Andy Talks

Today, Amos shares with the people what it is that God rebukes them for. They are not worshiping in the manner and in the way that God desires. They are not going to Jerusalem. They are not giving the sacrifice; they are going to the false high places in the northern kingdom. They also do not take care of the poor among them. Today, we struggle with the same things. When we worship, do we realize that we are not the audience; we are the participants? We give worship, we do not receive.  And do we take time to truly care for the poor?  We struggle, just as they did. May we be faithful in all things! Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=579260320You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

Amos continues to pronounce judgment today.  First, we see an additional nation (Moab) that will be judged. But then God turns His judgment to His people. First, Judah has not kept the covenant in the same way that their ancestors did not. And then Israel, the northern kingdom, has done so much (oppressed the poor, immorality, incorrect worship) that God rebukes. God is not trying to scare us in these passages today. He is simply telling us that our actions will have consequences.  Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=579154851You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

As we dig into Amos these next few days, we are going to spend some time today first unpacking who he is. He was a shepherd. He was not trained. He was not powerful. He was not from the right place. He was a shepherd whom God laid a word upon.  God called him, and he spoke. God doesn’t just use who we think He will; God will use all of us. God can use you today for amazing things. For great things. For powerful thing.  He wants to use you today, no matter what. We see in Amos who God uses—all of us. Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=579098671You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

Joel, the prophets, and all of the scripture point us to God’s restoration.  We see in Joel that God will bring judgment against the ones who have persecuted His people. Justice will come. But for Judah, for Jerusalem, restoration will come. The streambeds will flow with water.  The Lord dwells in Zion, and He will bring forth life for all His people. Rejoice, for restoration will come. But we are not the ones who have to do it. God is the one who will do it. God is the one who will bring life. God is the one who will restore. It is His life. We are recipients of it. Not the earners. God is the giver of all good things. Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=579001161You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blo

After following Jesus during Holy Week, today we resume with Joel. When we were last here, we saw God promise a pouring out of His Spirit upon all. This is the passage that Peter used for Pentecost. In today’s passage, we see God remind the people that judgment will come. God sees how His people have been mistreated and abused; He sees how His people have been oppressed by the nations. One day, in God’s time, there will be a day of judgment, where God will bring righteousness upon those who have harmed His people. Today, we can have hope. God sees.  God is aware. God will protect and will intercede for His people.  Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=578738658You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

In our Easter message from our Traditional service, Andy shares with us from Mark 16: 1-8. Easter is the dividing point between the old and the next. We have to imagine who God has called us to be and live remembering who that is.

Today, we see the cross and what our Lord endured for us out of His great love.  We see the ugliness, the brutality, the pain of the cross. We see sin placed upon our Lord and what He endured for our sake and for the sake of the world. Yes, Sunday is coming. But let us not be in such a rush to get to the empty grave that we do not stop and ponder what sin has done. He stretched out His arms of love on the cross so that we could come into His saving embrace.  Let us ponder the depth of His mercy today. Mercy for me. And mercy for you.  Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=578654852You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

Jesus gives us two very hard things today.  He models for us how are are to serve. And not just generic service, but service that is hard. Service that is dehumanizing. More than holding open a door, but deeply hard service. Then He tells us how folks will know that we are HIs - that we love. To service and to love. Those are hard. Those are difficult. We can’t do them on our own, but it is only the Spirit working through us. Today, we have our marching orders. We know what we are to do.  We are to serve and to love.  We can only do this through the gift of His Holy Spirit.  Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=578574746You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

Today in Holy Week, this is often called “Spy Wednesday.” This is the day that Judas begins the process of berating Jesus. But before we get to this, we see the religious leaders looking for a time and a place to arrest Jesus. We see the disciples angry at Jesus for being anointed with ointment and not selling it.  Could it be from this place of anger, this place of frustration, that the devil begins to grab that foothold and begin to do his work? What do we do when we do not understand Jesus or what He is doing?  Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=578482302You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

