Langdon Palmer

Why are there such awful things in the bible? Today we look at one of the most difficult passages in all of scripture: "Blessed is he who seizes your babies and dashes them against the rocks!" How can the bible be the word of God if it contains a verse like this? It turns out this verse is crucial for helping us understand our sense of rage and indignation at the unfairness of the world. We look at the history of ancient Israel and discover the true story behind this verse.

What if there was a book only 22 sentences long that covered the following topics: The nature of God, the nature of human beings, what actually happened on the cross, the role of social justice in the Christian life, the role of personal morality in the Christian life, and how to live a life full of meaning! Psalm 103 contains 22 windows that not only allow us to look out and get our bearings but also allow the light of God's self-revelation to break in and illuminate our world. Join us as we work through Psalm 103 and along the way learn from C.S. Lewis a helpful way for Christians to read and understand the entire Old Testament !

Ever have a day where nothing is going your way and then you see someone who seems to have it easy even though they are a jerk? If God is real, why isn't life fair? Why is there no justice? I think one of the reasons the Harry Potter series is so successful is that JK Rowling gets what it is like to live in an unfair world. It turns out that Psalm 73 shows us the way to live in a world where the wicked prosper.

Ever feel like you are in a wrestling match with yourself - where part of you is trying to hold on to your faith and the other part of you is questioning the whole Christian thing? Do you know someone who has walked away from the faith? This morning we find in this ancient psalm a brutally honest examination of how doubt works and we find a clue to the way out in a really surprising place!

Imagine a life which is like a tree planted by the streams of living water. Compare that to a life like chaff where you are blown all over the place, where there is lots of motion and movement, but very little to show for it. With this podcast we begin our journey through the book of psalms, with the beloved gateway - Psalm 1. Here we are given a way to live and a way to avoid. It turns out there is a sin that seems insignificant to us which can turn our lives to chaff, yet there is something that looks undramatic to us - just old words on a page - God's word, that can change the entire trajectory of our lives.

What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit ? What was the first Pentecost all about? When people say they are being led by the Holy Spirit - how do we know if it is true, or they are just making things up ? We look at wind surfing, running and gas masks to come to grips with the reality of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that is described in Acts 2 at the very birth of the church.

When faced with difficult times or thinking about your future have you ever heard yourself say "I just want to be happy." In this sermon on the last verses of the last chapter of the book of Acts, we find discover an ancient quote from the book of Isaiah reveals clues about the practical things that turn us from people with calloused hearts to people with joyfull hearts.

Should churches have standards of behavior for members, and if so, how do we decide? How should Christians handle disagreements? We look at these two very timely questions as we study Acts 15 verse by verse and discover some general principles that apply directly to our own struggles today.

What is the good life and where is it found? Some used to say 'In Christ.' But has Christianity outlived its usefulness? Is it nothing more than a narrow minded relic from a bygone era ? Today we see Paul on Mars Hill encountering the philosophers of his age. It turns out there is a lot that the Cynics, the Stoics, and the Epicureans can teach us about the good life. There is much to learn. But is philosophy enough ? Paul wants to introduce us not to another approach to the good life, but rather to the very Author of Life.

The picture of the early church painted in today's scripture reading is so beautiful it can actually depress us - how can our own church experience fall so short of it? But there is more going than first appears and in fact this scripture describes things that can be true about us and our own churches today. Many of us enjoy the classic child's story the Grinch who stole Christmas, but what if we are the ones whose hearts are two sizes too small? What if this is exactly what the Holy Spirit came to change? In today's lesson we learn how to live radically generous lives for the sake of Jesus - a bold generosity empowered by none other than the Holy Spirit !