Category Archives: Spiritual life

Faith: It Is Not to Be Taken Lightly

Posted on January 28, 2023 by salooper57

The Pulitzer Prize winning author Annie Dillard once asked, “Why do people in church seem like cheerful, brainless tourists on a packaged tour of the Absolute? … Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we blithely invoke? … Continue reading →

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Committed to Christlikeness (2 Cor. 3:16-18)

Posted on January 22, 2023 by salooper57

Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. But their minds were made dull, for … Continue reading →

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The Intentional Cultivation of Desire: Good and Bad

Posted on January 21, 2023 by salooper57

In the 1960s, Hula Hoops and TV dinners were in. In the 1970s it was pet rocks and fondue pots. In the 1980s, there were padded shoulders and Hacky Sacks. You couldn’t go out without seeing fanny packs in the … Continue reading →

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Forgive Him (Following Christ Today)

Posted on January 17, 2023 by salooper57

You cannot read the Gospels without getting the impression that forgiveness is a big deal. Jesus wants his people to be the most forgiving on earth – “not 7 times, but 70 times 7”! How do we do that? What … Continue reading →

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The Christian View of Wealth: A nuanced perspective from Jesus

Posted on January 14, 2023 by salooper57

Reading time: approximately 4 minutes. What is the Christian view of wealth? I don’t ask about the “religious view” of wealth because I am not qualified to present the views of other religions. Perhaps I should not even speak of … Continue reading →

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The G.O.A.T. in the Kingdom of God?

Posted on January 11, 2023 by salooper57

Sports enthusiasts are always arguing about who is the G.O.A.T. (the greatest of all time) in their favorite sport. There was a time when a few key players in the Kingdom of God were debating the Kingdom’s G.O.A.T. Jesus’s answer … Continue reading →

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Does God Want You to Be Happy?

Posted on December 31, 2022 by salooper57

In his classic story, The Last Battle, C. S. Lewis has the great Lion, the Christ figure Aslan, say to the story’s protagonists, “You do not yet look so happy as I mean you to be.” Perhaps Lewis put these words in the Christ figure’s mouth because he realized that this was the kind of thing the true Christ was saying to him. Continue reading →

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Grinched! (Spiritual Experiences Are Not Enough)

Posted on December 28, 2022 by salooper57

(Viewing Time: 21:14.) On Christmas Eve we put on an original (and fun) skit that featured the Grinch of Dr. Seuss fame who was being interviewed on The Jenny Carson Show. In the highlight of the interview, the Grinch says, … Continue reading →

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Redeem the Time in 2023

Posted on December 24, 2022 by salooper57

In a matter of days, it will be 2023 and I have still not got used to writing “2022” on checks and papers. What has happened to the time? People talk about timesaving hacks and timesaving gadgets – we even … Continue reading →

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Hope that Sustains

Posted on December 15, 2022 by salooper57

Hope is more than a feeling, more than a wish. It is more than “the thing with feathers that perches in the soul” (Emily Dickinson). Hope is an objective reality outside the soul which protects the soul. It is an … Continue reading →

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