Category Archives: Spiritual life

I Would Have Given You Even More: David and Bathsheba

Posted on September 12, 2021 by salooper57

What might that phrase, “I would have given you even more,” include? What did David miss out on that would have been his? What joys, what adventures, what honors, what insights and raptures might have been David’s, had he not forfeited them by his disastrous choices?

Look at what God says he had given David. An anointing: He anointed him king when he was still a teenager and an unknown. Deliverance: he delivered him from ruin and death at the hands of Saul. Authority: He had given him his master’s house with all its symbols of power. People: He had given him Israel and Judah: their admiration and love, as well as their obedience and submission.

What about us? Has God given us anything? Continue reading →

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The Good Shepherd: That They Might Have Life

Posted on September 10, 2021 by salooper57

In John 10, Jesus used a figure of speech while he was teaching and, verse six, people did not get it. That is a comfort to me, a preacher, for there have been times when I was speaking that I … Continue reading →

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The Good Shepherd

Posted on September 9, 2021 by salooper57

Back in the 1980s, a congressional panel, led by Claude Pepper, revealed that thousands of Americans might be receiving treatment from doctors who lied on their medical school loan applications, and then used the money not to go to school … Continue reading →

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An Alphabet of Praise

Posted on September 8, 2021 by salooper57

For years, I went to sleep repeating the alphabet and finding a characteristic of God for each letter. Sometimes it is a stretch – especially at 2 am! Many times, I have used the same exercise on a half-day of … Continue reading →

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Everyone (Else) Has a Problem with Entitlement

Posted on September 4, 2021 by salooper57

Americans have a problem with feeling entitled. Almost anyone you ask will tell you. But they’ll tell you it is some other group that feels entitled. White people think that black people feel entitled because they are black. Black people … Continue reading →

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Are We There Yet?

Posted on August 29, 2021 by salooper57
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God, People, and Schrödinger’s Cat: Our Role in it All

Posted on August 28, 2021 by salooper57

A friend recently said to me something like this: “If this is all there is [to a recent set of events], then it was all for nothing.” She went on to say that nothing good came of it. When it … Continue reading →

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Asking Questions of John 3: What Does Jesus Mean by “Be Born Again?”

Posted on August 27, 2021 by salooper57

What on earth does Jesus mean when he talks about being born again? The answer to that question needs to be clearly grasped, and so merits study and careful thought. For now, let me say this: to be born again … Continue reading →

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Asking Questions of John 3: Why Did Jesus Interrupt?

Posted on August 26, 2021 by salooper57

We are asking questions of John 3. Here is one: Why does Jesus abruptly change the subject and talk to Nicodemus about the necessity of being born again and about the kingdom of God? So here’s the picture: Nicodemus is … Continue reading →

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The Original “Nick at Night”: Asking Questions of John 3

Posted on August 25, 2021 by salooper57

In John 3, a man named Nicodemus comes to see Jesus. Nicodemus is a mid-level celebrity in ancient Israel, a respected scholar and prominent national leader. As far as we can tell, he’s a stand-up kind of guy. He’s got … Continue reading →

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