Shows / Andy Talks
Andy Talks
Join Andy Stoddard as he shares with us his daily reflection. Along with an occasional surprise.
Episodes
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Character - Titus 1
We meet Titus today. He is a Gentile Christian leader, someone brought into the faith by Paul. Paul trusted him to be the pastor of a church he loves -…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - We Walk Together - 2 Timothy 4: 9-22
We see Paul end this letter to Timothy with someone he does at the end of nearly every letter he writes - he thanks people. I sometimes call it his shoutouts…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - The God of Repentance - 2 Timothy 4: 1-8
One of my favorite prayers that I pray from the Morning Office says this - “For you, O Lord, are the God of those who repent, and in us you will show forth…
- Andy Talks
Sunday Sermon - We Wrestle Against Pride
In our Traditional message from March 3, 2024, Andy shares with us from Mark 2: 13-22, where Jesus cleanses the temple. Jesus was faithful to His mission no…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Read Your Bible! - 2 Timothy 3: 10-17
We read these words today, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - A Hopeless Task? - 2 Timothy 3: 1-9
Today, Paul tells us that in the last days, things will not get better; in fact, they will get worse. People will sin more; things will be harder and more…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Love Them to Jesus - 2 Timothy 2: 14-26
Paul today is not writing to social media users in 2024, it just seems like it. He tells us to be gentle with our words, not quarrelsome, but seeking to answer…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Something Deeper - 2 Timothy 2: 1-13
Paul compares the struggles we face to those of a soldier or of an athlete or a farmer. There will be difficult days, but if we keep our eyes focused on Jesus…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Not Ashamed - 2 Timothy 1: 8-18
Paul mentions the word “ashamed” three times in these few verses today. I always try to pay attention when something is mentioned repeatedly, so what is the…
- Andy Talks
Sunday Sermon - We Wrestle Against Ourselves
In our Traditional message from February 25, 2024, we look at Mark 8: 31-38. Peter has to learn this lesson; we all must learn. To get out of his own way…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - The Spirit God Gives Us - 2 Timothy 1: 1-7
Paul loves Timothy as a son. We see this as we begin 2 Timothy together. Paul tells him to rekindle the gift of God, to remember his family, and to know that…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Fight the Good Fight - 1 Timothy 6: 11-21
Paul gives Timothy some final words today: fight the good fight. He contrasts the way that Timothy (and all of us) are called to live with the way that others…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Losing Your Soul - 1 Timothy 6: 1-10
Paul talks to us today in 1 Timothy 6: 1-10 about the dangers of desiring and chasing after wealth. But before that, in verses 1-2, he talks about slavery. We…
- Andy Talks
Sunday Sermon - We Wrestle Against Temptaiton
In the February 18, 2024 message, we looked at Mark 1: 9-15. We are looking specifically at the temptation account. We expect spirited careful to be grand and…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Practical Words - 1 Timothy 5: 17-25
Paul is often seen as gruff and sometimes very harsh. And that reputation is well deserved, at times. But today, we see him offer fatherly advice to Timothy…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Kindness and Widows - 1 Timothy 5: 1-16
Today, in 1 Timothy 5, we see Paul give Timothy some words about how we speak to each other. We live in an age of much harsh language; Paul tells Timothy to…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Ash Wednesday - Joel 2: 12-14
Today is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. Lent is the forty-day period that starts on Ash Wednesday and leads to Easter. It is a season where…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Training for Godliness - 1 Timothy 4: 6-16
Today, we see Paul’s words on training. We are to train for Godliness. Paul does a great job of telling us exactly what that looks like. He tells us to…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - True Holiness - 1 Timothy 4: 1-5
Paul today continues a conversation that he has over and over again in the New Testament. What are we to do about marriage? What about food that has been…
- Andy Talks
Sunday Sermon - Balance: Reason
In the last of our series, "Balance," we look at Genesis 32: 22-32 and examine what role it is that reason plays in our faith and our theological method. If…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - The Mystery of our Religion - 1 Timothy 3: 14-16
Paul gives us some truth about what we believe. He defines some of our key and core doctrines about who Jesus Christ is. He gives us some powerful words for us…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - The Role of Deacons - 1 Timothy 3: 8-13
Today, we look at what Paul tells us about the role of deacons. We take a few minutes to talk about who deacons were, Biblically, and who deacons are today. We…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Spiritual Leadership - 1 Timothy 3: 1-7
Paul today lays out for us the qualification for “bishops.” We talk today about how that word is translated and how that word is where we get a lot of the…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Modesty and Submission - 1 Timothy 2: 8-15
Today, in 1 Timothy 2: 8-15, we see some of Paul’s words that may be the hardest to understand and make sense of, and that’s saying something talking about…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Praying for All - 1 Timothy 2: 1-7
Today’s passage gives us some great instruction on prayer. Pray for all our leaders. Paul tells us to pray, and to seek to be good citizens. These aren’t just…
- Andy Talks
Sunday Sermon - Balance: Experience
In our Traditional sermon from February 3, we look at John 4: 39-42. As we continue looking at our theology method as United Methodists, we look today at the…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Chief of all Sinners - 1 Timothy 1: 12-20
Paul calls himself the chief of all sinners. Why? Why does he say that? For Paul, that has a very specific meaning. Paul had great knowledge of the Law, of the…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - The Aim of Such Instruction - 1 Timothy 1: 1-11
We begin 1 Timothy today, looking at 1:1-11. Paul warns against false teaching today, those who are using the Law wrong, not even aware of what the law is or…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Beginning and End - Proverbs 31
We end Proverbs with where we started it. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom. Proverbs 31 is the famous passage of a wise and Godly woman…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Look Around - Proverbs 30
