GraceLife Sarasota

The political mood in our country is very divided. In many ways, it’s right down the middle. It’s hard to find common ground that everyone can agree on, but I think the one place that all of us agree on and are in sweet unison and peace on is the subject of taxes. All of us love to pay taxes. Income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, taxes, taxes, taxes! Just saying the word is fun right? You lik...

A Christmas story told by Pastor Joe at our Christmas Eve service, 2019

A Christmas story told by Pastor Joe at our Christmas Eve service, 2019

Imagine being alive during the time of Jesus, and having the chance to meet him face to face. What would be your motivation to go see Jesus?  Hear a sermon, get healed? What? How far would you travel? How much trouble would you go through? What would you hope for in terms of results? What would you hope to get out of that meeting? How many people were left satisfied and how many were disappointed?...

Imagine being alive during the time of Jesus, and having the chance to meet him face to face. What would be your motivation to go see Jesus?  Hear a sermon, get healed? What? How far would you travel? How much trouble would you go through? What would you hope for in terms of results? What would you hope to get out of that meeting? How many people were left satisfied and how many were disappointed?...

On a scale of 1-10, just how dirty would you say you are? How desperate is your need to be cleansed? How often have you been disobedient to the commands in God’s Word? How many promises to Him or to others have you broken? Man is constantly trying to bridge the gap between being cleansed and being filthy. We turn to religion, politics, philosophy, philanthropy to bridge the gap between being clean...

On a scale of 1-10, just how dirty would you say you are? How desperate is your need to be cleansed? How often have you been disobedient to the commands in God’s Word? How many promises to Him or to others have you broken? Man is constantly trying to bridge the gap between being cleansed and being filthy. We turn to religion, politics, philosophy, philanthropy to bridge the gap between being clean...

It seems the things people are most interested in about Jesus are the miracles of healing. Nothing gets people excited about Jesus like a good ole’ fashioned miracle, especially ones like today’s passage. But why did Jesus heal people, sometimes in massive amounts? Was it just out of pure love for the sick? Is it possible we have gotten the healing thing all wrong, that when God heals it isn’t for...

It seems the things people are most interested in about Jesus are the miracles of healing. Nothing gets people excited about Jesus like a good ole’ fashioned miracle, especially ones like today’s passage. But why did Jesus heal people, sometimes in massive amounts? Was it just out of pure love for the sick? Is it possible we have gotten the healing thing all wrong, that when God heals it isn’t for...

Have you ever experienced that feeling something is evil? Evil is not a topic that we like to talk about too much in church. Our first reaction is to dismiss it or explain it away. Are you uncomfortable talking about evil? Especially in church service? Are some of you cringing already? You know it exist, but really, many of you don’t take it too seriously, it’s something “out there”, not “in here....

Have you ever experienced that feeling something is evil? Evil is not a topic that we like to talk about too much in church. Our first reaction is to dismiss it or explain it away. Are you uncomfortable talking about evil? Especially in church service? Are some of you cringing already? You know it exist, but really, many of you don’t take it too seriously, it’s something “out there”, not “in here....

Personal question, how willing are you really to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God? The phrase “Kingdom of God” is a familiar one to most Christians, and a central theological teaching of Christ himself. It’s a powerful concept that has inspired many literary, musical, and artistic works throughout the life of the church. But what does it really mean.  Do we believe its true? How do we describe i...

Personal question, how willing are you really to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God? The phrase “Kingdom of God” is a familiar one to most Christians, and a central theological teaching of Christ himself. It’s a powerful concept that has inspired many literary, musical, and artistic works throughout the life of the church. But what does it really mean.  Do we believe its true? How do we describe i...

Have you ever had a mentor? Someone who taught you, guided you through an area or life skill? It could be a pastor, a recovery sponsor, a professional mentor, a coach, or a teacher. Their impact on our lives can be far reaching and dramatic, reshaping our values, direction, our purpose. It's why we develop such affection for mentors, and speak so highly of them, why mentor is often an affectionate...

Have you ever had a mentor? Someone who taught you, guided you through an area or life skill? It could be a pastor, a recovery sponsor, a professional mentor, a coach, or a teacher. Their impact on our lives can be far reaching and dramatic, reshaping our values, direction, our purpose. It's why we develop such affection for mentors, and speak so highly of them, why mentor is often an affectionate...

There is something creepy about the wilderness. The barrenness, the vast space, the unknown, the harsh conditions. It is not the National Geographic version of the wilderness. People die in the wilderness; it can be frightening. The wilderness can be a place of physical and emotional discomfort, a place where plans go awry and it can be a place of isolation, heartbreak, pain, desperation, but it i...

There is something creepy about the wilderness. The barrenness, the vast space, the unknown, the harsh conditions. It is not the National Geographic version of the wilderness. People die in the wilderness; it can be frightening. The wilderness can be a place of physical and emotional discomfort, a place where plans go awry and it can be a place of isolation, heartbreak, pain, desperation, but it i...

The thing that makes social media so effective is that you can scroll for about 5 minutes and process about 50 posts. The information is in bite sized pieces. If you want to dive deeper, you can. It comes at you fast and quick. Through words, pictures, or video you get the gist of many stories. It is designed for today’s fast paced life. As I was preparing for our new series on the Gospel of Mark,...

The thing that makes social media so effective is that you can scroll for about 5 minutes and process about 50 posts. The information is in bite sized pieces. If you want to dive deeper, you can. It comes at you fast and quick. Through words, pictures, or video you get the gist of many stories. It is designed for today’s fast paced life. As I was preparing for our new series on the Gospel of Mark,...

A sermon that teaches why GraceLife Sarasota teaches the Bible book by book, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, instead of topical sermons.

A sermon that teaches why GraceLife Sarasota teaches the Bible book by book, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, instead of topical sermons.

It’s been an amazing 27 week journey studying the life of Joseph—walking with him, identifying with his struggles, and seeing our own families in his family. But none of the lessons we’ve learned in Egypt mean anything if life ends with Egypt. Because sooner or later… we all die in Egypt. Even if we absolutely crush surviving in Egypt—even if we navigate it with wisdom, courage, and faith—none of...

It’s been an amazing 27 week journey studying the life of Joseph—walking with him, identifying with his struggles, and seeing our own families in his family. But none of the lessons we’ve learned in Egypt mean anything if life ends with Egypt. Because sooner or later… we all die in Egypt. Even if we absolutely crush surviving in Egypt—even if we navigate it with wisdom, courage, and faith—none of...

A couple of months ago, I spent a day in Washington, DC. The whole city is basically a collection of symbols—monuments, memorials, marble buildings—each one designed to remind us of important people and moments in American history. Some of them are stirring and inspiring. Some are puzzling and forgettable. They represent every category you can imagine—military, ethnic, political, religious, region...

A couple of months ago, I spent a day in Washington, DC. The whole city is basically a collection of symbols—monuments, memorials, marble buildings—each one designed to remind us of important people and moments in American history. Some of them are stirring and inspiring. Some are puzzling and forgettable. They represent every category you can imagine—military, ethnic, political, religious, region...