Podcasts about pcusa

Twenty Second Sunday after Pentecost; Sermon based on Matthew 25:31-46. Preached at The First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn (https://linktr.ee/firstchurchbrooklyn). Podcast subscription is available at https://cutt.ly/fpcb-sermons or Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4ccZPt6), Spotify, Amazon, Audi....This item belongs to: audio/first-church-brooklyn-sermons.This item has files of the following types: Archive BitTorrent, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, VBR MP3

This week, Matt and Tyler talk about James Wiersum's #1 ranked state and the PCUSA.

Angel Studios https://Angel.com/HermanJoin the Angel Guild today and know you are not just watching, you're helping make bold, faith driven stories like Disciples in the Moonlight possible. That's Angel.com/HermanBizable https://GoBizable.comUntie your business exposure from your personal exposure with BiZABLE.  Schedule your FREE consultation at GoBizAble.com today. Renue Healthcare https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddYour journey to a better life starts at Renue Healthcare. Visit https://Renue.Healthcare/Todd Bulwark Capital https://KnowYourRiskPodcast.comRegister now for the free Review/Preview Webinar November 20th 3:30pm Pacific, schedule your free Know Your Risk Portfolio Review, and subscribe to Zach's Daily Market Recap at (SLOW) Know Your Risk Podcast dot com. Alan's Soaps https://www.AlansArtisanSoaps.comUse coupon code TODD to save an additional 10% off the bundle price.Bonefrog https://BonefrogCoffee.com/toddThe new GOLDEN AGE is here!  Use code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your first purchase and 15% on subscriptions.LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE at:The Todd Herman Show - Podcast - Apple PodcastsThe Todd Herman Show | Podcast on SpotifyWATCH and SUBSCRIBE at: Todd Herman - The Todd Herman Show - YouTubeWhich Master will America Serve? // Mamdani: The Leader of the Democrat Party.  //  A Presbyterian “Pastor” Commits the Only Unforgivable Sin Episode Links:Former Antifa Member Speaks Out: “It's a White Boy Jihad”. Ty, a former Antifa member from Portland, says he spent two years inside what he calls “an organization 100,000%.”Shame on @cspan for broadcasting such ‘hateful-racist' language! - If a white person would have said the words he used against black people, that would have been all over the legacy media 24/7 and the white person would have been brought up on charges of ‘hate speech'!Voto Latino Prez: "When they see Barack Obama, people remember a time in America where there was unity." - These people are beyond parody.Zohran: "This movement was made by Yemeni bodega owners, Mexica Abuelas, Senegalese taxi drivers, Uzbek nurses, Trinidadian line cooks, and Ethiopian aunties." NEW: Joe Manchin STUNS Jon Stewart on Why West Virginia Democrats Keep Voting for Trump. “They believe that the Democrat Party in Washington basically spends more resources, effort and time on able bodied people that don't work, or won't work, than those who do.”Christian Drag Clowns' explain why the Easter story is paralleled to queer folk coming outJesus is not my God...I don't believe Jesus is God" - Presbyterian impastor (PCUSA) explicitly denies the deity of Christ. This is is the same reverend who denies the virgin birth.  - Presbyterian Chuch of the Covenant, North CarolinaWhat Does God's Word Say?Matthew 12:22-32 Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit22 Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” 25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. 30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

November 2, 2025 - 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Scripture: Jeremiah 1:4-10; 7:1-11 Sermon: The Truth of Our Neighbors Moment for Mission: Holiday Giftland View the full worship service on YouTube sermon_audio_2025-11-02.mp3File Size: 28610 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Twenty First Sunday after Pentecost; Sermon based on Psalm 32:1-7 and Luke 19:1-10. Preached at The First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn (https://linktr.ee/firstchurchbrooklyn). Podcast subscription is available at https://cutt.ly/fpcb-sermons or Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4ccZPt6), Spotify, ....This item belongs to: audio/first-church-brooklyn-sermons.This item has files of the following types: Archive BitTorrent, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, VBR MP3

October 26, 2025 - 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Scripture: 1 Kings 8:1-13, 27-30, 41-43Sermon: "But will God indeed dwell on the earth?" Moment for Mission: CROSS Outreach View the full worship service on YouTube sermon_audio_2025-10-26.mp3File Size: 31372 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Reformation Sunday; Sermon based on Psalm 46. Preached at The First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn (https://linktr.ee/firstchurchbrooklyn). Podcast subscription is available at https://cutt.ly/fpcb-sermons or Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4ccZPt6), Spotify, Amazon, Audible, Podcast Index, or Tun....This item belongs to: audio/first-church-brooklyn-sermons.This item has files of the following types: Archive BitTorrent, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, VBR MP3

As a lay leader of Traverse City Presbyterian Church, Linda Racine and a team of enthusiastic congregants prompted her church to start on a journey toward effective climate action. You can read about their commitment to creation care and learn about their 3 bright ideas for reducing carbon emissions in this congregation-led video. Traverse City Presbyterian took advantage of tools like the Interfaith Power and Light Carbon Assessment to understand their own energy use.Learn more about how Linda's denomination, the PCUSA, has committed to climate solutions in their Earth Pledge.Linda is also part of the Michigan Citizens Climate Lobby, which has local chapters all over the country.Many thanks to Linda and all the other terrific people who graciously hosted us when we visited Traverse City!Linda RacineTRANSCRIPTLinda Racine In 2022, there were multiple policies or overtures passed focused on creation care, and it really put out an alarm, saying “It's serious, folks, the Earth is really in trouble. So we need to take strong action.” And they were encouraging all churches to reduce their carbon emissions by at least 25% in the next four years and get it down to net zero or net positive by 2030.Debra RienstraWow. That's ambitious.Linda RacineVery ambitious. But a group of interested folks at church looked at that and said, “Let's do it. Let's go for it.”Debra Rienstra Welcome to the Refugia Podcast. I'm your host, Professor Debra Rienstra. Refugia are habitats in nature where life endures in times of crisis. We're exploring the concept of refugia as a metaphor, discovering how people of faith can become people of refugia: nurturing life-giving spaces in the earth, in our human cultural systems, and in our spiritual communities, even in this time of severe disturbance. This season, we're paying special attention to churches and Christian communities who have figured out how to address the climate crisis together as an essential aspect of their discipleship. Today, I'm talking with Linda Racine from the Presbyterian Church in Traverse City, Michigan. Linda happens to be Michigan co-coordinator for Citizen Climate Lobby, a role she adopted after a long career in academia. But I'm talking with Linda today in her role as a lay leader at the church. Traverse City Presbyterian, in many ways, is an ordinary congregation, but they are doing extraordinary work, integrating climate action into every aspect of church life. They have heat pumps, solar panels, native plantings, a pocket forest, educational programs and more. Their story demonstrates the importance of active pastoral and lay leadership, broad community buy-in, and denominational commitments. Linda will tell us their story. Let's get started.Debra RienstraLinda, thank you for talking with me today.Linda RacineOh, glad to be here.Debra RienstraIt's great to be here in your beautiful home, here in Traverse City. Thank you for your hospitality today, and I'm really excited to talk about the work of Traverse City Presbyterian Church. So I know you've been involved in the church for a long time. Maybe tell us a little bit about your personal background and how long you've been involved in the church.Linda Racine Oh, I think I joined about 25 years ago. We used we had been members at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church just down the street here, and it was actually our oldest son who was in high school at the time, going through confirmation class, and a lot of his friends were going to the Presbyterian Church, and he really wanted to go, and for a variety of reasons, we said, “Let's check it out.” And we've been members since. That was 25 years ago.Debra Rienstra Yeah, so you have been around for all of the adventures that your church has had in their creation care work. Yes, so let's start with that spark point. We're really interested in finding how these things begin with a church. So can you think back to the moment when something happened at the church that people began to work in earnest to respond to climate change as a community. What was that spark point for Traverse City Presbyterian?Linda Racine The thing that really kicked it off was Laura Jacobson, who manages/schedules things for our Wednesday night adult education, came to me because she knew I was really involved in Citizens Climate Lobby, which is a non-partisan volunteer organization. And, “Would you do a session on climate?” I wanted to, but I was also a little hesitant, just because, sadly, climate has become so politicized, and our church has had a long history—we're a purple church, check your politics at the door, and I was concerned about how people might receive it. So, I put together a presentation very thoughtfully about “How do I make this as non-political as possible?” But the heading for it was “Caring for God's Creation: a faith based approach to climate change.” I wasn't sure how it would go over. And at that time, we were getting maybe 20 people coming on Wednesday nights. 65 people came. The room was packed. So clearly there was a lot of interest.Debra Rienstra What year was this?Linda Racine It was like January of 2020, right before Covid hit.Debra Rienstra Goodness.Linda Racine So anyway, the evening went really well. Kind of started with a very broad based, here's what Scripture says. Here's what—oh, we did the Katharine Hayhoe video, which—she takes such a broad view of every faith tradition has something important to say about our responsibility to care for creation and for one another. So Katharine Hayhoe, then the Pope, and you know, went through some different traditions and how they're responding. And then did some information about what PCUSA was doing, which was new to me. I didn't really know what all our denomination—because it had never been talked about in our church. So went through that and offered the idea that our denomination has a certification process for creation care teams. And by the end, people were saying, “Let's do this!” There was an impromptu—somebody grabbed a piece of paper and pen, and “Who wants to be a part of the team?” And we got, I don't know, eight or 10 names on that list. Quickly got together and said, “Well, what do we want to do? Let's pitch it to our session.” So February's meeting, we had a proposal, and they all said, “Absolutely, let's go for it.” So that's what started it.Debra Rienstra What do you think prepared people to be that enthusiastic after one session? What was going on in the church? What are the congregation members like that makes you look back on that and say, “Yeah, we were somehow primed or prompted or ready for that moment.”Linda Racine I think that's hard to say. Our church has always—I guess what drew me to the church initially is it was really clear this was a community that really walked the talk. It wasn't coming on Sunday to check a box, but really genuinely living their faith. And people of faith were called to care for creation. And so I think that was a strong ethic that people had anyway. And clearly, by 2020, we're seeing, “Oh my gosh, this earth is in trouble.” That was pretty clear. And so, just to have a topic on—let's gather on Wednesday night and talk about it. I think people were ready.Debra Rienstra Fascinating, yeah. And I wonder if, because up north here in Michigan, this beautiful area of Michigan, people are very aware of the outdoors. So many people care a lot about the natural world around here and enjoy it. Summer up here is so beautiful. So I wonder if it was just a little bit of a more natural leap there.Linda Racine I think you've got a point there. People are drawn to this area because of its natural amazingness. And so there is a strong environmental ethic here. I mean, look at the land conservancy: all the explosion since that launched back in the 90s, I believe. The number of just natural areas that have been preserved, the whole Sleeping Bear sand dunes could have been development, but that has been preserved. There is a strong environmental ethic here. No question.Debra Rienstra Yeah, yeah. So what happened next? How did you go about inviting the whole congregation into a process that—you didn't know what was going to happen next. You have this spark moment. But then what happened?Linda Racine I think the structure of the certification process really drove that. It's so solid. When a church decides to do that, you're committing to really look at how you manage your facilities, how your worship embraces this, how your education programs, and advocacy—that's always been the toughest one. But those four areas. First you assess, where are we now? And then, what are your church's goals? And so that involved, in order to do that and to get all the committees in the church involved: what are you doing currently, and what would you like to do? What would you like to see happen in the next year? So every committee was involved in setting goals. The pastor support was critical. Oh my gosh, without that, this wouldn't have gone anywhere. Pastors have been, right from the beginning, very supportive. One Sunday, the whole church read the pledge.Debra Rienstra The Earth Care Pledge from the Presbyterian Church, okay.Linda Racine Yeah, yeah. So people were aware that that was going on. And then people have different interests. “I'm really excited about this piece of it or that piece of it.” So always open to anyone who wants to jump in and get involved to do that. But I think it's the discipline, the structure and the discipline, of that certification process that keeps us on track.Debra Rienstra Okay, yeah, and it sounds like you were able to get that certification pretty quickly, because you've had it since 2020, so pretty quickly you got the certification.Linda Racine Yeah, I think that first year, we filled out all the forms and sent goals, and then you submit that and get the certification, they review it at the denominational level,Debra Rienstra Yeah. So it seems, from all the conversations I've had with church folks this weekend that the physical plant aspects became a big part of it, first, as well as the landscaping and grounds aspects. So talk a little bit about the processes of those things happening.Linda Racine Well, one of the first projects that first year was converting pieces of ground. We had a bed out front that was dying. Some of the bushes were dying. And a couple of our church members, Gary Richardson and Cheryl Gross, were aware of a National Wildlife Federation grant opportunity. And so Gary was a member of Building and Grounds and took the idea to that committee, and they were all supportive of it. So we submitted the grant. We got $1,500 to get us started. And so work crews showed up. We ripped out the old plants. Then that also connected to the education piece. That's one of one of those other four areas. Our children's education person was absolutely passionate. So the Vacation Bible School that summer focused on pollinators. So we did a whole education piece on the role of pollinators and their importance, and then the kids helped plant the new pollinator garden.Debra Rienstra Yeah, awesome.Linda Racine Yeah. It was fabulous.Debra Rienstra So it sounds like what we need is enthusiasm across the leadership. Yeah. And the leadership working together.Linda Racine Absolutely.Debra Rienstra And I think you folks at this church have so many—not only enthusiastic, but really skilled leaders. You have organization experience. You have Cheryl, who does native plants as a passion. I had a wonderful tour today with Randy, who was excited about boilers and transferring those to heat pumps, which was so delightful to hear about. And at some point, the church made this wonderful video, which we'll link in the show notes, explaining the goals—the three bright ideas, goals. So talk about how that happened.Linda Racine That was triggered by our denomination's policy, where, as a denomination, delegates meet every two years to look at policy for the church. And in 2022, there were multiple policies or overtures passed focused on creation care, and it really put out an alarm, saying, “It's serious, folks. The earth is really in trouble, so we need to take strong action.” And they were encouraging all churches to reduce their carbon emissions by at least 25% in the next four years and get it down to net zero or net positive by 2030.Debra Rienstra Wow, that's ambitious.Linda Racine Very ambitious. But a group of interested folks at church looked at that and said, “Let's do it. Let's go for it.” So you need to start—understand where you are first before you can reduce something. So we use the Interfaith Power and Light carbon assessment. And Chris Wendland, who you met, really drove that train, and she and Randy both worked with staff to gather all the—here's our electric bills and our gas bills and all the stuff needed to submit that. And so then we got this feedback about, “Here's where you are.” And then it was, “Okay, now what do we do?” And so another church member said, “Let's talk with Tim Pulliam,” who was—he's the owner, executive, I don't know what his title, but he runs Keen Technical Solutions who, for I don't know, 25 years have been really focused on clean energy transformation.Debra Rienstra This is also a member of the church?Linda Racine Tim Pulliam is not, but it was a church member who recommended him. So Tim brought a team of folks in and looked at all this stuff, and they said, “Well, the thing you could—that would make the biggest impact the quickest would be changing all your lighting to LED.” So that seemed like a no brainer. We also had this ancient boiler that was ready to die any minute, and people were starting to panic about that. And so, okay, we got to do something there. And then there were a lot of people in the church saying, “Can we put solar panels up?” Because there's so many great things about the solar. Not only is it good for the clean energy, but it's also a public statement. It really is a public witness, and it helps normalize, because there's still so many people out there who think, “Oh, this is Northern Michigan. You can't— solar is worthless here.” Well, actually, it's not.Debra Rienstra Actually, it's not, especially because we have such very long summer days.Linda Racine Yes, yeah. And so anyway, there was a lot of enthusiasm around that. So kind of gathered after Sunday, after church on Sunday, anybody who wanted to come and talked about, “Well, here's what the report said, and what do we think?” And so there was interest in all three of those ideas. So we created task forces. People said, “Yeah, I'll work on this.” And everybody, the groups, had about three months to do their homework, come back with, “Here's what we think the options are and what it's going to cost.” And that in about April of that year, we heard what people had to say, and people wanted to do all three.Debra Rienstra Yeah, that's just amazing. Was there resistance at all? Were there people who were resistant?Linda Racine I'm not remembering that. Maybe they weren't showing up at the meetings. Are they quiet? I don't know. I don't remember. I mean, there's always questions about, “Well, will solar really work?” There were questions about, “Well, can we afford it?” And that was maybe the biggest concern. But people had done quite a bit of research on that, and between the very low interest loans that our denomination offers—that was huge, the potential for grants. And we did end up getting an $80,000 grant from our local utility. And then at that time there were IRA dollars available. That's a question mark right now, but the combination of that, and then when you look at the energy savings, it's like, “Okay, what we're going to save in electric bills is probably going to be pretty darn close to covering our monthly loan payment.” So when people saw that, it was like, collective, “Okay, sure, this is doable.”Debra Rienstra So at that point was the video made at that point?Linda Racine Yes, because the next step was, “Okay. So we've got maybe 50 people in the room. We've got 600 people in the church. How do we get everybody involved?” So putting together a strategy for really getting everyone enthused about it. And so the idea for the video came up. And Ray Starkenberg and her dad are professional videographers.Debra Rienstra Once again, talent in the congregation.Linda RacineOh my gosh. And so they took that project on. And you've seen the video, it's just amazing. The storytelling is so well done.Debra Rienstra It's playful, it's persuasive, it's full of facts. And I love the theme, you know, “the time is now” is the theme of the video, and the involvement of kids in the video saying their piece, saying, “This is about me and my future. Please help.” It's just—and that combined with the playfulness, it's just brilliant.Linda Racine It's a good balance, isn't it? Yeah. And a couple things about that. One member of the church, after seeing the video, said, “If this was just about buying a new boiler, I wouldn't be that enthused. But this is about the future. There was so much enthusiasm in the church after really hearing the whole story and the possibilities there. I do want to mention, that theme, “the time is now,” that's right out of the overture that was passed by our general assembly.Debra Rienstra Yeah. Once again, that denominational leadership is so important.Linda Racine Yeah, that was in that very first overture in 2022 talking about how serious this moment in time is and the time is now to act.Debra Rienstra Hi, it's me, Debra. If you are enjoying this podcast episode, go ahead and subscribe on your preferred podcast platform. If you have a minute, leave a review. Good reviews help more listeners discover this podcast. To keep up with all the Refugia news, I invite you to subscribe to the Refugia newsletter on Substack. This is my fortnightly newsletter for people of faith who care about the climate crisis and want to go deeper. Every two weeks, I feature climate news, deeper dives, refugia sightings and much more. Join our community at refugianewsletter.substack.com. For even more goodies, including transcripts and show notes for this podcast, check out my website at debrarienstra.com. D-E-B-R-A-R-I-E-N-S-T-R-A dot com. Thanks so much for listening. We're glad you're part of this community. And now back to the interview.Debra RienstraSo how was the video used and disseminated?Linda Racine We started doing some meetings, just in homes, small groups, eight or 10 people. Showing the video, and then having a discussion. And that was the first step, and getting people's questions answered, and then Sunday morning it was in the service. And, wow.Debra Rienstra So it worked, so to speak, yeah.Linda Racine And then it's been on our website ever since. The thing is that video has gone—I wouldn't say viral, but it has been broadly, broadly disseminated.Debra Rienstra Oh, I can see why. I think every church should imitate it as best they can. Yeah, I mean the statistics—the numbers are specific to you folks.Linda Racine Yeah, the storytelling though, the power of that, are things that other churches can use, yes.Debra Rienstra And it stars many people from your church. So the stars of the show are your fellow congregants.Linda Racine And they're all people who have really stepped up and wanted to be and are a key part of this.Debra Rienstra So at this point you have—the heat pump system is well underway. Solar panels are sitting on the roof waiting for installation when the snow melts. You have education programs going. Maybe we'll come back to that. Quite a lot of landscaping work, quite a lot of native planting done, really neat native gardens. You have a pocket forest going. So as far as the four things, the four elements of earth care congregation: it's the building, the landscaping...Linda Racine Well, those are kind of together, so how you manage your facilities.Debra Rienstra Okay, what are the other three again?Linda Racine Worship. And pastors lead that, and they do that beautifully. That first year that we received certification, we had a kickoff celebration in the prayer garden that was just lovely. And so that theme gets worked into the worship by the pastors.Debra Rienstra Yeah, give some examples of how that happens in worship. Are there sermons? Is it in the litanies, in the music?Linda Racine Hmm, probably all of the above.Debra Rienstra Yeah. Okay, and you have two worship services. So this has to be done in two different ways, so it requires a little creativity.Linda Racine Yeah, although often in the spring, especially around earth— there can be combined services. We do a combined service once a month anyway, and so there have been a couple earth care themed services, that way it was one service.Debra Rienstra Yeah. And then do you have anything special for Earth Day or Season of Creation?Linda Racine Usually, yes, on like Wednesday, well, that would be more the education piece, but usually on the Wednesday nights, we've done something big related to earth care. This year, we're telling our story. We've got a thing planned for that Wednesday of Earth Week. We're inviting every church in the region to come and hear the story. Our contractor will be there to answer questions, and resource people, the Light and Power folks will be there. So if they have questions about, “Well, what programs do you have?” And there are other churches in the area also that are doing similar things. So it'll be a good chance to share stories also and learn from one another. So we're doing— that's the plan for this during Earth Care Week.Debra Rienstra So just to make the refugia connection there, as Traverse City Presbyterian is operating as a refugia place, a refugia space, doing their work, modeling that work, with this idea of getting other churches together, you're creating those corridors and creating that whole network to let these life giving capacities spread and grow. That's brilliant. Really great idea.Linda Racine Another thing that we've done, we've got a racial justice task force that has, over the last several years, made a very focused effort to build relationship with the local tribe. And so the last, I think, three Lent seasons that we've had a Lenten series where inviting tribal leadership into talk about the—to educate us about the history of the tribe and practices and beliefs, and whereas much of that is focused on caring for the earth, caring for Mother Earth, it's central, yeah. So we've learned a lot and helped make a connection with that.Debra Rienstra I noticed in your bulletin, there's a land acknowledgement. And also I noticed you have a garden specifically co-cared for with the indigenous folk around.Linda Racine Not yet.Debra Rienstra Okay, that's in the plans.Linda Racine Yes, it's on the plans to—because in one of the sessions where a tribal leader was talking about...it was right after the land acknowledgement had been created. And the talking through that, someone at the end asked, “So, what's next?” You know, we really, our heart is in this land acknowledgement, what's next? And her response was, “When you care for the earth, you care for the Anishinaabek and what we believe in.” So that sparked this thing in my head of, “Oh my, here's a beautiful opportunity.” And we followed up, thinking, if we could learn from tribal leadership on how to create a healing garden, we'd love to do that. And so we have had one of the tribal leaders come and help educate us about a healing garden, what all it involves. And we've created a space. It's all smothered and ready to go. And the first thing that we would like to plant there is a plum tree. Because what we learned from her, I had no idea, but apparently, the plum tree is a has a very special place in the Anishinaabek story, where—my understanding is that plum trees were very prevalent in the Grand Rapids area, and when the Dutch came and settled that area, the plum trees were taken out. And so, in fact, it was hard when she came to meet with us, she had brought a plum tree as a gift, and we didn't have a place to put it. Broke my heart. But we so would love that to be the center of this healing garden. So we've got, you know, ground is all ready. We weren't even sure where it ought to go. And so anyway, so we've got a spot, because she helped us find a place for the healing garden. So as soon as we can reconnect, and they have the time, though, we're going to get that garden launched.Debra Rienstra Wow, that's beautiful. And will it be medicinal plants?Linda Racine That's the thought, yes.Debra Rienstra So healing plants, but also healing a relationship.Linda Racine Both, yes, all three, yeah, all three things.Debra Rienstra Beautiful. So a lot of churches struggle with—I've been sort of calling it the “boutique issue” problem, which is to say, you have, you know, your creation care folk, and they have a green team or something, and they kind of do their little thing off to the side, and other people have other issues that they're dealing with, and it's really hard to get that creation care work to infuse through, to diffuse through the whole congregation's life. And it sounds like that happened fairly organically. So what advice would you have for other churches that struggle with that boutique issue problem?Linda Racine Well, I think the strength of the PCUSA certification process is what allowed that to happen or fostered that. Because when you've got—you're required or expected to set goals in very comprehensive list of how the church functions, it really requires everybody to be involved. And so right from the beginning, pretty much every committee was asked to look at, what are we doing related to creation care, and what do we want to do? And every year that gets repeated. So there's a clear—we've got a pace of it. It's built into the planning structure. Every fall, the committees are looking at their goals around everything but creation care is on the list, and they're looking at their budgets to submit for the final reports and what happens next year. So it's really built into the fabric and structure of how we operate. So if it weren't for that, it would be a committee off to the side doing whatever it does. But really, everyone in all committees are involved.Debra Rienstra So it sounds like that answers my next question too, which has to do with the problem of “fade.” So by that, I mean everybody gets excited. You replace the boiler, you replace the LED lights, or replace lights with LED, and then...yeah, this enthusiasm sort of fades. But it sounds like that annual goal-setting process with an indefinite horizon, like there's no end point to that, right? So that annual goal-setting process also helps with that fade problem.Linda Racine I think it's key.Debra Rienstra One last question, what has been most challenging and most joyful about the transformation that Traverse City Presbyterian has gone through in a mere five years?Linda Racine I don't know that anything has been particularly hard, but oh my gosh, the joy. Ah. Just so many examples. When we decided that there was this huge section of lawn that was totally unusable as lawn, let's turn it into a pocket forest. And we were able to get a local tree trimmer to donate the wood chips to smother it. And we have this huge group of people with two truckloads or three, I don't know how many truckloads of stuff. We're out with the wheelbarrows spreading stuff. We're having so much fun. Jordan is sliding down it like it's a ski slope. We're just having a great time, and I'm looking around and thinking, “I absolutely love this community.” They're so committed to being the best stewards of creation and one another. Yeah, it's not hard, it's just wonderful.Debra Rienstra Linda, it's been such a pleasure to talk to you. There's been joy in this conversation, too. Thank you for your time. Thank you for all that you do and blessings on Traverse City Presbyterian.Debra Rienstra Thanks for joining us for show notes and full transcripts, please visit debrarienstra.com and click on the Refugia Podcast tab. This season of the Refugia Podcast is produced with generous funding from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. Colin Hoogerwerf is our awesome audio producer. Thanks to Ron Rienstra for content consultation as well as technical and travel support. Till next time, be well. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit refugianewsletter.substack.com

Top headlines for Thursday, October 23, 2025In today's episode, we cover Vice President JD Vance's urgent trip to Israel as the White House navigates the volatile Gaza situation. Meanwhile, French authorities are in a race against time to recover the stolen crown jewels from the Louvre before they vanish for good. And in a shocking revelation, an illegal alien was found to be working as a sworn U.S. police officer—until Operation Midway Blitz brought it all to light.00:11 JD Vance lands in Israel for first visit after Gaza ceasefire00:57 PCUSA presbytery helping victims of deadly Alaska storm01:48 French police using DNA at scene to catch Louvre Museum thieves02:35 Rep. Chip Roy moves to impeach judge over Kavanaugh assassin03:25 Illegal immigrant working as police officer in Illinois arrested04:17 Wisconsin seeks to end religious tax exemption after court loss05:05 ASU football player says he's 'diving into my faith completely'Subscribe to this PodcastApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsOvercastFollow Us on Social Media@ChristianPost on TwitterChristian Post on Facebook@ChristianPostIntl on InstagramSubscribe on YouTubeGet the Edifi AppDownload for iPhoneDownload for AndroidSubscribe to Our NewsletterSubscribe to the Freedom Post, delivered every Monday and ThursdayClick here to get the top headlines delivered to your inbox every morning!Links to the NewsJD Vance lands in Israel for first visit after Gaza ceasefire | WorldPCUSA presbytery helping victims of deadly Alaska storm | Church & MinistriesFrench police using DNA at scene to catch Louvre Museum thieves | WorldRep. Chip Roy moves to impeach judge over Kavanaugh assassin | PoliticsIllegal immigrant working as police officer in Illinois arrested | U.S.Wisconsin seeks to end religious tax exemption after court loss | U.S.ASU football player says he's 'diving into my faith completely' | Sports

October 19, 2025 - 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time Scripture: 1 Kings 5:1-6, 13-18; 6:1-2, 7-13 Sermon: "I will dwell among my people" Moment for Mission: Our Sister Parish View the full worship service on YouTube sermon_audio_2025-10-19.mp3File Size: 32923 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost; Sermon based on Jeremiah 31:27-34 and Luke 18:1-8. Preached at The First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn (https://linktr.ee/firstchurchbrooklyn). Podcast subscription is available at https://cutt.ly/fpcb-sermons or Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4ccZPt6), Spotify....This item belongs to: audio/first-church-brooklyn-sermons.This item has files of the following types: Archive BitTorrent, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, VBR MP3

October 12, 2025 - 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time Scripture: 1 Kings 3:4-28 Sermon: A Listening Heart Moment for Mission: Shalom Community Impact Center View the full worship service on YouTube sermon_audio_2025-10-12.mp3File Size: 29724 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Disobeying Jesus Disobeying Jesusa sermon by Rev. J. Christy Ramsey DOWNLOAD A LIVE RECORDING Audio from worship at the 10:30 AM Worship Service October 12, 2025at St John’s Presbyterian Church, Reno NevadaComplete Service on YouTube edited from a flawless transcription made by edigitaltranscriptions all errors are mine. Luke 17-11-19 Sermons also available free on iTunes Let’s take a look at Luke. Luke. This is not the story about gratitude. But it’s okay. I understand if some of you, if you want to, pick an off-ramp. We’ve going on the express route to the Kingdom of God. Some of you may not be up for the trip. I’m okay with that. If you want to take an exit route right here, take an exit, go over, you know hang out at the truck stop for a while, whatever you want to do. Look at your phone. No problem. Just say what the sermon’s about. Sermon’s about gratitude. You’re fine. No worries. For the rest of you, the sermon is not about the one that came back in gratitude. The sermon’s about the nine, the nine who did what they were told. The nine who followed the great leader Jesus. The nine who followed the law. Yes, the law, Leviticus 14. Now my favorite Leviticus is 19, if you want to know. But 14’s okay. You know. But if you go, if you get Leviticus out, you know, go over into 19. Read that, too, because that’s the best. But Leviticus 14 talks about, if you are a leper, how to be clean. It is very entertaining reading. It involves two birds, one of which you kill. It involves shaving your entire body, head to toe, not once, but twice. It involves standing outside in the cold as sort of enforce home – it’s like a little light torture in the Bible to get clean. It takes about a week, a little over a week to eight days. It is the law. That is what the law says you do. Nine did it. Nine complied. Nine did what they were told to do. Jesus told them, “Go show yourself to the priest.” And that’s not just, “Hi, Priest. How you doing?” It’s that whole thing, Leviticus 14, light torture, standing outside getting shaved, killing a bird, other sacrifices. Bleah, the whole thing. Nine of them did it. Nine of them complied. Even though they didn’t have to. What a mind-blowing thing. You don’t have to follow the law and obey Jesus. What a mind-blowing thing. Because I submit to you this time in America is not the time where we need more sermons about gratitude. Gratitude’s fine. Gratitude’s a nice thing. Attitude of gratitude. I like the rhyme. But what Americans need now is consideration, reflection, and faith that might, just might lead you to disobey. Now all you that are upset, I told you, you could get off earlier. We have here a time where it says Jesus is okay with disobeying. He’s okay with breaking the law. He’s okay with not following scripture. And that wasn’t the Old Testament back then, that was The Testament. That was Bible. And Jesus is okay with that. In fact, not only is he okay, He asked where the other nine were. How come only one disobeyed me? How come only one broke the law? Where are the other nine? Wonder if Jesus is saying that now? Where is everybody? Faith makes you well. Not following the law, not even doing what the leader said. Faith makes you well. He doesn’t condemn the nine that followed the law and did what they were told. I mean, come on. I mean, they’re doing what they’re supposed to do. Come on. He seems to be okay with being inclusive, with being okay with diversity, among responses. And he seems to be okay with that half-breed immigrant that shouldn’t be there, not following the law, but still having faith and still doing the right thing. Now, when we as Samaritans, we just think about, oh, Good Samaritan, teddy bears and rainbows and unicorns. We like the Samaritan. No, no, no. That was the cursed. That was a putdown. That was telling them they were half-breed unfaithful heretics that should not – good people do not talk to, that you do not even walk through their territory. Did you see it was in between the places that a good Jew did not go. He was illegal. Wasn’t supposed to be there. And Jesus praises him. Yow. Christy, did you come this week so that we’d be happy when Pat comes next week? I told Pat, “Don’t worry, buddy, they’ll be happy to see you.” He goes, “Thanks, Christy.” But let’s go back, back into time, to a simpler, lovelier time, back to the time of the ‘80s with Reagan in the White House. Oh, what a wonderful time. I want to tell you about not that people, but remember back then, back then the Russians shot down a Korean airliner. Boom, out of the sky, killing everybody. Remember, you can look it up, the families brought on the boat, the children crying for the father. Waves. It was a tense time. It was a worrisome time. What are the Russians going to do next? What are we going to do in response? There’s a film, a documentary, it’s on YouTube, “The Man Who Saved the World.” And no, it is not about Jesus. “The Man Who Saved the World” is about Stanislav Petrov and his visit to the United States 40 years after the ‘80s. On September 26th, 1983, the computers in Serpukhov-15 bunker outside of Moscow, which housed the command center for the Soviet Early Warning Satellite System, reported U.S. intercontinental ballistic missiles were heading toward the Soviet Union. One, then another, then another, then another, then another. Five nuclear missiles were detected coming toward the Soviet Union. Stanislav Petrov was the duty officer. It was the protocol. It was the law. It was a duty. It was a patriotic thing to carry that on up to the command center, to call headquarters and say, “We are being attacked by the United States. They have launched nuclear missiles. Our satellites have reported. We checked the computer. The computers are right. They did not have visual confirmation because of the weather conditions. But the computer is saying yes. There’s nuclear warheads headed to you.” According to the book, according to what’s called “The War Diary,” he is to call the headquarters. He is to call the headquarters and tell them what has happened so that they can respond in kind. There are 11,000 nuclear warheads ready to go, to blow up the United States. Make Hiroshima and Nagasaki a birthday candle. This is what Stanislav said 40 years later. “In the general headquarters all they have left to do is press a button. I fully understood that I would not be corrected if I reported it. No one would dare correct me. They would agree with me, and that would be it. It’s always easier to agree.” We’re here today because Stanislav did not report the attack. He broke the law. He ruined his career. He lost his family. But he has no regrets. It was a fluke. It was a computer failure. It was weather, a weird weather thing. There are satellite orbits. There’s a whole Wikipedia page about it. But Stanislav didn’t know that. He disobeyed. He had faith that the United States wouldn’t do that. And he also knew that someone had to stop the chain of events into violence and into destruction and into ruin and into chaos. And he knew that he was the one to stand up and say no. No, we’re not going to destroy the world. I’m breaking the law. I’m ruining my career. My family is not going to support me. I’m going to be estranged from all our friends. But I will not obey. I will not destroy. I will not harm innocents. I will not attack the enemies like I’m told. It’s always easier to agree. Thank god Stanislav Petrov decided not to take the easy way, but the hard and faithful way. His faith has made us well. Amen.

