Category Archives: Spiritual life

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 →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Spiritual life | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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 →

Posted in Following Christ Today (Class), Lifestyle, Spiritual life, Worldview and Culture | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

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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Do You Suffer from Spiritual Apnea?

Posted on December 3, 2022 by salooper57

For the past five years or so, I have been on a quest to sleep better. I have been sleeping poorly since my thirties, and it has only gotten worse as the years have passed. My three sons all followed … Continue reading →

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Never Fear (Following Christ Today)

Posted on November 29, 2022 by salooper57

Jesus was relaxed. He was able to speak truth in very difficult situations. He went through danger with poise and aplomb. How? He never let fear control him. Is it possible for us to be more like him in this? … Continue reading →

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Prayer in Action (Nehemiah 1:1-2:8)

Posted on November 27, 2022 by salooper57

We don’t know how long Nehemiah had served the king, but it was long enough for the king to notice that something was wrong with him, and he asked him about it. Nehemiah says that the king’s question made him “very much afraid.” Why? Because Nehemiah had resolved to ask the king to send him to rebuild Jerusalem, but it was on the king’s order that the rebuilding of Jerusalem had been halted.

Nehemiah was about to ask a Persian sovereign to do an about face, a 180 degree turn. The request itself might be taken as an insult. Nehemiah could be fired—or worse. He had good reason to be “very much afraid.”

But the God who had prepared Nehemiah had also prepared the king. Continue reading →

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The Golden Rule and the Narrow Gate

Posted on November 24, 2022 by salooper57
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