Deeper Connection

In this episode, Pastor Will talks about Easter and focuses on one question that we find in the story.

Join us for the second week of the series The Elephant in the Room. This series covers common issues we face as a people in today’s society, yet that aren’t typically spoken about in the church. Today’s sermon discusses peace, with references to John 14:15-31.

The Elephant in the Room series covers common issues we face as a people in today’s society that aren’t commonly spoken about in the church. This conversation discusses isolation and how Jesus fostered community.

Join this episode of The Elephant in the Room. This series covers common issues we face as a people in today’s society, yet that aren’t typically spoken about in the church. Today’s sermon discusses feelings of isolation connecting to the verse Acts 2: 1-7.

Join us as we continue our Two Perspectives series. Pastor Will and Pastor Jeff will each give messages regarding the verse of the week. Then, the pastors will come together for a Zoom call to discuss their messages: what they learned, how they grew, and where they saw God in each other’s message. This week’s episode is discussing Exodus 18:13-27.

Join us as we continue our Two Perspectives series. Pastor Will and Pastor Jeff will each give messages regarding the verse of the week. Then, the pastors will come together for a Zoom call to discuss their messages: what they learned, how they grew, and where they saw God in each other’s message. This week’s episode is discussing Exodus 18:13-27.

Join us as we continue our Two Perspectives series. Pastor Will and Pastor Jeff will each give messages regarding the verse of the week. Then, the pastors will come together for a Zoom call to discuss their messages: what they learned, how they grew, and where they saw God in each other’s message. This week’s episode is discussing Exodus 18:13-27.

Join us as we continue our Two Perspectives series. Pastor Will and Pastor Jeff will each give messages regarding the verse of the week. Then, the pastors will come together for a Zoom call to discuss their messages: what they learned, how they grew, and where they saw God in each other’s message. This week’s episode is discussing Matthew 9:35-10:8.

Join us as we continue our Two Perspectives series. Pastor Will and Pastor Jeff will each give messages regarding the verse of the week. Then, the pastors will come together for a Zoom call to discuss their messages: what they learned, how they grew, and where they saw God in each other’s message. This week’s episode is discussing Matthew 9:35-10:8.

Join us as we continue our Two Perspectives series. Pastor Will and Pastor Jeff will each give messages regarding the verse of the week. Then, the pastors will come together for a Zoom call to discuss their messages: what they learned, how they grew, and where they saw God in each other’s message. This week’s episode is discussing Matthew 9:35-10:8.

Join us as we continue our Two Perspectives series. Pastor Will and Pastor Jeff will each give messages regarding the verse of the week. Then, the pastors will come together for a Zoom call to discuss their messages: what they learned, how they grew, and where they saw God in each other’s message. This week’s episode is discussing Genesis 7:13–8:22.

Join us as we continue our Two Perspectives series. Pastor Will and Pastor Jeff will each give messages regarding the verse of the week. Then, the pastors will come together for a Zoom call to discuss their messages: what they learned, how they grew, and where they saw God in each other’s message. This week’s episode is discussing Genesis 7:13–8:22.

Mike Overton is the lay leader at Mandarin UMC and give us a message about Major League Baseball player Curt Flood, Philippians 3: 1-11, and getting unstuck.

Ryan Tevlin just graduated from high school and gives us a great message about how his experience of high school has been changed due to the Coronavirus, yet he sees this in a very opportunistic way.

In this episode we will look at the theology of a few different people that shape how we see the world including James Cone, Martin Luther King Jr., Trevor Noah, and many others.

We are continuing our sermon series about the theology that shapes us. In this one, we will be talking about the theologian “Origen.” We should have started with him.

We are starting a new series talking about theologians that have shaped us, how they understood scripture, and what that means for us. Today, we talk about a man named Jurgen Moltmann.

In this one, we talk about rituals and how rituals remind us of how God has worked in the past. In turn, that helps center us in the present, and have hope for the future.\

In this episode, we talk about the Easter story of Jesus appearing to two disciples on the walk to Emmaus and how our walk of the Coronavirus might be similar.