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost; Sermon based on Luke 17:11-19 and Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7. Preached at The First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn (https://linktr.ee/firstchurchbrooklyn). Podcast subscription is available at https://cutt.ly/fpcb-sermons or Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4ccZPt6), Spot....This item belongs to: audio/first-church-brooklyn-sermons.This item has files of the following types: Archive BitTorrent, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, VBR MP3

October 5, 2025 - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time Scripture: Genesis 22:1-19 Sermon: God’s Promises Are Reliable Moment for Mission: Peace & Global Witness Offering View the full worship service on YouTube sermon_audio_2025-10-05.mp3File Size: 31653 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Join us on World Communion Sunday for a special sermon by Rev. Wolson Kennedy from PCUSA's office of special offerings #WorldCommunionSunday

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost; Sermon based on Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4 and 1st Corinthians 12:12-27. Preached at The First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn (https://linktr.ee/firstchurchbrooklyn). Podcast subscription is available at https://cutt.ly/fpcb-sermons or Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co....This item belongs to: audio/first-church-brooklyn-sermons.This item has files of the following types: Archive BitTorrent, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, VBR MP3

Top headlines for Thursday, October 2, 2025President Trump's proposal for a Gaza peace plan and his wait for Hamas's response. We examine a new poll revealing shifting views among younger evangelicals about Israel, and we dive into J.K. Rowling's sharp criticism of Emma Watson over women's spaces. Plus, we take you inside Prestonwood's Biblical Worldview Conference, where thousands gathered to engage with today's cultural challenges.00:11 Trump gives Hamas ‘3 or 4 days' to respond to Gaza Peace Plan00:59 Pete Hegseth's speech to military leaders: 5 highlights01:47 Young Evangelicals less likely to believe Jews are God's chosen02:40 'Christ's path of healing': PCUSA returns land to Native tribe03:28 JK Rowling slams Emma Watson for 'trashing' women's rights04:19 Megachurch heralds 'new movement of Christian thinkers'05:08 2 million students to join Bring Your Bible to School DaySubscribe to this PodcastApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsOvercastFollow Us on Social Media@ChristianPost on TwitterChristian Post on Facebook@ChristianPostIntl on InstagramSubscribe on YouTubeGet the Edifi AppDownload for iPhoneDownload for AndroidSubscribe to Our NewsletterSubscribe to the Freedom Post, delivered every Monday and ThursdayClick here to get the top headlines delivered to your inbox every morning!Links to the NewsTrump gives Hamas ‘3 or 4 days' to respond to Gaza Peace Plan | WorldPete Hegseth's speech to military leaders: 5 highlights | PoliticsYoung Evangelicals less likely to believe Jews are God's chosen | Church & Ministries'Christ's path of healing': PCUSA returns land to Native tribe | Church & MinistriesJK Rowling slams Emma Watson for 'trashing' women's rights | EntertainmentMegachurch heralds 'new movement of Christian thinkers' | U.S.2 million students to join Bring Your Bible to School Day | U.S.

David A. Davis preaches on I John 4:16. From September 28, 2025.

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost; Sermon based on Luke 16:19-31 and Amos 6:1, 4-7. Preached at The First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn (https://linktr.ee/firstchurchbrooklyn). Podcast subscription is available at https://cutt.ly/fpcb-sermons or Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4ccZPt6), Spotify, ....This item belongs to: audio/first-church-brooklyn-sermons.This item has files of the following types: Archive BitTorrent, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, VBR MP3

Join host Aaron Renn as he sits down with David Yancey, president of Presbyterians for the Kingdom, and Generation Z influencer Redeemed Zoomer to discuss their mission to renew the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) and the broader Operation Reconquista movement. They dive into the challenges and opportunities of restoring traditional theology within mainline Protestant denominations, the role of young conservatives in this revival, and their plans for the future. From institutional commitment to the power of historic churches, this episode explores why they're staying to reform rather than leaving.CHAPTERS:(00:00 - Introduction)(00:33 - What is Presbyterians for the Kingdom?)(01:07 - Operation Reconquista and Its Inspiration)(02:48 - Networks within the PCUSA)(06:21 - Challenges of Mainline Decline)(08:19 - A Generational Shift Toward Conservatism)(11:11 - Personal Ties to the PCUSA)(16:11 - Perceptions of the Movement within PCUSA)(19:46 - Institutional Commitment in the PCUSA)(27:01 - Balancing Word and Sacrament in Reformed Theology)(33:40 - Biblical Case Against Splitting from the Church)(37:06 - Stewardship of Historic Resources)(42:30 - Future Plans for Presbyterians for the Kingdom)GUEST LINKS:

Michelle and Cliff talk with Neema Cyrus-Franklin from the Around the Table Initiative through the PCUSA about the practice of Story Weaving as well as get some of her reflections from her time at the Youth Triennium of 2025.

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost; Sermon based on Psalm 100, Ephesians 2:17-22, and John 13:33-35. Preached at The First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn (https://linktr.ee/firstchurchbrooklyn). Podcast subscription is available at https://cutt.ly/fpcb-sermons or Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4ccZ....This item belongs to: audio/first-church-brooklyn-sermons.This item has files of the following types: Archive BitTorrent, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, VBR MP3

David A. Davis preaches on Luke 16:1-13. From September 21, 2025.

In this episode I sit down with Andrew and Kara Root to talk about their new book, A Pilgrimage Into Letting Go. Written out of their journey walking St. Cuthbert's Way with their children, the book reflects on parenting, pastoring, and the hard but necessary work of releasing control. Together we explore why modern life pushes us to manage every detail, how uncontrollability can actually be a gift, and what it looks like to see parenting as a pilgrimage. Along the way, we talk about prayer as listening, the difference between being a tourist and a pilgrim, and the ways God encounters us when we surrender to presence. This is a conversation about trust, family, and faith that invites us to walk with open hands and open hearts.Andrew Root is the Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary, USA. He writes and researches in areas of theology, ministry, culture and younger generations.  His most recent books are Evangelism in an Age of Despair (Baker, 2025), The Church in an Age of Secular Mysticisms (Baker, 2023), Churches and the Crisis of Decline (Baker, 2022), The Congregation in a Secular Age (Baker, 2021), and The Pastor in a Secular Age: Ministry to People Who No Longer Need God (Baker, 2019). In addition, he serves as theologian in residence for Youthfront. Rev. Kara K. Root is the author of The Deepest Belonging (2021) and Receiving This Life: (2023). ​Pastor of Lake Nokomis Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis, MN, a Christian community that shapes its life around worship, hospitality and Sabbath rest, she is a trained Spiritual Director and Certified Educator in the PCUSA.  Being mom to two intriguing teenagers (and a sweet dog), and wife and proofreader to a wily theologian, spices up her vocational calling and keeps her fully immersed in life. She has written for Sparkhouse, Working Preacher, Christian Century, Christianity Today, Faith and Leadership, Patheos and more. Kara leads retreats and workshops on sabbath rest, prayer practices, and church leadership and transformation.  ​​Andy & Kara's Book:A Pilgrimage Into Letting GoKara's Recommendation:How to Inhabit TimeSubscribe to Our Substack: Shifting CultureConnect with Joshua: jjohnson@allnations.usGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or The Balance of GrayFaith That Challenges. Conversations that Matter. Laughs included. Subscribe Now!Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify The Balance of GrayFaith That Challenges. Conversations that Matter. Laughs included. Subscribe Now!Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

David A. Davis preaches on Psalm 51. From September 14, 2025.

Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost; Sermon based on Colossians 1:9-12, Romans 12:1-2, and Proverbs 19:21. Preached at The First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn (https://linktr.ee/firstchurchbrooklyn). Podcast subscription is available at https://cutt.ly/fpcb-sermons or Apple Podcasts (https://apple.c....This item belongs to: audio/first-church-brooklyn-sermons.This item has files of the following types: Archive BitTorrent, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, VBR MP3

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost; Sermon based on Isaiah 6:1-8 and Romans 12:3-8. Preached at The First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn (https://linktr.ee/firstchurchbrooklyn). Podcast subscription is available at https://cutt.ly/fpcb-sermons or Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4ccZPt6), Spotify, A....This item belongs to: audio/first-church-brooklyn-sermons.This item has files of the following types: Archive BitTorrent, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, VBR MP3

David A. Davis preaches on Luke 14:25-35. September 7, 2025.

