Langdon Palmer

How can I be happy ? This last podcast of our Jordan Peterson series, given on the sunday after Thanksgiving, finishes up the story of Jacob's Ladder and points us to the Christian life. It ends by actually answering the question "How can I be happy ?" Believe it or not, the answer we get actually works!

Does God exist ? Some people say “No”, some people say “How would you know?”, and some people say “What difference does it make – I don’t see any signs that God makes any difference to this world…” Although this question sounds philosophical and theoretical, it is actually a very practical question. Few things are more practical than asking what I am here for and who am I meant to be. What should I do with the rest of my life? If there really is a Maker of Heaven and Earth, and he designed me and knows me, mightn’t He have something to say about these things? But when we talk about things like trying to encounter God (who is infinite), our reason (as crucial as it is) can only take us so far. Is it wise to go beyond what reason can tell us ? Today we come to the last in our Jordan Peterson series as we encounter Jacob’s Ladder.

When you see someone who has it so much better than you, is your first thought “I am so, so happy for them” ? Envy pretends to give us an accurate picture of the state of affairs in the world but it actually reveals the state of affairs in our heart. We tend to think it is natural, no big deal, hardly a sin to hold on to feelings of envy. But New Testament writers over and over again warn us that Envy corrodes our soul. You cannot hold onto Envy and Happiness at the same time. Could it be that some of your own discontent comes from hidden envy ? Jordan Peterson writes “Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.” Pastor Palmer says “I can envy the incomplete image I have of someone else’s life OR I can work on the strange gift of life that I HAVE been given – and thereby find true meaning. . .” Join us today as we dig into the story of Cain and Able and the teachings of Paul which lead us to Jesus and the way out of Envy.

Anyone who says parenting is easy either has never done it or is not particularly good at it. But while it is hard, it can be done well and we can take steps to help our kids flourish and become all that God meant for them to be. Today we look at what secular psychologist Jordan Peterson has to say about raising kids and how that relates to the ancient wisdom of the scriptures. Join us as we learn to “say no to brats, helicopters, and lawn mowers, and yes to skateboards, dress up, and ‘good enough’.”

How often does the average person lie in a day ? It turns out we lie a whole lot more than we realize. And we don’t only lie to others, we lie to ourselves. We tell ourselves inaccurate stories about our past and ourselves in order to make ourselves feel OK. But these over simplified stories we tell our selves don’t really help, they actually sabotage our own long term happiness. Join us today as we look at what Jordan Peterson, Jim Carey, the ancient scriptures, and Jesus himself can teach us about lying and telling the truth.

Jordan Peterson challenges us with these words "To have meaning is better than to have what you want.  Pursue what is meaningful, not what is expedient.”  Is he right ?  If he is, what is the difference between a life based on meaning and a life based on expediency ?  And where is a life of meaning to be found ?  Today we dive into this subject and discover that the path to a life of deep meaning and purpose can be found in one of the most unexpected places - the practice of keeping the Sabbath.  This thing that sounds so old is actually what can pull me out of my box out into the wide open spaces with God where one pursues the Good, the True, and the Beautiful.

While many of us struggle with arrogance and pride, others struggle with the exact opposite problem – we are our own worse critic. We constantly beat ourselves up with self-incrimination, perfectionism, and unrealistic expectations. We think we are being virtuous and humble by obsessing on our own shortcomings but we are actually sabotaging our own happiness and productivity. If you tend to get down on yourself a lot, this podcast is a must listen.

Do arrogant, opinionated, judgmental people annoy you ? Most of us are far more aware of when other people act that way then we are doing it ourselves. In fact, most of us are blind to this very thing that cripples us spiritually and leads to a miserable life in the long run. Today we look a the third sure fire way to avoid being happy: “Be arrogant, opinionated, and the self-appointed judge of others!” We will learn a three step dance that draws us away from this tendency and towards the Maker of Heaven and Earth.

Some of us are tempted to withdraw from relationships and isolate ourselves from the messiness of people. We are tempted to live like hermit crabs, withdrawing into our own private Idaho – where no one can hurt us. Instead of spending time looking into a good friend’s eyes, we stare into the dark glass of our smart phones. Others are tempted to do the exact opposite – to jump into unhealthy relationships with people who are no good for us. Today we look at the second sure fire way to avoid happiness – settling for loneliness or toxic relationships. We look at practical advise from Jordan Peterson’s “12 rules for life” and then compare that to the ancient wisdom of the scriptures. We study three different stances we take that cause us to sabotage our own happiness instead engaging in the rich personal relationships God intended for us. We flesh out rule #2 for living life well: “Don’t be the hermit crab, make friends with people who want the best for you and those who will draw you closer to God.”

