Author Archives: salooper57

Unknown's avatar

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.

Death: Its Denial and Defeat

Posted on April 9, 2022 by salooper57

In 2013, Google launched “Calico,” a company headed by Arthur Levinson, whose goal is “to solve death.” The biotech company hopes to use technology to combat aging and, in Time Magazine’s words, “defeat death itself.” Google is not the only … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Faith, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Coming of the Spirit: An Essential Part of Salvation (Wide Angle)

Posted on April 7, 2022 by salooper57

(Reading time: 4-5 minutes) Today we’ll use our wide-angle lens to focus on the strange events that took place on the Jewish Feast of Pentecost during the same year that Jesus was crucified and resurrected.  The word Pentecost is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Theology, Wide Angle | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

What Was He Thinking? (Jesus on Death – John 11)

Posted on April 4, 2022 by salooper57

(Excerpt) Have you ever asked, “What was he thinking?” Or perhaps said, “I don’t know what I was thinking.” We ask these questions because something has been done that should not have been done, but the question is just as … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Encouragement, Sermons, Theology | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Biblical Theology Class 12: Isaiah 53 (Where Law Meets Gospel)

Posted on April 3, 2022 by salooper57

Isaiah 53 is where Law meets Gospel. The Law spoke of covenant and sacrifice, including the festival sacrifices of the Passover and Day of Atonement. In Isaiah 53, these separate streams of covenant, Passover, and the Day of Atonement flow … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Biblical Theology Class, Theology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A Different Way to Read the Bible

Posted on April 2, 2022 by salooper57

(Reading time: approximately 3-4 minutes) My family started reading the Bible together when I was in middle school. Hearing my dad read the Bible was a new and unexpected experience, one that left a lasting mark on me. We started … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Faith, Spiritual life, Theology | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Continuing Presence of Jesus (Wide Angle: Acts 1)

Posted on March 31, 2022 by salooper57

How must they have felt as they walked back to the city? What did they talk about? There was something final about Jesus’s departure. They probably understood that they had entered a new phase of life, but how were they to live it? “Witnesses to the ends of the earth”—how were they to do that? What would it look like?

As they walked back to their accommodations in Jerusalem, they had no clue about how to answer those questions. The future was a blank. They didn’t know what their lives were going to look like. All they had was Jesus’ instruction. Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Theology, Wide Angle | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Resistance Is Not Futile: How to Resist the Devil (1 Peter 5:5-11)

Posted on March 28, 2022 by salooper57

Both Saints James and Peter tell us to resist the devil. How does one do that? 1 Peter 5:5-11 gives us a quick-start guide. This sermon is for those who have joined the Resistance.

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Church, Sermons, Theology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Soul Work: It’s an Inside Job

Posted on March 26, 2022 by salooper57

Once, when all my tinkering failed to restore the boiler to working order, we hired a repairman. I took him to the boiler room, showed him the control module, and waited around to learn what I could. He examined the controls for a short time, then turned to me and said: “Don’t ever touch that again.” Later, when I was coiling his extension cord for him, he took it away from me and did it himself. The look on his face said everything: “You’re an idiot.” Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Spiritual life | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Psalms: Biblical Theology Class #11

Posted on March 24, 2022 by salooper57

The Psalms: the role they play in worship, personal devotion, and the attainment of wisdom. This class looks at how the psalms have been used by believers through the years and gives today’s believers ideas for benefitting from the Psalms … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Biblical Theology Class, Spiritual life, Theology | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pastors’ Motives: A Sermon based on 1 Peter 5:1-4

Posted on March 22, 2022 by salooper57

Excerpt from Pastor’s Motives (1 Peter 5:1-4). Peter operated from a mind that had been saturated with thoughts and ideas that had come from Jesus. You could say that he had (in the words of St. Paul) “the mind of … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Church, Sermons | Leave a comment