Parker Ford Church's Podcast

Mid-Week Teaching: “Get Dressed!: The Armor of God”This week DJay continues the series "Get Dressed!" by looking at the Armor of God in Ephesians 6.  Last week we read Isaiah 59, from which Paul borrows "the helmet of salvation" and "breastplate of righteousness."  Notice how Paul takes this imagery and develops it into a full suit of spiritual armor. 

Mid-Week Teaching: “Get Dressed!: The Lord's Clothing”In this this week's teaching, DJay begins a new mid-week series titled: "Get Dressed." The Scriptures are filled with images, stories, and parables of clothing. Adam and Eve were naked and ashamed, but God clothed them.  This week DJay focuses on the clothing that the Lord dresses Himself in as described in Isaiah 59.

Mid-Week Teaching – 5 Practices to Imitate ChristAs we launch into a new mid-week series, DJay briefly explores 5 historic spiritual practices for us to imitate Jesus.  This week we explore: prayer, meditation on Scripture, receiving mentorship, discipling others, and working in partnership. The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, "Imitate me, as I imitate Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1). In the Gospels we see Jesus live out each of these 5 spiritual practices.

Mid-Week Teaching – Joy and Grief: Joy is the DestinationToday's teaching brings our mid-week series on joy and grief to a conclusion. Today we explore the destination: joy. As image-bearers of God we were created to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Joy is the final destination.

Mid-Week Teaching – Joy and Grief: Working through EmpathyIn this week's teaching we explore the role of empathy in suffering. Have you ever struggled with what to say to a friend or loved one when they're going through a difficult trial? You're not alone. Unfortunately, people often unintentionally say hurtful things that only make things more painful in these situations. The paradox of joy and grief in the Scriptures helps reveal a healthy path forward.

In our mid-week teaching DJay continues the ongoing series on joy and grief. Have you ever met a person who couldn't take a joke? Or, perhaps, someone who never knew when to stop joking. Living a life of balance between joy and grief can help us understand when it is time to be silly and when it is time to be disciplined. 

In this week's teaching on Joy and Grief, Pastor D. Jay Martin offers some thoughts on working through grief to arrive at a place of rest.  When we are truly quiet, we are often confronted with parts of ourselves that we would rather avoid. Biblical lament offers us a path to move through this discomfort into a place of wisdom and rest.

In this week's teaching DJay offers further reflections on the Joy and Grief paradigm. We are invited to work through areas of personal offense in our lives by embracing the Biblical invitation to lament and grieve. 

In our mid-week teaching DJay continues the discussion concerning the relationship between joy and grief. The Scriptures offer lament as a healthy pathway to work through anger and fear.

Pastor DJay begins with the introduction of the mid-week teaching miniseries on the topic Joy and Grief.This teaching is also available on the Parker Ford Church You-Tube channel.“When a person lives a life of balance, willing to embrace both joy and grief, then the treasures of both joy and grief are unlocked.  Joy is the key to grief and grief the key to joy. When we hold on to the hope of joy, even in the midst of deep lament, grief can become a source of healthy lament, loving anger, and helpful honesty”. – DJay Martin “Joy & Grief”

In our mid-week teaching, Pastor DJay Martin offers a few thoughts and insights into the nature of hope. Hope is being seen by Jesus, hope is seeing Jesus rightly, and hope is helping others see Christ.

As we continue to practice "social distancing" as a society in the midst of the Coronavirus crisis, Pastor DJay brings a message about moving from fear and anxiety to faith and love. Five Biblical practices are offered to help us make this vital journey.

Pastor D.Jay Martin teaches on "The Lord’s Blessing (A Good Time to Re-evaluate)""As we walk through this unique and strange time, this is a great opportunity for us to re-evaluate and re-imagine the meaning and definition of the Biblical word "blessing."  This week's sermon offers four Scriptural insights that can help us rethink what it means to be blessed."

Tim Doering (PFC Minister of Regional Leadership in East Coventry PA) , Dave Hakes (pastor at Day Break Community Church in Collegeville) and D. Jay Martin (pastor at Parker Ford Church) are sharing how to address some of the things we are facing as a community from a pastoral and theological perspective. 

Pastor DJay Martin teaches on Jeremiah 31:31-37 and Hebrews 9:1-28, with the message entitled “Jesus in Jeremiah: New Covenant” as he continues the sermon series “Living in His Story: Jesus, the Author, Hero, Completer”.The Hebrew Scriptures are filled with covenants.  The Lord established covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David.  But each of these covenants pointed forward to a coming covenant that was only foreshadowed by the first covenants.  The prophet Jeremiah called this the “New Covenant.”  This week we will look at the promise of the New Covenant, and its fulfillment through the life, teaching, and ministry of Christ.

Josh Hostetter teaches on Isaiah 53, with the message entitled “Jesus in Isaiah: Jesus the Suffering Servant” as he continues the sermon series “Living in His Story: Jesus, the Author, Hero, Completer”. 

Ash Wednesday Service Lenten 2020: Practicing the Presence of God - During Lent, Pastor DJay would like focus on laying down things that distract us and hurry us and, in their place, pick up disciplines and experiences that foster practicing the presence of God.   

Josh Bytwerk, former pastor at PFC joined us as a guest speaker. He teaches on John 4, with the message entitled “How Jesus Fights Poverty.” 

Danny Conicelli teaches on Psalm 2, with the message entitled “Jesus in the Psalms: Lion, Lamb, King” as he continues the sermon series “Living in His Story: Jesus, the Author, Hero, Completer”.“The idea of YHWH alone as king, as expressed by the extreme revolutionaries in the first century, thus raises a big question. What will this mean in practice, in reality? What will is look like? How does all this line up, if it does, with the national expectation and hope? Will it underwrite it, will it overthrow it, or will it perhaps do both of those at the same time? Paying attention to the prophets would indicate that something like this third possibility was likely; but what would it actually mean? In particular, the question was raised: would YHWH actually appear, visibly and in person, to take charge? If so, what could people expect to see? How would it happen?” -N.T. Wright referencing Psalm 2 Psalm 2 was written around 1044 B.C. by King David. In 2020 A.D. we are privileged with a clearer picture of God’s “An

Pastor DJay Martin teaches on Psalm 22, Mark 15:21-34 and, John 19:28 with the message entitled “Jesus in the Psalms: Suffering Messiah” as he continues the sermon series “Living in His Story: Jesus, the Author, Hero, Completer”.“Is the universe a friendly place?” This, according to Albert Einstein, is the key question for humanity to ask when pondering the nature of life.  I think it’s a very good question, though, as a Christ follower, I would probably frame it slightly differently.  As Christians, our worldview – namely the way in which the hope and joy we have in Christ shape the way we view life – compels us to answer “Yes!”  But, how then do we process the horrors of our fallen world with intellectual and emotional honesty?  Things around us are often really bad, and to say otherwise would be completely disingenuous.  How then do we still fiercely cling to the hope we have in the promises of God, while also not belittling the suffering and pain around us?  Thank God for the Psalms.  Here we find a balan