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.

Re-Story Your Life

Posted on October 9, 2021 by salooper57

The way we humans think – that we think at all – is a marvelous thing. There are, of course, different parts of the brain – the mind’s amazing instrument – which perform different functions in the collection, storage, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Spiritual life, Worldview and Culture | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Absalom, Absalom: The Temptation of Power

Posted on October 5, 2021 by salooper57

In this sermon we dig into the story of King David’s son Absalom. We see how people can be lured away from the good life God has planned for them by the temptation to attain power illegitimately. We also see … Continue reading →

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Up, Up, but not Away: The Ascension of Jesus (3)

Posted on October 3, 2021 by salooper57

esus’s ascension, his disciples had assumed that he would continue with them in much the same way he had been with them before. But it was clearly not so. The great transition was taking place, and he had been taken from their sight. But he had given them work to do; they were to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. They had been commissioned. Continue reading →

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How to Read the Greatest Story Ever

Posted on October 2, 2021 by salooper57

In this way of reading the Bible, the story is a quest, and the object is to reach heaven. The problem is sin, which destines people to hell, which is so unthinkably bad that it must be avoided at all costs. Nevertheless, humans are ineluctably headed there. Then comes the eucatastrophe, when God sends his Son to rescue humanity through his own sacrifice, enabling people to enter heaven and live happily ever.

There is much that is true and helpful about this reading. However, there is another reading that is more consistent with the biblical authors’ intent. Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Theology | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Up, Up, but not Away: The Ascension of Jesus (2)

Posted on October 1, 2021 by salooper57

When Jesus was crucified, his followers despaired. When he was raised, they were astounded. They realized that something phenomenally important had happened, but they didn’t realize where it would lead. They did not understand that they were living in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Church, Theology | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Up, Up, but Not Away: The Ascension of Jesus

Posted on September 30, 2021 by salooper57

When the first Ford rolled off an assembly line in 1913, some people thought it ingenious, some thought it a novelty, but only a few recognized it as an era-changing event. The same could be said of the first mobile phone call made in 1973 by a Motorola engineer as he walked down the streets of New York City. Or one might mention the Internet Protocol Suite that was introduced in 1982.  It transformed the computer networks of a few eggheads into the world wide web. These were transforming events, but at the time most people missed their significance. Continue reading →

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You Are the Man – But God Is Still God

Posted on September 28, 2021 by salooper57

But now David ends the cover-up, confesses his sin, and the prophet tells him that God has forgiven him. How could God do that? David didn’t even have a media consultant to craft a public apology. There was no teary mea culpa, no woke gift to the Survivors of Sexual Exploitation Fund. I ask again: How could God forgive? Continue reading →

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Do Not Judge Me by the Enemies I Have Made

Posted on September 25, 2021 by salooper57

Franklin Delano Roosevelt famously said, “I ask you to judge me by the enemies I have made.” He may have drawn on the Arabian adage, “Judge a man by the reputation of his enemies.” It seems people have long defined … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Theology, Worldview and Culture | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Uniquely His: The White Stone of the Revelation

Posted on September 22, 2021 by salooper57

What do people call you? A name, nickname, or maybe just, “Hey, you!” Or maybe “Mom” or “Grandma.” What will God call you – sinner or saint? What other people call you matters little. What God calls you matters a … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Theology | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Identity Issues: Growing Up in the Adam’s Family

Posted on September 18, 2021 by salooper57

Everyone carries baggage from their growing up years. No family is perfect, some are hideous, and all have their oddities. It’s like everyone grows up in the Addams family. For some people I have known, the Addams family would have … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Family, Marriage and Family, relationships, Spiritual life | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments