BTA In Action
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
Archive for December, 2009
- Supernatural Hope for 2010 |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Dec 29 2009
As we look forward once again to the turning of the calendar, many of us have come to the threshold of 2010 carrying heavy concerns either for ourselves– or for others.
So it might be worth thinking together about a statement that the Apostle Paul wrote in the middle of his own problems and concerns [...] - Word Games |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Dec 28 2009
At a recent family get together I was introduced to a game called Bananagrams.
In some ways it’s a lot like Scrabble, but plays a lot faster. Everyone works with as many as 21 letter tiles of their own and tries to create their own connected words at the same time with a simple set [...] - Follow the Gifts… |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Dec 25 2009
“Follow the money,” was the memorable quote from All the President’s Men. An unnamed source suggested to Bob Woodward that the key to understanding the Watergate mystery was the money.
At the end of that path were reasons to be cynical.
But change the idea slightly. Refocus on “follow the gifts” … and we find the [...] - The Wonder of the Magi |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Dec 20 2009
The wonder of the magi may be worth thinking about. The mystery surrounding them seems to be by design.
For openers, why is Matthew the only one of 4 Gospel accounts that mentions them?
If they came “from the east” and saw a star “in the east” why would they travel west to Bethlehem? Who were these [...] - What We Can or Can’t See |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Dec 16 2009
On the threshold of the Promised Land, God told his people that even though they had seen him do many wonderful things through the rescue of the Exodus, and through the provisions of the Wilderness, they didn’t get what he was doing for them.
More specifically, Moses wrote, “To this day the LORD has not given [...] - A Christmas Discussion During Hanukkah |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Dec 12 2009
Last night Jewish people began lighting candles around the world in their annual celebration of Hanukkah.
This morning an article in the Dallas Morning News says that two pastors of the Episcopal denomination are expected to draw hundreds, at 10 dollars a ticket, to their discussion of whether Christ is the only way to God.
One of [...] - Absolutes and Relatives |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Dec 08 2009
Is it possible that some of us are so committed to defending “absolute truth” that we forget how “relative” our understanding can be?
Admittedly, those who say “all things are relative” often mean that one opinion is as good as another—especially when they want their own opinion to be as good, or better, than anyone else’s.
Relative [...] - Taking Inventory and Steps |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Dec 05 2009
Over the months I’ve talked every once in a while about how 12 Step thinking and process echoes basics of true spirituality.
Even after the specific language of the Bible has been removed to make the Steps “accessible” to those who come with an aversion to the “religion” of their past, real wisdom remains.
Step 4 of [...] - What We Can or Cannot Do |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Dec 01 2009
Can we count on God to give us the ability to do anything we “believe him for”?
The Apostle Paul wrote that he had learned how to do all things through Christ who strengthened him (Philip 4:13).
But why then, on another occasion did he write, “For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what [...]
