• The Holocaust | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jun 05 2008

    I’m traveling today to Jerusalem to work with our Day of Discovery team on a new series of “land of the Bible” programs. As I prepare to leave I’m reminded of some thoughts I had after returning from a similar assignment a couple of years ago.
    What I wrote is a bit long for a daily [...]

  • US and Israel | Posted by Mart De Haan on May 04 2008

    Over the weekend, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has once again been in Tel Aviv in an effort to help broker a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.
    As a global economy feels the pressure of rising oil prices, The Middle East Quartet, made up of the United Nations, the European Union, Russia [...]

  • What if God Couldn't Feel? | Posted by Mart De Haan on May 02 2008

    What if the Bible told the story of a God who was all-knowing and all-powerful–but who could feel nothing? In a relationship with such a God, I’m thinking a conversation might go something like this:
    “Hello, God… It’s me again… I need to talk to you about some things that have been on my mind.
    The more [...]

  • Does God Change? | Posted by Mart De Haan on Apr 27 2008

    When we talk among ourselves about miracles, gifts of the Spirit, or the covenants of God, some of us are apt to remind the others that, according to the Bible, God does not– and cannot change. Others are likely to point out that, over time, the God of the Bible has changed the ways [...]

  • Snoopy and God | Posted by Mart De Haan on Apr 14 2008

    FOR 50 YEARS, cartoonist Charles Schulz gave us pictures of ourselves wrapped in a smile. One of the last strips I clipped from our Sunday paper showed Snoopy the dog sitting on top of his doghouse with a typewriter, writing about his life. He titled his story . . .
    The Dog Who Never Did Anything [...]

  • Be Still | Posted by Mart De Haan on Apr 02 2008

    Today was a full day. Had the anticipated meeting with a group of pastors and church people on the subject of marital abuse. Shared the program with a criminal court judge, an abuse advocate, and a professional counselor. The advocate and counselor had heartbreaking personal stories of their own that they’ve had to deal with. [...]

  • Imponderables (3rd of 3) | Posted by Mart De Haan on Feb 28 2008

    In my last post, I referred to the God of the Bible who while making it clear that “His ways are not our ways” nevertheless invites us to approach him with reason. Let’s see if we can follow a little further the idea of using reason to trust one whose “thoughts are not our [...]

  • Imponderables (2nd of 3) | Posted by Mart De Haan on Feb 27 2008

    In my last post, I ended saying that the Bible introduces us to a God who makes no effort to answer questions that feel at times like they are driving us to the breaking point. Instead he gradually leads us to conclude that only when we have exhausted the limits of our own reason can [...]

  • Imponderables (1st of 3) | Posted by Mart De Haan on Feb 25 2008

    Sometimes I feel like life must be a dream. The sheer thought of existing, and thinking, and communicating overwhelms me. Sometimes, though, these thoughts feel like they could push me over the edge. Let me give you an example…
    Where did God come from?
    Could a creator who made the earth out of nothing come from nowhere? [...]

  • Unanswered Prayer (3rd of 4) | Posted by Mart De Haan on Feb 14 2008

    In my last post, I ended noting that even Jesus made repeated, unanswered requests before saying, “Nevertheless, not My will but Yours be done.”
    So here’s what I’m thinking. See if you agree. If our best examples of faith have lived with the pain of unanswered prayer, would our worst case scenario be to live [...]

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