Today, as read from Proverbs 30, we see the sayings of Agur. These are interesting and follow some interesting patterns. One of the things we see frequently in…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - The Fear of Others - Proverbs 29
Today’s Rooted was for me. I needed to hear these words - the fear of others lays a snare. How often have we known what God was calling us to do but were…
- Andy Talks
Sunday Sermon - Balance: Tradition
Even though I was out on Sunday, we discussed Tradition in our series about theological reflection called "Balance," I wanted to share this message with you. I…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Beware of the Shadows - Proverbs 26-28
Today, we discuss gossip, humor, and jealousy. These things that lurk in the shadows can be destructive. Where do we find humor? We live in a cruel age, and…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Hospitality - Proverbs 25
Today, we see practical wisdom for hospitality and for dealing with our enemies. First, in Chapter 25, we learn a little bit about how Proverbs, as well as…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Do Not Envy the Wicked - Proverbs 24
We are told today, "Do not envy the wicked." But we have to ask ourselves the question, why would we do that in the first place? Why would we be tempted by…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - There is Always Hope - Proverbs 23
We see three things that mingle together in our reading of Proverbs 23. First, we hear, do not chase wealth. Yes, work hard and be faithful. But do not just…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - On the Use of Money - Proverbs 22
Today as we read Proverbs 22, it made me think about one of John Wesley’s sermons, “On the Use of Money.” If you’d like to, you can read this sermon here -…
- Andy Talks
Sunday Sermon - Balance: Scripiture
In our Traditional message from January 21, 2024, Andy preaches from 2 Timothy 3: 16-17. This is part of our series "Balance" on how we United Methodists do…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Where Wisdom is Found- Proverbs 19-21
Today, we look at chapters 19-21. These chapters are full of so much good wisdom for the living of our lives. We see the importance of helping the poor in a…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Playing a Friend - Proverbs 18
Two verses today work well to teach us a lot. First, we are told that a fool loves their own opinion but doesn’t care for wisdom. Then we are told that in…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Forgiveness and Relationships - Proverbs 17
Forgiveness may be one of the hardest things for any of us to do. But it is also one of the most essential. Without it, relationships cannot endure. The folks…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Pride Goeth Before the Fall - Proverbs 16
Today, in chapter 16, we see these wise words: pride goes before destruction. One of the greatest tools the devil has to attack us is pride. If we begin to…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Potholes in Heaven - Proverbs 15
A story is told about an old boy who tried to have all his gold put in his coffin when he died. But here’s the thing: the gold we value so much here on earth…
- Andy Talks
Sunday Sermon - Balance
In our Traditional sermon from January 14, 2024, Andy shares with us from Matthew 22: 34-40. We begin talking about the beauty that is the way we do…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - A Tranquil Mind - Proverbs 12-14
In our Friday and weekend readings, we see Solomon warn us about the dangers of reacting. We so often, out of anger, out of hurt, out of a million different…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Generosity - Proverbs 11
Today, in chapter 11, we see several verses that point to the importance of being generous. When we give, when we are generous, we find ourselves blessed. It…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Watch What You Say - Proverbs 10
Today, in Proverbs 10, we see Solomon begin to give his wisdom. Solomon was the wise king, David’s son, who built the great temple. Solomon ruled with great…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Wisdom and Folly - Proverbs 9
In Proverbs 9, we see that two voices call out to us today: wisdom and folly. Both promise us something beautiful, life and learning and joy. But in the end…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - What Exactly is Wisdom? - Proverbs 8
In Proverbs 8 today, we hear wisdom speak. This is an interesting passage because it comes from the perspective of wisdom. Wisdom tells us today about how to…
- Andy Talks
Sunday Sermon - The Long and Winding Road
In our Traditional sermon from January 7, 2024, Andy shares with us about the Wise Men from Matthew 2: 1-12. We see the journey they took; how it was often…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Temptation and Work - Proverbs 5-7
Going into the weekend, we are going to look at Proverbs 5-7. Chapters 5 and 7 can be looked at together, giving us practical advice on resisting temptation…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - The Purpose of it All - Proverbs 4
Proverbs tells us to keep our eyes focused on wisdom, to keep our eyes focused on what is ahead. Yesterday, in Proverbs 3, we learned to trust in God, and He…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Lean Not on Your Own Understanding - Proverbs 3
Today, we read what may be the most well-known passage in Proverbs, chapter 3:5-6. Don’t trust in your own understanding. Lean on God. Trust in Him…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Wisdom is a Gift - Proverbs 2
Today, we see that wisdom flows from God. It is a gift from God; it is a gift from the Holy Spirit. In James, we are told that if we lack wisdom, we should…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - The Fear of the Lord - Proverbs 1
In this new year, we will look daily at a chapter in Proverbs. There is much we can gain from this great book of wisdom. Today, we see that the fear of the…
- Andy Talks
Christmas Eve Sermon - Good News
In our Christmas Eve message, Andy shares with us from Luke 2: 1-20. The Gospel is Good News! For unto us a child is born! That is Good News! That is the…
- Andy Talks
Sunday Sermon - Jesus is Love
In our Combined worship service from December 24, 2023, Andy shares with us from Luke 1: 26-38. Jesus is love. But Mary had a part to play in God's plan of us…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - The Old, Old Story - Luke 2: 1-20
Today’s passage is one that we have heard read a million times. We know it. We’ve heard it. We’ve experienced it. This story reminds us of our parents and…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - The Plan All Along - Matthew 1: 18-25
We look at Matthew’s telling of the Christmas story. We see how, from the very beginning, Matthew is tying everything into the Old Testament. Jesus is not a…
- Andy Talks
Reflections with Andy - Far as the Curse is Found - John 1: 1-18
Over the next three days, we will look at the Christmas story as found in the Gospels. Today, we look at John’s. This is my personal favorite. Now, when we…