Category Archives: Christianity

Digging Bunkers: The Misuse of Knowledge

Posted on September 11, 2021 by salooper57

If you and I were to type in the same search term or phrase on Google, we would likely get different results. Let’s say we search for “Fun things to do.” Our Google search will be personalized by our location … Continue reading →

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God The Builder (2 Samuel 7)

Posted on September 6, 2021 by salooper57

2 Samuel 7 has been called “one of the most important chapters in the Bible.” Here we explore its importance to the biblical story of Jesus and to our lives.

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Everyone (Else) Has a Problem with Entitlement

Posted on September 4, 2021 by salooper57

Americans have a problem with feeling entitled. Almost anyone you ask will tell you. But they’ll tell you it is some other group that feels entitled. White people think that black people feel entitled because they are black. Black people … Continue reading →

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What Does God Think of You: The Parable of the Prodigal (part 2)

Posted on September 2, 2021 by salooper57

The turning point of the story of the prodigal son comes in verse 17 when the son has a repentance moment. He comes to his senses (literally, “to himself,” to who he really is – the son of a kind … Continue reading →

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What Does God Think of You: The Story of the Prodigal (part one)

Posted on September 1, 2021 by salooper57

Jesus tells three stories in Luke 15. The first is about a guy who has one of his hundred sheep wander off. He’s still got 99, but he can’t stand to lose that one, so he goes after it and, … Continue reading →

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What Does God Think of You?

Posted on August 31, 2021 by salooper57

Louie Zamperini was a Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps in the Second World War, serving as a bombardier when his plane was badly damaged by Japanese anti-aircraft fire. The plane made it back to base but was no longer … Continue reading →

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How to Seek the Kingdom

Posted on August 22, 2021 by salooper57

…if we don’t give priority to seeking his kingdom, we’ll never find it. “Seek second the kingdom and his righteousness” and you’ll be wasting your time. But that’s the way God intended it. The half-hearted, the religious dabbler, the spiritual dilettante never see the kingdom. “The kingdom of heaven,” Jesus once said, “is like a treasure hidden in a field.” Any number of people can pass right by it and never know it’s there. It is the one who hungers and thirsts for righteousness that is filled, not the one who nibbles at it. It is “he who seeks [who] finds,” not he who daydreams. Continue reading →

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Posted on August 5, 2021 by salooper57

Coming to some Scripture passages can be like joining a conversation that is already in progress. Imagine walking up onto the porch of a house belonging to your best friends. Through the screen door you hear your friend speaking to … Continue reading →

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How to Stay Christian After Graduation

Posted on May 29, 2021 by salooper57

In a study of peer influence, psychologists displayed three charts, each with three lines of different lengths, to groups of ten teens. The teens were asked to raise their hands when the teacher pointed to the longest line on each chart. The teens in each group, minus one, had been secretly instructed to raise their hands when the teacher pointed to the second longest line. 75 percent of the time, the lone teen, wanting to blend in, joined the others in casting a wrong vote. Blending in can be deadly to the spiritual life. Continue reading →

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Going and Coming: Christian Faith in America

Posted on May 22, 2021 by salooper57

From his perspective, religion is like a physical trait. People are born with it. Yes, a person can undergo a kind of spiritual surgery to change her faith, rather like a person can undergo surgery to change her nose. But, apart from such radical intervention, a person’s faith is the faith her parents gave her.

The Bible offers a different and more nuanced perspective. It is the news and entertainment medias and, frankly, uninformed academics, that present oversimplifications. The Bible offers a rich, multi-layered, intelligent exposition of faith. Continue reading →

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