Understanding that there is a supernatural realm, and a Supernatural God who is Lord of all: now what? What is our duty in light of this truth?

Many Christians wonder if they are doing enough, or what "enough" would be for them. Today's message from the sixth chapter of Micah will help answer that difficult question. Also, in part, it will reframe the question itself. Much like when a student asks a teacher "Is this for a grade?" The simple answer is either "yes" or "no" or "I'm not going to tell." But for some teachers (myself included), I want the kid to see the foundational issue with their inquiry. A true curiosity, a desire to know, a thirst for growth and knowledge, mystery and solution, what care these for grades?

So too a Christian, wildly in love with the Lord, what cares he for "Have I done enough?"

The incarnation is the defining event of history, and through it we see all things in new light. Do bodies matter? Well, God came in bodily form. Can we trust our senses? Jesus trusted His. Does the present, material world, and our material selves, really count for all that much in comparison to Heaven? Our Lord cared enough even to return a borrowed donkey!

Today's episode works to bring back the validity and importance of our physical side, and such a resurrection does not demote the spiritual in the least. The interwoven fabric of the two, physical and spiritual, is a great mystery and a beautiful dance, and this Palm Sunday sermon sways to that ancient rhythm.

Jesus is the stone that causes men to stumble. I can see this, totally, for to talk of “God” can mean so much, can slip so easily into vagueness and ephemeral whatever-ness that two can say “Yes, I believe” and mean wholly different things. The hallway narrows when we talk of “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” The Way becomes narrower still, perfectly and exclusively narrow, when the Lord lands in a particular time and a particular place: Merry Christmas.

In Jesus, there is no evading the personality, the personage, the person-ness of God. When He rides into Jerusalem on a donkey weeping over His city, then there is only the bare choice: to shout “Hosanna,” or to cry “Crucify Him.” Today’s sermon explores this most pivotal of moments in human history and in the human heart.

Today's episode presents the second half of a two-part sermon that explores naturalism vs. supernaturalism, especially as concerns the Christian worldview. This episode is the second installment of my "You Are Here" supply-preaching series (Season Six). This episode was recorded on January 8, 2023 in Fort Valley, Georgia. May it draw you nearer to the Lord.

*Disclaimer: There are parts of this episode (including one bit about Santa Claus) that you may want to keep from young ears.

This premiere episode of Season Six presents the first half of a two-part sermon that explores naturalism vs. supernaturalism, especially as concerns the Christian worldview. This episode is also the first sermon in my "You Are Here" supply-preaching series. This episode was recorded on January 8, 2023 in Fort Valley, Georgia. May it draw you nearer to the Lord.

If you are reading this, then you exist. I'm sure of it! This quick intro episode overviews the adventure that is Season Six, and the seven episodes that follow are seven sermons I've delivered along my supply preaching trail. Special thanks to my home church, Limestone Baptist in Cochran, for hosting me for two of these messages (find more at limestonebaptistchurch.org).

This Season Finale is a short story entitled "Hird Island." The tale is a coastal adventure set against the backdrop of the bizarre and tragic year 2020. [*For another fun story featuring McIntosh County, try my new novel, Reaching Sol. Find more at wesyoungwriter.com.]

Today's episode explores what I refer to as the "Sapelo Sentiment," which was a strangely haunting feeling that struck me while touring Georgia's remote Sapelo Island. The sentiment is partly captured in Psalm 39:4-7 "Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure. Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be. But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you."

*Link to Sapelo Tour Website: https://sapelonerr.org/visit-sapelo-island/

Hero stories are everywhere, and they have been around a long, long time. Some stories are Judeo-Christian (David killing Goliath). Most are not (Spider-Man killing the Green Goblin). Are these stories innocent entertainment, or can they corrode into something else? Today's episode wrestles with this question. Two things to keep in mind: 1) At least the heroes of old, like Odysseus and Beowulf, are seen praying to and relying on higher powers. How often do we see contemporary heroes doing this? 2) Don't underestimate the power of humans to worship some odd, odd things. Take a look at this verse from Ezekiel, Chapter 8: "Then he brought me to the entrance to the court. I looked, and I saw a hole in the wall. He said to me, 'Son of man, now dig into the wall.' So I dug into the wall and saw a doorway there. And he said to me, 'Go in and see the wicked and detestable things they are doing here.' So I went in and looked, and I saw portrayed all over the walls all kinds of crawling things and unclean animals and all the idols of Israel."

*For further reading, here is the link to a fascinating 1998 article by Natalie Angier entitled "Drugs, Sports, Body Image and G.I. Joe": https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/general/featured_articles/981222tuesday.html

If I asked 100 Americans what happened last July 4, I would get 100 different answers. "I was at the lake" and "I was at a BBQ" and so forth. But if I asked 100 Americans what happened July 4, 1776, I would get one answer. "History" often pretends to be multiple-choice-simple, but it is far from it. Today's episode explores the reason for this and, more importantly, the significance of it in terms of how we see and react to the world. The stories and histories we believe and tell determine everything about the present and future decisions we make. Upon what Story will you build your life? Listen today to find out more.

*Note: Here is the link to Shane Morris's interview with Tom Holland: https://breakpoint.org/how-the-christian-revolution-remade-the-world/