Andy Talks

Another day, more conflict with the religious leaders.  Today, they get exasperated with Jesus because they are not approaching Him with faith. They ask him, “Who are you?” Jesus tells them that when they lift Him up, they will know who he is. This is talking about the cross, yes, but it’s more than that. When we lift up Jesus through testimony and point out what Jesus is doing, people are drawn to Him. Today, do we lift Him up? Do we point others to Him? Do we lift up or tear down?  Let us lift up Jesus! Shameless plug, here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness, our new, hopefully entertaining podcast about church history. - https://methodisttothemadness.buzzsprout.com/Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=594114046You can wa

We see Jesus continuing to have conflict with the religious leaders. They just could not hear what Jesus was saying. Everything He said seemed to just bounce off of them. They didn’t get it. The reason is because they just did not have faith. As smart as they were, they did not believe. It is the belief that makes it all possible. It is that faith that only comes when we surrender to God; that is where it all starts. Today, no matter where you are, may you and I surrender. When we surrender to God, even when it is hard, that is where life truly begins. Shameless plug, here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness, our new, hopefully entertaining podcast about church history. - https://methodisttothemadness.buzzsprout.com/Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here -

In our Traditional sermon from September 22, 2024, our Children's Sabbath, Andy shares with us from Matthew 25: 31-46.  Jesus tells us to love the least of this. When we live out this compassion, especially in the hardest to love, it changes them, and it changes us. 

Today, we unpack what is happening in this story. There are so many interesting things. What did Jesus write in the dirt? How did they “catch” her? We notice how they walked away, from the youngest to the oldest. But in the end, we focus on Jesus' words: “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.”  What can we learn from this passage? Shameless plug, here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness - https://methodisttothemadness.buzzsprout.com/Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%207%3A53-8%3A11&version=NRSVUEYou can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

Today, we look at this well-known and well-loved passage. But before we get into what is happening here, I want to take a moment to talk about the Bible. What are manuscripts? Could there have been errors in translation? How can we know that our English Bibles are accurate? How can we trust them? We’ll take a few minutes today to go a little deeper into this and learn why we know that we can trust the Bible! Shameless plug, here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness - https://methodisttothemadness.buzzsprout.com/Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%207%3A53-8%3A11&version=NRSVUEYou can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

Jesus tells all who come to Him that they will receive living waters. This water will flow forth from their hearts through the Holy Spirit. This leads to all manner of discussion about whether He is the Messiah or not. The thing the religious leaders say to prove He isn't is this. He’s from Galilee, not Bethlehem. They knew that! There is only one problem. They were wrong. They did not know the entire story. They rushed to judgment. He was from Bethlehem. They just didn't know. Today, let’s not make the same mistake. Let’s not rush to judgment. Let’s be wise and discerning. Let’s listen, and let’s act wisely.Shameless plug, here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness - https://methodisttothemadness.buzzsprout.com/Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage her

We see two groups today thinking through who Jesus is. First, we see the crowd, who may initially be a little skeptical but realize who Jesus is. They see His works and believe. Second, we see the religious leaders. They see the same works as Jesus, but they do not believe. With faith, sometimes we must take that leap and obey, even if we don’t feel it or are unsure. Sometimes, we have to jump to places we may not know. That’s faith. Today, even if we do not “feel,” let us obey. Shameless plug, here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness - https://methodisttothemadness.buzzsprout.com/Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=593524040You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

We had some real computer issues in worship today. Andy shares with us from Psalm 150 about why worship matters to us as Christians!

Jesus continues his ongoing conflict with the religious leaders. They are mad at Him, as always. Jesus tells them that they are always missing the point of the law and that there is an easy test to see if a teacher is of God. Whose glory do they seek? Their own? Or God’s glory? That’s an excellent test for us and leads to a great way for us to judge our actions. Do the actions we take help us love God and our neighbors more? Or do they not? That’s always a great way to test our thoughts and actions. Shameless plug, here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness - https://methodisttothemadness.buzzsprout.com/Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=593433213You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

Jesus' life was hard. Yesterday, we saw the disciples believe, even though it was. Today, we see that His own brothers do not believe. Can you imagine how hard it would be to have your own family not believing or supporting you? Yet, Jesus kept faithful to His mission. He would not be moved from that mission, even when people who He loved did not believe. He kept focused on that mission. Don’t give up even when it’s hard. God has something for you. It may be hard. It may be a challenge. Keep going. Don’t give up. Jesus stayed on mission. We must as well. Shameless plug, here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness - https://methodisttothemadness.buzzsprout.com/Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=593089506You can watch this

