Langdon Palmer

The new year stretches out before us like a field beckoning us to come out and play. Who will I be in the year ahead ? What practices and habits can actually help me be the person I want to be in the coming year? Come with us on a crazy ride through dreams and fields and ice storms on New Years day that leaves us standing in silent awe before the Maker of Heaven and Earth!

How do we deal with worries and fears ? We worry about very many things, and each worry is different. In this sermon from Advent 2007, Pastor Langdon discusses a number of biblical strategies for dealing with worry and we pray that one of these will help you with the worry you are dealing with right now. See the show notes for additional resources

We are told that the first Christmas is about “good news of great joy”, but the truth is a lot of people missed it, lots of folks never encounter it. It is God’s idea that we have prepare ourselves for the coming of the Messiah so that we have eyes to see him when he actually comes. John the Baptist tells us exactly how to do this. What he tells us does not exactly sound Christmassy – it is not exactly tinsel and gingerbread men. It turns out that rebuke and salvation always go hand in hand. Join us as we find out how “Tidings of Comfort and Joy” are only for those who remember that “Christ our savior was born on Christmas day – to save us all from Satan’s power when we had gone astray…”

“Therefore the LORD himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Is there really such a thing as revelation and prophesy ? Does the Old Testament really prophesy that Jesus is the Messiah, or do the New Testament writers take the Old Testament out of context ? Join us for a fascinating journey that spans from the politics of 750 B.C., past Handel’s Messiah, right up to our very lives, as we learn how to interpret Old Testament prophesies. See the four images of prophecy at http://levpres.org/sermons/advent-scene-2-the-sign-of-the-prophet/

This Advent we look at four signs that declared that the Messiah really was to come on the first Christmas morning. This morning we look at the story of the Wisemen and the Star of Bethlehem. Is this story just a cute myth for children that has nothing to do with the actual history of the world ? Why would a Jewish author writing to a Jewish audience make pagan astrologers from Babylon the heroes of his story ? How could a “star” stand in one place over Bethlehem when we know that comets and planets move ? Recent scientific discoveries released just this month imply that there is much stronger connection between bible stories and cosmology than we realized. Join us for a fascinating journey into the story of the Wisemen! Video Clip of the conjunction of Jupiter and Venus: https://mk0astronomynow9oh6g.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Jupiter-Venus_5-30Jun2015_620x420.gif Video of how planet orbits appear from Earth showing retrograde motion: http://i.imgur.com/AReqgfP.gif

How can I be happy ? This last podcast of our Jordan Peterson series, given on the sunday after Thanksgiving, finishes up the story of Jacob's Ladder and points us to the Christian life. It ends by actually answering the question "How can I be happy ?" Believe it or not, the answer we get actually works!

Does God exist ? Some people say “No”, some people say “How would you know?”, and some people say “What difference does it make – I don’t see any signs that God makes any difference to this world…” Although this question sounds philosophical and theoretical, it is actually a very practical question. Few things are more practical than asking what I am here for and who am I meant to be. What should I do with the rest of my life? If there really is a Maker of Heaven and Earth, and he designed me and knows me, mightn’t He have something to say about these things? But when we talk about things like trying to encounter God (who is infinite), our reason (as crucial as it is) can only take us so far. Is it wise to go beyond what reason can tell us ? Today we come to the last in our Jordan Peterson series as we encounter Jacob’s Ladder.

When you see someone who has it so much better than you, is your first thought “I am so, so happy for them” ? Envy pretends to give us an accurate picture of the state of affairs in the world but it actually reveals the state of affairs in our heart. We tend to think it is natural, no big deal, hardly a sin to hold on to feelings of envy. But New Testament writers over and over again warn us that Envy corrodes our soul. You cannot hold onto Envy and Happiness at the same time. Could it be that some of your own discontent comes from hidden envy ? Jordan Peterson writes “Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.” Pastor Palmer says “I can envy the incomplete image I have of someone else’s life OR I can work on the strange gift of life that I HAVE been given – and thereby find true meaning. . .” Join us today as we dig into the story of Cain and Able and the teachings of Paul which lead us to Jesus and the way out of Envy.

Anyone who says parenting is easy either has never done it or is not particularly good at it. But while it is hard, it can be done well and we can take steps to help our kids flourish and become all that God meant for them to be. Today we look at what secular psychologist Jordan Peterson has to say about raising kids and how that relates to the ancient wisdom of the scriptures. Join us as we learn to “say no to brats, helicopters, and lawn mowers, and yes to skateboards, dress up, and ‘good enough’.”

How often does the average person lie in a day ? It turns out we lie a whole lot more than we realize. And we don’t only lie to others, we lie to ourselves. We tell ourselves inaccurate stories about our past and ourselves in order to make ourselves feel OK. But these over simplified stories we tell our selves don’t really help, they actually sabotage our own long term happiness. Join us today as we look at what Jordan Peterson, Jim Carey, the ancient scriptures, and Jesus himself can teach us about lying and telling the truth.

