Reformed Podmatics

With the CRCNA's 2025 synod just around the corner, we take some time this week to reflect on the agenda and three of the big items on the docket: the virtual" church report, the assisted suicide report, and the overtures coming in regarding matters relating to gravamina, confessional subscription, and the Covenant of Officebearers. For a great snapshot of this year's agenda, check out the new Guide to Synod 2025 ----more---- Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

A perennial question in the Christian life is whether we can truly trust the Bible. With all the years that have come and gone between the original writings and now, can we really be sure the Bible hasn't just been corrupted like a long game of telephone, or twisted by this or that whim of ancient scribes? And what about those few passages or verses in the Gospels that are put in brackets and have strange footnotes about how the "earliest manuscripts" either do or don't contain them? In this week's episode, we try to take a pastoral look at how the field of study known as "textual criticism" not only doesn't challenge our trust in God's Word but actually deepens and strengthens it.   Recommended Resources for Further Study: Can I Really Trust the Bible?, by Barry Cooper How We Got the Bible, by Greg Lanier How God Preserved the Bible, by Richard Brash The Truth About the Bible and Early Christianity: Wes Huff, Michael Kruger, Daniel Wallace     Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

By the Lord's grace, we've reached yet another milestone here at Reformed Podmatics: episode 200! To help us celebrate we invited back an old friend of the show, Simon Veenstra, to join in for a lively convivial conversation about what it is that continues to thrill and captivate us about the Reformed faith, and how we hope this beautiful inheritance will continue to guide our denomination in the years to come.   Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

This week's episode comes from a listener question! He wrote in, wondering if many ordinary Christians may doubt whether it's really all that important to pursue progressing from spiritual milk to the solid food, thinking that maybe it's just for pastors and theology nerds to pursue deeper theological and biblical wisdom. So we take some time to think, why should lay Christians move beyond spiritual milk to solid food? We hope you're encouraged and motivated as you listen in!   Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

With all that's going on in our world around us today, it can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming. But for the believer, there is still hope available to us at all times. In this week's episode, Mark and Zac dig into three passages of Scripture that perennially remind us where true hope can be found. As you celebrate this Easter season, perhaps this may be the perfect place to start!   Mentioned by Zac: Impossible Christianity: Why Following Jesus Does Not Mean You Have to Change the World, Be an Expert in Everything, Accept Spiritual Failure, and Feel Miserable Pretty Much All the Time by Kevin DeYoung Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Over the last few months, many have argued that Christianity is experiencing something of a "vibe shift". Just last year, Aaron Renn published a book called Life in the Negative World, arguing that the Church was living in increasingly oppositional times in the Western world. So could it be possible that, perhaps, there is something more going on here too? And if so, what should we do about it? ***Episode note: please forgive our audio imbalance issues. We'll make sure to clear them up going forward!   For stats and analysis of the "Quiet Revival" in England and Wales, see here: https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/research/quiet-revival  Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

This week we're joined by our friend and special guest, Rev. Todd Zuidema, who serves as the Director of Church Relations at Dordt University. In this episode, we take some time to talk with Todd about Dordt University, its vision and philosophy, as well as its approach to what's been going on within the CRCNA over the past few years of major synodical decisions.  Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Sometimes people may wonder what we're reading and thinking about over here at Reformed Podmatics, so this week decided to share a little bit about some recent things we've been reading, watching, and listening to. If you're looking for good books, devotionals, YouTube channels, or music to help you grow in your daily walk this is the episode for you!   Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

In 1 Peter 2:9 we read that the church is "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession." But what does this mean, in practice? For some, it means all believers are on the same playing field, able to preach, lead, and administer sacraments. For others, it means something less radical. Where does the Reformed tradition stand? And how does it compare, for example, to an Anabaptist or Pentecostal view? What about the Roman Catholic view? These are questions we dig into on this week's episode.   The article mentioned from Roger E. Olson can be found here: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/rogereolson/2012/09/mostly-for-baptists-others-welcome-to-listen-in-priesthood-of-believers/ Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

For many Christians today, sharing the faith proves to be a challenge. In a divided world with deep convictions on all sides of the political and cultural spectrum, it can be hard to speak up and tell the truth. And the difficulty only increases when we consider sharing our faith with unbelieving family members--siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, grandparents, you name it. So in this week's episode we dive right in and offer our perspective, thoughts, and experiences to help our listeners think through this crucial task. Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

