Andy Talks

Today, we see Malachi echo themes in Ezra and Nehemiah. The people need to be very careful where their allegiances lie. They are cautioned to avoid relationships that pull them away from God. That is what happened to the people before the Exile, and it is a danger in this new world. The same is true for us today. We need a variety of relationships. If we, as Christians, do not have any relationships with folks who are not Christian, how will they ever hear the good news? How will they know of Jesus if we do not tell them? We need those relationships. But, we need to stay firmly rooted in the Word and firmly rooted in Christian community. These things, they keep us focused on where God is calling us.  Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremu

In our Traditional service on July 21, 2024, Andy shared with us from John 14: 5-6. We are an evangelical church. That label is thrown around a lot in our world. What does it mean to say that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and that no one comes to the Father but through Him?  Let's be careful to build our church only on the rock of Jesus.

Today we see the Lord remind the priests that they have lost their reverence of Him. As much as we need to know the gentleness and kindness of God, we need to understand the fact that He is “other” than us. He is different from us. He is not human.  We need the proper reverence for who God is.  As Job says at the end of His book, “I put my hand over my mouth, I have spoken much too soon.” We need to never, ever, ever lose the reverence and awe that we should have for God. For He is God.  Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=588250259You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

Today, the Lord condemns the priests for how they lead worship.  They have despised the Lord’s table by bringing sacrifices that are not worthy of the Lord. As you’ve heard it said before, I’m sure the Lord deserves our best. Now, I was raised that means our best clothing.  I still can’t go to church without a sports coat. But it means more than that. It means the posture of our hearts. It means our attitudes. It means our expectations.  Do we expect to encounter God in worship?  Do we expect to meet Him there? Are we prepared?  Have we prayed?  Do we come to worship with that expectation? The posture of our worship, in many ways, determines if we encounter God there or not. Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up.You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=588250187You can

Jacob I loved, Esau I hated. These words from Romans are originally found in Malachi.  These are some of the hardest-to-understand words in all of the Bible. What does “hate” mean here? What does this say about who God is?  What does this mean for our faith? What about free will? Where does this all fit together? Trust me, many folks much smarter than me have tried to understand these words. While there is a mystery here (and that mystery can teach us a lot), there is a lot that we can understand and come to know in this passage, as well as in Romans 9. Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=588153360You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity, “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next… It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither.”  Today in Zechariah, we are reminded we have a better home coming. And that knowledge can make us more faithful today.  Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=588071397You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

Today, we see a word about idolatry in Zechariah.  The people were worshiping idols because they did not trust in God to take care of them. They worshiped the idols as a “backup” plan against the dangers of a failed harvest or  infertility.  They worshiped idols because they didn’t trust.  Without faith, it is impossible to please God.  Our faith grows when it is tested. That is the second part of this day’s reading. First, we see the punishment of idolatry. Second, we see that the Lord is going to test our faith with trials.  In the same way that silver is refined, our faith will go through trials and tests, and as we go through this, we will see our faith grow. For as hard as trials and tests can be, that is when our faith grows the most! Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read t

In our INTERSECTION service from July 14, 2024, Andy shares with us from Philippians 2: 12-13.  What does it mean to say that our church is "Wesleyan?"  Why should that even matter?

In our July 7 sermon, we continue our series "The Marks of the Church."  Orthodox or Orthodoxy is a word we hear tossed around a lot. It's an important word, and orthodox theology is one of the foundations of our church. But what exactly does that mean?

In our reading today, we see a verse that inspired one of my favorite Christian hymns, “There is a Fountain Filled with Blood.”  I know these images of “blood” are sometimes difficult for us to hear in our modern context, but we need to understand the “power in the blood” and “nothing but the blood of Jesus” can restore and save us.  Through the atonement on the cross, Jesus paid all the debt for our sins, and through the cross and the empty grave, sin, death, and the grave are forever destroyed. The Blood of Jesus conquers sin and restores life.  Know how much Jesus endured to bring you life, and know today just how loved you are. All of us lose our guilty stains, thanks to that precious fountain.  Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus

Sometimes, God calls us to things that do not make sense to us. These are the hard times, but these are also the times when our faith really comes alive and really grows. In Zechariah, he is called to shepherd a flock that will be slaughtered.  This makes no sense; he isn’t even paid his correct wage. We see here we have no control over whether people receive our faithfulness and grace, all we have control over is whether we give or not.  Our job is to be faithful. That’s all we control. We cannot control anyone’s response.  Just give grace, even when it doesn’t make sense. The rest is out of our hands. That right there, releasing that, that takes true faith. Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=586860539You can watch this in v

