Archive Calendar
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Sit down with me as we think through some tough topics in a reflective way and examine some of the difficult issues that can trouble followers of Christ. My hope is that you’ll always come away with more to think about… RBC Ministries
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Archive for December, 2008
- What is the Calendar Telling Us? |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Dec 31 2008
If you want to spend your time with a complicated study try doing some research on calendars and dating systems. The details of how various cultures have tried to keep a record of time while making adjustments for lunar or solar cycles is mind bending.
Natural new beginnings– One thing that seems clear is that calendar [...] - Israel, Gaza, and Good or Bad Faith |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Dec 29 2008
It has now been more than 2009 years since the birth of Jesus. The Middle East remains at the swirling center of worlds news. The descendants of Abraham and Sarah are still fighting over a small strip of land.
Many of us see the rockets going into and out of Gaza as being linked, not only [...] - The Tough Side of Grace |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Dec 26 2008
Going into the Christmas holiday, I was focused on what can appear to be the scandalously generous side of grace. Found myself drawn back time and again to the priceless gift expressed in the words, “The Word (God) became flesh and lived among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only [...]
- Mary Did You Know? |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Dec 24 2008
Never got the last winter storm that was supposed to materialize today. Instead we got a lot of rain and a flood watch. The Grand River, for which our town is named (Grand Rapids, MI), has developed an ice jam and backed up to flood stage. Now the wind is kicking up and the temperature [...]
- Mysterious Prophecies and Fulfillments |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Dec 23 2008
In the eighth century before the birth of Jesus, the Jewish prophet Micah predicted, “Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2).
Then there are the [...] - The Bible: What Really Happened? |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Dec 22 2008
Tonight the Discovery Channel is running a three hour special on Jesus: The Complete Story. Consecutive hours will address The Early Years; The Mission; and The Last Days.
Advertising copy for the first segment reads: “Explore the strange fables that surround Jesus’ birth. Follow the childhood and early adult years of Jesus using a first century [...] - Slipping and Sliding Toward a White Christmas |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Dec 21 2008
With the weather forecast calling for more snow and near blizzard conditions for later in the day, a local weather forecaster says that only a collision with the sun will keep it from being a white Christmas in West Michigan this year.
So far, December has seemed more like January or early February around here. So [...] - A Christmas Story (5 of 5) |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Dec 17 2008
Who hasn’t been frustrated trying to find the perfect Christmas gift?
So why bother? Probably for any number of reasons… none of which is more important than giving out of a heart that is once again being warmed by the true meaning of the Christmas story.
The Gifts of the King
Continued from Christmas Morning and Evening
For [...] - A Christmas Story (4 of 5) |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Dec 15 2008
Sometimes the best thing about Christmas is the anticipation. When the day actually comes, it passes all too quickly … often leaving warm memories mingled with unrealized hopes and let down.
The real Christmas story follows a similar pattern…
Continued from Children Waiting
Finally Here!
After 400 long years, the silence was broken by unkind rumors and the [...] - And on Earth Peace, Goodwill… |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Dec 14 2008
Over the years, the ethnic relatives of Jesus have not been the only ones to ask, “If Yeshua was the Messiah, where is the peace he was supposed to bring? The prophet Isaiah clearly predicted that in the days of the promised King, ‘They will hammer their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning [...]
