Langdon Palmer

I want to make my mark for good in the world. And Christians are to fight for mercy and justice for all. But what does all that look like in the real world ? What practices and habits really help ? How should my faith and my politics go together ? Should governments act just like individuals but on a larger scale – or do governments have a very different role to play? Join us as we take a deep dive into scripture and then try to see how biblical teaching can guide a citizen of a modern Democratic Republic today. See the show notes below for the images of Conservatives, Liberals, and Libertarians mentioned in the sermon.

When you think of what a huge fraction of your life is spent working, it really matters how we live our lives there. So how is your job ? Do you wonder if you have the right job ? Do you wonder how your faith and your work should go together? Today we look at a biblical understanding of work and how to find godly satisfaction in our 9-5 lives.

Somewhere along the way, many of us got so busy and “grown up”, that we forgot how to play. But what if being playful is actually a crucial aspect of being created in the image of God ? Today we look at the example of Jesus and look at ways to recapture a playful heart.

How would you describe your relationship with our own body ? What does a healthy relationship to food, exercise, and sleep look like ? We seem to live in a time of extremes when it comes to body image. Today we ask five difficult questions to help you get a handle on just where you are in your relationship with these things, and we look at four scriptures that help set the boundaries for a more joyful life inside your own body!

When it comes to sexuality, we live in confusing and divided times. Today we do an introduction to Christian Sexual Ethics. Our goal is not to conform to the political left or the political right but rather to hear what the New Testament is trying to teach us. Our goal is not to talk about “those” people who may differ from us in their beliefs, but rather to ask “Lord, what would you have ME do ?”

Trying to raise kids well is one of the biggest challenges of life. But getting along well with our extended family can be a close second! Today we look at how we can bring spiritual disciplines to our families – that we might honor God in the way that we treat them. And we begin in the strangest way… by taking parenting tips… from a Klingon !

Many influences in our modern culture make us feel more alone than ever, leaving us unskilled at real friendships and unprepared for the commitment that true friendships require. Real friendship is crucial for physical, psychological, and spiritual health. We need it not only for comradery, but also to form virtue in us – we need people who know & love us enough to speak truth into our lives. Spiritual friends are those who share a commitment to grow in Christ.

Spirituals Disciplines, habits and routines of life, can help us grow in our relationship with God. But when it comes to Spiritual Disciplines, one size does not fit all. We need to find rhythms that work well for our particular shape, for the unique person that God made us. However all Christian models always contain three basic foundations: Scripture, Prayer, and Sabbath. Sabbath is the one that most of us are most tempted to cut the corners on. Could there be some deep and crucial reasons why God makes such a big deal about how important it is for us to experience truth Sabbath. Find out in our podcast this week!

See Notes for more details.

Ken Shigematsu argues “What ever we do repeatedly, (even if it is simple),

has the power to shape us.” Much the way a grape vine can be trained on a trellis, our habits train us into a certain shape. This fall we are going to look at ancient spiritual disciplines that can shape and train us into the people God intended us to be. Today Pastor Langdon shares lessons from his own vineyard that can teach us how we can grow and flourish in God's vineyard. And we look at how practice and a "long obedience in the same direction" is exactly what makes great artists, athletes, and spiritual warriors. You can see the video of Yo-Yo Ma that was shared during the sermon at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1prweT95Mo0

What would it be like to get a glimpse of Heaven ? What if you could pull back the surface of the physical world and see the mechanics of Heaven at work behind it ? Today we look at the last paragraph of Psalm 103, the sixth window. We dive into the deep end of the heavenly realms and then conclude with a practical six step meditation you can use to start your day with your face towards God. You can do the meditation at http://levpres.org/starting-your-day-with-the-six-windows-of-psalm-103/