#027: Trust The Bible!

The Bible is the most read book in history.  It’s the bestselling book in history.  And it is the most translated book in history.  Why is it the Word of God?  How do we know it is the Word of God?  In this week's podcast, we’re going to consider the question: "Why can I trust the Bible?"

Here's what I have lined up for you in this week's edition of the podcast:

[0:00] Intro - I talk about getting ready for the next two weeks of the 40 Days Campaign and getting prepped for vacation in Myrtle Beach with my dad.I mentioned our Facebook page with all the pictures and videos. Also we'd love to have you join us with the 40 Days In The Word Daily Devotionals.

[12:45] Prayer In God's Presence - This past week in one of the 40 Days In The Word devotionals, John Ortberg talked about abiding in God's Presence. It was a profound moment for me and sparked a multi-podcast conversation we'll be having about prayer.

[25:10] Have You Read Your Bible Today? - Pastors.com reviewed a study by Lifeway Research that only 19% of church attenders read their Bibles every day.  This is one of the big reasons we have chosen the 40 Days In The Word campaign.  We want every person connected with Church Requel to read their Bibles every day!

[34:38] Three Views of "Contained In" - We continue our doctrine study of the Westminster Confession of Faith. We are on question #2. Here is the book we are using: The Westminster Shorter Catechism by G. I. Williamson.

[44:29] CR Sermon: "Why Can I Trust The Bible?" - This week I have pre-recorded Sunday evening's sermon, written by Rick Warren, because of my vacation schedule. This does have an upside! We won't have time Sunday evening to talk about everything I would have liked to have discussed about why we can trust the Bible. You will hear more details in this recording that we actually could talk about during the sermon at Church Requel! Here are the YouVersion Sermon Notes for those who would like to follow.

[1:44:13] Wrap Up - Join me for our concluding prayer together. And be reminded that next week we will delay the publication of the podcast by a couple days.  Expect next week's edition to come out on Wednesday, October 10th.

Music for this week's podcast is "Your Words Are Life" from the I Believe album available from Amber Sky Records.

#026: Rainy Picnic

When the wind blows the rain sideways and people still remain faithful to the picnic, something special is going on.  When is the pastor as much a cheerleader and encourager as he is a shepherd? Or maybe these all fit the job description! Join me in this 26th episode as we talk about soggy picnics and high spirits.  Also we kick off our 40 Days In The Word campaign this week!

Here's what I have lined up for you in this week's edition of the podcast:

[0:00] Intro - I talk about this past week getting prepped for the 40 Days in the Word campaign and the Fall Fun Picnic.

[16:17] Rainy Picnic Highlights - I describe the soggy day and sunny spirits.  I interview many of the folks there. When is a pastor more of a cheerleader?

[36:46] Faith Like A Child - Speaking of having so many children at Church Requel, what do we learn about the faith of kids? Jesus told us that we must have the faith of a child or we'd never see Heaven.  What did he mean? Thanks to Joe Farnello at SermonCentral.com.

[50:15] The Rule of Life - Last week we finished question #1 of the Westminster Confession of  Faith. The chief end of man is the give glory to God and enjoy Him forever. But how do we do that? Is there a rule of life... a guidebook?  Based on Westminster Shorter Catechism by G. I. Williamson.

[1:01:55] CR Sermon: "How To Build My Life On The Bible" - This is the kick-off sermon for the 40 Days in the Word campaign, orginally written and delivered by Rick Warren to Saddleback Community Church in January 2012. We learn 5 ways to build our life on the solid foundation of God's Word.

Music for this week's podcast is "Bring The Rain" by Mercy Me.

#025: Football Is Back!

Football! The very word brings to mind cooler evening temperatures, the smell of grass, and the crunch of football pads. Catch up with me in this week's podcast as we talk about football, 40Days in the Word, the ethical issues of using someone else's sermons, and the CR weekend sermon, "Tackling Treachery."

[0:30] Intro - I talk about the surreal Saturday morning I had when I watched my grandson Grayden play tackle football. I review this past week and the changeover in sermon preparation.

[12:50] 40 Days In The Word - I discuss the new sermon series by Rick Warren and the work I've done this past week to get ready.  I then review the campaign coming up in another week at CR.  I hope everyone at CR and in our podcast audience will join us for the 40 Days of Devotionals. This is free!

