Life on the West Side

How can we practice the presence of God? By abiding in the vine.

The sermon today is titled "The Habit of Abiding in God." It is the sixth installment in our series "Follow Me", and the second in the sub-series "Be With Jesus." The Scripture reading is from John 15:1-11 (ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on March 9, 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.
• Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God.
• Tim Keller, "Grow in Grace" (Jan 5, 1992).
• Tim Keller, "The Vinedresser" (Jan 12, 1992).
• Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline.
• 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.
• Follow along each Sunday through YouTube livestream and find a study guide on the sermon notes page.
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We are good at working for or being for others. But maybe we need to learn how to “be with.”

The sermon today is titled "Being With." It is the fifth installment in our series "Follow Me", and the first in the sub-series "Be With Jesus." The Scripture reading is from Mark 3:13-15 (ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on March 2, 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: Being With God.
• Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline.
• 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.
• Follow along each Sunday through YouTube livestream and find a study guide on the sermon notes page.
• Follow me @nathanpguy (facebook/instagram/twitter)
• Subscribe to my email newsletter on substack.

We tend to think of our baptism as our day of choosing. But today...and every day...will we choose Christ or ourselves?

The sermon today is titled "A Time For Choosing." It is the fourth installment in our series "Follow Me." The Scripture reading is from Joshua 24:15 (ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on February 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.
• Nathan Guy, "Disagreeing Well." HealthyTheology.
• Jonathan Storment, "Saving the Saved" (notes from this sermon) & "Failure to Launch" (notes from this sermon), both preached at Pleasant Valley Church of Christ; generously provided by Jonathan; used with permission.
• Chairs illustration adapted from Rick Atchley. See his original here.

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)
• Subscribe to my email newsletter on substack.

Recognize what God has done through Christ--the only source of power. Respond with love to become all that he called us to become through His power. And seek to imitate, so that we might bring up "little Christs."

The sermon today is titled "Making Little Christs." It is the third installment in our series "Follow Me." The Scripture reading is from Deuteronomy 6:20-25 (ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on February 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):

• Tournament of Roses Parade story: Steve Blankenship, quoted in Max Lucado, God Came Near.
• Missionary story about the car: Ernest B. Beevers, from sermonillustrations.com on "power."
• For the Georgia Bulldogs "between the hedges" story, see here.
• John Mark Comer, Practicing the Way.
• Dallas Willard, The Great Omission.
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship.
• Jonathan Storment, "Making Little Christs" (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.
• Follow along each Sunday through YouTube livestream and find a study guide on the sermon notes page.
• Follow me @nathanpguy (facebook/instagram/twitter)
• Subscribe to my email newsletter on substack.

Be with your rabbi. Become like him. Do what he did. This is discipleship.

The sermon today is titled "Apprentices To Jesus." It is the second installment in our series "Follow Me." The Scripture reading is from Mark 3:13-15 (ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on February 9, 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.
• Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy.
• Dallas Willard, The Great Omission.
• Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines.
• John R. W. Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount.
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship.
• Gregory A. Smith, “About Three in Ten US Adults Are Now Religiously Unaffiliated,” Pew Research Center, Dec 14, 2021. 
• “American Worldview Inventory 2023,” Barna, Feb 28, 2023 
• Lee Daniel's The Butler "Sit-In" scene.
• Jonathan Storment, "Covered in Dust" (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.
• Follow along each Sunday through YouTube livestream and find a study guide on the sermon notes page.
• Follow me @nathanpguy (facebook/instagram/twitter)
• Subscribe to my email newsletter on substack.

Everyone follows someone. The question is: who is your rabbi? And how can anyone tell?

The sermon today is titled "Covered In The Dust of Your Rabbi." It is the first installment in our series "Follow Me." The Scripture reading is from Mark 1:16-20 (ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on February 2, 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.
• Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy.
• Dallas Willard, The Great Omission.
• Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines.
• John R. W. Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount.
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship.
• Jonathan Storment, "Covered in Dust" (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.
• Follow along each Sunday through YouTube livestream and find a study guide on the sermon notes page.
• Follow me @nathanpguy (facebook/instagram/twitter)
• Subscribe to my email newsletter on substack.

The prayer our Lord taught us to pray.

The sermon today is titled "Power and Glory." It is the ninth and final installment in our series "Our Father." The Scripture reading is from Matthew 6:9-13 ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, 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 INSTILL: Core Texts.

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

Podcast Notes (resources used or referenced):

• N. T. Wright, The Lord & His Prayer 
• Wesley Hill, The Lord's Prayer: A Guide to Praying to Our Father

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)
• Subscribe to my email newsletter on substack.

The prayer our Lord taught us to pray.

The sermon today is titled "Deliver Us." It is the eighth installment in our series "Our Father." The Scripture reading is from Matthew 6:9-13 ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on November 24, 2024. All lessons fit under one of 6 broad categories: Begin, Instill, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under INSTILL: Core Texts.

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

Podcast Notes (resources used or referenced):

• N. T. Wright, The Lord & His Prayer 
• Wesley Hill, The Lord's Prayer: A Guide to Praying to Our Father
• Tim Keller, "Aspiration: Lead Us"

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)
• Subscribe to my email newsletter on substack.

The prayer our Lord taught us to pray.

The sermon today is titled "Forgive Us." It is the seventh installment in our series "Our Father." The Scripture reading is from Matthew 6:9-13 ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on November 17, 2024. All lessons fit under one of 6 broad categories: Begin, Instill, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under INSTILL: Core Texts.

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

Podcast Notes (resources used or referenced):

• N. T. Wright, The Lord & His Prayer 
• Wesley Hill, The Lord's Prayer: A Guide to Praying to Our Father
• Tim Keller, "Confession: Forgive Us"

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)
• Subscribe to my email newsletter on substack.

The prayer our Lord taught us to pray.

The sermon today is titled "Give Us." It is the sixth installment in our series "Our Father." The Scripture reading is from Matthew 6:9-13 ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on November 10, 2024. All lessons fit under one of 6 broad categories: Begin, Instill, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under INSTILL: Core Texts.

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

Podcast Notes (resources used or referenced):

• N. T. Wright, The Lord & His Prayer 
• Wesley Hill, The Lord's Prayer: A Guide to Praying to Our Father
• Tim Keller, "Petition: Our Daily Bread"

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)
• Subscribe to my email newsletter on substack.