In this episode, we talk about Aspen Tree, the word “Ubuntu” and how we are all interconnected as human beings.

In this episode, we have a conversation about one of the things I have learned as we have been dealing with the Coronavirus. We talk about the Sabbath, how to do nothing and an Italian Phrase “Ill dolce Far Neite” from Elizabeth Gilbert’s book “Eat, Pray, Love.”

This is the first part of a 5 part conversation about things I have learned during this crazy virus known as the Coronavirus or Covid-19. The next 4 episodes will be released every other day so if you can follow along to hear what I have learned and am learning through this pandemic.

In the second part of this series, we go through the story from Luke 10 of Jesus and Disciples meeting Mary and Martha in their home. We learn about how we might make time and space to meet our neighbors. We learn how to say no to the good things that keep us busy in order to say yes to the great things.

In this episode we start a new series titled “Won’t You Be My Neighbor.” Today how we define a neighbor, take a very different look at the Good Samaritan Parable, and do an activity with a neighborhood map. The link for the neighborhood map is here

In the final installment of the Classical Stories Re-imagined series, we talk about the story of Joseph from a very different perspective. We give a new understanding of “repentance” not about being guilty for something but it is something more than that. We hope you enjoyed this series and we will begin a new series titled “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” next week.

In this episode we have the honorable guest of Cody Rollins. Cody is the worship director for Connection and he speaks to us right after Valentine’s Day about love. Cody puts some flesh and blood on what “love” is and how God is love for us. There is one line in there that really spoke to me when Cody talks about Jesus being love and in the form of Christ “the abstract becomes tangible.” I loved that line and making the universal of love a particular in Christ has been sitting with me this week. He also has a brief part of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last Christmas Sermon.

In part 4 of Classic Stories: Reimagined, we talk about a small story found in Joshua 3 about Joshua and the Israelites crossing the Jordan River. We move in and out of different stories in Scripture and make a full circle to see how they are all connected.

In this episode, we take a look at the classic story of Jonah and see what things lie just under the surface of the entire story.

In this Episode, we have the one and only Tyler Blalock speak to us. Tyler is a senior at Bartram Trail High School (not an old man though) and has just an incredible mind and heart. Tyler talks to us about how to get out of the cycle of your normal everyday things and what that means in your journey of faith. He gives us 4 practical ways we can stop just going through the motions.

We continue on our series about stories reimagined. In this one, we take a look at Daniel 3 and the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

The video about Greta Thunberg played in the message can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRgJ-22S_Rs

We are starting a new series titled Classic Stories Reimagined. We will be going through well known stories in the bible like Jonah and The Prodigal Son and having a conversation around new ideas, interpretations, and understandings of these old texts. This week we talk about the Exodus Story, particularly what happens after the Israelites are freed from Egypt.

I know we are already a week into the new year, but I thought this message was too good not to share a little late. In this special episode, what I try to do is give you a new understanding of the Christmas night, what it was like in first century and how Mary might have delivered baby Jesus, and how that would impact how we understand Christmas night.

In this episode, we finish our sermon series of advent. We talk about the Christmas story in the gospel of Luke, then we talk about a famous Christmas song that everyone loves to sing, then we want talk about two football jerseys, then we talk about a half bathroom, we end with a quote from Mark Twain. Enjoy the last message from 2019.

In this episode, we are continuing our sermon series during advent. We talk about a lawyer who stands up to question Jesus in Luke 10, the Good Samaritan, and Cindy Lou Who’s relationship with the Grinch.

In this episode we have the amazing Paula Coker Jones kicking off our Advent Sermon Series. In this one, Paula talk about the word peace and what peace might look like for us in the busyness of Christmas.

This episode we have a guest speaker named Brooke Lawrence who gives us a unique take on how we understand thanksgiving. Brooke is a wise, intellectual human that helps us see the mystery of the Christ within everything, including thanksgiving. She also gives us some practical ways that we can can better interact with family and friends during this thanksgiving.