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost; Sermon based on Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18 and John 6:56-60, 66-69. Preached at The First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn (https://linktr.ee/firstchurchbrooklyn). Podcast subscription is available at https://cutt.ly/fpcb-sermons or Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4ccZPt6)....This item belongs to: audio/first-church-brooklyn-sermons.This item has files of the following types: Archive BitTorrent, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, VBR MP3

Andrew Scales preaches on Micah 6:1-8. August 31, 2025.

Lauren J. McFeaters preaches on Luke 7:11-17. August 24, 2025.

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost; Sermon based on Romans 4:16-25. Preached at The First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn (https://linktr.ee/firstchurchbrooklyn). Podcast subscription is available at https://cutt.ly/fpcb-sermons or Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4ccZPt6), Spotify, Amazon, Audible, Po....This item belongs to: audio/first-church-brooklyn-sermons.This item has files of the following types: Archive BitTorrent, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, VBR MP3

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost; Sermon based on Galatians 5:13-6:2. Preached at The First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn (https://linktr.ee/firstchurchbrooklyn). Podcast subscription is available at https://cutt.ly/fpcb-sermons or Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4ccZPt6), Spotify, Amazon, Audible, P....This item belongs to: audio/first-church-brooklyn-sermons.This item has files of the following types: Archive BitTorrent, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, VBR MP3

Len Scales preaches on Galatians 6:1-10. August 10, 2025.

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost; Sermon based on Isaiah 1:1, 10-20. Preached at The First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn (https://linktr.ee/firstchurchbrooklyn). Podcast subscription is available at https://cutt.ly/fpcb-sermons or Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4ccZPt6), Spotify, Amazon, Audible, Po....This item belongs to: audio/first-church-brooklyn-sermons.This item has files of the following types: Archive BitTorrent, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, VBR MP3

Lauren J. McFeaters preaches on Galatians 5:13-25. August 3, 2025.

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost; Sermon based on Luke 12:13-21. Preached at The First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn (https://linktr.ee/firstchurchbrooklyn). Podcast subscription is available at https://cutt.ly/fpcb-sermons or Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4ccZPt6), Spotify, Amazon, Audible, Podca....This item belongs to: audio/first-church-brooklyn-sermons.This item has files of the following types: Archive BitTorrent, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, VBR MP3

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost; Sermon based on Exodus 33:17-23 and 2 Corinthians 4:1-6. Preached at The First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn (https://linktr.ee/firstchurchbrooklyn). Podcast subscription is available at https://cutt.ly/fpcb-sermons or Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4ccZPt6), Spot....This item belongs to: audio/first-church-brooklyn-sermons.This item has files of the following types: Archive BitTorrent, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, VBR MP3

Lauren J. McFeaters preaches on Galatians 3:23-29. July 27, 2025.

Angel Studios https://Angel.com/ToddJoin the Angel Guild today and stream Testament, a powerful new series featuring the retelling of the book of Acts. Alan's Soaps https://www.AlansArtisanSoaps.comUse coupon code TODD to save an additional 10% off the bundle price.Bioptimizers https://Bioptimizers.com/toddEnter promo code TODD to get 10% off your order of Berberine Breakthrough today.Bizable https://GoBizable.comUntie your business exposure from your personal exposure with BiZABLE.  Schedule your FREE consultation at GoBizAble.com today.  Bonefrog https://BonefrogCoffee.com/toddThe new GOLDEN AGE is here!  Use code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your first purchase and 15% on subscriptions.Bulwark Capital https://KnowYourRiskPodcast.comHear directly from Zach Abraham as he shares insights in this FREE “Halftime” Webinar, THIS Thursday, July 24th at 3:30 Pacific.  Register now at Know Your Risk Podcast dot com. Renue Healthcare https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddYour journey to a better life starts at Renue Healthcare. Visit https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddLISTEN and SUBSCRIBE at:The Todd Herman Show - Podcast - Apple PodcastsThe Todd Herman Show | Podcast on SpotifyWATCH and SUBSCRIBE at: Todd Herman - The Todd Herman Show - YouTubeOzzy Osbourne Believed In God; What Does That Really Mean? . // Treason Should Mean Something.  //  How To Blaspheme The Holy Spirit while Being a “Pastor.” Episode links:Ozzy Osbourne Revealed If He Believed in God Before He DiedBREAKING: @DNIGabbard says there are over 100 documents that prove Barack Obama DIRECTED this treasonous conspiracy. "This is not a a Democrat or Republican issue. This is an issue that is so serious that it should concern every single American because it has to do with the integrity of our democratic republic."December 16, 2016. Eight days after Obama received the report that Russia had no effect on the outcome of the election and that Russian election interference was negligible at best. Watch how Obama carefully lays the groundwork for the Russia hoax.Reporter: "Did Clinton lose because of the hacking?" Obama: "I'm going to let all the political pundits in this town have a long discussion about what happened in the election.""Jesus is not my God...I don't believe Jesus is God" - Presbyterian impastor (PCUSA) explicitly denies the deity of Christ. This is is the same reverend who denies the virgin birth. 

David A. Davis preaches on Jeremiah 18:1-11. July 20, 2025.

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost; Sermon based on Genesis 18:1-10 and Luke 10:38-42. Preached at The First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn (https://linktr.ee/firstchurchbrooklyn). Podcast subscription is available at https://cutt.ly/fpcb-sermons or Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4ccZPt6), Spotify, Ama....This item belongs to: audio/first-church-brooklyn-sermons.This item has files of the following types: Archive BitTorrent, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, VBR MP3

David A. Davis preaches on Jeremiah 1:4-10. July 13, 2025.

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost; Sermon based on John 17:6-19. Preached at The First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn (https://linktr.ee/firstchurchbrooklyn). Podcast subscription is available at https://cutt.ly/fpcb-sermons or Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/4ccZPt6), Spotify, Amazon, Audible, Podcast....This item belongs to: audio/first-church-brooklyn-sermons.This item has files of the following types: Archive BitTorrent, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, VBR MP3

Segment 1: • The Methodist church (and now PCUSA) shows what happens when you abandon Sola Scriptura. • Liberation Theology and LGBT compromise start with bad hermeneutics. • “Herman Who?” (soon free) will help you see why hermeneutics matters for staying faithful. Segment 2: • Not all modern worship is shallow—some songs (like Matt Papa/Boswell) get it right. • Most contemporary worship, though, remains me-centered and theologically thin. • Discernment in music shapes your view of God and worship. Segment 3: • Young people are leaving church for reasons deeper than they realize: they think faith is shallow, anti-science, and overprotective. • PLAY THE MAN cards equip young men for real spiritual battle. • Culture says “follow your desires,” but God's design offers something far better. Segment 4: • God's laws aren't restrictive; they're good for you and guard your joy. • Many reject Jesus without knowing the real Jesus they're rejecting. • Joe Rogan's conversations hint at the hunger for truth that only Christ satisfies. ___ Thanks for listening! Wretched Radio would not be possible without the financial support of our Gospel Partners. If you would like to support Wretched Radio we would be extremely grateful. VISIT https://fortisinstitute.org/donate/ If you are already a Gospel Partner we couldn't be more thankful for you if we tried!

