Tag Archives: Christianity

This Year, Punch Up Your Resolution

Posted on January 3, 2026 by salooper57

I walk out of a church service, thinking the preacher took forty-five minutes to say what he could have said in ten. My wife and I get in the car and before we leave the parking lot, she has commented on the “good sermon.” Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Encouragement, Spiritual life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Look Four Ways Before Crossing (Hebrews 12:1-3)

Posted on January 1, 2026 by salooper57

Sin clings; it won’t let go. We must be determined to get rid of it, or it will damage us. That damage, as the author of Hebrews points out again and again, takes the form – this is important to understand – of unbelief. Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Encouragement, Faith, Sermons, Spiritual life, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Telescoping Reality of Christmas

Posted on December 27, 2025 by salooper57

An hour or two ago, I left the hospital after reading the Christmas story to a man and his wife and praying with them. The man has been in the hospital for 18 days. Each time that it looks like he will be able to leave, something happens to extend his stay. Yesterday or the day before, he developed a pulmonary embolism Continue reading →

Posted in Advent, Bible, Christianity, Christmas, Encouragement, Faith, Spiritual life, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

You Better Find Somebody to Love (4th Sunday of Advent)

Posted on December 21, 2025 by salooper57

You may say, “But I do know God. He takes care of me. He provides for my needs.” But because he cares for you does not mean that you know him in any way more meaningful than the golden retriever knows the owner who feeds him. Continue reading →

Posted in Advent, Bible, Christianity, Christmas, Faith, Sermons, Spiritual life, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Coming Invasion

Posted on December 13, 2025 by salooper57

When humans stopped acknowledging God’s ownership of the planet, they became squatters. When they refused to submit to his rule, they became rebels. At some point … God will take back what is rightfully his. Continue reading →

Posted in Advent, Bible, Christianity, Christmas, Peace with God, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

You Have a Tell (We All Do)

Posted on December 6, 2025 by salooper57

…the words we generate over a lifetime are like “fingerprints.” Even small words – what he calls “stealth words,” like pronouns (I, you, we, they) and prepositions (to, for, over) – “broadcast the kind of people we are.” Continue reading →

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

Closer to those Outside the Church

Posted on November 30, 2025 by salooper57

Watch a TV sitcom and see if that is how married couples are portrayed. My guess is that you will find just the opposite: the women treat their husbands like fools and the men don’t know their wives at all, and don’t want to. But that’s not just TV; it’s real life – your neighbors’ and coworkers’ lives. Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Church, Church Life, Encouragement, Faith, Family, Marriage and Family, Mission, Sermons, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Closer to Each Other (Ephesians 4:25-32)

Posted on November 26, 2025 by salooper57

In the Bible, the Holy Spirit is especially concerned with/connected to/impacted by how a person speaks. If a Christian is unaware of the Holy Spirit in her life, the first thing she should do is check on what kind of speech is coming out of her mouth. Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Church, Church Life, Encouragement, Faith, Sermons | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Become Your True Self (Pt. 3: Put on a New Self)

Posted on November 19, 2025 by salooper57

Humans were designed this way. They were made with the capacity to transform into something the Marvel Cinematic Universe never imagined, something that can be astonishingly good and beautiful or hideously bad and ugly. Continue reading →

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

Become Your True Self

Posted on November 4, 2025 by salooper57

Last week, we talked about moving closer to Christ. That takes faith. It can be scary moving closer to him, because it means we’re moving further away from something else – maybe something we enjoy, something our identity is wrapped … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment