That's Grace Podcast

The healthiest friendships are not created by accident. They are not the result of proximity or common interest. The best friendships are created with intention and purpose. So how do we create these friendships and how can you be a stronger friend to those in your life right now?

Most of us view our jobs as a necessary evil. It's the "grind". We're "living for the weekend". In fact, surveys show that the majority of people are unhappy in their job and feel that they are underpaid for the work they do. But we keep showing up every Monday because we need the money right? What if God has a bigger purpose for you at your job then just collecting a paycheck? This week, Pastor Taylor talks about what you can do differently this week at work and how in the process, can find more joy and fulfillment in your work.

It can be easy to let church services be the thing that encourages and motivates us to continue pursuing God and growing in our relationship with Him. But now that most churches have not been meeting for months, where does that leave you in your relationship with Him? Has it gotten better or become more stagnant? Maybe it's time to take your relationship with God outside of the walls of a weekend church service and take your next step in owning your walk with God for yourself! Find out 3 things you can begin doing in order to own your own walk with God.

Every year around the New Year, we all seem to direct our attention a little more towards our health. We think about what we are eating and how we'd like to eat, or how much we'd like the scale to drop, or maybe what pant size we'd like to get back to. Maybe this year more than any other, COVID has caused you to focus even more on your health. But you might wonder what does physical health have to do with your spiritual life? In this week's message, Pastor Ken shows from the Bible that as followers of Jesus, we have the responsibility to own the aspects of our health that we can and work to not allow our love of food, love of the gym, or love of our body image take precedent over our devotion and reliance on God.

Time is like sand, it’s constantly moving and you never get any of it back. If we aren’t careful, the most important things are left out because they’re often the most difficult things to do naturally. If we don’t proactively direct our lives, we slip into unhealthy patterns and rhythms, and realize we weren't prioritizing the right things all along. In this weeks teaching, we look at one of Jesus's teaching on using our time so we can prioritize what’s most important before it becomes most urgent. 

There are things in this world that will rob us of our happiness. Most of the time, we think that our current circumstances are the greatest threat to our happiness, and so we do all we can to numb the pain we feel. We self medicate through things like ignorance, alcohol, drugs, or food in a feeble attempt to gain our happiness back. As we finish up this series, Pastor Sean talks about how our attempts to relieve the pain often only extend it by bringing about guilt and shame, only to be faced with the same issues when the numbness wears off. So how does the Bible say we should approach the pain and circumstances in our life. And what does God say is the best path for us to take to experience happiness and contentment in the way He designed?

We have more than we have ever had as a society, yet discontentment has never been more common. We have so much, yet feel so unsatisfied. We have more than we’ve ever had and yet we are less content than we have ever been. Is it possible that the easier things get for us, the less content we become? Because now we expect life to be quick, convenient, and easy? In today's message, Pastor Stephen talks about why it is so easy to be discontent and feel like we don't have enough and then shows what the Bible says about how we can begin to experience more happiness in our lives.

Many of us find ourselves thinking, “I’d be happy if I just had more money”?  We have a dollar amount in our head, and we think if we can get that much, the joy it gives us will last forever. But the truth is, if our satisfaction is rooted only in how much money we have, we will never find happiness, not the kind that lasts. Even if we achieve our biggest financial dream, many of us end up wanting more and more. In this series, learn behaviors that truly happy people practice which create lasting satisfaction, no matter how much money is in the bank.

We all want to be happy. But why does there have to be so many things we encounter in our lives that fight against us being happy? Why can't everything just be smooth so we can all be happy? Have you ever found yourself asking those questions? Sometimes it seems like the harder we work to be happy, the more it eludes us. Why is that? It's because we've been conditioned to believe that happiness is a WHAT instead of a WHO. That if I get what I want, if I go there, or be with them that I'll find happiness. But in today's message, we find out that happiness comes much more from WHO we are than WHAT we get or WHAT happens to us.

I'm sure we all agree that serving someone else is a noble and right thing to do. Whether it is our family, at church, or maybe volunteering at a soup kitchen we know that it's something good. But what often prevents us from serving others more is that is comes with a price. It costs us something. It means we give and don't always gain. And so a lot fo the time we avoid it or make excuses. But you are never more like Jesus than when you are serving, and if you are a follower of Jesus, God has a plan and purpose for your life and it involves serving others. But maybe you feel intimidated about what this will mean and what it will cost you. But what we often overlook is that our very purpose is often tied to how we can benefit and serve others.