Tag: holiday

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Christian Living

Happy Good Friday

Happy Good Friday

At one time, my dad received his paycheck every other week, on the last day of the workweek. With a smile, he called each of these paydays good Friday.

Dad enjoyed good Friday twenty-six times a year. Some years the real Good Friday fell on one of dad’s good Fridays; other times it did not—and then he had twenty-seven Fridays he called good.

Although amusing, I used to wonder if it might be a tad sacrilegious to call payday good Friday. Dad received his paycheck on his good Fridays. All Jesus received on his Good Friday was death.

What’s good about that?

Though Good Friday starts with Jesus, it ends with us. On Jesus’ Good Friday, he began the means for us to receive a gift: eternal life.

Without Good Friday, there would be no Easter.

Without death, there would be no resurrection.

Without sacrifice, there would be no salvation.

Happy Good Friday!

Discover more about celebrating Jesus and his passion to save us in Peter’s new book, The Passion of Jesus. It is part of the Holiday Celebration Bible Study Series.

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
Christian Living

Welcome to a New Year!

It’s Time to Make Your New Year’s Resolutions—or Is It?

The new year is a time when many people make New Year’s resolutions.

Common ones include losing weight, saving money, going back to school, finding a better job, improving a relationship—or getting out of one, being kinder, giving more, drinking less, and so on.

All too often, these well-intentioned resolutions are short-lived. I think the problem is timing.

Let’s assume that in September I step on the scale and decide I’ll make a New Year’s resolution to lose weight. Since I don’t need to worry about it now, I can eat as much as I want.

In four months, I’ll get serious about weight loss, but for now, there are no worries.

This gives me sixteen weeks to further instill bad eating habits. Additionally, knowing that in the future I’ll lose weight, I become emboldened to eat poorly now—while I still have the chance.

This only serves to exacerbate the problem and means more weight to lose later.

A much better approach would be to start exercising more and eating less as soon as I sensed the need, in this case, September, not January one.

This is why I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. Rather, as soon as I determine a need for change, I set about to make it happen. That’s when I have the best chance for success, not later after things get worse.

Effectively, I tweak my life year round and skip making annual vows for self-improvement.

If you’ve made New Year’s resolutions, I wish you the best in keeping them. However, if you fall short, don’t give up and wait until next year to make another attempt.

Just forgive yourself and start over—and have a Happy New Year!

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.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
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​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

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Personal Posts

A Christmas Wish

Christmas Wish

My Christmas wish for you is a joyous time of celebration with family and friends.

May your day be loaded with laughter and love.

May your table be filled with food and surrounded by fun.

May you give gifts well and receive them even better.

May you take a moment to thank the one whose birthday we celebrate.

Happy birthday, Jesus!

Celebrate Christmas in a fresh way with The Advent of Jesus. It’s a forty-day devotional that prepares our hearts to celebrate the arrival of Jesus in an engaging read. Begin your Advent journey now and gain a greater sense of wonder for the season.

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
Christian Living

Seven Reflections on Halloween

stages of halloween

My perspective on Halloween has changed over the years. Here are my seven reflections on Halloween

As a kid I relished the opportunity to score some candy, a rare and treasured treat.

As a teen I was too old to go trick-or-treating, but there was usually a party to go to or friends to hang out with.

As newly married and in our first home there was the excitement of being on the giving end for the first time.

As parents of young kids, their excitement became our excitement: costumes, the trek around the neighborhood, fawning neighbors, memorable photos, sorting through their haul, and then attempting to teach restrained candy consumption.

As parents of teens, they celebrated with friends, while mom and dad stayed home to dole out the goodies.

As empty nesters, I’ve taken over the role of handing out treats to our neighbors. Not only do I have a brief conversation with each kid, but I also often have a quick interaction with the parent who accompany the younger ones.

In the grandkid phase is the opportunity to overindulge. Pile high the candy and then give them back to mom and dad just before the sugar hits.

These seven reflections on Halloween carry with it past memories and future anticipations.

