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  • A Forgotten Means of Grace | Posted by Mart De Haan on Mar 02 2009

    Sports teams watch game films to go to school on what went right and wrong in their last outing.
    Got me wondering what we might see if we did a video evaluation of our last family, church, or work conflict…
    Am guessing one thing that would be missing would be visible evidence of a too often forgotten [...]

  • Could This be True? | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jan 15 2009

    Just read something I find hard to believe. Found it in a short article by Liz Szabo writing for USA Today. She says that, according to a report released online in  The New England Journal of Medicine, “Eight hospitals reduced the number of deaths from surgery by more than 40% by using a checklist that [...]

  • Israel: What If? | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jan 09 2009

    What we know is that the Bible says God gave the land of the Canaanites to his chosen people to show that he is God of gods.
    The same Scriptures make it clear that Israel’s security in the land would depend on their faithfulness to the covenant that God made with them. According to Moses, if [...]

  • Israel: The Blessing and the Curse | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jan 08 2009

    When God told Abraham that he would bless those who bless him and curse those who curse him, did that mean that God-fearing people would always side with Israel against their enemies? (Gen 12:1-2).
    To avoid misquoting, or misapplying, the Bible, it’s important to make sure that we are drawing necessary implications rather than possible [...]

  • Gaza, Samson, and Us | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jan 04 2009

    As the US turns over control of the Green Zone to Iraqi authorities, and as another powerful earthquake shakes Indonesia, the eyes of the world have shifted once again to a small strip of land on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean.
    Around the world, in London, Paris, and New York, shouting crowds have taken to [...]

  • Jerusalem Day 2008 | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jun 02 2008

    Today (June 2, 2008) is Jerusalem Day in Israel. With parades in the streets and prayers in synagogues, Jewish citizens will celebrate the reunification of Jerusalem in the Six Day War of 1967.
    Jerusalem remains, however, a contested city. Palestinians believe that East Jerusalem, including the holy site now occupied by the Al Aksa [...]

  • Polygamous, Monogamous, Global Envy | Posted by Mart De Haan on Apr 19 2008

    I started thinking about envy the other day when one of the wives of a polygamous community was asked whether she ever envies her husband’s other wives. Her response seemed honest. She admitted that it happens but is sure that those who don’t practice polygamy aren’t above such problems.
    She’s right isn’t she. None of us, [...]

  • The Roots of a Conflict | Posted by Mart De Haan on Apr 10 2008

    I thought twice before posting this picture of a scene I came across just inside Jerusalem’s Jaffa Gate. With an armed Israeli Border Patrol in the background, it looked like a human body had been dumped into a garbage wagon. On closer look, I found that a street worker had just crawled into his cart [...]

  • Why I Don't Go To Church | Posted by Mart De Haan on Apr 03 2008

    What happens if we lower our expectations for the church?
    A few weeks ago I expressed a hunch that disillusionment is a problem for many of us who have been around the church for awhile. Since then a number of friends have taken the occasion to tell their own story. Some have struggled with disappointment and [...]

  • Enlightenment | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jan 01 2008

    What does it take to be wise?
    In a television commercial for online yellow pages, actor David Carradine plays a guru to a young seeker. When the student asks, “How do I find enlightenment?” the master says, “Yellowbook.com . . . Everyone is searching for something . . . . After all, it is a material [...]

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