Life on the West Side

Every family tree has some nuts and squirrels up in there. Maybe, for whatever reason, you blush when you think about your family tree. Jesus certainly could have. The list given in Matthew 1 is not the guest list you would have imagined. And yet…each lived story became part of a tapestry leading to Christ.

The sermon today is titled "Blessing Up." Originally preached on Mother's Day at West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on May 11, 2025. All lessons fit under one of 6 broad categories: Begin, Instill, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under GROW: Families & Relationships.

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Podcast Notes (resources used or referenced):

• Sermon by Michael Krueger, “Your Family Tree,” Christ Covenant Church (July 21, 2019)
• Max Lucado, When God Whispers Your Name. 

I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.
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What are some reasons to be filled with hope? Let the book of 1 John answer this.

The sermon today is titled "Hope From 1 John." The Scripture reading is from 1 John 5:13 (ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on May 4, 2025. All lessons fit under one of 6 broad categories: Begin, Instill, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under BEGIN: A Peaceful Assurance.

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I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.
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We rise from a grave in our baptism. When we rise, what do we leave behind? Let the Easter story speak into this.

The sermon today is titled "Resurrection Sunday." The Scripture reading is from Romans 6:1-11 (MSG). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on April 20, 2025. All lessons fit under one of 6 broad categories: Begin, Instill, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under BEGIN: A Loving Christ and DISCOVER: A New Reality.

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I'd love to connect with you!

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How can we live out the prayer of Jesus for unity in John 17?

The sermon today is titled "Let Them Be One." Originally preached as a guest sermon at the Pleasant Valley Church of Christ (Little Rock, AR) on December 1, 2024. All lessons fit under one of 6 broad categories: Begin, Instill, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under DISCOVER: A New Community.

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Podcast Notes (resources used or referenced):

• Sermon by Sam Wells, "You Belong To Me." St. Martin-in-the-Fields, May 12, 2024.
• Sermon by Bishop Robert Barron, "Pentecost and the Tower of Babel." June 4, 2006.

I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.
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What made the early church so compelling? What were the practical ethics of early Christian practice? What would it look like to restore our radical witness?

The lecture today is titled "Ethics, Human Dignity, and Christian Orthodoxy." Originally given at the Remission Connect Conference at Pleasant Valley Church of Christ (Little Rock, AR) on February 10, 2025. All lessons fit under one of 6 broad categories: Begin, Instill, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under LEARN: Introduction to Theology.

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Podcast Notes (resources used or referenced):

• The "more beautiful song" illustration (connecting Homer and Orpheus) comes from Martin Luther King's 1964 Nobel Lecture.
• "We need a good story": David Martin, Christian Language in the Secular City (2002).
• Nathan Guy, "Jesus Made Your Moral World," TGC 2024.
• A summary of Keller's speech at the Gospel & Our Cities Conference can be found here. See also Larry Hurtado, Destroyer of the Gods.
• Nathan Guy, "The New Christian Era," Christianity Today 2024.
• Louise Perry, The Case Against The Sexual Revolution.
• Brad East, "COC-Catholic, not Evangelical."
• Allen Gardiner illustration can be found here.
• Song, "I Raise A Hallelujah" (Bethel Music).

I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.
• Follow along each Sunday through YouTube livestream and find a study guide on the sermon notes page.
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What we do is what we become. Christians replace cultural habits we've imbibed with spiritual habits we intentionally embrace. What if we thought of our spiritual community as a spiritual habit?

The sermon today is titled "The Habit of Silence." It is the eleventh installment in our series "Follow Me", and the third in the sub-series "Spiritual Habits." The Scripture reading is from 1 Kings 19:1-18 (ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on April 13, 2025. All lessons fit under one of 6 broad categories: Begin, Instill, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under GROW: Spiritual Disciplines.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.

Podcast Notes (resources used or referenced):

• Ruth Haley Barton, Invitation to Solitude and Silence (IVP Books), 2004.
• Tim Keller Sermon, “The Still Small Voice,” Sep 26, 1999.
• Peter J. Leithart, 1 & 2 Kings, Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible.
• Iain W. Provan, 1 & 2 Kings, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series.

