Langdon Palmer

How should I live my life in this New Year ? Can I actually make a difference in this world ? What should I do when I am feeling tired and beaten down - and my perfect plans don't look so perfect any more ? The biblical books of Ecclesiastes and Colossians both tell us "Whatever you hand finds to do - do it with all your might..." - but they give very different reasons for why we ought to live this way. One gives us realistic wisdom and the other supernatural revelation. Join us for this encouraging podcast as we explore how realistic wisdom and supernatural revelation can go together to give us hope and empowerment for the New Year!

In the past month there have been political decisions made about abortion, health care, and gay marriage. Meanwhile a white man just murdered nine black brothers and sisters in their church, raising again the issues of racism and gun rights. What stance should a Christian who is trying to follow Jesus take on all these issues ? This morning, we take a fresh look at foundational principles from scripture that can help us begin to think about these things. While it is important where we finally end up on all these issue, perhaps it is even more important how we got to the stance we have taken. What does it mean to make Jesus Lord of my politics ?

Do you worship the God who brings wine to the party ? What are we to make of this miracle of the wedding at Cana ? What can it tell us about the nature of God ? Plenty !

"Stairway to Heaven." Some of us recognize that as a song title, but it turns out that our wild scripture for today describes Jesus as the true Stairway to Heaven! It also calls us to "Come and see..." what he is all about. In the calling of the first disciples we find both natural followers and dramatic conversions. And we are given a pattern for what it means to follow Jesus and to share our faith with others in a natural, winsome way.

Why did Jesus have to die ? Why does the creed say "descended into hell ?" Is it OK for the church to use military metaphors when we talk about what Christ has accomplished ? Today we look into the amazing imagery of the book of Revelation to get a deeper understanding of the meaning of the phrase "He descended to Hell. The third day he rose again..."

What does it really mean when we say that Jesus is the son of God? Why is there such a gap in the Apostles' creed between the birth of Jesus and his death? Doesn't his life matter ? Of course it does, but the creed is focused on the question that comes first while we focus on the question that comes second. All religions have lists of morals and stories about their leaders. The creed is focused on what sets Jesus apart from all other leaders the world has ever known - and that begins with WHO he actually is...

When we hear great news, ever notice how the whole world seems to change ? We look at everything, not just the news, in a different way. What if the most exciting news we could ever hear has been at hand all along, lying in the corner, covered with dust, dismissed by us as unimportant and irrelevant? What if we mistook the Apostles Creed for a somewhat arbitrary bundle of religious doctrines and propositions when in fact, it was the very story of the cosmos... dehydrated ? Join us as we discover the incredible drama going on all around us when we put on the glasses called "The Apostles Creed."

Would the Jesus you know tell a desperate woman who comes to him for help that "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs (i.e. to you)" !??? What is going on in Matthew 15:21-28 ? What do you do when God seems cold ? What do you do when you have prayed your heart out but God remains silent? In this podcast we cover a crucial aspect of Jesus' nature that is often ignored in our generation. In so doing we discover that even Severus Snape can teach us a thing or two about Jesus!

We often think that the stories of the Old Testament are either made up, or that God doesn't work that way anymore. The lives of these ancient heroes of the faith seem so unlike our own lives. But when we take a closer look at the calling of Moses, we find that life pretty much works the same way for him as it does for us. In the classic story of the burning bush we actually find helpful clues to how to hear God's call on our own lives today.

Are you an idealist or a realist ? What if neither quite sees the world for what it actually is ? The book of Hebrews says that the earthly sanctuary and sacrafices of the Old Testament are but a copy of the real thing in heaven. Does that mean that this physical world is just a cheap imitation of the real thing in the spiritual realm? Today we both dig into philosophy and practical insights as we discover the implications for our lives when the bible says Jesus gave his life as a ransom for many...

How do the Old Testament and New Testament go together ? If God knows everything, why didnt he just start with the New Testament ? Did he try something that didnt work and then change his mind ? To look at one of the deepest sections of the book of Hebrews, today Pastor Langdon talks about the adventure of replacing a 30 year old furnace in an old farm house as a way of understanding God's radical plan of redemption.

Some of us want "free range" spirituality others want to stick to rules, traditions, and doing things "the right way"... but left to our own devices all of us end up in the end... kattywampus. This morning we follow the strange logic of the book of Hebrews about a mysterious high priest who shows up out of no where to bring blessing, and we find out that behind the scenes everything is connected, and that God often comes to us out of left field - from the last place we expected.

We all have many hopes for the future, and unfortunately, there is no guarantee that most of them will come true. And yet in the midst of life’s storms and trials there is still one place we can turn to - there is one anchor that will hold in any storm. Join us as we turn to Hebrews Chapter 6 and the real life experiences of others to discover the meaning behind one of the most popular verses in the bible.

Is the glass half empty or is the glass half full? We often talk alot about optimists and pessimists. It turns out they not only see life differently, they do life differently. Find out what a difference it makes, and how following Jesus can actually change the way we look at life and therefore change the way we do life.