While there is a lot that we get into here at Reformed Podmatics that gets us into controversial waters, one of the least controversial things in the Christian life is our duty to the poor and vulnerable in our midst. In recent decades, this has unfortunately become a political issue, like much else, yet for all believing followers of Christ it is a non-negotiable. So what does the Bible teach us about caring for the poor, the hurting, the hungry, the prisoner, and the stranger? And why does it matter? Join us this week as we offer our thoughts from Scripture and Church history.   Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

In both the Christian Reformed Church and the broader church today, there is a shortage of faithful pastors. For a multitude of reasons, many pastors have been leaving the ministry in recent years and less young people have heeded the call. So in this week's episode we want to dig into what's going on and, more importantly, we want to help listeners consider what it means for them - or someone they know - to be called by God to be a minister of the gospel. Regardless of whether you sense a call or not, this is an extremely practical discussion for Christians everywhere.   Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Over the past several years one common accusation levied against those in favor of the classical Christian view on sexuality is that there has not been enough listening, open inquiry, and dialogue. The feeling among many is that by settling the debate within the CRCNA through synod, conservatives have effectively silenced dissent by circumventing honest deliberation. So in this week's episode, we try to tackle this argument head on in order to help everyone think through what James means - and doesn't mean - when he says that godly wisdom is "open to reason" (James 3:17).  Nicholas Wolterstorff's article mentioned in the episode can be found here: https://letter.icscanada.edu/wolterstorff?fbclid=IwY2xjawIkULVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHVC13jpa0LjWLh4MmtDISdINmv-rhQtfGR6a-jsPeKYrxgczVxQ32m206g_aem_NWUmMlPzqjlOLEaCwa-mEg   Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

One of the perennial needs in the Church is a strong dose of theological humility, where believers develop strong, confident convictions but without the pitfalls of hubris and pride. But the question is, in our quest for knowledge how are we to avoid becoming puffed up? This is what we aim to tackle in this week's episode.   Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.  

In a recent article in the New York Post entitled "Young men leaving traditional churches for ‘masculine' Orthodox Christianity in droves", journalist Ricki Schlott analyzes the growing trend among young men in Gen Z leaving Evangelicalism for the Eastern Orthodox Church. In this week's episode we discuss why we believe this is happening, what it teaches us about the needs of young people, and what we as Reformed Christians can do about it.   Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

One of the great questions in life that many of us have is whether or not we can really change, and if we can, how it happens and how we can do it. In this week's episode, we dive into this subject and explore it biblically, addressing along the way how Christians believe God can (and does) change us but how some of the changes we would like to see in ourselves can be painfully long in the making as we grow and learn and strive by God's grace.   Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

This week's topic comes from a listener in Blyth, ON who is curious to hear an explanation for and defense of the Reformed articulation of predestination and irresistible grace. In particular, she's interested to see how we would respond to the oft-repeated claim that "God wouldn't force people to love Him because He's a gentleman.” So by using the Scriptures and the Canons of Dort, we aim to do just that, laying out a case for how the Reformed view is deeply biblical, catholic, and pastoral, as well as how it best matches up with the experience of spiritual rebirth.    Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

With all that's going on around us, it can be easy to despair and forget that God is still at work bringing His flock to Himself by the power of the gospel. In this week's episode we take a look at some of the encouraging trends going on in our world today that help us see and find joy in all that God is doing among us today. From the decline of New Atheism to the rise of Christian YouTube, from the increase of Bible sales in 2024 to conversion of high-profile intellectuals there is much going on that ought to cause us to rejoice and give thanks to the Lord. So we hope this little exercise helps you to share in our joy.   Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

In the modern world today there is such a dizzying array of different Christian denominations and traditions that it's easy to get lost and confused. In order to exhibit the spirit of mere Christianity where we can appreciate and benefit from other Christians, we need to better understand the Christian family tree and the different branches. In doing so, we need to develop joyful discernment, not so we can look down on other Christians, but so we can know what to look out for as we learn from them and appreciate the gifts they bring to the table. In this week's episode, we aim to do just that, first by exploring the family tree and then by thinking through how to be discerning so as to best learn from others. And as always, we would love to hear from you! If you have any questions or topics you'd like us to consider, please feel free to reach out to our emails or our Reformed Podmatics Facebook page. Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

'Tis the season for a Reformed Podmatics discussion about Christmas movies! This week, as good Neo-Calvinists, we take a little time to reflect on some of the most beloved Christmas films like A Christmas Carol, It's A Wonderful Life, A Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Home Alone and examine what they get right, what they get wrong, and what they suggest to us about how our culture sees the Christian faith. As this will be the last episode of the year, we'd like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year from us here at Reformed Podmatics. May your celebrations of God's incarnation bring life, joy, and hope to you all this season. See you in 2025!   Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