I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.
• Follow along each Sunday through YouTube livestream and find a study guide on the sermon notes page.
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What we do is what we become. Christians replace cultural habits we've imbibed with spiritual habits we intentionally embrace. What if we thought of our spiritual community as a spiritual habit?

The sermon today is titled "The Habit of Scripture." It is the tenth installment in our series "Follow Me", and the second in the sub-series "Spiritual Habits." The Scripture reading is from Psalm 19 (ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on April 6, 2025. All lessons fit under one of 6 broad categories: Begin, Instill, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under GROW: Spiritual Disciplines.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.

Podcast Notes (resources used or referenced):

• Sermon, “The Goodness of Scripture,” Fellowship Bible Church (Searcy, AR)
• Tim Keller Sermon, “Listening to the Word," Sep 7, 2008.
• Research on reading the Bible 4 times a week.
• Ken Cukrowski, et. al., God's Holy Fire.

I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.
• Follow along each Sunday through YouTube livestream and find a study guide on the sermon notes page.
• Follow me @nathanpguy (facebook/instagram/twitter)
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What we do is what we become. Christians replace cultural habits we've imbibed with spiritual habits we intentionally embrace. What if we thought of our spiritual community as a spiritual habit?

The sermon today is titled "The Habit of Community." It is the ninth installment in our series "Follow Me", and the first in the sub-series "Spiritual Habits." The Scripture reading is from Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on March 30, 2025. All lessons fit under one of 6 broad categories: Begin, Instill, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under GROW: Spiritual Disciplines.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.

Podcast Notes (resources used or referenced):

• Sermon, “Our King’s Table,” Fellowship Bible Church (Searcy, AR)
• Tim Keller Sermon, “Hope For The Church,” Nov 1, 2009.
• Barbara Brown Taylor, Leaving Church.
• Everett Ferguson, The Church of Christ: A Biblical Ecclesiology.

I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.
• Follow along each Sunday through YouTube livestream and find a study guide on the sermon notes page.
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Dallas Willard challenges us to "ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life." John Mark Comer was so moved by this line, he titled his book "The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry." We wonder why we can't hear the voice of God, or find his presence in the busy-ness of life. Perhaps the still, small voice still speaks in those inner rooms and deserted places Jesus chose to frequent throughout his life. Could it be that "doing more" is actually standing in the way of "being with"?

The sermon today is titled "Wasting Time With God." It is the eighth installment in our series "Follow Me", and the fourth in the sub-series "Be With Jesus." The Scripture reading is from Luke 10:38-42 (ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on March 23, 2025. All lessons fit under one of 6 broad categories: Begin, Instill, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under GROW: Spiritual Formation.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.

Podcast Notes (resources used or referenced):

• John Mark Comer, Practicing the Way.
• Rich Villodas, The Deeply Formed Life.
• Luke Timothy Johnson, Luke (Sacra Pagina).
• Tim Keller, "With the Anxious" (Feb 9, 1997).
• Eric Pickersgill Photos.
• Jonathan Storment, "Rise & Shine" (notes from this sermon), preached at Pleasant Valley Church of Christ; generously provided by Jonathan; used with permission.

I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.
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What if the reward for following Jesus...is Jesus? What if gazing upon the beauty of the Lord was its own reward? Welcome to the power of contemplative prayer.

The sermon today is titled "The Reward For Being With Jesus." It is the seventh installment in our series "Follow Me", and the third in the sub-series "Be With Jesus." The Scripture reading is from Psalm 63:1-8 (ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on March 16, 2025. All lessons fit under one of 6 broad categories: Begin, Instill, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under GROW: Spiritual Formation.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.

Podcast Notes (resources used or referenced):

• John Mark Comer, Practicing the Way.
• Sam Wells, A Nazareth Manifesto.
• Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics.

I'd love to connect with you!

• Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.
• Follow along each Sunday through YouTube livestream and find a study guide on the sermon notes page.
• Follow me @nathanpguy (facebook/instagram/twitter)
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