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.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
​
​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

Categories
Christian Living

What is the Blessing of the Palms?

Blessing of the Palms

Palm Sunday

An area church has invited other nearby churches to participate in a joint Palm Sunday service for the “Blessing of the Palms.”

That phrase in an unfamiliar one to me, but with millions of exact matches in an online search, it’s likely known to many within the Christian community.

If you are perplexed by this like I am, some quick research—Wikipedia notwithstanding—indicates that the “Blessing of the Palms” is a liturgy often used on Palm Sunday.

Whenever I encounter a church practice I see if I can connect it directly with what I find either prescribed or described in the Bible. This is not to imply that everything that lacks a direct biblical connection is wrong, but it is a reason to proceed carefully.

Though Palm Sunday is a remembrance directly related to Jesus’ celebratory procession into Jerusalem, just days before his execution (Good Friday) and resurrection (Easter), there is nary a biblical indication of any blessing being afforded to palm fronds.

Again, this is not a reason to disregard the practice, but it is a sign to carefully consider its relevance.

While, the “Blessing of the Palms” is a foreign idea to me, to others it is normative. This causes me to contemplate the opposite. How many practices that are normative to me, give others pause?

May we all carefully consider the things that comprise our faith practices, embracing the relevant and dismissing the rest.

Discover more about celebrating Jesus and his passion to save us in Peter’s new book, The Passion of Jesus. It is part of the Holiday Celebration Bible Study Series.

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
Christian Living

Ash Wednesday, Lent, and Fasting

This week, many in the Christian community will observe Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the season known as Lent, a solemn journey towards Easter.

For some followers of Jesus, Ash Wednesday is little more than a notation on their calendar, whereas, for others, it is a meaningful spiritual holiday.

For them, it signals the beginning of a time of giving up something for Lent. This has always puzzled me.

If what is being given up is a bad trait, practice, or characteristic, then why wait for Ash Wednesday to alter our behavior? (See my post on making New Year’s Resolutions.)

And if what is being given up is a beneficial or enjoyable practice, why suffer without it?

Though I do acknowledge that this can be for the same reason that we fast, fasting is a mystery to me, albeit a beautiful one. Giving up something for Lent can have a parallel significance.

However, what bothers me about Ash Wednesday is actually what precedes it. This goes by different names, such as Fat Tuesday, Carnival, or Mardi Gras, and is often characterized by gluttonous eating or revelry and debauchery.

It’s as if a time of holy reverence can rightly be preceded by unholy depravity. That seems akin to an alcoholic intentionally embarking on one last binge just before entering rehab.

Ash Wednesday is a beautiful kick-off to a season of deep reflection, ushering in a journey to Good Friday and then Easter. But that’s not an excuse to cut loose in the days prior to it.

Discover more about celebrating Jesus and his passion to save us in Peter’s new book, The Passion of Jesus. It is part of the Holiday Celebration Bible Study Series.

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
Christian Living

Is New Years a Spiritual Experience?

spiritual experience

Make This Year Different Than Last

Christmas is (or at least, should be) a spiritual event. It is a grand celebration of Jesus. In my prior post, Reimagining Christmas, I encouraged a reclamation of the day’s true meaning and making it a spiritual experience.

Now, seven days hence, another holiday is upon us: New Year’s Day and by implication, a new year.

Is New Years a spiritual experience? For most the answer is “no,” but I think that there is meaningful significance that can be gained from this day as well.

For many, New Years is a time of making resolutions, of implementing changes with the intent of fostering a better or more fulfilled life.

While I don’t want to dissuade anyone from this practice and reaping the benefits—assuming that the resolutions are actually kept—I do want to suggest an even better approach.

Instead of waiting until January 1 to change a habit, introduce a new one, or remove a bad one, why not make changes throughout the year as the opportunity arises?

Why accumulate a list of resolutions for the new year, when incremental improvement can be made throughout the year?

