Praise Cathedral Podcast

<p>Pastor Jerry Madden takes the congregation to the Cross and the empty tomb on Easter Sunday and poses the question 'Where Is Everyone?' Find guidance and direction through the stories told in the Bible to encourage your walk with Christ.</p>

<p>Throughout Scripture, God has used ordinary rocks and stones as powerful memorials of His faithfulness. From Jacob's pillow stone where God renewed His promises during Jacob's darkest hour, to the twelve memorial stones Joshua set up after crossing the Jordan River, to the small stone David used to defeat Goliath, these simple objects tell extraordinary stories. The most significant stone of all was the one that sealed Jesus' tomb - a stone that couldn't contain the risen Savior. These biblical examples remind us that God shows up in unexpected places and uses ordinary things to accomplish extraordinary purposes. We must share these stories of God's faithfulness with future generations, creating our own memorials to remember how God has worked in our lives.</p>

<p>We are excited to welcome Dr. Phil Cook, president of Lee University to our pulpit as he shares his testimony.</p>

<p>The parable of the sower reveals why some people experience abundant spiritual fruit while others remain spiritually barren. Jesus describes three types of unproductive soil: hard hearts that have been hurt and become unteachable, shallow hearts that lack commitment and depth, and divided hearts where competing priorities choke out God's word. Good soil represents a heart that is soft, tender, and totally available to God. When God's word finds this kind of surrendered heart, it produces remarkable fruit - thirty, sixty, or even a hundred-fold. The key is honest self-examination and allowing God to break up hard places, create depth, and remove competing interests that prevent His word from flourishing in our lives.</p>

<p>In John 4, Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well reveals how understanding His true identity transforms everything. Jesus broke through racial and gender barriers to offer living water to someone society had rejected. The woman initially doubted His ability because she didn't recognize who He was - the same mistake we make today when we worry instead of pray. When Jesus exposed her hidden shame from five failed marriages, she tried to redirect to religious arguments rather than face her pain. But Jesus came not to condemn but to liberate. The key lesson is that if we truly knew who Jesus is - the King of Kings who gives us access to approach Him anytime - we would ask Him about everything instead of living below our privilege as God's children.</p>

<p>Jesus offers something radically different from religious performance: true rest for our souls. When He declared authority to forgive sins and healed on the Sabbath, Jesus challenged both moral conservatives and cultural liberals who sought acceptance through their own efforts. The Gospel isn't about meeting minimum requirements or achieving enlightenment—it's about resting in Christ's finished work. Religious systems create bondage by making acceptance conditional on performance, but Jesus provides rest through His completed sacrifice on the cross. The question isn't how much we must do to earn God's acceptance, but how much we can give in response to the acceptance we've already received in Christ.</p>

<p>Pastor Chris Criswell teaches from Luke 18 about persistence and not giving up on your prayers to God. </p>

<p>Following Jesus is far more radical than most people realize. Christ's call isn't an invitation to add Him to your busy life - He demands to be your supreme passion above every other priority. The gospel isn't good advice about earning God's acceptance; it's good news about what Christ has already accomplished for us. When Jesus called the disciples, they immediately left everything to follow Him, understanding this wasn't casual participation but complete life reorientation. True discipleship means your love for Christ should be so intense that by comparison, everything else appears secondary.</p>

<p>Mark chapter 1 reveals the Trinity in perfect harmony at Jesus' baptism - the Father's voice, the Son in the water, and the Holy Spirit descending like a dove. This scene shows us the divine dance where the three persons of God eternally glorify one another in perfect unity. Originally, humanity was created to participate in this divine dance, but sin caused us to step out of rhythm by making life about ourselves instead of God. Through Jesus' perfect obedience, even unto death, He opened the path for us to re-enter this eternal dance of glory.</p>