Langdon Palmer

It is one thing to read an old book and there find sayings from a long dead author that you find very meaningful.

It is quite another thing to believe that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, God speaks in the present tense to you through the ancient words of scripture.

Does this actually happen ? Is it bad theology to think it does ? Were the first Christians right in believing that the Old Testament contains prophesies that predicted the coming of the Messiah, and further, that there were so many pointing to Jesus that it would be almost impossible to fake it ? Join us today as we jump into the deep end and examine how the Holy Spirit makes “the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

What if our natural curiosity, our desire to know the truth about Science, Nature, Philosophy, Art … is a gift from God, meant to lead us to the source of all those things – The maker of Heaven and Earth. The Advent Story reveals that the Holy Spirit of God is at work in those far away and far from God, in ways we can’t begin to understand. Join us as we find the very Jewish gospel of Matthew telling us how pagan astrologers from Babylon ended up perceiving what all kinds of “religious” people failed to see.

Thanksgiving – or the practice of giving thanks – turns out to be far more essential for our happiness than we realize. It also forms the foundation of the life of faith. And the book of James builds upon that foundation of faith and asks “OK, if I really have placed my faith in Jesus, then how should I live ?” This Thanksgiving weekend, we go back to the basics of the gospel then discover that James builds a three legged stool for the life of faith upon it. He gives us three practices for how to live here and now in this world while connected to God and eternity at the same time.

On the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, it turns out that the truth Martin Luther re-discovered is exactly what we need in our own lives today. Join us as we dig into the book of James and the teaching of Paul and discover that rather than contradicting each other, James and Paul warn us of two different ways to live our lives in a a Cul de Sac and thus reveal to us the narrow way to freedom, truth and satiety found in Jesus!

This morning we start with two questions:

#1 -What is the bible really?

#2 Could a simple image from a comic book from the 1930’s change the way you see the world ?

This morning we look at the scriptures the way James saw them so we can understand why he calls them a mirror. It turns out that the bible acts like a mirror in three ways – it collects and reflects God’s message so that we can see it, it gives us a clear reflection of our sin, and it also reflects who we are in Christ. Many of us struggle to be able to see that third reflection – a portrait of who we are and who we are becoming. But once you do, it changes everything. Join us for this, our second podcast as we work through the Book of James.

In Tolkein’s “The Lord of the Rings”, a band of friends sets out together, and encourage each other towards virtue and courage. In the same way, real Christianity could be called “The Fellowship of the King“, because we too are called to encourage each other towards virtue and courage – for we have been adopted into the the household of the one true King. And we have been sent out to be about His business.

The book of James was written for those willing to take such a journey. It is one of the most practical and challenging books of the New Testament. This Fall, join us on an immersive eight week adventure through the Book of James. We will find that he calls upon us to Seize the Day – to live it with fierce joy for God.

In the last of our Vital Signs series, we ask how am I doing Spiritually really ? We look at four gauges from Acts, and three messages we need to hear from God. But first we learn why our Pastor cut the tip off his finger last week.

How is your relationship with money -really ? It turns out that the bible has a lot to say about the impact our finances have on our spiritual life. The very practical self-evaluation you can do with this podcast will help you treat money the way that God intended, and that leads to both freedom and generosity.

When asked why they waited too long before they went to see a doctor, most people replied “Because I didn’t want to hear bad news.” We can’t get better if we are not willing to face reality, to look at what our vital signs tell us versus what we want to believe is true. Today we take a hard honest look at our relational health, and measure ourselves against scripture.

The Fall Season is stretching out in front of us, waiting to see what we will do.

Do you have a sense that it is time to make some changes in the way you do life ?

Are there some habits that you would like to change ?

Who are you supposed to be and what is God calling you to ?

Could you use a spiritual re-boot ?

Join us for a fascinating and challenging podcast on an exercise which has been misunderstood and abused, but which when used correctly can help you open yourself up to all that God is calling you to this Fall.

See http://levpres.org/jabez-a-fierce-daily-prayer/ for more resources