Category Archives: Spiritual life

Jesus: The Divine-Human Interlinear

Posted on June 14, 2025 by salooper57

We don’t see it because we think of glory as glitz and hype and notoriety. Glory, in our minds, is being selfie-stalked on the street, going viral on social media, entreated for interviews and autographs. Continue reading →

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Where Do You See Yourself in the Good Samaritan Story?

Posted on June 7, 2025 by salooper57

…people who write Bible studies like to ask questions like, “Where do you see yourself in this story? Are you most like the priest, the Levite, or the Samaritan?”
I think they should add, “Or are you most like the expert in the law?” Continue reading →

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The Ascension and Spiritual Gifts (Eph. 4:7-16)

Posted on June 4, 2025 by salooper57

Who would have guessed? Those little pieces were important. And so are the gifts that God gave to each of us. You can say, “My gift is probably not important,” but Jesus gave that gift to you for a reason, and gave you to us for a reason. Continue reading →

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John 3:16: The Bible’s Most Popular Verse

Posted on May 30, 2025 by salooper57

The words “believes in him” deserve careful attention. A strictly literal translation would go, “believes into him.” This is a Johannine phrase, used only in this Gospel and in the First Epistle, but used more than twenty times. What does it mean to “believe into” Jesus, and why did John latch onto this preposition? Continue reading →

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Changing Evil for Good, Darkness for Light, Bitterness for Sweet

Posted on April 26, 2025 by salooper57

They acted decisively to stamp out the menace. And when they were done, they had stamped him into the ground, into a hole in the ground; and they buried him there. As far as they were concerned, the fire of extremism had been snuffed out. Continue reading →

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How to Ace the Test: A Case Study

Posted on April 19, 2025 by salooper57

What follows is something like a chess game. The king refuses to speak to the diplomatic team from Assyria but sends representatives out to them. The Assyrian king’s underlings are not important enough to speak directly to Israel’s king. If they have something to say, let them say it to his subordinates. Continue reading →

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Shall He Be King? (Jesus on Palm Sunday)

Posted on April 15, 2025 by salooper57

As we go through life, doing our work, struggling over hardships, helping others for Christ’s sake, we don’t realize that God is using these things to build us. We won’t fully realize that until we stand before the Lord in glory. Continue reading →

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Potential, Choice, and the Cost of Being Real

Posted on April 12, 2025 by salooper57

I have paid (and continue to pay) the piper of potentiality. What I have received for that payment has been me—not a potential me, but the real-deal, existential me. I hope I’ve been worth the price. Continue reading →

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Seeing with the Mind’s Eye

Posted on March 29, 2025 by salooper57

…faith is not seeing the outcome we want but seeing the God we serve. Faith sees him who is invisible to the outward eye but perceptible to the eyes of the heart, and it sees him when circumstances are favorable and when they are ruinous… Continue reading →

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Quoting Bible Verses (in an MRI machine)

Posted on March 28, 2025 by salooper57

I’ve always heard that bravery is not the absence of fear but doing what needs to be done even when you are afraid. Today, I’ll find out how brave I am. Continue reading →

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