Category Archives: Spiritual life

The Perilous State of Religious Liberty

Posted on July 9, 2016 by salooper57

Religious liberty in the United States is in peril. Many of the people empowered to decide which behaviors merit civil protections and which do not are not religious people. They fail to understand religious liberty because they do not understand … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Church, Faith, In the News, Lifestyle, Spiritual life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why Is it so Hard to Live in the Moment?

Posted on July 2, 2016 by salooper57

My wife and I are just back from a week on a large lake in Quebec. We left our car in a gravel lot that was slowly surrendering its borders to the encroaching wilderness, loaded our gear on a boat … Continue reading →

Posted in In the News, Lifestyle, Spiritual life | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

God Wants Our Nine-to-Five

Posted on May 14, 2016 by salooper57

According to a popular (and probably apocryphal) story, a man once came to Martin Luther and asked the great reformer what he could do to serve God. Luther asked him what he was currently doing for work, and he replied … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Faith, Lifestyle, Spiritual life | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Risk Assessment and Management for Children

Posted on May 10, 2016 by salooper57

Risk assessment is the science of determining two things: the likelihood of a given occurrence and the degree of potential loss. Let’s say I want to do a risk assessment of the likelihood that my pregnant daughter-in-law will be bitten … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith, Spiritual life, Theology | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Importance of Staying Limber

Posted on April 30, 2016 by salooper57

In Christian circles there is a high degree of suspicion towards people whose beliefs are constantly changing. We applaud Luther for his “Here I stand; I can do no other” attitude but we deplore Bunyan’s Mr. Pliable. Luther stands strong … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Faith, Spiritual life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mary Magdalene’s and John bar Zebedee’s Easter Stories

Posted on April 26, 2016 by salooper57

The following is a piece I wrote for Lockwood Community Church’s 2016 Easter Sunrise Service. The actors, Sarah Asher and Glenn Snapp, made the script better than it is, but I share it with you anyways in the hope you’ll … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Faith, Spiritual life, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Power We So Blithely Invoke

Posted on April 23, 2016 by salooper57

Sometimes God scares me. Not like an angry parent scares a cowering child. It’s not like that at all. Still less like a bully scares a retiring classmate. “Scares” is probably not even the right word. “Awes” would be better, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Christianity, Faith, Spiritual life, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Devotional practices that have stood the test of time

Posted on March 19, 2016 by salooper57

Many Christians from various doctrinal streams and denominational traditions practice some kind of devotional exercise each day. These exercises are known familiarly as “doing devotions,” or “having a quiet time,” and usually include Bible reading and prayer. Some people also … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Faith, Lifestyle, Spiritual life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

No one needs another reason to be angry

Posted on February 27, 2016 by salooper57

Pundits keep telling us that Donald Trump has succeeded thus far by tapping into a deep-seated anger within the electorate. A CBS poll seems to bear this out: Mr. Trump enjoys a double-digit lead among voters who self-identify as angry. … Continue reading →

Posted in In the News, Lifestyle, Spiritual life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The one thing we cannot lose

Posted on February 20, 2016 by salooper57

Christianity Today recently ran an article by history professor Susan Lim about the faith of the Founding Fathers, featuring a brief account of the life of Alexander Hamilton. It was timely: Broadway’s unlikely hip-hop hit musical based on the patriot’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith, In the News, Spiritual life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment