Category Archives: Faith

Good Friday Service

Posted on April 15, 2017 by salooper57

Below are the messages from the Coldwater Area Ministerial Evening Good Friday Service. I hope it will be an encouragement to you – it was to me! The area pastors are friends an co-workers in the kingdom of God – … Continue reading →

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Easter: More Than a Promise of Life After Death

Posted on April 15, 2017 by salooper57

Most pastors have more than a passing acquaintance with death and dying. They are frequently called to people’s bedsides at the time of death. They spend hours in rooms over which a pall has already been cast, where people speak … Continue reading →

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What’s Wrong with Making America Great Again?

Posted on March 25, 2017 by salooper57

President Trump campaigned on a simple promise: he would make America great again. His rhetoric about America’s decline and her need for renewal resonated with enough voters to usher him into the Oval Office. The opposition scorned Trump’s message. Mrs. … Continue reading →

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Is it Possible to Say Anything True About God?

Posted on March 18, 2017 by salooper57

Do a Google search for God and you’ll have over one-and-a-half trillion results to wade through. People think and talk a lot about God. What they mean when they talk about him, though, is not always clear. Who or what … Continue reading →

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Why Do People Fast During Lent?

Posted on March 12, 2017 by salooper57

The students in our church have begun what they’re calling “Fast Week.” It has nothing to do with how fast they drive their cars or how quickly they can get what they want. Quite the contrary: it’s about their willingness … Continue reading →

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Raise a Cup of Bile to Our Enemy

Posted on March 4, 2017 by salooper57

A recent study suggests that people bond more securely over shared dislikes than over mutual enthusiasms. Spouses will apparently attach more closely over a common hatred for hip-hop than over a shared love for Mozart. It’s the old, “The enemy … Continue reading →

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Reading the Bible Through Red, White, and Blue Lenses

Posted on February 25, 2017 by salooper57

There is no reference to America in the Bible, though some prophecy buffs have tried hard to find one. I tried too, when I was a young Christian. Surely, I thought, the United States of America, the most powerful country … Continue reading →

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The Dance That Must Be Learned

Posted on February 18, 2017 by salooper57

St. Paul wrote that God “comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” “That’s nice,” I say, but not with much enthusiasm, because deep … Continue reading →

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Living with Courage, Dying with Dignity

Posted on February 11, 2017 by salooper57

What does it take to die with dignity? If one looks at the website of the “Death with Dignity National Center” and “Death with Dignity Political Fund,” one will assume that a death with dignity involves certain standard components, among … Continue reading →

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Faith, and the Complexities of Being Human

Posted on January 21, 2017 by salooper57

According to the Pew Research Center, while “the vast majority of Americans still believe in God … there are strong signs that many are less certain about this belief than in years past.” Pew’s research is dependent upon what is … Continue reading →

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