Category Archives: Encouragement

Never Stop Trusting God: James 1:1-8 and the Purpose of Life’s Trials

Posted on October 28, 2026 by salooper57

If, in the Spring of 1941, England had given in, what might the world look like today? If today you or I give in – to temptation or despair, or to the promise of ease at the cost of integrity – what will our lives look like tomorrow? Continue reading →

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The Fruitful Disciple (John 5:1-8)

Posted on October 20, 2026 by salooper57

A fruitless disciple is a contradiction, an unfulfillment, a broken promise. If the life of Jesus is not producing fruit in us, something is not right. If we belong to Jesus, we should be fruitful. Continue reading →

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“Help My Unbelief”: How Great Figures in Faith Navigated Doubt

Posted on October 17, 2026 by salooper57

What most people don’t know is that a year after his Aldersgate experience, Wesley wrote in his journal, “I know that I am not a Christian. I know it because I do not feel that I love God and his Son Jesus Christ as my Savior.” Continue reading →

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Peeling the Onion of Fear: How Christ Reclaims the Human Heart

Posted on October 3, 2026 by salooper57

I am still peeling the onion of my fears. I’ve been at it for a lifetime, and I expect it will take a little longer than that. Currently, I am trying to peel away the layer called claustrophobia. (I had a small victory: I got into an MRI machine, which is something I swore I would never do!) Continue reading →

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The God Who Isn’t Finished: Hope for Those Who Think It’s Too Late

Posted on September 26, 2026 by salooper57

I saw B in a Walmart a few months after her mother died. I turned down an aisle and caught a glimpse of her at the other end. I thought that I should go and speak to her, but I chickened out and slinked into a different aisle. Continue reading →

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Way. Truth. Life. (John 14:1-6)

Posted on September 23, 2026 by salooper57

… the call to trust Jesus doesn’t usually come when everything is going smoothly; it comes when our world gets rocked. It’s when something bad happens to our kid and we’re going out of our minds with worry, that Jesus says: “I’ve got this. I’ve got you. Trust me.” Continue reading →

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Why We Underestimate Ourselves—and Why God Doesn’t

Posted on August 29, 2026 by salooper57

You and I are ideas – God’s ideas – whose time is yet to come. When it does, everyone will be amazed—and no one more than you and me! Continue reading →

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I Am the Resurrection (Part 1) – John 11:1-16

Posted on August 26, 2026 by salooper57

In the first century, every Jew understood what resurrection is, even those who denied it was a real thing. Resurrection was the end-of-the-age, God-staged event in which all people who have ever lived come back to life. How could Jesus claim to be that? Continue reading →

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Jesus said: “I Am the Door” (John 10:1-10)

Posted on August 19, 2026 by salooper57

When Eddie came to Jesus, he thought that having fun was a thing of the past. From now on it would be Bible reading, prayer, and boring church services until he died and went to heaven. Continue reading →

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Good Shepherd 2 (John 10:11-18)

Posted on August 16, 2026 by salooper57

Being mistaken for my brother was one thing. Being confused with the dog was another. (It’s true that we both had big feet and voracious appetites, and as I got older and let my hair and beard grow, I started to look like him. But still…) Continue reading →

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