Langdon Palmer

Ever been haunted by a train of thoughts you knew were no good for you ? Ever want to meet C.S. Lewis? We do both as we hear Lewis read from the Preface of the Great Divorce about how the choices we make shape who we become. We look at Proverbs 16 and Romans 13:12-14 and how both they and Lewis call us to go against the flow of our own thoughts when they would pull us away from the good of God. To see the images referenced during the course of this sermon, go to http://www.southridgeworship.com/the_great_divorce_01_the_preface.htm

In a world of winners and losers, of superstars, people who are one in a million like the atheletes we watch on TV, where is your place in this world? It turns out that Jesus has handed you a check for two million dollars to use for good in this world - you just dont know it yet.

Behind all our striving and fantasies, what most of us want is deep peace and deep purpose. We look at the famous scripture where Jesus says I am the vine and you are the branches to discover where deep peace and deep purpose can be found and the Trellis God provides us to stretch and train us so that we can produce the harvest he wants in our lives.

Do I really need to go to church to be a Christian? Churches are so messed up, why should I bother? What is this thing called the Church of Jesus Christ, and how could you tell a good church from a bad church ? It turns out that lying in 4 short verses in Hebrews 10 is a revelation of four signs of a healthy church. Get stoked - the church of Jesus Christ is the Hope of the world!

Does God call us to a specific job or task? How do we figure out what career is best for us? What do you do when you feel stuck in your job or in your life? We turn to Ephesians 4 and discover there that God as 4 callings for us: To work, to walk, to grow, and to build. This is real hope for real lives!

How is your 9 - 5 life going? We look at the most common frustrations in the workplace and most common tensions between mangers and workers, and find there actually is a really good reason to heed the call - Whatever you hand finds to do - do it with all your heart.

What do you do when the dark days come? Why does God allow good things to be taken away from our lives? We turn to the song Blessed Be Thy Name, the scriptures that form its foundation including Job 1:18-22. and ancient painting entitled Hopeless Dawn to discover the way of hope in tough times

The worship song Beautiful One seems so simple and yet carries within it profound revelation of what we mean by Father, Son, and Holy Spirt. We look at a wonderful collection of scriptures this song is based on and discover that Beautiful One is a refrain that proceeds from the foundations of the world !

In the Lord of the Rings, the heros come to a place where the gate of Moria is supposed to be. But all they can see is a bunch of words on a stone wall. Ever feel like you are sitting outside the gate of the good life with now way to get in? Does the bible ever seem like just a bunch of words on a wall that dont change anything? What good are the ten commandments if I can't keep them? If Jesus is real, why do I feel so miserable? Today we conclude the 10 Commandments series by studying two of the most difficult chapters in the bible - Romans 7 & 8 - there we discover the password that opens the gate - we discover the true meaning of Grace