Andy Talks

We see John share a quote from Isaiah that is often mentioned in Jesus’ ministry. In Isaiah, we are told that God will keep people from hearing and seeing. Why? Why did He do this? As United Methodists and Wesleyans, we believe that God desires for everyone to be saved. What does this mean? What is happening here is this. God knows our choice, as the Bible says, those who we foreknew, He predestined (Romans 8:29-30). God knows our choices. Our choices show where we are in this. So our question today is this. Are you listening? Are you looking? Are you allowing the word of God to take root in your life? That’s what it is about. That’s why this is called rooted. May God’s word take root in our lives.

Shameless plug: here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness, our new, hopefully entertaining podcast about church history. - https://methodisttothemadness.buzzsprout.com/

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=596546431

You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

In our Traditional message from October 20, 2024, Andy preaches from 2 Kings 4: 1-7. We talk about God's abundance and how we have all that we need, here, right here, to be faithful to God's call.

We read some verses today that are well-known but difficult to understand to our modern eras. Jesus says that we are to “hate” our lives. What does that mean? We are taught not to hate. To say to hate your life just doesn’t sit right with us. What we need to understand is when Jesus talks of hate, He is not talking about the emotion we so often think of, but He is talking about our priorities. We are to prioritize following Him; we are to prioritize obedience to Him. This means we place Him first. When we do that, we find the life that we are seeking: life now and life eternal.

Shameless plug: here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness, our new, hopefully entertaining podcast about church history. - https://methodisttothemadness.buzzsprout.com/

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=596194654

You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

We see Palm Sunday in John’s Gospel today. John usually does not quote a lot of the Old Testament; that is left to the other Gospels. It is significant to me that John does just that in our reading today. He pulls from the prophets to tell us that Jesus is the Messiah. He is fulfilling the role of Messiah as put forth there, but no one, disciples included, really understood what He was doing. He was showing us kingly humility. The greatest in His kingdom is the servant of all. To be great, one must serve. The first must be last. This is the way in Jesus’s kingdom.

Shameless plug: here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness, our new, hopefully entertaining podcast about church history. - https://methodisttothemadness.buzzsprout.com/

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=596102035

You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

We see Mary anointing Jesus and Judas, and Judas tells Jesus that it is a waste. The money that was spent could have been used in more practical ways to help the poor. Now, of course, we know that Judas was lying, so we should not pay too much attention to him. But, to younger Andy, he did have a point. Should we use resources in that way? Do we really need stained glass windows? Robes? Crosses? Is that a waste of money? I’ve come to understand more the value of these things because they point us to beauty. And that beauty points us to God. Our souls cry for transcendence. We need beauty, even if, at first, it doesn't seem practical.

Shameless plug: here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness, our new, hopefully entertaining podcast about church history. - https://methodisttothemadness.buzzsprout.com/

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=596035655

You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

We see that the religious leaders, to keep Rome out of their business, intend to kill Jesus. It’s better in their minds for Jesus, just one man, to die than for Rome to come and destroy everything. One man dies so that many can be saved. John tells us that the high priest did not know he was telling the truth. One man was going to die, and that death would save many just not in the way that he was thinking. God had other plans. What he intended for evil, God intended and did use for good.

Shameless plug, here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness, our new, hopefully entertaining podcast about church history. - https://methodisttothemadness.buzzsprout.com/

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=595946508

You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

We see one of the most powerful moments in all the Bible, at least to me, when Jesus wept. Here’s the thing that always gets me about this passage. Jesus was late on purpose. He showed up late to Lazarus’ grave, on purpose so that He could raise Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus would only be dead for a moment. But Jesus, even knowing all this, when confronted with the reality of death, wept. We do not serve a God foreign or distant to our pain, but a God who knows our pain, who feels our pain, who understands our pain. Jesus wept. He knows and honors our hurt. Never forget that.

Shameless plug, here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness, our new, hopefully entertaining podcast about church history. - https://methodisttothemadness.buzzsprout.com/

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=595077782

You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

In our October 6, 2024 sermon, Andy shared with us from John 10:10. As a church, we are on the verge of something supernatural—something huge. Our world needs what St. Matthew's offers. God has something big in store, and He will give us all that we need to accomplish that task. We are moving from scarcity to abundance. 

After leaving Judea, Jesus decided to return after His friend Lazarus died. We will talk more about what happens next in the coming days, but this passage today shows us that Jesus is late on purpose. As they get ready to leave, the disciples are worried about what may happen. That is when Thomas says they should go with Jesus and die with Him. Thomas shows bravery and courage. So why do we remember him not as Brave Thomas but as Doubting Thomas? Let's be careful never to define ourselves or others by our worst mistakes.

Shameless plug, here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness, our new, hopefully entertaining podcast about church history. - https://methodisttothemadness.buzzsprout.com/

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=594997906

You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

Jesus continues His back and forth with the religious leaders. Today, He tells them that if they will not believe His words, they should look at His works. Friends, that is exactly where we are today at this moment. The world does not believe our words. They simply do not. We have to be able to point to our works. They do not believe us when we talk about Jesus. We have to love like Jesus, serve like Jesus, and use our works to point to Jesus. It is imperative that our walk matches our talk

Shameless plug, here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness, our new, hopefully entertaining podcast about church history. - https://methodisttothemadness.buzzsprout.com/

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=594891601

You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/