Archive for July, 2008

  • Galaxies, Atoms, and Hair Counts | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jul 30 2008

    Astronomers tell us that our galaxy is home not only to our own sun and its family of planets, but to billions of other stars. They further explain that our disk-shaped galaxy is about 100,000 light-years wide and about 2,000 light-years thick. Even more amazing is their claim that this “cosmic disk” (itself made up [...]

  • Laughing til it Hurts | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jul 29 2008

    On a wall in our kitchen and dining room area hangs a painted board that says, “Live Simply, Laugh Often, Love Deeply.”
    Unfortunately, a sign on the wall doesn’t assure that those who live under it will follow it’s counsel.
    But this week, at least some of these words to live by seem especially appropriate with [...]

  • Four Kinds of Wisdom | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jul 27 2008

    While in Asia recently I saw examples of eastern religion that were foreign to faith in Christ. My heart went out to mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters who have not yet discovered the incomparable and unparalleled life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
    Thinking back, however, I also remember how, on another trip to the region, [...]

  • The Sufficiency Debate | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jul 25 2008

    I appreciate so much all who have weighed in on my “Pastors and Counselors” post. It’s apparent that this is an issue that touches deep nerves of emotional pain and spiritual conviction.
    Since my last comment, I’ve gone back and found something that I wrote ten years ago. If you are inclined, and have time [...]

  • Fundamentalism | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jul 24 2008

    The spirit of the age is tolerance.
    Its counsel is predictable: Keep your options open. Don’t limit yourself. Play the field. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Keep an open mind. Never say never. Don’t lock yourself in. Hedge your bets. Be flexible. Don’t be rigid. Don’t be a fundamentalist.”
    Fundamentalism is regarded by many [...]

  • Pastors and Counselors | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jul 22 2008

    A man, much my senior, and someone I consider especially wise, once reminded me that followers of Christ “are called to be “saints”, but not necessarily “sane”.
    Looking back, I believe his provocative comment reflects the complexity of life in this broken world. The few words that stuck in my mind seem to reflect the wonder [...]

  • Bible Translations | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jul 21 2008

    In the past, some have reasoned that to have a Bible that is completely reliable, we need more than perfect original manuscripts. Such persons have insisted that divine preservation must extend to every word of our Bibles. They’ve said that if we allow for any error of transmission or translation, the Scriptures cease to be [...]

  • Formulas and Guarantees | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jul 20 2008

    If I’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that God does not guarantee us a 1 + 1= ___ for the kind of outcomes we can see, physically– on our own time schedule.
    No matter how great our faith, even the best of material gains or human relationships will disappoint us in life– and leave us [...]

  • An Amazing, Ancient Pre-Iraq Prediction | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jul 17 2008

    In uncertain and catastrophic times it is easy to wonder whether there is any hope for the future.
    For people living in such times, an ancient Jewish prophet by the name of Daniel made an amazing prediction (Daniel 9:24-27).
    The background of this prophecy. While being held as a political prisoner in Babylon (present day Iraq), [...]

  • Ten Million Dollars | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jul 16 2008

    Someone I have known for only a few days just gave me 10 million dollars. The gift seemed huge until I saw the same person give someone else 500 million.
    I’m posting the evidence here. This is real currency printed by The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe in this current year.

    Actually the 10 million dollar bank note [...]

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