Munger Place Church - Dallas, Texas

Friends, difficult external circumstances do NOT mean that God is not with us! Joseph finds himself sold into Egyptian slavery, and yet the Bible says "The Lord was with him." What does that mean for us today? Preacher: Andrew Forrest

A brief, admittedly inadequate conversation about racial violence, the church, and where we can go from here.

We hope this short audio experience will help you prepare for Easter.   Remember: it is Cross Before Crown.   Before Easter Sunday, Good Friday. Before the Resurrection, Crucifixion. It’s important that we not move too quickly to Easter celebrations, but remind ourselves of what it cost Christ to go to the cross; our prayer is that this Stations of the Cross experience will help you do that.  And if we spend this time in preparation, when we get to Easter it will be more raucous, exuberant, and meaningful than ever.   Best Practices: Turn off your notifications and alerts. Find a quiet place in which to sit. Listen to the entire guide in one sitting, if possible.

How to take down the spiritual strongholds of your life.   Most of us have areas in our lives that are fortresses of fear, i.e., areas or topics through which the enemy seems to hit us most effectively and which give us a sense of dread.  What are you afraid of?  For some people the fortress of fear might have something to do with work, for others it may be something involving family or relationships or geopolitics.  Fear isn’t part of God’s plan for you, however, and Christ wants to set you free from fear.   This is how he’ll do it.

"Title: To Win, You Have To Be Willing to Lose   Some things are more important than life itself.   The binding of Isaac is the greatest and most terrible story in the Bible. The terror and the awe and the horror of Abraham’s slow journey up the mountain are unlike anything else in scripture, or out of it. It resists easy interpretation and neat categorization; it is a mystery in the deepest sense of the word. The only way to make sense of it is to connect it with Jesus on the Cross.   Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Genesis 22:1-19

Title: Control Your Appetites, Or Your Appetites Will Control You The good news? It’s actually possible. Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Genesis 25:19-34

Title: The Long Game Is How We Win   Where you are right now doesn’t matter as much as where you’ll end up.   Scripture: Genesis 21:1-9 Preacher: Andrew Forrest  

Title: Family Is How We Fight   Feeling hopeless about the future? Family is how we fight.   The Babel story is about humanity’s desire to save itself through technological innovation. Genesis 1-11 is a descending spiral of humanity’s attempts—and failures—to find life apart from God; Babel is the culmination.   We live in a modern Babel. I predict that the great struggle for humanity in the 21st century will be a struggle over technology: either we will master our technological powers, or be mastered by them.   But in the Bible, God’s response to Babel is not storm and fury, it’s family: immediately after Babel, God calls Abraham to be the founder of a family that will teach the world about a new way to be human.   Family is how we fight.

"A milestone birthday, and the 3 things I believe in.   I’ve been reflecting a lot this week about my life and what I want to accomplish and what I believe.   And because my life is bound up with the life of our church, I’d like to tell you about it.   Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Mark 1:35; Genesis 4:2-6, Matthew 16:13-16; Proverbs 3:5; Ecclesiastes 9:11; Job 38:1-7; John 20:30-31."

Wherever you go, there you are.   The Noah story doesn’t end with the rainbow. It actually ends with Noah drunk and spread-eagled in a tent. And that’s the point.   Scripture: Genesis 6-9 Preacher: Andrew Forrest

I believe that passivity is the primal temptation of the human male.  But, rage and anger are also a form of passivity.  Just look at Cain….   Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Genesis 3-4

Eden didn’t just happen then, it’s still happening today….    Preacher: Andrew Forrest  Scripture: Genesis 2-3

Why Doesn’t God Pronounce Mankind “Good”?   In the creation account in Genesis 1, the only part of the creation that God makes that is not specifically pronounced “good” is humanity. Why?   Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Genesis 1

Christmas means war.  Here’s how to fight.   Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Luke 2:13   References:   Painting: Washington Crossing the Delaware    Poem: New Heaven, New War by Robert Southwell < https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50634/new-heaven-new-war>   Watch: Linus and his blanket [it happens at 1:01] < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPhqMJpQsYQ>

This Christmas will never come again—don’t take a single moment for granted. The last gift the Magi bring Jesus is myrrh, which points towards his death. Jesus was born to die, and so are we. How are you preparing? Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Matthew 2:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18

(It has to do with the frankincense the Magi brought Jesus.) Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12

"It’s not about what God wants FROM you, it’s about what God wants FOR you.   We’re in a sermon series called “The Gift” in which we are looking at the gifts the Wise Men brought to Jesus.  Today, we look at gold.   Gold is the gift that you give to royalty.  Jesus is king, but we have a hard time accepting his lordship, because we think that kings come to take away our freedom.  In fact, King Jesus wants to give, not take from us.   Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12

What do you do when you’ve been given a gift you don’t want? This is the first week of an Advent sermon series called “The Gift,” in which we’re looking at the gifts the Wise Man gave to Jesus--gold, frankincense, and myrhh—and what they mean for us today. This first week is an overview that looks at those situations in life you didn’t ask for or want, but nevertheless you’re stuck with. Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25

Gratitude makes you happy. Here’s how to be grateful when you don’t feel like it. Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: John 7:10-5, 14-17, 37-39