Normandy Presbyterian Church Podcast

UNCERTAIN TIMES What do you do when you are not sure what tomorrow is going to bring? When you face challenging circumstances and you can't see the way ahead? Do you give in to doubts and fears? Conclude that God doesn't care…or that God is not even there? The prophet Isaiah would remind us that even in the most difficult circumstances there is hope: “Those who wait on the Lord will renew their st...

FULLY ALIVE IN THE NEW YEAR The early Christian leader, Irenaeus, famously said, “The glory of God is a human being fully alive." But many of us live our day to day lives on auto-pilot. We slog our way through ups and downs and joys and sorrow as if somehow they are all the same. We run the treadmill of the day to day without realizing that God has a greater purpose for our lives. Jesus says it li...

with special guest Rev. Donna Bowers

CHRISTMAS: NICE THOUGHT? or LIFE-CHANGING TRUTH? We say that God is with us, but how do we know for sure? We say that God loves us, but what is the basis of that confidence? When we face hard times, how do we really know if these words are just platitudes or if they are truth? Join us this First Sunday after Christmas as we dig into the biblical message of Incarnation. Find out the implications of...

It's a Wonderful Life...Or is it? Do you ever feel like George Bailey in the movie," It's a Wonderful LIfe?" Do you ever wonder if you have made good choices or if your life really matters? All during the season of Advent, we have looked at the relevance of the Christmas story for us today. We've heard the good news of God's love for ordinary people and ordinary lives. Join us for worship this one...

JOSEPH Most church hymnals (for those congregations that still use them) have a large section of Christmas carols. Ours has 40 - I counted them! But as I flipped through the section, I did not see a single Christmas carol about Joseph. Why? He's of the biblical line of David. He's the father of Jesus. Surely there ought to be more. Join us this Sunday as we continue to explore the Christmas story....

WHEN MARY SINGS In every single nativity play I have ever seen, Mary is silent. The narrator reads from Luke 2 that "Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart," but she never says a thing. How surprising, then, to find in the earlier story of the angel announcing Mary's pregnancy that she sings. “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior..." (Luke 1...

ADVENT: A Season of Silence Many of us today are strangers to silence. We assume that silence is something awkward, something to avoid. Something to fear. And yet, silence as described by the Bible is often transformative. Silence invites us deeper within ourselves and deeper in our connection with God. Silence offers new perspectives and renewed hopes. Advent, the time when we prepare for Christm...

COUNTING BLESSINGS FOR MYSELF ...AND FOR YOU One favorite song of the Thanksgiving season is the hymn, COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS. “Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God hath done." And it is true: in times of hardship and difficulty, it helps to count our blessings and to remember that God's goodness is still at work for us. Counting our blessings strengthens fa...

Rowing or Sailing Our Way to the Future? In ancient times there were two ways to power a boat: rowing or sailing. Rowing involves our effort, our strength and often people literally give out. But sailing is a different thing. There's work, but it's the work of catching the wind, because it is the wind that empowers. When the wind fills the sails, a boat moves almost effortlessly. Early Christians...

with very special guest Dr. Michael Bradley

BEING A CHRISTIAN IS ABOUT MOVEMENT Did you know that being a Christian is about making the move from a life centered on yourself to a life that is centered on God? And did you know that it's not a one-time movement or a one-time decision, but a learning that takes place over a lifetime? Jesus said: “If any want to follow me, they must deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow me." (...

Featuring special guest Rev. Gary Kelley

COME, FOLLOW ME: Baptism Baptism is one of those activities of the Church which most of us assume we understand. It's about repenting of sin. It's believing in Jesus. It's about living a new life. If that's what we think, we are right - in part. But there is actually so much more... This Sunday, we continue our sermon series entitled, COME, FOLLOW ME, by looking even deeper into the meaning of bap...

COME, FOLLOW ME What does it mean to be a Christian? To be one who "follows Jesus?" What does it mean to be a member of the Church? Is it about coming to worship and hearing about Jesus? Is it about trying to live a good life? To do good things? To be a good person? In the Gospel writings, Jesus said to the first people who became his disciples, "Come, Follow Me." But what did he mean? And what do...

This Sunday we welcome our very special guest, Rev. Gary Kelley!

LIVING GOD'S PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE In some ways, the story of Samson in the Bible is a mirror for us. Here was a person with so much potential for good, who only lived it at the very end of his life. We do the same thing, don't we? We waste weeks, months and even years chasing our own selfish dreams and missing out on the great purposes that God has to give. But Samson did wake up. He did finally...

SAMSON'S STORY Everyone knows about Samson in the Bible: Samson with long hair; Samson and Deliliah. Some parts of Samson's story read like an erotic novel, some of it like a tale of revenge, some of it like a fantasy. But in truth it is a story of encouragement. If you've ever dealt with disappointments from your own mistakes, or with hardships and troubles of your own poor choices, the story of...

LESSONS FOR LIFE Sometimes we look at the world through rose-colored glasses, thinking that all is good, joyful, hopeful and light. But the truth is that the world isn't like that. Sure, there are times of goodness, but there are also times of terrible tragedy. The book of Judges knows all about it. It contains some of the most dark and tragic stories in all the Bible, and the story this week is n...

REAL LIFE VILLAINS Who are some of your favorite movie villains? Darth Vader? Cruella de Ville? Voldemort? They make for great characters in the stories we love. But what if I told you that there are some real life villains like that? And one of them was a leader of Israel as described in the Biblical Book of Judges? Abimelech. It's hard to imagine the evil in this guy. Why should we think about p...

THE BIG SURPRISE ABOUT PEOPLE IN THE BIBLE One of the big surprises for those who read the Bible for the first time is just how messed up all the people are. Everyone knows names of the greats: Daniel, David, Sarah, Abraham, Ruth and Samson and Gideon, etc. But not many of us realize just how weak, sinful and faithless they are. Even the best among the list falls short. So why do we consider them...

UNEXPECTED I have always loved this picture of Jesus, laughing with the disciples, strong and vibrant, and energetic. It pleases my "Hollywood" image of the Savior. But is that really who Jesus was? The prophet Isaiah says that the Messiah "had no beauty…to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him." Isaiah 53.2. Jesus came in weakness, not strength; he befriended unex...

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU THINK NOTHING WORSE CAN HAPPEN…BUT IT DOES? Join us this Sunday for the first in a series about the book of JUDGES. Discover how to have hope in the midst of the darkest times. 9AM, In-Person or Online

SELF-CONTROL...IMPOSSIBLE?? In one way or another, every person I know struggles with self-control. They struggle with controlling diet, or sexual desires, or anger, or gossip, or selfishness - you name it. Practicing self-control is the single-greatest battle we face as followers of Jesus. The failure to live it results in all manner of hurts and heartaches in our daily lives. What can we do? How...

WHO WANTS TO BE CALLED "GENTLE"? "Gentle Jesus, meek and mild." Yuck! Who in the world would ever want to be known as meek or mild? Gentleness evokes subservience and weakness, one who lets others push them around. Give me Bruce Willis strength and bluster any day, but not gentleness! And yet, gentleness is one of the most highly valued gifts of God's Holy Spirit. It comes with strength and power,...