Archive for May, 2008

  • Sixteen Tons and… | Posted by Mart De Haan on May 17 2008

    In 1955, Tennessee Ernie Ford had a big hit in a mineworkers’ song called “16 Tons”. Many of us will never forget his rich voice singing, “Sixteen tons and what do ya get? Another day older and deeper in debt. Saint Peter don’t you call me, cause I can’t go. I owe my [...]

  • The "H" Factor | Posted by Mart De Haan on May 16 2008

    Like pride, the closets of humility are filled with different hats and clothes for different occasions.
    Popular opinion regards it as a doormat personality, and maybe even pride in disguise. Yet our books of common language describe it as the kind of realistic view of ourselves that is necessary to share the pain or joys of [...]

  • The Great Imposter | Posted by Mart De Haan on May 15 2008

    It can swagger with self-importance one minute before writhing in self-contempt the next.
    Its closets are stuffed with masks of deception.
    We think we know what it is. Our books of common language describe it as an exaggerated sense of self importance. We’ve watched it pile pain upon pain.
    But the more I think about it, the more [...]

  • Myanmar's Second Disaster | Posted by Mart De Haan on May 14 2008

    As authorities in China mobilize relief efforts in the catastrophic aftermath of a magnitude 7.9 earthquake, the plight of cyclone devastated Myanmar is growing.
    According to an AFP news agency article, the United Nations is warning that Myanmar is now facing an even greater disaster that could push the death toll far beyond the current estimate [...]

  • Answers for a Young Convert | Posted by Mart De Haan on May 13 2008

    A new convert to the Christian faith wonders how to fulfill his duty to God. An older and seasoned follower says,
    “Love God with all of your heart and then love your neighbor as yourself. Do these things, and you will fulfill your obligation to God.”
    Another seasoned Christian joins the conversation saying, “Yes, focus on loving [...]

  • The Story and Struggle of Marriage | Posted by Mart De Haan on May 11 2008

    In first century Greek, Roman, and Jewish society, a man was the master of his house. Wives lived under the rule of their husbands and were expected to submit to them. So when the Apostle Paul, in his New Testament letters, encouraged wives to submit to their husbands, those words would not have been unusual.
    Two [...]

  • Evangelical Manifesto | Posted by Mart De Haan on May 10 2008

    A document and declaration signed by 80 evangelical leaders has hit the press this week. You can find the full text on the web at this link. I’ll copy a brief excerpt from it below. See what you think:
    “…Today… we wish to stand clear from certain positions in public life that are widely confused [...]

  • Israel at 60 | Posted by Mart De Haan on May 09 2008

    Under increased security that has closed West Bank border crossings, Jewish citizens are recognizing this week 60 years of national re-birth.
    They are doing so, however, with an air of uncertainty. The celebration comes on the heels of the largest emergency drill ever held in Israel as the nation tested it’s readiness for ever lingering possibility [...]

  • The Platypus And Us | Posted by Mart De Haan on May 08 2008

    What is it? Looking like it was stitched together with the spare parts of other creatures, the Platypus has the body of a beaver and the face of a duck.
    According to a Yahoo featured article out of Paris today, when specimens from Australia arrived in Europe in the 18th century, biologists thought they were looking [...]

  • Myanmar Ohhhh Myanmar | Posted by Mart De Haan on May 07 2008

    Myanmar, also known as Burma, is one of the poorest nations in Southeast Asia. But on Saturday, her pain and poverty were multiplied beyond measure.
    A 120 mph cyclone, now being called one of the most disastrous storms in history, created a 12 foot tidal wave that, in the words of one survivor, “jumped out of [...]

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