Show Notes: What happens to kids when mom and dad stop talking to each other, or when they never stop fighting? This message from The Grove Church in Kingston, TN digs into co-parenting after divorce, using Proverbs 22:6 as a starting point and 1 John 2:4-6 as the real measuring stick: do you actually walk like Jesus with the people closest to you, or just talk like you do? Pastor Phillip Martin lays out three co-parenting patterns parents fall into after a split, cooperative, parallel, and conflict-driven, and explains how each one shapes whether a child feels secure or gets stuck carrying tension that was never theirs to carry. The sermon also gets into practical, no-cookie-cutter guidance for choosing peace over chaos, watching your words, and releasing bitterness before it reshapes who you become. Whether you're navigating co-parenting yourself, blending a family, or just trying to figure out what you're really aiming at as a parent, this message offers a grounded, honest look at what it takes to parent well after divorce. Scripture Focus: Proverbs 22:6, 1 John 2:4-6, Ephesians 6:4, Colossians 3:8-13, Romans 12:18, Psalm 68 Subscribe so you never miss a message, and share this sermon with a friend. Website: https://www.ilovemygrove.com Give: https://ilovemygrove.com/give/

What does the Bible actually say about divorce, and how do you parent well when your family has already been through it? This message opens the Parenting Is Hard series' hardest topic yet, walking through Psalm 139's picture of being formed by God with purpose, before turning to the statistics behind why marriages end and how divorce ripples through kids, co-parents, and even grandparents.

The heart of this sermon sits in Malachi 2:16, unpacking why God says He hates divorce and making the case that it's a statement of protection over hurting people, not a weapon to be used against them. Listeners walk away with grounded, practical direction on choosing peace with an ex-spouse, watching what you say around your kids, and trusting God to redeem a story that feels broken. This is part one of a two-part talk, with part two turning to parenting difficult children.

Scripture Focus: Psalm 139:13-16, Psalm 127:3, Malachi 2:13-16, Isaiah 54, Ephesians (referenced on God's plans for good works)

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In this message from The Grove Church in Kingston, TN, Pastor Phillip Martin walks through Acts chapter 2, tracing the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came, transformed a room full of frightened disciples, and launched the church with 3,000 new believers in a single day.

From there the sermon connects that history to how The Grove operates now: the Grove Life class for anyone considering membership, the church's pastor-led structure, and the four pillars it's built on: next generation, worship, discipleship, and missions. He also lays out what it means to be a "four sided church member," committing to attend, connect, serve, and give rather than treating church as something to consume from the sidelines.

Listeners will come away with a clearer picture of why church membership is a serious decision, what the early church in Acts still teaches a modern congregation, and how this message and its beliefs on baptism and salvation shape the way it welcomes new members.

Scripture Focus: Acts 1-2, Romans 12

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In this message, Pastor Phillip Martin continues the "Parenting Is Hard" series by looking at two parents who got it right: Abraham and Eunice. Using Genesis 22 and Psalm 78, he shows how Abraham's own trust in God is what taught Isaac to trust his father, even when Abraham was asked to sacrifice him on Mount Moriah. From there the sermon turns to Acts 16 and 2 Timothy, tracing how Eunice and her mother Lois quietly raised Timothy in a home split between two faiths and how that upbringing eventually shaped him into the pastor of the church at Ephesus.

The core question of this sermon is simple but hard to sit with: what are your kids learning about God by watching your life, and are you actually building faith in them or just assuming it will show up on its own? Listeners will hear practical, honest talk about being vulnerable with your children, protecting them from harmful influences while they're still young, and why walking through faith together as a family shapes generations far beyond your own children.

Scripture Focus: Psalm 78, Proverbs 22, Genesis 21-22, Acts 16, 1 Timothy 1, 2 Timothy 1, Hebrews 13

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Why does a parent who's present every day sometimes lose their kids just as badly as one who's never around? This message tackles that question through the story of King David, a warrior and king who could face down giants and armies but couldn't bring himself to confront his own son. The sermon traces the fallout in David's family through 2 Samuel 13 and 1 Kings 1, from Amnon and Tamar to Absalom's exile and eventual death, and Adonijah's attempt to seize the throne.

Continuing the "Parenting Is Hard" sermon series, the message unpacks Proverbs 22:6 and Colossians 3:21 to explain how avoiding hard conversations, making excuses, and craving your children's approval can quietly cost you their respect. It closes with practical, honest steps for parents who want to trade fear-based passivity for real boundaries, without needing to be harsh or hateful to do it.

