Category Archives: Christianity

Give your message “street cred”

Posted on February 7, 2015 by salooper57

When my children were still young and I was pastoring in another city, my wife and I took the kids downtown one Sunday afternoon and walked around the square and up and down the street. Downtown was unusually empty that … Continue reading →

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Unanswered prayer: a thorn in theology’s side

Posted on January 24, 2015 by salooper57

Every branch of knowledge has its ongoing problems. Philosophy has the free-will problem, economics has the gambler’s fallacy, physics has the problem of why there are three space dimensions but only one time dimension. Sociology, mathematics, astronomy – they all … Continue reading →

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Freedom of speech is an opportunity, not an excuse

Posted on January 17, 2015 by salooper57

On the same day that twelve people were killed in the attack on the French satirical weekly paper Charlie Hebdo (Charlie Weekly), I heard a commentator interviewed on National Public Radio say that people “are going to, you know, perhaps … Continue reading →

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Salvation-lite: Great Benefits…Less Responsibility?

Posted on January 10, 2015 by salooper57

It was once quite common to hear people say, “I was saved in Vacation Bible School,” or “I was saved in a small group Bible study.” What did they mean by that? Saved from what? Saved for what? In what … Continue reading →

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We need the Answerer more than the answers

Posted on January 1, 2015 by salooper57

Our church has been on an emotional roller coaster in the last few weeks. We had three young families, all expecting their first babies within a few days of Christmas. The first of the babies, a beautiful little girl named … Continue reading →

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Away – or rather, the way – in a manger

Posted on December 20, 2014 by salooper57

A man asked God how long a million years was to him. God replied, “It’s just like a single second of your time, my child.” So the man asked, “And what about a million dollars?” The Lord replied, “To me, … Continue reading →

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Good thing Jesus isn’t afraid of dirt

Posted on December 13, 2014 by salooper57

In 2013, a record 2 million people visited Bethlehem. It was estimated that there were 75,000 tourists in the Holy Land for the Christmas holiday, and most of them were expected to celebrate Jesus’s birthday in the city where he … Continue reading →

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What is it I’m not getting about Ferguson?

Posted on November 28, 2014 by salooper57

After months of deliberations and thousands of pages of evidence, the St. Louis County grand jury decided not to bring charges against Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown. Officer Wilson is white. Mr. Brown was black. … Continue reading →

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He’s not the person I thought he was

Posted on November 22, 2014 by salooper57

“He’s not the person I thought he was when we got married.” Most pastors and counselors have heard that line from people in marital crisis. They usually mean the person they married is not as good, as kind or as … Continue reading →

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A shadow in the shade

Posted on November 8, 2014 by salooper57

People often say, ‘I never forget a face.” I think there is something wrong with me. I never remember one. Well, “never” is an exaggeration. But I’m pretty sure my “facial recognition software” is faulty. I can recognize a picture … Continue reading →

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