Jesus's teachings throughout John 6 are very challenging. He talks about eating His flesh and drinking His blood. He is laying out some very hard words for everyone to hear. Because of this, many disciples walk away. We spent some time unpacking who these people were today. Then we look at Peter’s answer to Jesus: where else could we go?  Only Jesus has life, y’all. Only Jesus. Shameless plug, here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness - https://methodisttothemadness.buzzsprout.com/Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=593088217You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

Jesus tells us today that unless we eat His flesh and drink His blood, we have no part of Him. This is a hard word for His original hearers. We hear, and we know He is talking about communion. They did not. Faith sometimes is about hearing something we don’t understand and still believing, even though it is hard. We then talk about the importance of communion. Of all the things Jesus said we should do, He didn’t mention preaching, singing, or anything else, even important things. He talked of communion. Let us never take this great gift of the faith for granted. Shameless plug, here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness - https://methodisttothemadness.buzzsprout.com/Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=592996801You can watch t

Jesus tells the crowd today that they are not following Him because of the power of God they have seen; they are following Him for what they can get. He fed them, and they got their bellies filled. Why do we follow Jesus? Are we following because of what we can get out of Him, or are we following because we can see the power of God? Jesus tells us that He is the bread of heaven. Only He can satisfy. We spend far too much time, energy, and effort on things that cannot satisfy us.  Let’s follow Jesus today. With all we are, for He is life. Shameless plug, here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness - https://methodisttothemadness.buzzsprout.com/Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=592917032You can watch this in video form here -

Today, we see Jesus walking on water. As with much of the Bible, there is a top-level understanding of what is happening, but there is also something deeper.  Jesus walks on the water.  He is Lord of the created order. But for the Jewish people, the water was more than that. They were not a seafaring people. There were dangers that lurked in the unknown. Jesus walking on the water shows this truth: He is also Lord of our unknown fears. He is Lord of what we know, and He is Lord of the unknown as well. He is Lord. We can always trust in Him, no matter what. Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=592638140You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

Today, as we continue our series The Practice of the Church, we look at the first of the Works of Piety, Devotion. This is loving God in a personal way. Why do we do this?  Why does it matter? How does this help restore the new creation within us? 

We see the feeding of the Five Thousand today. A lot of really interesting things are in this text. Jesus turns to Andrew and Phillip again after turning to them early in ministry to find other disciples. Just because Jesus has used you once does not mean  He is done with you. We see that with the feeding of the five thousand, they ate and were satisfied, but twelve baskets were left over. That is a very important number. Why?  We’ll explain in our reflection.  Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=592568725You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

We see Jesus telling the religious leaders that so many things testified to who He was—John the Baptist, His works, even His word. But for the religious leaders, the greatest condemnation of their lack of belief was that Moses, the very one they pointed to for truth, testified to Jesus. Moses was pointing to Jesus the entire time.  Jesus was God’s plan the entire time; all of the Old Testament points to Him, His coming, and His salvation.  He was there the entire time. They just missed Him.  May we not do the same. Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=592485701You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

We see Jesus tell us that all of us will be resurrected.  Some of us will be resurrected to life, others among us to judgment.  That sounds scary. But He reminds us of this: if we believe (and follow) His words and believe His Father sent Him, we will pass from death to life. God is not out to get us. God wants us to be saved more than we want to be saved. If God is for us, who can be against us? God is not out to get you. He loves you and desires to know you.  All we have to do His hear, believe, and follow. Never forget that. Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=592394648You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

Jesus heals today and breaks one of the Pharisees’ rules.  Their rules are often petty and deal with the minutiae of their understanding of the Law of God. They want people to obey God, so they create to-do (and to don’t do) lists. If I’m going to be honest with you, that’s what I want. I want to know exactly what to do and not to do. But Jesus calls us to something more than that. He calls us to love God with all that we are and love our neighbor with all that we are. That’s His to-do list. And it’s a lot harder. But it is also where life is truly found. Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=592211776You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

In our Combined service on September 1, 2024, Andy shared 2 Corinthians 5: 16-21. The goal of our salvation is to restore the new creation within us. How do we do that? This month, we will discuss how the means of grace help restore that which sin has taken.