Angel Studios https://Angel.com/ToddBecome a Premium Angel Studios Guild member to watch The King of Kings, stream all fan-curated shows and movies, and get 2 free tickets to every Angel Studios theatrical release. Alan's Soaps https://www.AlansArtisanSoaps.comUse coupon code TODD to save an additional 10% off the bundle price.Bioptimizers https://Bioptimizers.com/toddEnter promo code TODD to get 10% off your order of Berberine Breakthrough today.Bizable https://GoBizable.comUntie your business exposure from your personal exposure with BiZABLE.  Schedule your FREE consultation at GoBizAble.com today.  Bonefrog https://BonefrogCoffee.com/toddThe new GOLDEN AGE is here!  Use code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your first purchase and 15% on subscriptions.Bulwark Capital https://KnowYourRiskPodcast.comHear directly from Zach Abraham as he shares insights in this FREE “Halftime” Webinar, THURSDAY, July 24th at 3:30 Pacific.  Register now at Know Your Risk Podcast dot com. Renue Healthcare https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddYour journey to a better life starts at Renue Healthcare. Visit https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddLISTEN and SUBSCRIBE at:The Todd Herman Show - Podcast - Apple PodcastsThe Todd Herman Show | Podcast on SpotifyWATCH and SUBSCRIBE at: Todd Herman - The Todd Herman Show - YouTubeJimmy Comey Wants You To Hate Him, So Don't. // The Elites Want You To Eat Phood. What Could Go Wrong? // No, Jesus Did Not Advocate For Prison Abolition.Episode Links:Nicolle Wallace: "You are back in the middle of a political firestorm."James Comey: "Yeah, for walking on the beach with my wife."This 3D-Printed Meat Cuts Like SteakAt the PCUSA's 2024 Matthew 25 conference, Rev. Liz Theoharis says that Jesus doesn't care about "who marries who" or about "controlling women's bodies." Rather his priorities are "food, immigrant rights, healthcare, decent housing, and prison abolition."

Top headlines for Thursday, July 10, 2025In this episode, we explore how the Presbyterian Church (USA) is taking a stand against White Christian Nationalism with the release of a new resource to aid congregations. Next, we shift focus to Texas, where ten individuals face charges for allegedly attacking a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility. Lastly, we address a recent legal development: a federal judge's decision to temporarily block a provision in the Trump administration's budget bill aimed at defunding Planned Parenthood. 00:12 PCUSA releases resource to combat 'White Christian Nationalism'01:06 Bellevue Baptist Church considers Lifeway CEO as new lead pastor01:55 Megachurch pastor escaped flood with family along Guadalupe River02:47 10 charged with violent ambush of ICE agents in Texas03:35 Federal judge temporarily alts defunding of Planned Parenthood04:21 Hispanic pastors reject SCOTUS birthright citizenship ruling05:17 Candace Cameron Bure reveals how son's sermon saved marriageSubscribe to this PodcastApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsOvercastFollow Us on Social Media@ChristianPost on TwitterChristian Post on Facebook@ChristianPostIntl on InstagramSubscribe on YouTubeGet the Edifi AppDownload for iPhoneDownload for AndroidSubscribe to Our NewsletterSubscribe to the Freedom Post, delivered every Monday and ThursdayClick here to get the top headlines delivered to your inbox every morning!Links to the NewsPCUSA releases resource to combat 'White Christian Nationalism' | Church & MinistriesBellevue Baptist Church considers Lifeway CEO as new lead pastor | Church & MinistriesMegachurch pastor escaped flood with family along Guadalupe River | U.S.10 charged with violent ambush of ICE agents in Texas | PoliticsFederal judge temporarily halts defunding of Planned Parenthood | PoliticsHispanic pastors reject SCOTUS birthright citizenship ruling | PoliticsCandace Cameron Bure reveals how son's sermon saved marriage | Entertainment

Alan's Soaps https://www.AlansArtisanSoaps.comUse coupon code TODD to save an additional 10% off the bundle price.Bioptimizers https://Bioptimizers.com/toddEnter promo code TODD to get 10% off your order of MassZymes today.Bizable https://GoBizable.comUntie your business exposure from your personal exposure with BiZABLE.  Schedule your FREE consultation at GoBizAble.com today.  Bonefrog https://BonefrogCoffee.com/toddThe new GOLDEN AGE is here!  Use code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your first purchase and 15% on subscriptions.Bulwark Capital Bulwark Capital Management (bulwarkcapitalmgmt.com)Do you know how tariffs can affect your retirement?  Join Zach Abraham's FREE Webinar “Tariff Edition” THIS Thursday at 3:30 Pacific.  Sign up at KnowYourRiskRadio.com today.Renue Healthcare https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddYour journey to a better life starts at Renue Healthcare. Visit https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddLISTEN and SUBSCRIBE at:The Todd Herman Show - Podcast - Apple PodcastsThe Todd Herman Show | Podcast on SpotifyWATCH and SUBSCRIBE at: Todd Herman - The Todd Herman Show - YouTubeJimmy Comey Wants You To Hate Him, So Don't. // The Elites Want You To Eat Phood. What Could Go Wrong? // No, Jesus Did Not Advocate For Prison Abolition.Episode Links:Nicolle Wallace: "You are back in the middle of a political firestorm."James Comey: "Yeah, for walking on the beach with my wife."This 3D-Printed Meat Cuts Like SteakAt the PCUSA's 2024 Matthew 25 conference, Rev. Liz Theoharis says that Jesus doesn't care about "who marries who" or about "controlling women's bodies." Rather his priorities are "food, immigrant rights, healthcare, decent housing, and prison abolition."

Segment 1 • Contemporary worship on YouTube is flooded with emotionally charged, man-centered music that feels more exhausting than edifying. • Much of today's worship music centers on emotionalism, not exalting Christ. • When you hear biblically rich, Christ-centered lyrics like “The King in All His Beauty,” it's clear—true worship exalts Jesus, not emotion, experience, or self. Segment 2 • Churches are increasingly turning to recycled pop songs and rebranding them as worship music, blurring the lines between sacred and secular. • The Catholic Church prepares for its next conclave this week which will select the new Pope. • The bizarre tradition of showcasing the literal hearts of former popes—raising questions about relic worship and pagan parallels. Segment 3 • “Side B Christianity,” which affirms same-sex attraction as identity but forbids action, is gaining ground in some corners of the PCA. • The PCUSA has already shifted further, redefining missions as “whatever God is doing” and eliminating its missionary department entirely. • Why our identity must be found in Christ, not our sinful proclivities. Segment 4 • Odd stories from around the world–”Florida ants are the only animals besides humans that perform surgery.” • Alpharetta Bible Church's gospel-centered mission serves as a touchstone amid cultural confusion. • Despite rising pornography use, the DSM-5 still contains no diagnostic category for it—underscoring how secular frameworks often ignore deep spiritual issues. – Preorder the new book, Lies My Therapist Told Me, by Fortis Institute Fellow Dr. Greg Gifford now! https://www.harpercollins.com/pages/liesmytherapisttoldme – Thanks for listening! Wretched Radio would not be possible without the financial support of our Gospel Partners. If you would like to support Wretched Radio we would be extremely grateful. VISIT https://fortisinstitute.org/donate/ If you are already a Gospel Partner we couldn't be more thankful for you if we tried!