This message came from the lay leader of Mandarin United Methodist Church, Mike Overton. Mike is an avid baseball fan who supports the St. Louis Cardinals and is just an overall amazing human being. He shares with us about how to figure out what our mission is as a church and as individuals.

This one is all about the story of Nicodemus in the Gospel of John. He appears 3 different times all in various capacities. His story teaches us about how change, old ways not understanding, how an experience with Jesus transforms us, and how a motto from Rob Bell “this is what comes with it” helps us in the process of change.

Is healing just physical or is there other things we need healing from? This message is about healing and John 9 where Jesus heals a blind man. In this one, we talk about healing, the hospital, and a wise sage who’s 7 worded question can shake up our spirit.

This week we finish our series titled #Blessed. In this episode, we have a guest speaker, Debbie McLeod who is the Senior Pastor at Mandarin United Methodist Church. She talks about 2 Timothy 4 and in particular 3 lines. “Fight the good fight, keep the faith, and finish the race.”

This week we continue our series titled #Blessed. In this episode, we talk about 5 things we can spend our money on other than giving. We hear a powerful story from Hollie about how she was impacted by the church, and then I share personally why I give.

The link to the video of Hollie’s story mentioned in the podcast is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-O9gr43we8

This week we start a new series titled #Blessed. In this episode, we talk about the Hebrew word for Blessed, thinking vs. believing, and a poblano pepper. Everything is truly a gift.

This week we finish our series about the book in the Bible called “Philippians.” In this one, we talk about how Paul re-frames worry, contentment and arguments. We take a concluding look at what Paul has re-framed for us in the entire book. We end with how this makes a difference with a story about a fourth grader in a ball pit.

P.S. Here is the link to the New York City Ball Pit Experiment

This week we continue our series about the book in the Bible called “Philippians”. In this one, we talk about gain, loss and how Paul redefines what it means to “lose” something.  We hope you enjoy this episode of Philippians Part 3.

This week we continue our series about the book in the Bible called “Philippians”. In this one, we have a guest speaker, Paula Coker Jones. She is the youth director at Mandarin United Methodist Church. She shares some fascinating insights about the background of Philippians, why Paul was imprisoned, and connects it to one of my favorite movies “The Matrix.”  We hope you enjoy this episode Paul, the Matrix, and Paula Coker Jones.

This week we start a new series about the book in the Bible called “Philippians”. In this one, we go deep upon the background of the book. We talk about the author, the time period, and the city “Philippi.” In the second half of the podcast, we go through chapter 1. At the end we tie it all together with a story from Rabbi Hugo Gryn. We hope you enjoy the podcast.

This week we finish our series about the ancient creation poem in Genesis 1. This one we talk the poem in different sections. We talk about God naming us,  a story of picking a teacher of the year at a local elementary school, Morgan Freeman’s bees, and Rabbi Akiva.

If you want to ask questions, you can submit questions through your podcasting app or you can download our app “Mandarin UMC”, click on the “Welcome Tab”, then on the scroll down click Thursday Nights, then under Thursday nights click Podcast, then under that click “Questions/Comments.” If there are comments, observations, or questions, we will submit a new Podcast on the following Tuesday address them.

Here are some of  the pictures of the Mosaic we made. If you are in the Jacksonville area, we would love to have you join us in person.

This week we continue our series about the ancient creation poem in Genesis 1. This one we talk about Ancient Near Eastern Cosmology, the Hebrew word “Raqia”, a frustrating text message my wife received, and what we do with chaos.

If you want to ask questions, you can submit questions through your podcasting app or you can download our app “Mandarin UMC”, click on the “Welcome Tab”, then on the scroll down click Thursday Nights, then under Thursday nights click Podcast, then under that click “Questions/Comments.” We will submit a new Podcast on Tuesday address the questions, comments and observations.