Jordan Peterson challenges us with these words "To have meaning is better than to have what you want.  Pursue what is meaningful, not what is expedient.”  Is he right ?  If he is, what is the difference between a life based on meaning and a life based on expediency ?  And where is a life of meaning to be found ?  Today we dive into this subject and discover that the path to a life of deep meaning and purpose can be found in one of the most unexpected places - the practice of keeping the Sabbath.  This thing that sounds so old is actually what can pull me out of my box out into the wide open spaces with God where one pursues the Good, the True, and the Beautiful.

While many of us struggle with arrogance and pride, others struggle with the exact opposite problem – we are our own worse critic. We constantly beat ourselves up with self-incrimination, perfectionism, and unrealistic expectations. We think we are being virtuous and humble by obsessing on our own shortcomings but we are actually sabotaging our own happiness and productivity. If you tend to get down on yourself a lot, this podcast is a must listen.

Do arrogant, opinionated, judgmental people annoy you ? Most of us are far more aware of when other people act that way then we are doing it ourselves. In fact, most of us are blind to this very thing that cripples us spiritually and leads to a miserable life in the long run. Today we look a the third sure fire way to avoid being happy: “Be arrogant, opinionated, and the self-appointed judge of others!” We will learn a three step dance that draws us away from this tendency and towards the Maker of Heaven and Earth.

Some of us are tempted to withdraw from relationships and isolate ourselves from the messiness of people. We are tempted to live like hermit crabs, withdrawing into our own private Idaho – where no one can hurt us. Instead of spending time looking into a good friend’s eyes, we stare into the dark glass of our smart phones. Others are tempted to do the exact opposite – to jump into unhealthy relationships with people who are no good for us. Today we look at the second sure fire way to avoid happiness – settling for loneliness or toxic relationships. We look at practical advise from Jordan Peterson’s “12 rules for life” and then compare that to the ancient wisdom of the scriptures. We study three different stances we take that cause us to sabotage our own happiness instead engaging in the rich personal relationships God intended for us. We flesh out rule #2 for living life well: “Don’t be the hermit crab, make friends with people who want the best for you and those who will draw you closer to God.”

How often do we end up sabotaging our own happiness ? Today we begin a sermon series on “9 Sure Fire Ways To Avoid Being Happy” which looks at the ways we bring misery upon ourselves and compares them to 9 biblical truths for living life well. We draw from the practical of wisdom of Jordan Peterson’s book “12 Rules for Life” and then we go beyond it to the revelation of Jesus Christ. Today we look at Peterson advice to “Stand up straight with your shoulders back.”

Who wants to hear warnnings ? Who wants to hear bad news ? No one. But what if the only way to get to the good news is to face the bad news ? The entire book of Zephaniah is a warning - crying out to people to turn from the way they are going and turn to God. In the midst of this dire warrning comes one of the most hopeful, inspiring, joy producing verses in the entire bible: Zephaniah 3:17. Join us as we study the sweep of the book of Zephaniah in order to grasp what this famous verse actually means.

How do deep personal worship, pomegranates, economic systems, worry, and what I ate for breakfast this morning go together ? Today we look at what appears to be a simple phrase in the Lord’s Prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread.” It turns out that with this phrase Jesus gives us a crib sheet where every word opens up for us crucial biblical truths for how to live life well in the middle of broken lives in a broken world. Join us as we jump into his teaching and discover both the joy and the responsibility of being creatures in time.

What is the Kingdom of God ? Is it here now, or is it something that comes at the end of the World ? If its here now, how come so many things are still so messed up ? If it’s real, how come we can’t see it ? While there are a lot of serious issues when it comes to the need for justice and righteousness in this world, why is it that one of the primary images Jesus uses again and again for the kingdom of God… is a joyful party ?! Join us today as we dig into this powerful teaching of Jesus when he prays “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven…”

There is a crucial tension between the two phrases “Our Father” and “Holy is your name.” Jesus uses the first two lines of The Lord’s Prayer to help us see the true beautiful nature of the God who is. Join us today as we discover how we declare the name of God with every breath we take. And when we do, we find that we are ready to leave the town we have been living in for far too long – the town known as “WhatEver-ville.”

We often say familiarity breeds contempt. It certainly tends to breed indifference and a sort of blindness. Consider a the beauty and power of the Colorado river pouring through the Grand Canyon. If you saw it every day of your life, it would become familiar. Over time you might take it for granted, begin to become indifferent to its beauty and dangerous power. The same can be said of the Lord’s Prayer. Many people grew up saying it repetitively in church services. For some it is so familiar we can just go through the motions of saying it. But when accessed correctly, the Lord’s prayer opens us up to the beauty and the power (and the danger) of living life everyday with God. Today we begin a 9 week series on “Living the Lord’s Prayer” Join us for the journey!