Categories
Christian Living

A Hint of What is to Come

Last month I shared that my yard was a blank canvas, a palette of browns awaiting a fresh start. At last, that transformation has begun.

Trees have been added, bushes inserted, and plants strategically placed. Grass seed sown, just now showing the fragile green tips of what is to become. Watering has begun in earnest.

My yard is in the process of change, from lifeless to life-filled. What is presently there shows promise, the promise of what is to become.

Trees will grow, bushes will flourish, plants will bloom, and grass will thicken into a rich carpet of lush goodness. Change awaits.

At least that is my hope. Until then I can only anticipate what will one day be. However, I can glimpse what is to come. One plant is already displaying its glory.

While it will take time to realize the overall landscaping dream for my yard, this one bush now offers a hint of what is to come: a beautiful scene.

So it is with us. Our lives possess potential; we anticipate a better tomorrow. Yet even as we envision what will one day be, if we look carefully enough we can now see hints of our future.

Today’s limited beauty foreshadows tomorrow’s complete glory.

Just as I hold on to hope that my life tomorrow will be better than today, I have an ever greater expectancy in the spiritual realm, that today is but a dim reflection of the eternity that awaits.

God gives us hints today of what our future with him will be like. Do we see it?

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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Categories
Reviews of Books & Movies

Book Review: Hope for the Flowers

Hope for the Flowers

By Trina Paulus (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)

Hope for the Flowers is a delightful allegory offering messages on multiple levels and applicable to all age groups. It is a short book that can be read in about fifteen minutes and is simply, yet effectively, illustrated by its author Trina Paulus.

As such, it can function nicely as a children’s book, as well as a clever and profound teaching tool for teenagers and adults of all ages.

The story chronicles the life pursuits and relationships of two caterpillars, Stripe and Yellow, searching for meaning and purpose in their lives.

It is about struggle, yearnings, single-minded focus, diligence, perseverance, making mistakes, enlightenment, letting go, and ultimately…well, let’s not spoil the ending.

This book is a great addition to anyone’s library. Buy two: one to keep and one to give away!

[Hope for the Flowers, by Trina Paulus. Published by Paulist Press, 1973, ISBN: 978-0809117543, 160 pages.]

Read more book reviews by Peter DeHaan.Save

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
Reviews of Books & Movies

Book Review: Heaven is for Real

A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back

By Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)

Not yet four years old, Colton Burpo’s life was slipping away. His burst appendix was misdiagnosed and left untreated for days. Now it was likely too late to save him.

His parents’ prayers became more desperate as Colton’s time on earth wound down; it was the darkest of times. Others were praying, too, many others.

Then overnight, Colton made a dramatic and unexpected turnaround. “A miracle,” said medical personnel.

This was dramatic enough, but what he naively revealed in the weeks and months that followed were even more so. As his life ebbed away, little Colton left his body and visited heaven.

There Jesus held him and comforted him, eventually telling him it was time to return. His daddy needed him.

While there, Colton also spent time with his great grandfather who died a quarter of a century prior and a sister his mother miscarried.

He learned of things no one had ever told him and corroborated obscure biblical details that were otherwise beyond his comprehension.

As the story develops, many more extraordinary revelations unfold as Colton shares his supernatural experience with childlike simplicity and unwavering conviction.

His story is eventually recorded in this credible chronicle so people would know “heaven is for real.”

Heaven is for Real is a quick read and an engaging narrative, offering hope and confirmation of the afterlife revealed in the Bible.

Read it for its story; read it to be inspired; read it so you will know heaven is for real.

[Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back, by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent. Published by Thomas Nelson, 2010; ISBN: 978-0-8499-4615-8; 163 pages.]

Read more book reviews by Peter DeHaan.

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
Bible Insights

Don’t Worry or Be Anxious

The news has been bad lately—and there is seemingly little hope in sight.

The global economy is bad, there is a credit crisis, the US automotive industry is in trouble, unemployment is increasing, many of those with jobs are concerned, and a turnaround seems a long ways off.

But in the big picture, this has happened before and will happen again.

The news has been bad lately—and there is seemingly little hope in sight.

I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.

Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.

But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”

Luke 12:22, 23, 31

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.