[26:01] Preaching Someone Else's Sermon - What are the practical and ethical issues of preaching someone else's sermons.  I talk about 4 advantages of using someone else's sermons AND I review 4 considerations to make before doing this.

[40:02] What Does "Chief End" Mean? - This will wrap up our first question from the Westminster Confession of Faith Shorter Catechism: "What is the chief end of man?" You can pick up a copy of G. I. Williams' excellent book here.

[49:27] CR Sermon: "Tackling Treachery" - How do we respond when we are persecuted? What happens when the political winds shift away from us? Join me for 3 choices we must make consistently over our lifetimes if we want to be able to respond like Daniel did when he faced the den of lions.

[1:28:50] Wrap Up - Listen to my thoughts on this Sunday night following the Church Requel service tonight and the Pavilion service this morning.

Music for this week's podcast is "Drum Cadences (w/band vocals)" by The Ohio State University Marching Band 2002.

#024: The New Kindles

The new Kindles are here! The new Kindles are here! Do I sound like a kid at Christmas? I have to admit that the Kindle device has captured this pastor's reading heart over the past few years.  Not only me, but my entire family enjoys reading and sharing books with one another. So this podcast is a homage to the announcement this past week about the new devices coming out this fall.  Here's what we have lined up for you on the podcast this week.

[06:40] 40 Days In The Word - You'll hear the behind the scenes discussion this past week as our leadership team chose the theme of "40 Days In The Word" as our new sermon series beginning Sunday, September 23rd.  Here is a link for you to signup for your own daily devotional during the 40 Days sermon series.

[20:46] The New Kindles - Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com, revealed the new devices this past Thursday.  You can watch his entire presentation on YouTube.  Listen to Len Edgerly's Kindle Chronicles podcast.  Len went to the event. You'll hear his immediate review along with many interviews.

[33:43] Bringing God Glory - What does it mean to bring God glory? Doesn't He already have glory without us?  Join me for this second part of the first question from the Westminster Catechism. What is the chief end of man? ... to bring God glory and to enjoy Him forever!

[43:05] CR Sermon: Bending Without Breaking - This is part 14 of our Summer Singles series... our next to the last one!  We learn 4 ways to keep my faith flexible in tough times from the life of Elijah in 1 Kings 19.  Follow along with the YouVersion Sermon Notes.

[1:23:40] Wrap Up - Join me for my final thoughts from this weekend's Church Requel worship service.  I'm tired and hungry... and frustrated! Where was everyone tonight?  We had a huge number of visitors and guests, but many of our regulars weren't there. You'll hear the gut reaction of this pastor.

Music for this week's podcast is "Fly Me Away" by Annie Little from the Stole My Heart album. Also, you can watch the original very cool Amazon 2009 commercial here.

#023: Labor Day Special

Happy Labor Day! Welcome to this special holiday Labor Day Special edition of the Church Requel Audio Podcast! I've got a surprise for you at the beginning of the podcast. HINT: best played first thing Monday morning. Ha!  After we have some chit chat time together, here's what we'll be talking about this week:

[12:49] Labor Day Inspiration - How do we worship God with our labor? What positive influences for Christ might we have with those fellow employees we work with? Or negatively, how might we be turning people away from Christianity by the way we work? I share some excellent insights by Melvin Newland from his 1991 sermon.

[39:11] Chief End of Man - This week we begin a new feature of the Church Requel Audio Podcast. Each week we will spend a few minutes talking about our Christian doctrine spelled out in the Westminster Confession of Faith.  We'll be using this excellent book by G. I. Williamson, in case you would like to buy yourself a copy to follow along.

[50:00] CR Sermon: Overcoming Giants, Part 2 - Here is the conclusion of my 2-part sermon on how we overcome giant problems in our lives.  The sermon is based on the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17.  You can follow the YouVersion sermon notes here.

[1:28:00] Wrap Up - Listen to my quick recap of our evening together at Church Requel.
Music for this week's CR podcast is "9 to 5 - The Musical (Original Cast Recording)" by Allison Janney, Megan Hilty, Charlie Pollock, Stephanie J. Block and Ensemble.