Failing Boldly

What is our response to God's generosity? How should be be generous ourselves? I reflect on these questions in this week's podcast using Leviticus 27:30-32 and 1 Corinthians 16:1-3.

And if the Spirit moves you to be generous toward Urban Village, you can donate here: www.urbanvillagechurch.org/give

Any time anyone makes a financial donation to an institution, s/he probably asks, is this organization worth my investment? It's a great questions and one that needs to be asked...including for the church.

Is the church worth an investment? Is Urban Village? I reflect on these questions while taking a look at Acts 16:11-15, 40.

And, if you answer in the affirmative to the above question, you can support UVC here: www.urbanvillagechurch.org/give.

This podcast begins the first of a new series about exploring worth. This sermon take a look at what you and I are worth in God's eyes using Matthew 6:25-34.

Keeping the Sabbath is a great spiritual practice that hopefully helps us feel less anxious and more attuned to God's presence. But keeping the Sabbath isn't just about how you can benefit. It also means that we pay attention to how others can flourish, too.

As we continue our sermon series on unplugging and keeping

Sabbath, this podcast takes a look at whether there's an instruction manual

about what to actually *do* on the Sabbath. One good place to start:

delighting in God and in God's creation. What do you delight in? The Scripture used is Genesis 1:27-2:3.

Of all 10 commandments, keeping the Sabbath may be the one that's easiest to fudge and yet it's also one that is given a lot of emphasis. Why do we need to keep the Sabbath? Some thoughts on what it says about how we treat ourselves and how we see God. The Scripture reading is Deuteronomy 5:12-15.

I make mention of a TED talk and here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG6xlKzFFrI

Also, I mention the iPhone blessing we did as a church. You can hear a radio interview I did about it here: http://wgnradio.com/2016/09/16/pastor-christian-coon-is-blessing-iphone-7s/

Our faith often provides a respite and escape from a world that sometimes doesn't make any sense, but our faith also challenges us to stretch ourselves to experience transformation. That's what this week's podcast is about, using Romans 12:9-21.

It's easy to stay in the shallow end of the water, but harder to start going in deeper. By committing to a community, it makes things a little easier. This podcast reflects on Ecclesiastes 4:7-12

I reference two videos in the podcast:

Maplelag polar plunge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue2RPgqAYMc

Scene from "Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCY_Hjv7vKc

When you think about the things you receive from your faith, hope, patience, and grace are all great ones that come to mind. But endurance? Probably doesn't make your top 10. But it's just as important in the life of a committed faith. I share a few thoughts about endurance and also take a look at Romans 5:1-11.

Joy is an emotion that many desire to have more frequently, but it can often be understood. What is the definition of biblical joy and how can we practice joy? This podcast will reflect on these questions as it takes a look at Psalm 30.