How often do we end up sabotaging our own happiness ? Today we begin a sermon series on “9 Sure Fire Ways To Avoid Being Happy” which looks at the ways we bring misery upon ourselves and compares them to 9 biblical truths for living life well. We draw from the practical of wisdom of Jordan Peterson’s book “12 Rules for Life” and then we go beyond it to the revelation of Jesus Christ. Today we look at Peterson advice to “Stand up straight with your shoulders back.”

Who wants to hear warnnings ? Who wants to hear bad news ? No one. But what if the only way to get to the good news is to face the bad news ? The entire book of Zephaniah is a warning - crying out to people to turn from the way they are going and turn to God. In the midst of this dire warrning comes one of the most hopeful, inspiring, joy producing verses in the entire bible: Zephaniah 3:17. Join us as we study the sweep of the book of Zephaniah in order to grasp what this famous verse actually means.

How do deep personal worship, pomegranates, economic systems, worry, and what I ate for breakfast this morning go together ? Today we look at what appears to be a simple phrase in the Lord’s Prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread.” It turns out that with this phrase Jesus gives us a crib sheet where every word opens up for us crucial biblical truths for how to live life well in the middle of broken lives in a broken world. Join us as we jump into his teaching and discover both the joy and the responsibility of being creatures in time.

What is the Kingdom of God ? Is it here now, or is it something that comes at the end of the World ? If its here now, how come so many things are still so messed up ? If it’s real, how come we can’t see it ? While there are a lot of serious issues when it comes to the need for justice and righteousness in this world, why is it that one of the primary images Jesus uses again and again for the kingdom of God… is a joyful party ?! Join us today as we dig into this powerful teaching of Jesus when he prays “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven…”

There is a crucial tension between the two phrases “Our Father” and “Holy is your name.” Jesus uses the first two lines of The Lord’s Prayer to help us see the true beautiful nature of the God who is. Join us today as we discover how we declare the name of God with every breath we take. And when we do, we find that we are ready to leave the town we have been living in for far too long – the town known as “WhatEver-ville.”

We often say familiarity breeds contempt. It certainly tends to breed indifference and a sort of blindness. Consider a the beauty and power of the Colorado river pouring through the Grand Canyon. If you saw it every day of your life, it would become familiar. Over time you might take it for granted, begin to become indifferent to its beauty and dangerous power. The same can be said of the Lord’s Prayer. Many people grew up saying it repetitively in church services. For some it is so familiar we can just go through the motions of saying it. But when accessed correctly, the Lord’s prayer opens us up to the beauty and the power (and the danger) of living life everyday with God. Today we begin a 9 week series on “Living the Lord’s Prayer” Join us for the journey!

What happens after we die ? Is that just the end, or is there an after life ? Are Heaven and Hell myths or reality ? If they are real, how could an all loving, all powerful God allow anyone to be in Hell ? What we believe about eternity will drive the priorities and stance we take towards our lives here and now. Today we jump into difficult waters and try to get some grasp of eternity. We draw from multiple scriptures and the picture painted in C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce (in chapters 9, 13 and 14) to try to understand what awaits us on the other side of death.

Do we have control over our fate ? If God is completely in control and has already decided how everything is going to work out, do we really have choice, do we really have free will ? Do we make choices, or do our choices make us, or does God make both, or all of the above ? These are not idle, speculative questions. How we answer them, what we really believe, will effect how we live our lives, it will have a profound impact on our futures and who we become. Join us as we delve into the deep waters of Free will, predestination, and the beautiful revelation of scripture of the God who loves us!

What will be your legacy ? We only get one shot at this life, and when your is done, what do you hope people will say about you and how you lived ? Today we look at two very different people who ended up with two very different legacies. We join C.S. Lewis as he encounters the Dwarf and Sarah Smith. And we turn to the book of Colossians Chapter 1 to find the kind of life that leaves an eternal legacy.

Why do smart people do stupid things ? Why are we constantly shooting ourselves in the foot ? Why are bad habits so hard to break ? Why do some people get better and better at their craft while others get worse and worse ? In one of the most vivid scenes in the book ‘The Great Divorce’ C.S. Lewis shows us the radical difference between the lives of those who rule their desires and the lives of those whose desires rule them. And just to be total nerds, we connect this story to recent discoveries in brain science! It turns out that modern research confirms that the ancient wisdom of the scriptures is not only true, it actually works! Join us as we come to the place where we are willing to confront The Red Lizard.

What’s the difference between wanting the best for someone and being a control freak ? What do truly healthy relationships look like ? Do you have a relationship right now that you would like to improve ? Today we look at two examples of really bad relationships to help us see more clearly what good relationships can be like. We start with a hilarious video from Tory Kinne for one extreme and then a character in C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce for the other. We then look at practical advise from the scriptures that can help us create relationships that age well – that get better with time! While we focus on romantic relationships this morning, most of these principles can be applied to any relationship in your life. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqQgDwA0BNU for the Tory Kinne video The Notes Sheet for this sermon is available as a PDF above.