Tag Archives: Jesus

Your Mission, Should You Decide to Accept It

Posted on February 20, 2025 by salooper57

But our mission is more complicated than just bringing news about God to people who have never heard it. We are bringing news about God to people who have misheard it. They think they already know about “God and those Christians.” Continue reading →

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

Star Trek: The Voyage of the Magi Caravan

Posted on January 6, 2025 by salooper57

When God spoke about his Son to these magi from the east, he did it in a way that they could understand. He used the language of astral ascensions and declinations. God knows how to communicate; he speaks to people in their own language. He comes to us where we are, in ways we can understand. Continue reading →

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Baptism: Grave, Garden, Stage

Posted on July 30, 2024 by salooper57

We baptized 7 people this past Sunday in a joyous celebration of God’s work in their lives and their determination to be Jesus’s people. Standing next to the pool where we baptized these committed people, I shared the following brief … Continue reading →

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Desperate

Posted on October 31, 2019 by salooper57

A great sermon by Kevin Looper on Mark 5. Jesus returns to his home base Capernaum to find massive crowds gathered and a respected religious professional in desperate straits. The man pleads with Jesus to come and heal his daughter, even though association with Jesus was at this time risky for religious professionals reputations and careers. Continue reading →

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It’s Time to Get Out of Line

Posted on June 9, 2018 by salooper57

By Martin Lewison from The Hague, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands – Cedar Point and Oberlin’s CommencementUploaded by Themeparkgc, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26787830 The church I attended as a teen had a gold-colored carpet, cream-colored walls, and a dark-stained wood trim. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Faith, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Only Way Out Is Up

Posted on March 10, 2018 by salooper57

When Richard Spencer, the Alt-Right leader and social firebrand, came to Michigan State University this week, four police officers suffered minor injuries and twenty-five people were arrested. According to The Chicago Tribune, only 150 tickets were issued to the event, … Continue reading →

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The Key to the Good Life

Posted on February 17, 2018 by salooper57

The good life is all about good relationships. Our most serious problems and our greatest accomplishments involve relationships. Studies have repeatedly shown that good relationships contribute more to happiness than success, and bad relationships contribute more to unhappiness than failure. … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Lifestyle, Marriage and Family | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

If I Could Change One Thing, It Would Be Me

Posted on November 11, 2017 by salooper57

My wife and I recently traveled to Texas to visit our son and daughter-in-law and to do a little hiking in the Hill Country. For many weeks before our trip, I researched flights, car rentals, lodging and hiking trails. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Lifestyle, Spiritual life | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Lost and Found: The Joy of Losing Oneself

Posted on September 30, 2017 by salooper57

It was an iconic moment in sports history or, rather, an iconic eighteen seconds. It was the first round of the 1995 NBA Eastern Conference semifinals. The Indiana Pacers were playing the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. With … Continue reading →

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Just Give it a Rest, America

Posted on August 5, 2017 by salooper57

Americans are some of the most restless and least rested people in the world. They work more hours a week and more weeks a year than their European counterparts. The U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that … Continue reading →

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