Today, we see another well-known passage: “The sheep wander for need of a shepherd.”  We see that the shepherds are not leading the sheep well at that moment. They are living for their own desires, not for the needs of the sheep.  At this point in my life, I am no longer looking for dynamic or charismatic shepherds, for even the devil has those skills. I am looking for a shepherd who has the Fruit of the Spirit. That is the shepherd who is following after God. To those of us who are shepherds, let’s make sure we are working on that. And to those who are looking for a shepherd to follow, let’s remember first what we should look for. Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=586583421You can watch this in video form here - https://rev

Today, we read the prophecy that we see fulfilled on Palm Sunday. Jesus, humble, riding a donkey. But we often misread this. We see this as only Jesus being humble, which He was. This wasn’t just Jesus being humble; this was also declaring who He was for all the world to see. He is declaring here that He is Messiah, that He is Lord, that He is king. Now, of course, as we see with Pilate, His kingdom is not of the world. Seeing this also teaches us how to understand the Bible. We read all the Bible through Jesus; He is the Word (John 1). We understand the Old Testament in light of the New Testament, and we interpret the passages that are harder to understand through the ones that are easier to understand.  Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.

Zechariah continues his joyful words today.  We are told that there will be fasting, but it will be joyful. It will be a celebration We are to be joyfully obedient. But then we see that our joy will be infectious. People will grab the people of God by the garment and say, “We will go with you because God is with you!”  Isn’t that a beautiful hope and desire that people will know that God is with us and will say, let us go with you!  For God is with you!  Our joy, our joyful obedience, it is attractive. It will draw folks to Him.  Our world needs joy, y’all. There’s enough ugly, enough hate, enough anger.  We need joy. And our joy points others to Jesus! Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=586438968You can watch this in video f

Today’s passage is full of good stuff. My entire bible is highlighted today.  The Lord has a word of hope for us today.  He is going to make all things right in His due time. He is going to restore the remnant. He is going to give life where life has been taken,  He is going to make all things as they are made to be. We have this HOPE. And if we have hope, we have strong hands to work, to build the kingdom, to work for good. When we have hope, we have strong hands to work. Losing hope is one of the worst things that can happen to us. But because we have Jesus, we have hope. And because we have hope, we can have strong hands.  Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=586346547You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.o

We see the Lord explain why He judged the people today. We see Him tell the people how to live. But His instructions may surprise us, and we may find them harder than we expect. He calls us to kindness today. To mercy today.  Those are hard for this age; we show kindness and mercy to “our side,” not to others. He calls us to take care of the weak and needy. To avoid hate in our hearts. To be different.  To be holy. This is hard; it’s not about what we do; it’s about who we are.  It’s what it looks like to live out the Golden Rule. Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=586269496You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

In our Traditional message from June 23, 2024, Andy shares with us from Ephesians 2: 19-20. We see that the church is founded upon the teachings of the Apostles. That is what it means to be "Apostolic," to be part of that lineage. But what does that actually mean?

After the Exile is over, several of the people from Bethel go to the prophet and ask this question. Do we still need to fast?  They are asking because the people are back home, and the Temple is being rebuilt. So, must they continue to lament? And the prophet asks this question. Why did you fast?  Why is it that you did what you did?  For God, or for some other reason? Why do we fast?  Why do we do what we do?  Is it to get something from God?  To “make” Him do what we want? Brian Zahnd, in his wonderful book The Wood Between the Worlds, reminds us that thinking like that is paganism. We don’t “do things'' to make God do what we want. We are faithful so we can experience God.  Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=5860

Today, we see a high priest given a crown. At first, you may think that this crown is one that has religious significance. But this is the kind of crown that goes to royalty.  In this passage, Joshua is crowned “the Branch.”  All of this this points us to Jesus.  He is the Branch (John 15: 1-8).  He is prophet, priest, and king.  He speaks the Word of the Lord, He is our high priest, and He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Today, in this passage, we see everything pointing us to Jesus.  Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=585746027You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

When I read today’s passage, it first made me scratch my head and think, “huh.”  I didn’t really understand exactly what it was saying at first, but after using a tool I really like for Biblical interpretation (the NET Bible), it made a lot more sense. In this passage, this vision points to peace. In time, peace came as Persia defeated Babylon. But, also, in the Lord’s time, peace will come when the Lord returns and makes all things right. But even now in our lives, when we take our concerns to the Lord in prayer, His peace guards our hearts and minds.  Peace will come. It may not come exactly when we may like for it to come. But peace will come.  Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=585659981You can watch this in video form he