Scripture Focus: Proverbs 22:6, 2 Samuel 13, 1 Kings 1, Colossians 3:21

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What happens when the greatest leader in the Bible misses the moments that mattered most to his own kids? In this message, Pastor Phillip Martin continues the "Parenting Is Hard" series by looking at Moses, the man who led Israel out of Egypt and parted the Red Sea, and the decision he made that left his own sons on the outside of his faith. Built around Proverbs 22:6, this sermon makes the case that what you train into your kids, good or bad, never really leaves them.The message digs into Exodus to trace exactly where Moses' presence at home started to slip, why fear pushed him to send his family away right as God was calling him into the biggest moment of his life, and how that choice echoed all the way to his grandson. Along the way, this message names the specific signs of absent parenting, from physical distance to emotional disconnection, and offers real, doable steps for admitting it, showing up, and rebuilding trust with your kids.Whether you're a parent, a grandparent, or someone still carrying scars from a parent who wasn't there, this sermon speaks directly to how the presence or absence of a parent shapes generations.Scripture Focus: Proverbs 22:6, Proverbs 20:7, Exodus 2-4, Exodus 18, Ephesians 6:4Subscribe so you never miss a message, and share this sermon with a friend.Website: https://www.ilovemygrove.comGive: https://ilovemygrove.com/give/

Why do so many of us swear we'll parent differently than our own mom or dad, only to catch ourselves repeating the same patterns? In this sermon of the "Parenting Is Hard" series, Pastor Phillip Martin at The Grove Church in Kingston, TN tackles that question head-on in a message called "Forgiving Mom and Dad," teaching from Ephesians 4 on how bitterness toward our parents shapes the way we raise our own children.Phillip breaks down a series of parenting types, the abandoner, the hooper, the commander, the punisher, the screamer, the manipulator, and others, and explains how each one leaves a mark that shows up later in your marriage and your parenting. He then turns to the story of Joseph in Genesis, betrayed and sold into slavery by his own brothers, and shows how Joseph's response offers a real, practical model for forgiving parents who hurt you, even when they never asked for it.Whether you have a great relationship with your parents or one that's been broken for years, this message gives you language and perspective for working through it, and for becoming the parent your kids need instead of just reacting to the parent you had.Scripture Focus: Ephesians 4:31-32; Genesis 37 and 45 (Joseph and his brothers)Subscribe so you never miss a message, and share this episode with a friend.Website: https://www.ilovemygrove.comGive: https://ilovemygrove.com/give/

What does the story of the prodigal son actually teach us about being a parent? In this message, Pastor Phillip Martin of The Grove Church in Kingston, TN launches a new series called "Parenting Is Hard" and reads Luke 15 not as a salvation story but as one of the most honest pictures of a messy family in all of scripture, complete with a father, a runaway son, and a jealous older brother.

Pastor Phillip talks through the hardest parts of parenting: the days before a child leaves home, the helplessness of watching them hit rock bottom, and the choice a parent has to make between bitterness and compassion when that child finally comes back. He backs it up with sobering stats on parental stress and burnout, then walks through a list of parenting mistakes to avoid, from constant criticism to favoritism between siblings, setting the stage for a series that will dig into divorce, adult children, and family healing in the weeks ahead.

Whether you're raising toddlers, dealing with a grown child who won't speak to you, or still working through how your own parents raised you, this sermon from is a grounded, biblical starting point.

Scripture Focus: Luke 15:11-32, Proverbs 22:6

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What kind of legacy are you leaving behind? In this message from The Grove, Pastor Tyler Brown breaks down 2 Timothy to challenge how we measure true success. He emphasizes that the accomplishments on our resumes will eventually be forgotten, but a life lived for the gospel has eternal implications. 

This sermon walks through the practical steps of building a gospel legacy: receiving faith personally, living it daily without getting distracted by the world, and actively carrying it forward by pouring into others. 

Scripture Focus: 2 Timothy 2, Acts 6, Ephesians 1

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Have you ever noticed that history just keeps repeating itself? The truth is, human nature doesn't change. The self-centered, status-driven culture of the ancient Roman world looks a whole lot like the world we live in right now. In this message, we dive deep into Luke 12 to unpack Jesus' straightforward warnings to a crowd that was dangerously distracted by their own selfish agendas.

We are breaking down what it actually means to be a "worldly" person and why Jesus pushed back against it so firmly. The core takeaway? We have to step away from our common reality of worldliness and adopt the uncommon reality of a Kingdom perspective. If you want to know where your heart really is, you just have to look at your treasure. Tune in to learn what it means to stop stressing over earthly possessions and start becoming truly rich toward God.

Scripture Focus: Luke 12, Ecclesiastes 1