With Advent now well and truly upon us, 'tis the season for some prophecy! This week, sparked by a radio preacher Mark heard who taught that Isaiah 19's prophecies about the conversion of Egypt are being fulfilled as we speak, we decided that for this week's episode we'd dig in a little bit to how Reformed Christians have and ought to think about the predictive prophecies given to us in Scripture, in both the Old and New Testaments.    Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

In every age, the Church faces new obstacles and trials and is tasked with faithful living, thinking, believing, praying, and witnessing. It's all too easy, given the circumstances, to lose perspective and think either too much of the current generation or too little. What we need, then, is the perspective of the aged and the spiritual ballast and balance that they bring. In this week's episode, we aim to convince both the old and the young of the important place that the elderly serve within the larger body of Christ. For some, this will be an encouragement. For others, a challenge. But we hope that, for all of you, it is a blessing. And maybe, once you finish the episode, go give a listen to Bing Crosby's old Christmas classic, "Faith of Our Fathers". You'll be glad you did! Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

How are Christians to approach the Word of God? Should we come at it like a textbook which, if carefully studied, will provide explicit answers and commands to guide every quandary and conundrum we face? Or maybe more like a manual to guide every decision? Or perhaps even like a superstitious text which will give us its power if we wear it on our clothes or slap it on a car sticker. Or maybe--just maybe--it's different. Maybe there's a deper way. In this week's episode, we aim to show how a Reformed approach to Scripture will help us avoid the dangers of biblicism, (bad) prooftexting, and being minimally "biblically-informed." Resources referenced in the episode: Being Biblical™: When the Bible Becomes a Brand, by Alastair Roberts Reformed Catholicity: The Promise of Retrieval for Theology and Biblical Interpretation, by Michael Allen & Scott Swain Other links: Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

As a podcast which gets its name from Herman Bavinck's Reformed Dogmatics, Neo-Calvinism is obviously a theological tradition and project near and dear to our hearts. But it's one that so often gets a bad rap, or is misconstrued. In this week's episode, spurred on by our conversations with recent guests over the past few months, we seek to take stock not only of what it is, but to explore some of its native tensions as well as the ways in which it is often viewed by others in the broader Reformed tradition.    Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

After a week away and several weeks since our last episode in this series, we've returned once again to explore the Reformed faith this time with special guest, Dr. Gerald Bray, research professor at Beeson Divinity School (Birmingham, AL) and an evangelical church historian and theologian from the Church of England. His seminal works include God Is Love: A Biblical and Systematic Theology, A History of Christian Theology: A Trinitarian Approach, Augustine On the Christian Life, and Anglicanism: A Reformed Catholic Tradition. He's also served as an editor for a few volumes of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture and has written extensively on the history of biblical interpretation. As a historian and Calvinist, Dr. Bray makes the perfect guest to help us explore the riches of the Reformed tradition.   Visit www.samford.edu/beeson-divinity for more information about Beeson Divinity School. Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

What better way to celebrate Reformation Day than with an old friend from the Lutheran Church? Join with Pastor Mark as he interviews his old friend, Jonathon Bolt, who now teaches at a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod day school in New Haven, Indiana. In this week's conversation, we get into the commonalities and distinctions of Reformed and Lutheran theology as well as our two traditions' approaches to Christian education. We hope this is a fruitful dialogue for this special day!   Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

In contemporary worship music today, there is an increasingly popular trend toward using unconventional styles of music such as rap or EDM in corporate worship settings. So in this week's episode we dive into the legitimacy of this trend and whether or not it has a place in the Church's worship. More importantly, the conversation aims to lay out a positive vision for what kind of music ought to be sung so as to best honor the Lord.   Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

On September 26, 2024, Calvin University history professor, Kristin Kobes Du Mez, released a new documentary entitled For Our Daughters: Stories of Abuse, Betrayal, and Resistance in the Evangelical Church. Over the past few weeks this 29-minute documentary has been making waves in the broader church, both in the CRC and beyond. So for this week's episode we decided we've offer some of our thoughts on the documentary, both what we appreciated and what we thought was unhelpful, in order to add the conversation it has undoubtedly begun. Watch the documentary for free at https://youtu.be/IkES4X_qb6c?feature=shared  Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Of all life's many challenges, it is perhaps death which brings us pain and grief unmatched by anything else. So in this week's episode we decide to explore how we as Christians can approach death and think about what makes for a good, God honoring funeral service.   Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

