God deserves all of our praise and worship, which includes serving Him in joy with all that we are. That kind of response comes from growing in our knowledge of who He is, which softens our hearts.

Not only buttressing the pro-life cause, this psalm informs all of our lives--giving us the tools to have the abundant and eternal life God has made available. There are six important commands we see implied in this song, all focusing on attributes of our great God.

I love the Lord. He has heard my cry. He will deliver me from eternal death. Praise the Lord! God's steadfast love for us is what spurs a response like that. Listen and be encouraged.

The eternal love of a good God empowers us to live a no-fear kind of life. He defends us so we can obey Him, He delivers us so we can not fear the future, He delights us so we can seek righteousness, and He deploys us to carry His mission with no fear.

Christ desires for us to have a "one-thing" focus on Him no matter our circumstances. And we can have that focus because we can trust Him with our lives, because He is our highest joy, and because He gives it to us when we seek Him. That joy and that "one-thing" focus shows up in even more powerful ways as we wait on the Lord. Listen as we begin this summer preaching series through the Psalms, as selected by our church members.

Jesus wept. The shortest verse in the Bible, but some of the most poignant words about our Lord. He has compassion for the broken and the hurting, He walks through it with them, and He has the power to change circumstances according to His will. Listen to this encouraging sermon from one of our elders/pastors.

Do we really trust God? One of the primary places that shows up is in how we handle our money and giving. This sermon looks at how the widow of Zarephath gave everything she had to the Lord through Elijah--yet God came through for her. Consider taking a further step of faith financially over the next 90 days and watch what God does. You can give online here: http://www.normandale.org/give

Though seemingly insignificant in its infancy, the Kingdom of God has grown and will continue to grow overwhelmingly large comparatively. Why? Because of Jesus. This sermon explores the nature of the Kingdom of God and how small investments--when done for God's glory--reap great rewards. (Note: the intro was slightly cut off in the recording, but it references the giant redwood/sequoia trees in California and the small size of their seeds)

The Story of God governs our lives and gives our lives meaning and purpose, so we should be way more excited about sharing His good news than anything else in our lives. This is the command and privilege we've been given. Let's live sent!

The grand narrative of history begins with God and never ends with God. Yet, His writing of us into the Story gives our lives new purpose and meaning, cherished by this all-powerful God. He wants us to live out this redemptive narrative in our daily lives and for the good of those around us.