Grace Gathered

In our season finale studying "Grace Upon Grace", Libbie uses the story of the prodigal son to demonstrate how each of us are relationally lost and in need of grace. Through our season, we talked about what grace can look like when it shows up in our lives, and in this message Libbie challenges us to not let grace be just an instance, but a constant posture of our lives. We know that when we approach the Father in need of grace, He goes beyond our wildest expectations in His response!

John 1:16

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Welcome, friends! At our LIVE at the Gathering event in April, we took the opportunity to record a live podcast to answer questions that were submitted and share a little about ourselves! Thank you to all who participated, and a special thank you to our lovely host, Karli Bullard!

Our prayer for this podcast continues to be that it would be a place to gather grace and truth, and we hope this pop-up podcast is a great place to get acquainted with the purpose and the women behind it.

We finish up our two-part season finale with conversation about how to surrender is ultimately to worship. The daily responses to grace add up to this end goal: to put God back on the thrones of our hearts. This is worship! Join us as we talk about some of the idols that rule our hearts and things that get in the way of our surrender.

As we near the end of Season 2 of the podcast (Season 5 of the LIVE events!) we continue the conversation about grace and how it is woven throughout our lives. We now ask the question, “what is to be our response to grace?” When we begin this journey by asking, “What can I do to show God that I’m grateful?” we are, yet again, walking the way of striving. With words from a shared devotional, we challenge each other to not only recognize the grace in place in our lives, but to respond to it with what God really wants: our surrender.

The mission of both The Gathering & the Grace Gathered Podcast goes beyond the walls of our church and into the lives of other women through outreach. This season’s outreach is focusing on reaching the lives of those affected by human trafficking. Our first guest, Beverly Weeks, runs a human trafficking outreach & rescue organization called “Cry Freedom Missions.” Beverly begins with some of the ways the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but ends with the Way of Jesus, coming so that we could live life abundantly. The content of this message is powerful and filled with God’s truth, hope, and conviction to meet people where they are and to speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves! *It also includes some sensitive content; please, consider and pray before you share with the younger women in your life. 

Our second guest, Tina Wright, challenges us to become more aware of the grace that is all around us and evident in our world. She gives us examples of tools we have that help us to notice and remember, though the devil works to get us to forget the gift of grace that gives us hope in this broken world. It is a hope that though the world is broken, it won’t be broken forever, and hope that though we cannot break the cycle of our own brokenness, God absolutely can.  

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Join us as we welcome Leanna Hernandez in studio after sharing her testimony with us at our most recent LIVE at the Gathering event. Have you ever felt like you've messed things up so badly that you are no longer someone God is paying attention to? Come together with us as we talk about what it means when God is silent, how he equips us to do what He's sent us to do, and how He never stops working in our lives, even when we have "messed up the plan." Rest alongside us in the assurance that God never stops working in our lives and sending us out, whether our God-given mission is one as grand as planting a missionary church or as humble as working on a marriage. It is all kingdom work and in His sovereign hands!

Check out Leanna's testimony shared on our social media!

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I know you've heard us talk about discipleship groups a lot! If it is ever something God has laid on your heart, we always have groups starting up and ready to join! You can go right to registration here: https://www.gracechapelsanford.com/next-steps/groups/

Happy new year from us here at Grace Gathered! We know that the new year can bring harsh expectations and easy disappointments. God has some expectations of us, and they don't have anything to do with gym memberships or eating healthier... they have everything to do with us letting His grace flow through us to others. Join us as we talk about four practical ways we can do just that... by His grace.

Imagine the details of Jesus's life and how relatable they are! Jesus had tempations of jealousy and bad hair days, just like us. He was holy, yet made Himself breakable. John 1:14 MSG reads, "The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood." What grace upon grace that God became flesh and blood to live among us, and what a thing to celebrate at Christmastime and every day!

Join Libbie as she leads us in study and exploration of the special way John writes for us about Jesus, and enjoy an exerpt from Max Lucado's daily devotional, "Just a Moment."

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On the heels of an episode about discerning condemnation from conviction, we sit down with Marie to hear her story of abortion, redemption, and beauty from ashes. Each with our own secrets and shame, we discuss how important and beautiful it is to bring light to the darkness, to have community, and to watch together in awe at the work God does with it all! Marie also answers our questions about this program coming to Grace Chapel Women.

Find information and registration for the "Surrendering the Secret" resource at Grace Chapel at https://gracechapelsanford.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/2052558 and discover more information on the program and author, Pat Layton, at https://surrenderingthesecret.com/.

Also, keep an eye out for Marie's video from December at the Gathering on our social media:

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Join us as we talk about the life-giving difference between condemnation and conviction. We imagine how the devil has tried to use shame and guilt to limit the impact of women like us in the lives of those around us, and we study the lives and legacies of the unlikely women in Jesus’ lineage to demonstrate how God works so very differently, bringing outsiders and sinners into the story of grace and hope.

Also check out Season One, Episode Three! While this current episode is about our unlikely place in God’s work and Kingdom, there we talk about how God uses unlikely friendships to accomplish His amazing work. It is a delight, and an encouraging sidekick to this episode, especially at Christmastime! God truly uses all types of women, and what a personal gift to us that we can find at least one to relate to!

For further reading & reference, explore the following verses and literature: Stephanie and Libbie are reading from the ESV, unless otherwise noted. We also read from New Morning Mercies, October 2, by Paul David Tripp.

Tamar’s story is found in Genesis 38; Rahab’s story is found in Joshua 2 and 6; Ruth’s story is found in Ruth 1-4; Bathsheba’s story is found in 2 Samuel 11-12 and 1 Kings 1-2; Proverbs 31; Romans 8:1-2. Jesus’ lineage as recorded by Matthew is found in Matthew 1:1-17.