, which are also available at ABibleADay.com.

DeHaan’s method for all the options is to cover the Bible in sections, reading from only one book each day, completing that book before moving on to the next one. However, the schedule does not make people read the Bible straight through from page one to the end. “It’s too easy to get bogged down by one section of the Bible,” said DeHaan.

In addition to the annual Bible Reading plans, ABibleADay.com also has hundreds of pages of information about the Bible, including Bible FAQs, Bible terms, books of the Bible, and a Bible blog.

Download one of the 2015 Bible reading plans or learn more about the Bible from http://ABibleADay.com – and have a Happy New Year!

News Release: Peter DeHaan Updates ABibleADay.com for Greater User Impact

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Online Bible Reading Resource Extends Usefulness and Reach on New, User-Friendly Platform

Apr. 30, 2014 – MATTAWAN, Mich. — Peter DeHaan announced the completion of the overhaul on his popular website ABibleADay.com. The site, which allows him to share his passion for considering the Bible as a fresh, spiritual narrative and not an obsolete rule book, was started in 2008 and received record page views this March, even as the transition was still taking place.

ABibleADay.com is powered by WordPress software, the world’s leading website platform. “This effort began in late 2013,” said Peter DeHaan, PhD, the site’s main content provider. “We kept the old site up and operational as we methodically moved the content over, page by page. Also, each of the 750 pages were reviewed and updated. That made the process take much longer, but it was worth the extra effort.

“With the new WordPress platform, making changes and adding new content is quick and easy,” said DeHaan, a lifetime student of the Bible. The site also boasts a fresh look: “The pages have a clean appearance and navigation is a breeze. Designed six years ago, the old site was definitely showing its age. I’m ecstatic over the improvement.

“A Bible A Day is for Bible-curious people,” added Peter DeHaan. “The FAQ section is the place to start, while helpful resources are in the ‘Books of the Bible’ and ‘Bible Terms’ sections.” A popular feature is the Bible reading plans, which offers options for any schedule. The site also includes a feed of biblically related posts, originally appearing on Peter’s main blog at PeterDeHaan.com. New posts appear each Thursday; plus, there is an archive of past posts, dating back to 2008.

Learn more about A Bible A Day at ABibleADay.com.

About Peter DeHaan
Peter DeHaan is an author, publisher, editor, and blogger. His main blog addresses biblical spirituality. He also blogs at “Byline” (about writing), and “From the Publisher’s Desk” (covering book publishing). Many of Peter DeHaan’s articles are available online at Article Weekly. Peter and his wife live in beautiful Southwest Michigan. They have two married children and recently met their first grandchild.

Contact
Peter DeHaan
616-284-1305
dehaan@peterdehaan.com

News Release: Peter DeHaan Overhauls Website

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PeterDeHaan.com Integrates Author’s Main Blog and Website on One Unified Platform.

Mattawan, Michigan, March 12, 2014 – Peter DeHaan announced the completion of the overall of his website peterdehaan.com. The site, which shares his writing and career, features three exciting developments:

The new site is powered by WordPress, the world’s leading blogging and website platform. “This effort actually began a year and a half ago, almost as soon as the last website overhaul was finished,” said Peter. “Although WordPress was recommended at that time, I selected a different direction. That site looked great, but updating it was problematic from the start. Now with WordPress, making changes and adding new content is quick and easy.”

The second change is that for the first time, Peter’s main website and main blog are now fully integrated on the same site. “This allows people to read my blog posts and access information about me and my writing all at one place. There will be no more bouncing from the blog to the website and back again,” Peter added.

The final development is a fresh new look. “The pages have a clean appearance and navigation is a breeze. What’s interesting,” said the author, “is that the new site contains all the same information – as well as some new content – but it’s now easier to find and much more inviting to read.”

PeterDeHaan.com highlights Peter’s current writing and future projects, outlines his writing services, allows readers to subscribe to his newsletter, and lists his books, articles, and other blogs. The overhaul has been an ongoing process, evolving over the past few months while the site was live, with regular visitor seeing incremental changes every week.