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
- Noah’s Ark and Gulf Waters |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Apr 30 2010
For the last few days, I’ve been watching two developing news stories that are both difficult for me to absorb. One is the disaster in the gulf that claimed at least 11 lives and now threatens the ecosystems, economy, and quality of life of our Gulf Coast. Can’t imagine what it will mean if the [...]
- Price Check |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Mar 30 2010
What’s it worth to you? I’ve been asked that a couple of times when trying to figure out if I wanted to buy someone’s old stuff at a garage sale or flea market. This time around, I’m far more uncomfortable with the question. Have been trying to work up the courage to write… “What would [...]
- Was I Snoring? |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Mar 23 2010
Sometimes I feel like I’m about to wake up. Then I go back to sleep. For instance, when I hear Jesus say to his troubled disciples, “He who has seen me has seen the Father…Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me… [the day is coming when you [...]
- Jesus and Health Care |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Mar 13 2010
I have no interest in using this space to argue the partisan issues or perspectives of the current national health care issue. What I would like to talk with you about is whether fair and affordable health care for everyone is something that followers of Christ should be concerned about. Are we responding with the [...]
- 20/20 on Who? |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Feb 13 2010
Two passages of the Bible that are often used to emphasize the importance of Scripture may be doing something more. Example One: When, after eating no food for 40 days, Jesus resists Satan’s temptation to turn stones into bread, he quotes Moses as saying “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word [...]
- The Misused Name |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Jan 26 2010
One way to break down someone’s faith may be to quote Jesus’ promise that… the Father in heaven will give us any thing we ask in Jesus name (John 16:23). Many of us have discovered the hard way that ending our prayers “in the name of Jesus” doesn’t necessarily make a difference in whether we [...]
- To Do or Not to Do |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Nov 19 2009
Another combination of statements that could look like a contradiction shows up in the Sermon on the Mount. First Jesus encourages his followers to “let their light shine before others” so that others can see the good that they do (Matt 5:16). But then a few statements later the Teacher begins an extended emphasis in [...]
- Letterman Without a Laugh |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Oct 02 2009
Long time, late night host and comedian, David Letterman told his audience last night that he has had sexual relations with members of his staff. CNN story. The story needs to be made public, he said, since he had appeared earlier in the day before a Grand Jury to give testimony in an extortion case. [...]
- Blasphemy Day |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Oct 01 2009
An online CNN article yesterday recognized the first organized “Blasphemy Day.” Marked by the slogan “Nothing is Sacred,” and part of a “Campaign for Free Expression, the day was set to coincide with the 5th anniversary of a Danish’ newspaper’s publication of cartoons that so offended followers of Islam. The sponsoring group claims 100,000 international [...]
- The Geico Gecko |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Sep 11 2009
A Science article by Henry Fountain in the New York Times yesterday tells an interesting story about the little Gecko whose animated likeness has been so cleverly used in the TV Gecko/Geico Insurance commercials. According to the author, “Like some other animals, the gecko can perform a neat trick when threatened by a predator: it [...]