On Holy Tuesday, Jesus spends much time teaching.  Or perhaps you could say He spends much time correcting and speaking out against the religious leaders.  We are going to look at what is often called the “Seven Woes,” where Jesus condemns the religious leaders for their hypocrisy, for their self-righteousness, and for how they are actually keeping people from God. We see in the end that Jesus longs to restore these leaders, but they are unwilling. What about us? Will we turn from our self-righteousness and turn to Jesus and His grace?  For it is only there that life can be found.  Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=578396575You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

Many things happened to Jesus on Monday of Holy Week, but something that always catches my eye is His cursing of the fig tree. Why did He do that? What did that poor fig tree have to do with any of this?  We look at what happens in this moment, and in His teaching, we see something very important, something that can show us about our faith and the fruits we bear.  Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=578141902You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

In our Palm Sunday message, Andy shares with us from Mark 11: 1-11.  We see that Jesus fulfilled His purpose. He was always headed to Jerusalem. The people expected earthly answers. He was offering spiritual ones.  It's the same for us today. Will we look for earthly answers to spiritual realities?

Joel had his prophecies hundreds of years before Jesus, hundreds of years before Pentecost Sunday. Today, we see the exact text that Peter preached from on Pentecost. Upon all flesh, God will pour out His Spirit on sons and daughters, young and old.  No longer is the Spirit just to fall upon the prophet, but it falls upon all persons.  Today, you have access to the Holy Spirit.  We position ourselves to hear from God, to know from God, to know His Spirit, and we will receive that Spirit.  Today, God longs to pour out that Spirit upon you.  Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=577961603You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

Today, in Joel 2, we see the Lord’s response.  He will drive away the army, and He will do great things to restore and make all things beautiful.  He will repay for the years that the locusts have eaten.  The Lord can and will redeem and restore all things; there will be a new heaven and a new earth. God is not done with us yet. This does not mean that the pain we may have felt in the past is invalid or unimportant. Of course, it is. But what this does mean is that God sees. And God will repay.  God will restore.  Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=577961584You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

In Joel 2, we see that God’s day of judgment is far greater than the army of locusts we saw in Chapter 1. That is why we should always be careful when calling down for God’s great judgment; when He comes in judgment, none of us will be good enough. We see good news today, though; as great as judgment is, God’s grace is great.  God’s mercy comes running after us. He longs to forgive us. He loves us and desires to be in a relationship with us. When we turn from our sin and turn to His love, His mercy comes running!Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=577888947You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

What is a prophet? What do they do?  What is their task?  As we begin our time together in the minor prophets, we start first with Joel.  We look to Joel, and we see great brokenness.  In the face of that, we cry out to God. There is a great plague of locusts that are destroying everything in Joel’s time, and that will bring great destruction. In the midst of that, all we can do is turn to  God out of our pain, our hurt, and our loss.  This brokenness in the world can also lead us to understand the brokenness in ourselves. With that, we are led to repentance and to the healing of God’s Spirit.  Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=577792653You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

Philemon is an interesting small book in the New Testament.  Normally, we see Paul appealing to his authority as an apostle, but he doesn’t do that in this letter. In fact, quite the opposite.  Paul appeals to love and relationships here as he encourages Philemon to receive Onesimus back. We talk a little about what these relationships look like, about the power of God to save and transform, and then about the good that comes from telling others about Jesus! Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=576916225You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

Today, in our Traditional service, Andy shares with us from John: 12 20-33.  We see that we struggle with our greatest temptation - to make our lives completely about ourselves and not about God.  To find life, we must die to ourselves.  

In our Traditional message from March 10, 2024, we look at John 3: 14-21.  We are told that people love darkness more than light. We wrestle against the dark, every day, the darkness that tries to pull us down. But, in truth, darkness can never overcome the light. We have nothing to fear; we stand in the light of Jesus!

Paul reminds us today that we weren’t always a Christian. What does that reminder do for us?  It made me think of one of my favorite contemporary Christian songs from the 1990s by Steven Curtis Chapman - Remember Your Chains.  This song, like Paul’s words, is a reminder to remember that our salvation is not something we have earned, but it is a gift. And we should remember that and remember who we used to be. When we remember that, it makes us more thankful for God’s gift and (hopefully) more loving of those who are now where we used to be. Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today’s passage here - https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=576735766You can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/