Category Archives: Encouragement

Come, Eat, Believe and Live (John 6)

Posted on July 22, 2026 by salooper57

The first people who heard Jesus speak those words didn’t understand them either. Yet what is at stake here is life, a kind of life we don’t automatically possess but that will fulfill us as human beings… Continue reading →

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The Great Recycling Enterprise

Posted on July 11, 2026 by salooper57

In my own life, my older brother’s death when I was in 6th grade was a tragedy. It was not good in any way; it was horrible. But God nevertheless brought good out of it. Continue reading →

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Jesus and the Samaritan Woman – John 4 (a Sermon)

Posted on July 7, 2026 by salooper57

Relations between Jews and Samaritans were so bad at the time Jesus met the woman at the well, a Jew would insult another Jew by calling him a “Samaritan.” When some angry men called Jesus a devil-possessed Samaritan, it was the meanest thing they could think of to say. Continue reading →

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Reason to Rejoice: Jesus, Genesis 1, and John 1

Posted on June 17, 2026 by salooper57

While we were talking, some noise and commotion caught our attention, and we looked up to see about 20 Senegalese men pointing at us and shouting the same word over and over. Continue reading →

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The Interactive Story (Luke 5:27-29)

Posted on June 10, 2026 by salooper57

Life is absurd for everyone who refuses to merge his or her story into God’s story. If your storyline is not woven into his story, then all the suffering and loss – and even the happiness and success – are meaningless. Continue reading →

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Could God Be Angry With You?

Posted on June 6, 2026 by salooper57

Does [God] use punishment as an instrument of control? Do we need to hold pro-God rallies (Sunday mornings at 11:00) and offer the Almighty extravagant praise, lest his wrath burst out at us? Is God some kind of cosmic tyrant who requires constant appeasement? Continue reading →

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Good News about the Day of Judgment (2 Cor. 5:10; Rev. 20:11-15)

Posted on June 4, 2026 by salooper57

No one is thrown into that lake because they have sinned. If that were the case, we would all go there, since “there is no difference: for all have sinned” (Romans 3:22-23). People do not end up in hell because they have sinned, but because they do not have life. Continue reading →

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Is It Time to Be Afraid?

Posted on May 23, 2026 by salooper57

It is as if they got out of The Perfect Storm just in time to enter The Exorcist. It was almost like Jesus was taking them through exposure therapy to help them overcome their fears. Continue reading →

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The Church Avoids Division (Acts 15)

Posted on May 21, 2026 by salooper57

That disagreement could have divided the church and derailed the faith. But problems, when faced in appropriate ways, can lead to even more success, and the church faced this in an appropriate way. Continue reading →

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The Baptism of the Holy Spirit: What Is It About?

Posted on April 25, 2026 by salooper57

What does the baptism with the Spirit accomplish? Three things primarily. First, the baptism of the Spirit unites us to Christ. The Spirit is the vital connection between Christ and us, conveying his life to us and making us resurrectable (Romans 8:11). Continue reading →

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