Langdon Palmer

Chapter 6 of Hebrews gives us an incredible insight into the very architecture of reality. Today we look the experiences of rock climbing and sailing as a ways to understand the profound truths this chapter reveals, and why we can have hope in a broken world full of broken dreams.

What is the bible really ? Is it something supernatural, or did a bunch of guys just make it up? Why try to apply something so old to today's culture ? Can hurried, scattered people like us actually experience true peace and rest in a hurried, scattered culture like ours ? I let people see my "presentable self", the part I want them to see. But how do I deal with my "dreaded self" - those parts of me that make me feel like a defective loser ? Chapter 4 of Hebrews helps us with all these questions as it reveals to us "The Sabbath, The Sword, and The Savior."

We are constantly tempted to turn away from the very two people that the scriptures constantly urge us to turn towards - Jesus and our needy neighbors. It can get weary following Jesus when most of your culture looks at the effort as a sign of foolishness. Back in the 1800's Nietzsche said "What is now decisive against Christianity is our taste, no longer our reason." Like a great coach, the author of Hebrews takes us on a race away from Nietzsche and towards the Author of salvation.

What if you had a spiritual coach who wasn't afraid to get in your face if he knew that was what was best for you ? The writer of Hebrews is such a coach and today he gives us his first warning - there is real danger in drifting away from the gospel. A clear sign of human sinfulness is the fact that for all us us, familiarity breeds contempt. We can be so familiar with the Good News that we begin to take it for granted, and then we become passive, and then we become ungrateful, and then we drift with the currents of life away from our Savior. Today we look at the sound teaching of Chapter Two which ends with great hope as we are giving a picture of how intensely Jesus desires to be with us.

#JourneyThroughTheBookOfHebrews

What if we discovered an ancient manuscript that showed not only what the first Christians really thought Jesus was all about, but also gave us a glimpse into Heaven. We have. It is called the Book of Hebrews. Join us on this journey as we go chapter by chapter ending on Easter Sunday.

Our last FRED Talk deals with the hardest question of all: If God is all powerful and all loving, how could God possibly allow the horrible things that happen in this world ? Why doesn’t God stop them ? This talk looks at the various ways people have tried to understand this dilemma and comes to a conclusion that is brutally honest and realistic yet still full of real hope that comes from the Maker of Heaven and Earth.

NOTE: The video we watched can be found here:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/22/world/kim-phuc-where-is-she-now/

Is Religion what we need, or what we need to get rid of ?

When people say “Religion is the reason we have wars and hatred and intolerance…” – are they right ? Does Religion set people free or does it oppress them ? Does religion cause human flourishing or stunt it ? As a Christian was does it mean to work for the common good and the flourishing of the city ? Today we look at these questions, a definition of Wisdom, and world history to come to an understanding of the relationship between Christianity and Culture.

If you want to hear some grumpy people, just go to a web site where they are debating Creation versus Evolution. The one side asks “How can you believe in the primitive myths of Religion when Science can show you what is actually true about the world ?” The other side asks “How can you be so blind and arrogant that you cannot recognize that this creation proves there is a creator ?” Who is right ? Is it rational and logical to be fully devoted to Science and fully devoted to God at the same time? In this talk, Pastor Langdon Palmer goes to some pretty strange sources including Snow White, Donkey Kong, Despair.com, and the source of all inspiration – the shower. But we think you will find a fresh new way to understand the roles of faith and science which will free you to pursue both with passion and joy.

There are two ways to ask that question -

1. You can be married to someone and wonder 'is this as good as it gets ?'

or

2. You can wonder if Marriage is really the ultimate in relationships - the ideal we are all called to, God's best.

Today we laugh and we cry as we take a look at a biblical understanding of both singleness and marriage and present some practical tools that can help couples love each other better.