Category Archives: Spiritual life

Purposefully Distracted: What the Bible Has to Say to American Culture

Posted on May 28, 2023 by salooper57

Is there a difference between rest and distraction? Is it possible that we need rest but don’t need distraction? Might we be distracting ourselves to death? This class looks at what the Bible says about distraction, careful thinking, and rest.

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Understanding the Decline of Religion in America

Posted on May 27, 2023 by salooper57

According to the Public Religion Research Institute (PPRI), only 16 percent of Americans surveyed say that religion is the most important thing in their lives. This marks a 4 percent drop in one decade. Melissa Deckman of PPRI says that … Continue reading →

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Forgiveness: Doing What Cannot Be Done

Posted on May 21, 2023 by salooper57

Jesus said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the … Continue reading →

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Nurturing Faith in Times of Uncertainty

Posted on May 20, 2023 by salooper57

Ordinary people hate uncertainty. In a Dutch study, volunteers were separated into two groups. One group was told that they would receive twenty sharp electrical shocks. The other was told they would receive three strong and seventeen mild shocks, but … Continue reading →

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How to Do What Can’t Be Done (Philippians 4)

Posted on May 14, 2023 by salooper57

Some of the things that need to be done to make our relationships healthy are things we cannot do. But they are things we could do if we learned how to live “in the Lord.” The New Testament uses that … Continue reading →

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Doubts and Dissonance: How Jesus Responded to Doubting Thomas

Posted on April 1, 2023 by salooper57

My nephew and his wife began deconstructing their faith a couple of years ago. I like my nephew. He is a smart, thoughtful man. His parents are Christians. His grandfather was a Baptist pastor. Two of his uncles are in … Continue reading →

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Beyond Social Justice: The Call for Spiritual Wokeness

Posted on March 25, 2023 by salooper57

Blues singer and guitarist Lead Belly recorded a song titled, “Scottsboro Boys” in 1938. It told the story of nine young black men who were falsely accused of raping two white women in Scottsboro, Alabama. In a spoken afterward to … Continue reading →

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The Search for God: A Journey that Never Ends

Posted on March 18, 2023 by salooper57

The Search for God: A Journey That Never Ends Everyone is a searcher. Not everyone knows it. Humans eat, sleep, mate, work – and they search. In fact, they search while they are eating, sleeping, mating, and working.  Those who … Continue reading →

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Busyness and Hurry (What the Bible Has to Say to American Culture)

Posted on March 14, 2023 by salooper57

U.S.A. Today published a multi-year poll in 2008 regarding people’s perception of time and their own busyness. It found that in each consecutive year since 1987, people reported that they are busier than the year before, with 69% responding that … Continue reading →

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We Are the Temple of the Living God (with Kevin Looper)

Posted on March 12, 2023 by salooper57

How can Christians be in the world but not of it? What does it mean to be unequally yoked? Does this only happen in marriage, or can we be unequally yoked in other relationships? We explore the questions as we … Continue reading →

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