Author Archives: salooper57

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About salooper57

Husband, father, pastor, follower. I am a disciple of Jesus, learning how to do life from him. I read, write, walk, play a little guitar, enjoy my family.

This Is Your Brain on Jingles

Posted on March 7, 2026 by salooper57

If we are spending more time with Sean Hannity or Rachel Maddow than with Jesus and Paul, it won’t be long before our thinking is out of kilter. Continue reading →

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Don’t Give Up on God (2 Samuel 7)

Posted on March 4, 2026 by salooper57

God hardly ever does things the way we think he should. What kind of kingdom is ruled by a crucified King? Continue reading →

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All Things Are Yours: A Compelling Vision of the Christian Life

Posted on February 28, 2026 by salooper57

In Paul’s glorious vision of the Christian life, Jesus’s people have the power to force the world, life, death, things present, and things to come to serve their purpose. But Christians can only do this if they know their purpose and where they fit in the divine scheme of things. Continue reading →

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The God of Second Chances (Joshua 3-4)

Posted on February 25, 2026 by salooper57

When another chance – second chance or hundredth chance – will be helpful, it will be given. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the God of Second chances. Continue reading →

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Friends in Unexpected Places: Jesus and the Pharisees

Posted on February 21, 2026 by salooper57

I think we can learn that the biblical story is more complex than we are sometimes led to believe. Those of us who teach must be careful not to oversimplify the story in our rush to improve people’s feelings or adjust their behaviors. Continue reading →

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Ungraven Images (Exodus 19-20)

Posted on February 18, 2026 by salooper57

The form we have here comes from the kingdom of the Hittites and the so-called suzerainty treaties that conquered nations were required to sign. But there is a difference: God did not conquer Israel and force them into a treaty. Rather, he rescued them and offered them the choice to be his people. Continue reading →

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Christians: Navigating the Approval Process

Posted on February 14, 2026 by salooper57

That symbol gives merchants and consumers confidence in the product they are selling and buying. God wants his people to have confidence in him and in his work in them. And he wants their friends, neighbors, and co-workers to be able to trust them. Continue reading →

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The Passover: He Delivers (Exodus 12)

Posted on February 11, 2026 by salooper57

He did everything God told him to do … and things got worse! Much worse. And what’s more, the Hebrews blamed him (which is just what Pharaoh intended)! In frustration, Moses lashed out at God. He said (5:22), “Why did you [even] send me? . . . you haven’t rescued your people at all.” Continue reading →

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Jesus and His Enemies

Posted on February 7, 2026 by salooper57

They were not afraid of him because he commanded armies (though they should have been—see Matthew 26:53). They feared him because he spoke the truth, and that truth threatened their control. Continue reading →

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Laughter Will Not Die (Genesis 22)

Posted on February 4, 2026 by salooper57

And now we come to chapter 22 where God’s Plan-Only, which was entirely dependent on a boy named Laughter, was put at risk. And it was God who put it there. Continue reading →

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