One of the perennial objections to the Reformed doctrine of perseverance is the mere existence of the Bible's warning passages where believers are warned of the spiritual dangers of apostasy. In these week's episode, we take a look at Hebrews 6 and 10, two of the most passionate warning passages, and explore what implications they might have for our understanding Reformed theology and for the Christian life more broadly, as we seek to avoid making shipwreck of our faith.   Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

One of the perennial questions of Christian discipleship is where to begin. The Bible is a big book, and there's no shortage of good books to read about the Christian faith. So where should a new believer start? In this week's episode we take a step away from our two ongoing series to address this important question, thinking through a sort of trail map for those wanting to follow Christ in our world today. This is a great episode for new Christians asking this question or for mature believers who find themselves discipling others in the faith.   Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

In our third installment of our new series, Christ and Culture, we address the ways in which Evangelicals today feel pressure to appear intelligent, fashionable, and morally virtuous given the ways in which the Christian faith is uniquely perceived and often maligned in our world today. So as we address these pressures, Christians need also to consider ways in which we might develop assurance, fortitude, and resilience as we stand firm on the gospel of Christ despite the shifts currently taking place in our broader Western culture.    Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

In what is maybe more of a crossover episode of our two ongoing series here at Reformed Podmatics, this week we're interviewing writer and consultant, Aaron Renn. Aaron's work over the past several years has been focused on cultural analysis of the Evangelical church with respect to the ways in which Christianity has now become a minority position in America and what that means going forward. In this week's episode, we talk about Aaron's new book, Life in the Negative World: Confronting Challenges in an Anti-Christian Culture, and about some of Aaron's insights for the Reformed tradition in the 21st-century.  For more insight into Aaron's work, visit aaronrenn.com. For Aaron's new book, Life in the Negative World, click here. Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

One of the many public conversations that set the internet ablaze this past summer came from the opening ceremony of the Paris summer Olympics in a scene which appeared to many as a mockery of Leonardo Da Vinci's famous painting of the Last Supper. And so for this week's installment in Christ & Culture series, Pastor Mark and Pastor Zac tackle the questions, How should Christians respond when their faith is publicly mocked and ridiculed? And if we do feel offended, how can we be sure we're offended by the right things and not just by the fact that Christianity no longer holds a privileged position the way it once did? Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.  

A crucial aspect of Christian discipleship is learning how to follow Christ faithfully regardless of the culture we find ourselves in. At times in history, Christians have found themselves both on the outside and on the inside of cultural power. But today, things are a little more complicated. And that leads us to ask the question, Is our culture more progressive or more conservative? How you answer this question often has everything to do with your general outlook, but it's an important question to consider if we're going to really understand and navigate the complexities of life in the modern West as those whose desire is, above all, to be faithful to the Lord Jesus. This episode is the first of a new series we'll be doing here at Reformed Podmatics right alongside with our other ongoing series, Exploring the Reformed Tradition.  Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

In this week's episode Pastor Mark and Pastor Zac sit down with Dr. Gayle Doornbos of Dort University to discuss the Reformed tradition and particularly its Neo-Calvinist stream and how it helps us navigate many complexities of daily life in the 21st century. This conversation is part of a larger series of discussions we are be having with various Reformed leaders from the CRC and beyond.  Visit www.dordt.edu for more information about Dordt University. Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

In the aftermath of the failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, people throughout the country have been trying to make sense of things. For Christians in particular, and especially those on the political right, it has become quite common in recent days to try to see in Trump's survival a divine endorsement of his candidacy for reelection. In this week's episode, Pastor Zac and Pastor Mark do their best to avoid political analysis as they try to offer theological reflections on what this weekend's events do (and, maybe more importantly, don't) mean.    Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

In this week's episode, Pastor Zac kicks off a new series of episodes in which we'll be gathering voices from around the Reformed tradition, both within the CRC and without, to give their insights on what the Reformed faith is all about. With Pastor Mark on a missions trip this week to New Mexico, Pastor Zac takes the reigns and kicks off the series with Dr. Michael Allen, author and professor of systematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, FL. Topics covered include Reformed theology, Neo-Calvinism, and the catholicity of the Reformed tradition.    Visit www.rts.edu/campuses/orlando for more information about Reformed Theological Seminary's Orlando campus. Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

It's been a week since the conclusion of synod, and there is definitely a lot to talk about. Many other great summaries and reviews of synod have already been conducted (see links below), so Pastor Mark and Pastor Zac settled down this week to discuss not so much the play-by-play of what took place but to try to analyze the deeper theological forces at work within our denomination--the "spirit" of synod, if you will. We hope you find this edifying and beneficial as you process the goings on in the Christian Reformed Church, whether yo u're a member or following along from the outside!   Other post-synod resources: The Banner (official periodical of the CRCNA) The Abide Project synod recap Paul VanderKlay's synod delegate panel discussion    Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.  

