Tag Archives: Faith

I Am the True Vine (John 15:1-8)

Posted on September 30, 2026 by salooper57

…it seems to me the church has made precisely the opposite mistake. We have not reached back into old covenant concepts, teachings, sayings, and narratives nearly enough. We’ve reached back to the evangelical trailblazers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Continue reading →

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The God Who Isn’t Finished: Hope for Those Who Think It’s Too Late

Posted on September 26, 2026 by salooper57

I saw B in a Walmart a few months after her mother died. I turned down an aisle and caught a glimpse of her at the other end. I thought that I should go and speak to her, but I chickened out and slinked into a different aisle. Continue reading →

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Restoring Our Center of Gravity

Posted on September 19, 2026 by salooper57

Politics cannot do it. Neither can education or social activism. Medical and psychological treatment are not equipped for it. These things are all good and helpful – even necessary – but they cannot, in and of themselves, provide a solution. Continue reading →

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The Church Since 9/11: What Is Going On?

Posted on September 12, 2026 by salooper57

Churches today are less full than they were twenty-five years ago – marking a nearly 30% decline in attendance. Smaller churches, according to the sociologist and pastor Ryan Burge, are on the verge of extinction. Continue reading →

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Spiritual Scoliosis: How We Lean Away from God Without Knowing It

Posted on September 5, 2026 by salooper57

Spiritual scoliosis causes a loss of moral balance. That is certainly apparent in our society, where people are quick to accuse or quick to defend their own or others’ actions based on which way the scoliosis has them leaning. Continue reading →

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I Am the Resurrection (2) – John 11:17-27

Posted on September 3, 2026 by salooper57

When David represented Israel, he could have said, “I am the victory.”

When Adam represented humanity, he could have said, “I am the defeat.”

When Jesus represented the new humanity, he did say, “I am the resurrection.” Continue reading →

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Why We Underestimate Ourselves—and Why God Doesn’t

Posted on August 29, 2026 by salooper57

You and I are ideas – God’s ideas – whose time is yet to come. When it does, everyone will be amazed—and no one more than you and me! Continue reading →

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I Am the Resurrection (Part 1) – John 11:1-16

Posted on August 26, 2026 by salooper57

In the first century, every Jew understood what resurrection is, even those who denied it was a real thing. Resurrection was the end-of-the-age, God-staged event in which all people who have ever lived come back to life. How could Jesus claim to be that? Continue reading →

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The Trial Defense that Got Stephen Killed (Acts 7)

Posted on August 22, 2026 by salooper57

The Jerusalem temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. by the Roman general Titus, but that was not what Jesus was talking about. He understood that a new temple would be available before then. Continue reading →

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Jesus said: “I Am the Door” (John 10:1-10)

Posted on August 19, 2026 by salooper57

When Eddie came to Jesus, he thought that having fun was a thing of the past. From now on it would be Bible reading, prayer, and boring church services until he died and went to heaven. Continue reading →

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