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.

Get off the Bandwagon of Hate

Posted on March 23, 2019 by salooper57

Six days after the 9/11 attacks, in remarks made at the Islamic Center in Washington, D.C., President George W. Bush told his audience, “These acts of violence against innocents violate the fundamental tenets of the Islamic faith.” He went on … Continue reading →

Posted in In the News, Worldview and Culture | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Tongues of Fire

Posted on March 21, 2019 by salooper57

James 3:1-12. (Listening time: under 24 minutes.)http://lockwoodchurch.org/media

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Rebellion in the Garden

Posted on March 19, 2019 by salooper57

What happened in the garden was not simply wrong, it was rebellion. Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Broken Pieces, Theology | Tagged , | Leave a comment

We Must Not Think God Is Our Servant

Posted on March 16, 2019 by salooper57

Jeeves, with his boundless knowledge and seemingly infinite reach, is more than a little like God. Perhaps Wodehouse realized this, for he once described him as “a godlike man in a bowler hat.” Continue reading →

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

Dying of Loneliness: Faith Without Works

Posted on March 14, 2019 by salooper57

http://lockwoodchurch.org/media A sermon on James 2:14-26 (25 minutes).

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

The Story’s Told That Adam Jumped (But I’m Thinking That He Fell)

Posted on March 12, 2019 by salooper57

In our world, we have beauty and cruelty, hand in hand; wisdom and insanity, side by side. We have the glory of Bach coming out of Weimar, and the barbarity of Hitler coming out of the Weimar Republic. There is … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Broken Pieces | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Other Problem of Pain

Posted on March 9, 2019 by salooper57

C. S. Lewis’s book, The Problem of Pain, was published in 1940. In it, Lewis responds to an argument against the existence of God that goes something like this: An all-good God would not want his creatures to suffer; an … Continue reading →

Posted in Lifestyle, Spiritual life | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Something Has Gone Dreadfully Wrong

Posted on March 7, 2019 by salooper57

“We often talk of man’s ‘bestial’ cruelty, but that is. . . insulting to beasts. . .” – Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov Continue reading →

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

Humans Are the X-Factor: God’s Biggest Risk?

Posted on March 5, 2019 by salooper57

God has painted on a very big canvas. But do you know what the centerpiece of his creative genius is? It’s you and I, and the people around us. As far as we know (though there is much we don’t … Continue reading →

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

The Difference Between Failure and Success: Learning to Pay Attention

Posted on March 2, 2019 by salooper57

I was driving on a primary north-south route before dawn. A half-mile away I could see a car coming toward me with his bright lights on. When he went down a hill and disappeared from sight, I turned my bright … Continue reading →

Posted in Lifestyle, Spiritual life, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment