Category Archives: Encouragement

He’s Still Our Father When We Mess Up

Posted on July 31, 2025 by salooper57

He not only didn’t look down on people at the lower end of the scale, he got rid of the scale – threw it out. In a society where even a child could distinguish between the reputable and the disreputable, Jesus’s disregard for those distinctions was scandalous. Continue reading →

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

Poles Apart: The Realities that Make Us Who We Are

Posted on July 29, 2025 by salooper57

We were created with both poles – in that sense, we are all “bi-polar” – and we are only fully ourselves when we have a “current” within us that constantly moves between both. Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Encouragement, Faith, Spiritual life | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fascinating Storytelling from Matthew 28

Posted on July 26, 2025 by salooper57

This is only one expression, and the least obvious, of the parallel lines of storytelling by Matthew in chapter 28. The twin storylines follow the women and the guards, and … Matthew structured his narrative this way on purpose. Continue reading →

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

God Is Father

Posted on July 24, 2025 by salooper57

Our biological parents often don’t really know us. They make the mistake of treating us as if we were younger replicas of themselves. “But you like to fish. I’ve been taking you fishing since you were in diapers!” “Of course, you’re going to play the piano.”
… But our heavenly Father knows who we are. Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Encouragement, Faith, Sermons, Spiritual life, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The God Who Is Light

Posted on July 16, 2025 by salooper57

He took all the things he ever heard Jesus say about God and, after spending decades thinking about them and talking to God about them, he summarized them in ten words (in Greek): “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Encouragement, Faith, relationships, Sermons, Spiritual life, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why I Had So Much Trouble Reading the Bible

Posted on July 5, 2025 by salooper57

I would read some passage in the Gospels and, before I was done with the first paragraph, wander into some daydream or fretting episode. When I finally emerged and returned to my reading, the same thing would happen again within moments. Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Encouragement, Faith, Spiritual life | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Jesus: The Divine-Human Interlinear

Posted on June 14, 2025 by salooper57

We don’t see it because we think of glory as glitz and hype and notoriety. Glory, in our minds, is being selfie-stalked on the street, going viral on social media, entreated for interviews and autographs. Continue reading →

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

The Ascension and Spiritual Gifts (Eph. 4:7-16)

Posted on June 4, 2025 by salooper57

Who would have guessed? Those little pieces were important. And so are the gifts that God gave to each of us. You can say, “My gift is probably not important,” but Jesus gave that gift to you for a reason, and gave you to us for a reason. Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Church, Church Life, Encouragement, Faith, Mission, Sermons, Spiritual life, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jesus and the Fishermen

Posted on May 31, 2025 by salooper57

Their reply is a terse “No.” When you have been fishing all night and you haven’t caught even a little one, and somebody says, “Well boys, you didn’t catch anything, did you?” you don’t feel very talkative. Continue reading →

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

John 3:16: The Bible’s Most Popular Verse

Posted on May 30, 2025 by salooper57

The words “believes in him” deserve careful attention. A strictly literal translation would go, “believes into him.” This is a Johannine phrase, used only in this Gospel and in the First Epistle, but used more than twenty times. What does it mean to “believe into” Jesus, and why did John latch onto this preposition? Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Encouragement, Faith, Peace with God, Spiritual life, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment