That's Grace Podcast

We know the Christmas story. We know the nativity scene. It’s a beautiful story to tell, but it can also seem so far from our reality. Often, our lives feel anything but full of hope, joy, and peace. Why is that? Maybe we’re relying on the wrong things? Maybe it’s not about how religious we are, but about grasping something else. That’s what we’re talking about this week!

Do you ever have times where you don’t feel like you matter all that much? Like you’re not that valuable. Of course you do! We all do. You see we all go around looking for things that prove we matter. And we spend much of our lives not only trying to prove our stats to others, but to ourselves, and to God! But what if stats don’t matter to God? What if the way He sees our value is nothing compared to how we see it? We’re talking about that this week at Grace Church!

There was a moment in time when a line separated everything before it, from everything that came after it. With one baby’s birth our historical timeline changed from B.C to A.D, but so did so much more. The Bible tells us that even today, there is a line that exists that causes us to feel like we’re distant from God. Like He’s on one side and we’re on the other. So if we have the desire to get right with God, how is that line erased? We’re talking about it as we start our new Christmas series The Line.

It’s easier for us to be grateful around this time of year, when everyone is focused on it. Nobody wants to be that ungrateful person at the Thanksgiving get together. Nobody wants to be the Scrooge at Christmas time. But isn’t it crazy how fast we shift when things don’t go our way or people don’t treat us the way we think they should? What does it take to be a person filled with gratitude all the time?

We know it feels good to be thankful and grateful, but wouldn’t it be a lot easier if life just went how we wanted? When life gets hard and disappointments crowd in, fighting to stay grateful doesn’t really seem worth it. Actually, it’s easier and more natural to stay upset, frustrated, or disappointed. So why fight to be grateful? This week, Pastor Sean gives 3 benefits to staying grateful.

Most of us would say we want to be more grateful, but why is it so difficult? Maybe we could be more grateful if we had more or if the situations in our lives got a little easier. But what if one simple mindset shift could change how you view what you have and what you don’t and allow you to be more grateful all year long regardless of what you're facing. 

Refocusing On The Mission | 16th Birthday Celebration | As we look back over the last 16 years and celebrate all that God has done in and through our church, we have got to think, what’s coming next!? What if God has so much more planned for us? What if we’re just getting started? Find out where our church is headed in this next season as we celebrate 16 years of helping you, your friends, and neighbors know and follow Jesus. 

What happens when doing the right thing, doesn’t feel like it was the right thing? What if it costs us MORE to do what’s right than to do what everyone else does? Would you still pick the right thing? What if it meant you not only didn’t benefit, but doing the right thing meant you were gonna lose something? Why should you still do the right thing? Let’s talk about it!

None of us want to look insecure. We want to show a version of ourselves that is put together and in control. One that hides our past failures and only shows the best of us. But we know who we are. We know where we’ve messed up, and the fear of ever being in that place again often keeps us from really living. Maybe your past failures have even kept you at arm’s length from God? How do we break out of the mediocre and have the confidence to pursue who God made us to be?

What if they don’t like me? What if they think less of me? What if I get laughed at? What if they’re really not cool with me? The second guessing, the worry, the doubt. Fearing what others think can not only make it hard to live authentically, but also to do the things God wants you to do and be the person He made you to be. So how do we get past this?