Midweek Podcast

A Different Kind of Christmas: Giving Up On Perfect

ncunningham@ginghamsburg.org (Nick Cunningham) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

We have all had a moment in life when our experience doesn't meet our expectation; when things don't go according to plan. Put yourself in the shoes of Mary and Joseph. They had just gotten engaged, they were probably planning for the future, imagining what their life was going to be like together. That was the emotional state they were in, and then God showed up. Tonight we are going to take a look at another instance when someone's expectations weren't met on account of Jesus.

A Different Kind of Christmas: Not What I Expected

ncunningham@ginghamsburg.org (Nick Cunningham) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

People love a good surprise. I mean who doesn't like it when something good happens that we didn't see coming, that we didn't expect? At the heart of the Christmas story is this big fat surprise. The God of the universe comes as a baby, as an unexpected gift that nobody saw coming. Join us as we explore another scene from the life of Jesus that demonstrates the unexpected nature of God.

shinygods: earn - save - give

ncunningham@ginghamsburg.org (Nick Cunningham) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The greatest idol of our culture is materialism...this belief that happiness comes from the abundance of your possessions. The philosophy of our age is that the reason you aren't happy is because you don't have everything you want. This way of thinking has gotten us into some trouble as of late. The antithesis of materialism is generosity. Generosity opens up the door to what Paul calls, "the life that is truly life."

shinygods: money, work and debt

ncunningham@ginghamsburg.org (Nick Cunningham) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

shinygods: naming our idols

ncunningham@ginghamsburg.org (Nick Cunningham) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0400

For us living in the 21st century, the idea of worshiping and making sacrifices to little manmade statues seems ridiculous. Our culture is way to advanced to do something like that, right? Right. It would be easy to believe that idol worship has gone extinct, but I'm not so sure. I would just say that it has evolved. From our obsession with sports (the NFL, a game, generates 9 billion dollars a year), to our dedication to brand names, to our worship of celebrities (15 million people follow Lady Gaga on Twitter), I would say that idol worship is alive and kicking.

Questions for God...Sex?

ncunningham@ginghamsburg.org (Nick Cunningham) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Sex. That word gets our attention, turns our cheeks red, and is the advertiser's best friend. Our culture is obsessed with sexuality, but it is also terrible confused about it. No dimension of our humanity is more powerful than our sexuality and it is vitally important for us to not only understand why it exists, but we also need to understand how to experience it to the fullest.

Questions for God...Can Faith and Science Coexist?

ncunningham@ginghamsburg.org (Nick Cunningham) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

There seems to be this tension between some of the scientific community and people of faith. Can you be a person of faith and pursue a scientific understanding of the world? Can you have a scientific mind and hold to a belief in God? What exactly is the relationship between science and faith? These are some of the questions we will be dealing with in our final question for God, can faith and science co-exist?

Questions for God...Is There More Than This?

ncunningham@ginghamsburg.org (Nick Cunningham) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Is there more than this? At some point in time I'm pretty sure we have all asked this question... When we realize that we have been working the same job for decades. When life doesn't go the way we expected it to. When we feel trapped in this routine where we do the same thing every week, over and over again. Situations like these give birth to the question, "Is there more than this?" I think all of us want to know two things. One, is there a purpose for our lives, and two, how do we find it? Join us as we wrestle with these two questions.

Questions for God...What About Heaven and Hell?

ncunningham@ginghamsburg.org (Nick Cunningham) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

I'm not sure if you are aware of this or not, but,um...you're going to die. I'm not trying to ruin your day or anything, I mean I tend to think of myself as a glass half full kind of guy, but the reality is 100% of the human race either has or one day will take a dirt nap. What's the saying -- nothing is for certain but death and taxes. The idea of the afterlife is a conversation that humanity has been having from almost the beginning. And you know the Bible does have a lot to say about it and at the center of the Christian faith is the promise of eternal life, but we still have some questions don't we? What is heaven going to be like? What about hell? Who's in and who's out? What about people who never hear the name of Jesus? These are some questions that I find myself asking from time to time. What about you?

Questions for God...can we trust the Bible?

ncunningham@ginghamsburg.org (Nick Cunningham) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

No other piece of literature has made as much of an impact on the world as the bible has. No other piece of literature has been at the center of so much controversy either. It claims to be "God-breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16) and the church believes that it is the very word of God Himself, but how do we know that for sure? And if it is in fact the word of God, what does that even mean? How do we know it hasn't been changed over time? What about the apocrypha and the other books that were "left out?" I know you have some questions of your own so ask away! Please join us this Wednesday at Midweek with special guest United Seminary Professor Jason Vickers as we continue the conversation from this past weekend and in the meantime share your thoughts and questions about the message.

Questions for God...Why Pain Suffering and Evil?

ncunningham@ginghamsburg.org (Nick Cunningham) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The Bible tells me that God is good. As a human being living on the planet Earth I experience pain, suffering, and evil on a daily basis. How can God be good and allow pain, evil, and suffering to occur? This has been a question that atheists, agnostics, and people of faith have wrestled with for centuries. Join as we wrestle with this question at Midweek.

Remembering Our Loss, Renewing Our Hope

ncunningham@ginghamsburg.org (Nick Cunningham) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

September 11th, 2001 is a day that none of us will ever forget. I remember, with great detail, what I was doing when I first found out what had happened in New York City and I'm sure you do as well. It is also a day that stirs up a lot of emotions as well, and one of those emotions being anger. Ten years later, it's still hard to read the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 5. "You have heard it said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you." So let me ask you...as followers of Jesus how are we supposed to respond to something like 9/11?

Midweek Welcome

ncunningham@ginghamsburg.org (Nick Cunningham) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Welcome to Midweek