Category Archives: Encouragement

Video: He Is Risen from the Dead and Is Going Ahead of You (Matthew 28:1-10)

Posted on April 22, 2026 by salooper57

Nothing is secure that is kept from God, including the dreams we cherish, the children we love, and the sins we hide. And nothing is insecure that is placed in his hands. Continue reading →

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He Is Risen from the Dead and Is Going Ahead of You: A Sermon on the Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8)

Posted on April 22, 2026 by salooper57

Nothing is secure that is kept from God, including the dreams we cherish, the children we love, and the sins we hide. And nothing is insecure that is placed in his hands. Continue reading →

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You Need a Theology of Suffering

Posted on April 18, 2026 by salooper57

The American church, which lacks adequate theologies of both suffering and prospering, does not know how to instruct, comfort, or admonish those who are experiencing one or the other. Continue reading →

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The Cross – Luke 23

Posted on April 15, 2026 by salooper57

God has plunged [the cross] into the earth, like Excalibur into the stone, and no power can remove it. From the moment it was driven into the ground, it began splitting the earth, dividing people. Continue reading →

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Resurrection: Waking Up Into the Real World

Posted on April 11, 2026 by salooper57

An evolutionary biologist might think that Paul is talking about a type of theological saltation – a sudden, large mutational change occurring in a single generation. Continue reading →

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Resurrection: More Than Heaven When You Die

Posted on April 8, 2026 by salooper57

(…the phrase, “think outside the box” originated with the nine-dot puzzle.) Once you go outside the box, there is more than one way to solve the problem. That is what Jesus does with Martha. He takes her outside the box, beyond the confines of the tomb. Continue reading →

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The Ministry of Jacks and Queens

Posted on April 4, 2026 by salooper57

Ancient Greeks thought that serving others was demeaning, which is why the Sophist asked, “How can a man be happy when he has to serve someone?” But Christians believed that serving others was a mark of greatness. Continue reading →

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If Only (John 11)

Posted on April 1, 2026 by salooper57

His mom said, “I’ll have to vacuum it up.” Phin asked, “How does it get up there?” His mom, thinking he was talking about the bug, said, “They fly.” Phin looked at her in amazement and said, “Vacuums fly?” Continue reading →

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Don’t Give Up on God (2 Samuel 7)

Posted on March 4, 2026 by salooper57

God hardly ever does things the way we think he should. What kind of kingdom is ruled by a crucified King? Continue reading →

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All Things Are Yours: A Compelling Vision of the Christian Life

Posted on February 28, 2026 by salooper57

In Paul’s glorious vision of the Christian life, Jesus’s people have the power to force the world, life, death, things present, and things to come to serve their purpose. But Christians can only do this if they know their purpose and where they fit in the divine scheme of things. Continue reading →

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