The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and school is no longer in session. That can only mean one thing: it is VBS season! In this week's episode, Mark and Zac take a few moments to talk about the ins and outs of Vacation Bible School from a Reformed perspective and offer a few ways to improve your VBS program, particularly from a Reformed perspective. Article mentioned by Zac in the episode: https://thefederalist.com/2017/06/28/vacation-bible-school-drove-millennials-away-church/     Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Today marks the beginning of Synod 2024 and delegates have begun arriving at the campus of Calvin University for a weekend of deliberations and discussion. In this week's episode Pastor Mark and Pastor Zac get into some of the weightier matters about to be worked through in the crucial week ahead.   Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.       Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

As the ministry year has now ground to a halt and Christians find themselves entering into the dog days of summer, Pastor Zac and Pastor Mark settle into a conversation about books they've read and recommend as well as books they're hoping to work through over the summer months ahead. If you have a little extra margin on your hands in these summer months and would like to continue growing in your faith, this is just the episode for you!   Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

In the final installment of their "It Matters More Than You Think" series, Pastor Mark and Pastor Zac tackle two final subjects: what we wear at church and how our churches are governed and organized. While the two subjects have nothing to do with each other, we hope our thoughts stimulate some deep thinking and reflection.  If you have any other topics you'd like us to address this summer, please reach out to us. We'd love to hear from you!   Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Continuing the series "It Matters More Than You Think," we turn our attention to the calling of Christian parents to lead their children in worship at home. This episode gives a theological and biblical argument for family worship and provides practical advice for how to guide children towards a life of Christian discipleship. Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

In the communication of God's holy Word and Christ's holy gospel, one often overlooked element is the pastor's use (and misuse) of humor in the pulpit. In this week's episode Pastor Mark and Pastor Zac seek to consider ways in which reliance on jokes, laughter, and humor can either hamper or aid in the preaching of God's Word. Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Though it's one of the less discussed issues in modern Evangelical churches, the order of worship in our Lord's Day liturgy is an incredibly important subject because of the way it shapes the warp and woof of our daily walk with the Lord. In this week's episode, Pastor Mark is rejoined by Pastor Zac to discuss the gospel logic of the Reformed tradition's approach to the biblical ordering of the worship service.   Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

This week we continue the series "It Matters More Than You Think," in which we consider topics that could go unnoticed by many churchgoers but will actually have great impact on our spiritual lives. Today we ask why it matters to everyone (not just those in ordained ministry) that pastors pursue a seminary education. In today's episode we are joined by Pastor Patrick Anthony of Immanuel CRC in Ripon, California. Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

There are many things in the life of the Church that matter far more than many Christians typically realize, but which are still of very great importance. In this week's installment of this new series, Pastor Mark and Pastor Zac embark on the journey by turning some attention to the topics of church architecture and expository preaching, as they consider how the Reformed tradition tends to approach these subjects and why they matter "more than you think".    Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

Who knew such a simple question could require such a long answer? In this week's episode pastors Mark and Zac try their best to tackle a perennial question in the life of the Church: what's the ideal size of a local congregation? While their answers (spoil alert!) aren't exactly set in stone, the question opens up pandora's box of important things to consider about what it means to be a church. We hope that despite the length of this week's question, you will find some food for thought on the topic of congregational size. Article on congregational statistics mentioned in this week's episode: https://worshipleader.com/leadership/worship-in-the-average-church-in-america/ Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

As C.S. Lewis warns us in his famed Screwtape Letters, we must always be alert to the temptation to love Christianity not for the sake of Christ, but for the sake of using it for our own purposes and ends, whatever they may be. Thus we must ask, What is Christianity for? In this week's episode Zac and Mark dive into this weighty question, trying to tease out the Bible's teaching on the matter. Along the way, words of warning are offered both for those on the left and the right, with the aim of helping God's people better recognize the ways in which they too might sometimes love the Christian faith for all the wrong reasons.   Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.

In today's world, with the panoply of so many great Christian conferences, resources, books, podcasts, blogs, and parachurch ministries, it has become all too tempting for Christians of all denominations to place less and less value on their denominational identities all while, in turn, placing more emphasis on a certain kind of theological eclecticism. And so in this week's episode, Mark and Zac dive into how this temptation plays out particularly among conservatives in the CRC who can at times feel alienated from the life of the denomination, and how we may all learn to better love and appreciate it as both a institution and family of churches. Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA. Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.