Category Archives: Spiritual life

Don’t Overlook The Importance of Desire in the Spiritual Life

Posted on July 10, 2021 by salooper57

Desire plays a critical and often overlooked role in life, including the spiritual life. Desire forges a person’s future and chooses the path they follow. Humans cannot live without desire. Were a drug to be disseminated in our atmosphere that … Continue reading →

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

It Is Time for an Insurrection

Posted on July 5, 2021 by salooper57

controversial University of Chicago philosophy professor Mortimer Adler was once part of a discussion group and the conversation was not going well. Opinions were expressed with which he disagreed. Things got heated, Adler got upset, left the room, and slammed the door behind him. Continue reading →

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

The Church: Deconstructing or Deteriorating?

Posted on July 3, 2021 by salooper57

Today, many Christians, especially those under 40, are asking tough questions about the faith. They are questioning assumptions taught by, or caught from, their parents. This is particularly true of assumptions regarding sexuality and racial justice. The process is known … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Church Life, Faith, Spiritual life, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

“I Have Sinned”: A Study in Repentance

Posted on June 29, 2021 by salooper57

I used to think of repentance as a thing to be avoided. I thought it was all about feeling so bad about what I had done that I would never do it again. Now I think of repentance as a gift and a blessing.

What changed my mind? The Bible.

St. Paul regards repentance as something that God “gives” – it is a gift and it is priceless! That gift impacts the whole person: emotions, mind, and body—or you could say, feelings, thoughts, and actions.
Continue reading →

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When Faith Is Hardest (It’s Not When You Think)

Posted on June 26, 2021 by salooper57

People have told me that life is so painful and unfair, there cannot be a God. But no one has ever said to me: “Life is so easy and painless, there must be a God.” Life’s hardships, not its comforts, turn people from God; and life’s hardships turn people to him.

Even people who have turned to God, who attend worship services regularly, pray, and support the church financially, find it difficult to trust God when hard times come. The ironic thing is: they find it even harder to trust God when everything is going well. When things are going well, few people feel the need to trust. Continue reading →

Posted in Faith, Spiritual life | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

The Lesson My Dad Taught Me

Posted on June 19, 2021 by salooper57

My dad was a tough guy. He served as a Marine in the 1940s. He married while he was still in the Corps and was divorced not long after. I know almost nothing of his first marriage and only learned … Continue reading →

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Can You Hear Me Now? (1 Samuel 2-3)

Posted on June 13, 2021 by salooper57

Listening time: Approximately 25 minutes.

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The Convergence

Posted on June 7, 2021 by salooper57

God is working in our lives and world, but we are liable to miss it because we are expecting something else: something obvious, something “religious,” something extraordinary. But in Samuel we learn that God works through the mundane events of life, its pleasures and its pains. Continue reading →

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Failure: Not the Last Word (1 Kings 19)

Posted on June 2, 2021 by salooper57

Everyone fails but not everyone rebounds from failure. What – or who – makes the difference?

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Envisioning a Changed Life

Posted on May 24, 2021 by salooper57

Jesus presents this life as free from the terrible burden of anger. And anger is a terrible burden to bear. It is like carrying a heavy wire basket full of knives, with points sticking out on top, bottom, and all four sides. You try to hold it away from your body, but whenever you get tired and let down your guard, you get poked. You try to shift the weight, but it happens again and again. And it’s not just you: the people close to you keep getting hurt. Continue reading →

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