Blogs - Markbeinghuman

Born Again? Wow, is that still a thing!

by Mark van Straaten | Aug 14, 2019 | Inspiration, The way of Grace

Religion is about rule keeping. Not only rule-keeping, but also comparing. Religion thrives on comments like, “I am not as bad as some”, or “I am more generous than some Christians.” Rule keepers believe that “bad” people deserve bad things to happen, and “good” people deserve good things.

A Tooth for a Tooth and an Eye for an Eye

by Mark van Straaten | Aug 8, 2019 | Inspiration, The way of Grace

Justice can take two possible routes, punitive justice or restorative justice. The “eye for the eye’ justice is punitive. The person gets punished for their crime.
Restorative justice is the “grace way”. “Turning the other cheek” is not a denial of an offence. It’s the messy way of seeking redemption. It’s the process of resolving why someone was slapped in the face in the first place.

Good Planning and Hard Work

by Mark van Straaten | Jul 31, 2019 | Inspiration

It seems that to experience growth, there is always going to be a tension to manage. Personal growth is figuring out what God is doing inside of you. Then, taking what He is doing, applying yourself to the work He is doing in you.
What Does this Mean for You?

Change is Hard, but not Changing is Harder

by Mark van Straaten | Jul 24, 2019 | Inspiration, The stuff of Life

The result is humbling. I have lived change, spoken about it, taught it and helped others through change. And now, change is more than a plan to be implemented, a formation of a new vision and all the other learnings we know about change – it’s a reality.
Change is hard. But, not changing is even harder

Let the Adventure Begin

by Mark van Straaten | Jul 11, 2019 | Inspiration

In this blog I want to remind us of things we know about vision. As Bill Hybels says, “vision leaks”. And when vision leaks, the gravitational pull towards the “ordinary” is strong. And then, we run the risk of getting bogged down in busyness and non-productive action

How To Grow Through Painful Times

by Mark van Straaten | Jul 3, 2019 | Inspiration, The stuff of Life

In my faith journey I have discovered that most of my growth has come through seasons of pain. It was during one of these painful periods I was inspired to write a book. And although the book was never a New York Times best seller, it was an incredibly rewarding time and I “grew” a great deal during that season.