Pastor Mark Reynolds' Podcast

Sometimes we hold our religious and moral beliefs so tightly that we cannot imagine the possibility of being wrong. When someone questions these beliefs, we feel compelled to defend them and confuse strength of conviction with dogmatic inflexibility. This stunts our spiritual growth, makes us more judgmental, and damages important relationships. In this message, Pastor Mark gives numerous examples in the New Testament and early church where followers of Jesus could not see the truth because of what they thought they already knew. What is required to get unstuck is humility, which builds a new kind of strength that is gracious, tolerant, responsive, gentle, loving, openminded, and flexible. Empowered in this way, we can consider the possibility that we may be wrong, and when we are admit the mistake and move in a different direction. Like the blind man in Luke 18:35-42, pray, "Lord I want to see!"This is message 4 of 4 in the Grown-Up Prayers series.Recommended Reading: Peter Enns, "The Sin of Certainty: Why G

The third petition in the Lord's Prayer, ". . . lead us not into temptation," gets us to reflect on where we are vulnerable to sin, and what we need from God to remain faithful. It also raises the question, who or what are we following? In this message, Pastor Mark talks about the importance of following Jesus if we want protection from temptation and deliverance from evil. Unfortunately, some churches have changed his invitation "Follow me" to "Believe in me," making it possible to call yourself a Christian for believing "the right things" while following yourself, your political party, your bank account, etc. As long as you change your mind you don't need to change your life. But belief without following is a false gospel that will inevitably lead us into temptation and cause us to fall away.If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.  Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL) Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreyn

In this message, we continue with the series, "Grown-Up Prayers." In the first message of the series, we learned that prayer is not about looking good in front of others or trying to convince God to give us all the things we want. Rather, prayer is about aligning our will with God's will and assuming a posture of surrender. In this message, we will ask the questions, should I ask God for anything in prayer, and if so, what?If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.  Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL) Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds 

In this message, we see how God speaks to us through nature. Reflecting on his own experience of being immersed in the beauty of creation while surfing, Pastor Mark helps us understand the importance of mindfulness, humility, and gratitude in our quest for happiness.If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.  Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL) Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds 

In this new series, Grown Up Prayers, we look at the meaning and practice of prayer to help us mature in our prayer life. The focus is on Jesus' teaching of the Lord's Prayer in the Sermon on the Mount. In this first message, we reflect on how common misconceptions of prayer can lead us to think that prayer doesn't work. If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.  Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL) Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds 

We often define freedom as being able to do whatever we want, but this misconception draws us further into various kinds of slavery. In contrast, the Bible gives us another way of understanding freedom that actually sets us free. Check out this message to see how.If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.  Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL) Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds 

In this message we look at the story of Jonah and the Whale and discover grown-up lessons about the importance of obeying God, receiving feedback, and praying for our enemies.If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.   Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL)  Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds 

Pastor Mark talks briefly about the burglary of First UMC Cocoa Beach on Sunday, June 18, 2023 and how you can help us recover.

In this message we continue our series, "Epic Stories in the Old Testament," by focusing on the story of Joseph. This great redemption story raises important questions about how to deal with frustration and pain.If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.  Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL) Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds 

While human beings tend to focus on outward appearances, God focuses on the heart and sees possibilities in us that others miss. God reveals this in the story of David because He wants us to see ourselves and others in the same way. If we can do this, it helps us get clarity about the things that God is calling us to do and prevents us from elevating and emulating the wrong kind of people. Check out this message to see how important perspective is when trying to follow Jesus.If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.  Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL) Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds 

David and Goliath. Noah's Ark. Jonah and the Whale. We typically think of such stories as children's tales. Join us as we begin a new series, "Epic Stories in the Old Testament," that helps us see how a deeper study can teach us more than we might expect as adults. In this first message, focusing on Daniel in the Lions' Den, we learn about the importance of identity, prayer, and standing up for what is right when navigating difficult seasons of life.If this message is a blessing, you can support our ministries by donating at www.fumccb.com.  Speaker: Pastor Mark Reynolds Venue: First United Methodist Church (Cocoa Beach, FL) Connect with Pastor Mark:www.revmarkreynolds.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PastorMarkReynolds