First Houston United Methodist Church

Today is the Houston marathon, and Andy takes this opportunity to talk about life's varying moments. To the runners, a marathon is a big moment, but it requires a huge amount of small moments - small moments that mean discipline. fmhouston.com

Ann points out that people can have multiple joys throughout their day, and the source of these joys can come from an abundance of sources, some unexpected and some even through repetition. -- fmhouston.com

This week's question asks, "When choosing a worship service, is it more important to be filled by the people in attedance or the worship itself?" Andy, Brandi, and Ken give some guidelines on what to consider when "church shopping" and discuss some misconceptions about what worship should be, while also venturing down a rabbit hole to examine what the idea of being '"fed" by worship really means....

Andy reminds us that generosity and being open to others allows us to also be open to God and Jesus. He also says that taking time to slow down creates more space to know God in a deeper and more meaningful way. -- fmhouston.com

This week, Ann finds a quote that breaks down being a disciple and tells her journey within the church. -- fmhouston.com

Andy and Brandi kick off the new season by hijacking this week's AMA question and discussing the importance of generosity, while also tackling the classic question "why do bad things happen to good people?" Ask us a question, or send feedback! FMHouston.com/AMA

Andy rings in the New Year by mentioning his plans and goals for the church. He casts a vision for the future of the church: supporting youth ministry, providing events to bring in the community, and staying with the times. -- fmhouston.com

Now that we're past Christmas, Brant and Ann remind us that it's our duty and 'privilege' as Christians to spread the good news of Jesus' birth while also celebrating Brant's son's baptism. Brant also provides a breakdown of Isaiah's writing; who heard it and what was happening in their lives' when Isaiah preached to them. FMHouston.com

Andy looks back on the year, from baptisms to putting ash on the forehead of people in passing cars, and reflects on who God really is - that he is not, in fact, a drive-by God. That he is here, and he is here eternally. FMHouston.com

While shopping for bikes, Andy finds himself discussing what it means to be a pastor with all that's going on in the world with the bike salesman. Andy talks about how Christmas is a very simple story. At its roots, the story is simply that the baby Jesus came to bring us peace. -- fmhouston.com

This week, Ann contemplates where she can go to find peace in today's world. -- fmhouston.com

The question has been asked before, but there’s still a lot to unpack - what is it that’s necessary to believe in order to not be a heretic? And what do we need to keep about the Christmas story? The group gets into common misperceptions and the way our misinterpretation of the Christmas story doesn’t mean we’re getting the point of it wrong. Here’s the article Kaitlyn mentions. (Link: https://www...

In this week's short homily, Ann discusses "reversals" and an impromptu soccer match that happened on the front lines one Christmas Day during World War I. -- fmhouston.com

After referencing John Wesley last week, a new listener asks about the importance of Wesley, and whether the group could give him a starting point on Wesley's ministry and sermons. Unsurprisingly, Kaitlyn and Brandi are INCREDIBLY excited about this prospect. Ask us a question, or send feedback! FMHouston.com/AMA Here's links to the sermons referenced in this podcast: On Working Out Our Own Salvat...

The amount of stories that are all the same is vexing Andy, and he complains about how every movie he goes to seems the same. But then he shows us how the story of Christmas is the Hero's Journey - the simple story, the same story told over and over again, of hope lost and found again. FMHouston.com

As he looks at the Christmas season, Brant considers what he calls "One-Dimensional Gifts" - simple gifts that don't last very long. He warns us that when we begin to look at Jesus' birth one-dimensionally, we miss a lot of what makes this season so special. FMHouston.com

A woman who had a profound experience in which a stranger told her that she had seen Jesus walking besides her wanted to know: do we believe in angels? Do we think that the person she met could have been an angel? It’s a question that group hadn’t considered before, and so there’s discussion of the nature of angels in scripture, the presence of the Divine in every day life, and how American cultur...

Andy talks about what it takes to prepare your heart for Christmas - what it takes to truly celebrate Christmas well. What if, these last 30 days of the year, we chose to live our lives wholly as servants for Christ? FMHouston.com

So much of our Christmas traditions involve waiting - traditions that echo the long waiting that came before the first Christmas, the waiting for the coming of the Messiah. FMHouston.com

This episode’s question comes from Ben’s mom, who wants to know what to do when you pray for a very long time for something that’s in God’s will, such as a family member coming to faith – and yet it never happens. Ask your own question – reach us at any time at FMHouston.com/AMA. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

In Philippians, Paul tells us that we are not to be anxious about anything - but our anxiety as Americans keeps increasing. 39% of people say they are more anxious today than they were a year ago. And, as Brandi tells us, that means that the church has a problem. Philippians 4:4-9 FMHouston.com

As Christmas season kicks off, Andy talks about all of the things that could be worrying him, if he let them. As he takes a look at the gentleness that Paul pushes us towards in Philippians, he shows how gentleness pushes worry away. Plus, his kids are back in town, so that means stories. Philippians 4:4-9 FMHouston.com

Last week’s letter-writer, James, follows up with further queries, and after boiling them down to a few simple questions – “does the Church have a moral imperative in regards to homosexuality? Is it really a choice between following the law and loving people?” and “are we being deliberately wishy-washy so as not to offend certain groups?” Then, the crew tries to take them on. Plus, in honor of Tha...

Kaitlyn "nerds out" by walking us through James Fowler's Stages of Faith, and talks about the place that a lot of Christians get stuck at. But because Kaitlyn is nothing if not practical, she walks us through the journey step-by-step, and gives us some heavy questions to consider as we go on our way. FMHouston.com

On Veteran's Day Weekend, Andy looks back on his grandfather's military service, and considers what a life of service looks like. A conversation with a Blue Angel gives him the message that "courage and faith go hand-in-hand." As he looks at his marriage, he sees the opportunities Jesus gives us to live a life of humility - and explains why living humbly is actually the easier path. FMHouston.com...