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  • A Lost Commandment? | Posted by Mart De Haan on Mar 18 2010

    The other day someone gave me a book that has gotten my attention. It’s called, Love Revolution: Rediscovering the Lost Command of Jesus by Gaylord Enns.
    I was skeptical at first. Expected a predictable rehash of a subject we’ve all heard a lot about.
    But the author told his own story of brokenness in a way that [...]

  • 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 [...]

  • Let There be Light… and Darkness | Posted by Mart De Haan on Nov 07 2009

    Have been thinking that one way to understand the Bible is to see the way it tells the story of light and darkness.
    The first quoted words of the God who brought something out of nothing and order out of chaos are, “Let there be Light.” Then God divided the light from the darkness in a [...]

  • In Hope of Changing Seasons | Posted by Mart De Haan on Oct 25 2009

    It was raining and 43 degrees yesterday when I stopped to look up into this tree.
    Its trunk and branches are strong. Yet by its appearance, it is joining the rest of us in acknowledging that we have no power to resist the seasons of life.
    Solomon, struggled for a while to make sense of a [...]

  • The Variety of Nature and Spirituality | Posted by Mart De Haan on Feb 12 2009

    Maybe the variety of nature can help us laugh at ourselves, and grow in our appreciation for one another… while still taking life seriously.
    Scientists estimate that the number of species on earth ranges somewhere between 5 and 30 million, with about 8 million different kinds of bugs.
    Could there be a parallel between what our [...]

  • 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 [...]

  • Another Way to Look at Emerging Churches | Posted by Mart De Haan on Oct 31 2008

    Over the last couple of days I’ve been trying to think of a way to express what I find so disturbing about the “emerging church” debate.
    Let me try this. Many of us know that just before the end of the first century our resurrected Lord returned in a vision to his dear friend and disciple, [...]

  • This is a Football | Posted by Mart De Haan on Oct 23 2008

    According to an often repeated story, legendary football coach, Vince Lombardi, once expressed his frustration by stopping practice and saying to his Green Bay Packer professionals something like, “Let’s start at the beginning. This is a football. These are the yard markers. I’m the coach. You are the players.” (Although I haven’t been able to [...]

  • The Value of a Person | Posted by Mart De Haan on May 26 2008

    Until I saw it, I didn’t realize that much of Israel’s Mount of Olives is a cemetery. Here, those who remember the dead place a stone of remembrance on top of their loved one’s grave.
    Today, in America, we use this Memorial Day to honor those who have lost their lives fighting for our country.
    But those [...]

  • The "H" Factor | Posted by Mart De Haan on May 16 2008

    Like pride, the closets of humility are filled with different hats and clothes for different occasions.
    Popular opinion regards it as a doormat personality, and maybe even pride in disguise. Yet our books of common language describe it as the kind of realistic view of ourselves that is necessary to share the pain or joys of [...]

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