Category Archives: Peace with God

The Crossing (John 5:19-30)

Posted on April 16, 2023 by salooper57

Why would anybody not want this kind of life, the kind that goes on forever? I’ll be candid: they don’t want it because there is no way to postpone its onset. Eternal life doesn’t start at the grave. You cannot purchase it on the layaway plan. Some people wish they could. But when you accept the eternal kind of life, it begins immediately. Not everyone wants that. Continue reading →

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Why Coming Near God Is Both Risky and Redemptive

Posted on April 8, 2023 by salooper57

People sometimes ask, “Why doesn’t God just show himself? Why doesn’t he come near?” In the Scripture, God promises to come near, but that coming near is always a kind of judgment. The presence of God is a spotlight, revealing … Continue reading →

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The Importance of Belonging: Repairing the Foundational Rupture in Relationships

Posted on February 25, 2023 by salooper57

Picture eight or so sixth-grade boys, playing football on a narrow strip of grass between two houses. A laundry pole marks one end zone and the sidewalk marks the other. The football has gone into the busy street repeatedly, worrying … Continue reading →

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Fear and Greed: Luke 12 (Following Christ Today)

Posted on December 7, 2022 by salooper57

Jesus wanted his disciple to be free from the control of fear. Because greed is fueled by fear, he took the opportunity to address it as well (and, in so doing, shared one of his most famous stories). Get out … Continue reading →

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Judge Not, Lest You Be Judged!

Posted on November 1, 2022 by salooper57

Today, we’re looking at Jesus instructions that we should not judge/condemn other people. We’ll look at why we are so prone to disobeying Jesus in this regard and we’ll see what it was that he had in mind – it … Continue reading →

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As We Forgive Our Debtors

Posted on October 30, 2022 by salooper57

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass … Continue reading →

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Why God Wants People to Believe in Him

Posted on July 30, 2022 by salooper57

Most religions have some concept of salvation. This salvation might be expressed as life after death, heaven, enlightenment, Nirvana, or union with God. The way to salvation varies by the religion. In some, the way to salvation runs through good … Continue reading →

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Do Not Wait for the Last Judgment

Posted on June 11, 2022 by salooper57

In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “For judgment I have come into the world.” Yet, later in the same Gospel, he says, “I did not come to judge the world.” Did Jesus contradict himself? Did he come to judge … Continue reading →

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God Loves You Just the Way You Are

Posted on May 14, 2022 by salooper57

Another common Christian cliché is this: “God will never love you any more than he does right now.” This, it seems to me, is also true. If God’s love is not conditioned on the worthiness of its object, then neither is it conditioned on that object’s unworthiness. Hence, the correlate to this claim is also true: “God will never love you less than he does right now.

While these avowals of God’s love are true, they are also incomplete … Continue reading →

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20 Years Later: Peter and John Reminisce About Jesus’s Resurrection

Posted on April 24, 2022 by salooper57

Enjoy this skit that takes us back to that first Easter Sunday!

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