Although I typically forgo New Year’s resolutions, I do use this time of year as an opportunity for annual goal setting.

(Although some may see little difference between making a resolution and setting a goal, I do. A resolution focuses on activity, while a goal addresses outcome.)

Goal setting can (and should) have spiritual ramifications, achieving things that will produce lasting and significant differences in your life, your family and friends, your community, and your world.

With that in mind, I sincerely wish you a happy, prosperous, and wonderful new year.

Happy New Year!

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.

Categories
Christian Living

Why We Need to Reimagine Christmas

reimagine Christmas

Like most people, I have expectations for Christmas: spending time with family and friends, giving gifts, reaching out to others, enjoying festive food at advent gatherings, and so forth.

Much of my Christmas spirit is triggered by sights, sounds, and smells that conjure up happy memories of Christmases past.

What if we were removed to another culture that knew nothing of Christmas, that offered none of the customs that we are familiar with and lacked the resources needed to replicate the Christmas sights, sounds, and smells of our traditions?

What if we needed to essentially start over in establishing the celebration of Christmas? What would we jettison? What should we adapt to the reality of our new culture? What could we interject that has been missing or lacking?

Although few of us will ever be relocated to a culture that knows nothing of Christmas, it still might be a good idea to seriously contemplate these questions, essentially reconfiguring how we do Christmas so that it is more meaningful and has fewer superficial expectations.

Christmas, at its roots, is a spiritual celebration. We would be well-advised to reclaim those roots, to reimagine Christmas in a fresh and new way.

Celebrate Christmas in a fresh way with The Advent of Jesus. It’s a forty-day devotional that prepares our hearts to celebrate the arrival of Jesus in an engaging read. Begin your Advent journey now and gain a greater sense of wonder for the season.

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
Personal Posts

Happy Easter

Happy Easter Sunday

We’ve had a beautiful week here in southwest Michigan, with record highs in the low 80s for the past two days. As a consequence, I’ve been hit hard with a case of spring fever.

The last remaining pile of snow has melted—it was a huge pile, which only succumbed a couple of days ago—and spring flowers are displaying their colors. The grass is greening up and soon it will be time to mow lawn.

The high temps, however, will wane a bit today, as a cool front is arriving.  That should drive the temperatures down about 20 degrees to where they should be for this time of year.

Although it would be great to enjoy 80-degree sunshine tomorrow on Easter, I can accept the prediction of partly cloudy and 60. At least there won’t be any snow, which does happen for some Easters in our clime.

Where ever you may be, and whatever weather might be sent your way, have a Happy Easter!

Discover more about celebrating Jesus and his passion to save us in Peter’s new book, The Passion of Jesus. It is part of the Holiday Celebration Bible Study Series.

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
Personal Posts

April Fool’s Day

April Fool’s Day

I Wasn’t Fooled

Yesterday was April Fool’s Day, and I was subjected to nary a foolish prank. I think that might be a first.

When I worked in an office environment—the kind with other people around—someone would always try to prank me, providing a momentary pause, before reality and common sense resumed control.

When I retreated to the confines of a solo office, the pranks would arrive via email in the form of a clever, too-good-to-be-true press release. 

They would often have a humorous aspect to them as well, giving me reason to chuckle or smile—or sometimes groan.

I was not so fortunate this year. What press releases I did receive on day one of April were of the serious and on-the-level variety.

One year, someone kept sending me emails, building up the anticipation for a big announcement on April first. I assumed it was merely a well-planned joke that would be sprung on April Fool’s Day. 

Alas, it was not. It was a real announcement.

Hence the first rule of press releases—never time one to occur on April Fool’s Day. You don’t want your carefully edited news item to be summarily discarded into the recycle bin of Tom Foolery.

The meanest April Fool’s joke I ever witnessed was a co-worker calling his mother, informing her that he and his wife were expecting; it would be the first grandchild. 

Her initial excitement was dashed, however, when her son exclaimed, “April Fool’s.”

I’m sure he won’t try that one again—or will he?

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.