GraceLife Sarasota

In my experience, one of the hardest things for a church to develop is true diversity. Many churches talk about it, celebrate it, even put it on their websites—but let’s be honest: we feel safer when everyone looks like us, sounds like us, and shares our background. Diversity is risky. It’s uncomfortable. It’s messy. And deep down, we know it. We would never say out loud that we want our church to...

In my experience, one of the hardest things for a church to develop is true diversity. Many churches talk about it, celebrate it, even put it on their websites—but let’s be honest: we feel safer when everyone looks like us, sounds like us, and shares our background. Diversity is risky. It’s uncomfortable. It’s messy. And deep down, we know it. We would never say out loud that we want our church to...

Crucial to surviving in Egypt is learning how to balance the pressures of earthly and eternal responsibilities. Every one of us faces decisions every day where heavenly wisdom and earthly wisdom collide. How do we navigate that tension? How do we pursue Egyptian success without losing sight of heavenly priorities? Today we study a powerful example of heavenly wisdom—and its three essential ingredi...

Crucial to surviving in Egypt is learning how to balance the pressures of earthly and eternal responsibilities. Every one of us faces decisions every day where heavenly wisdom and earthly wisdom collide. How do we navigate that tension? How do we pursue Egyptian success without losing sight of heavenly priorities? Today we study a powerful example of heavenly wisdom—and its three essential ingredi...

Sometimes, in the quiet of my own thoughts, I get discouraged by how my own choices have hindered Kingdom work. I can look back at several pivotal decisions in my life and see how they limited my desire to serve Heavenly Dad effectively. And when I think about my family and close friends—how much impact my dysfunction has, my sin, my immaturity had on those relationships? I feel the weight of it....

Sometimes, in the quiet of my own thoughts, I get discouraged by how my own choices have hindered Kingdom work. I can look back at several pivotal decisions in my life and see how they limited my desire to serve Heavenly Dad effectively. And when I think about my family and close friends—how much impact my dysfunction has, my sin, my immaturity had on those relationships? I feel the weight of it....

Vulnerability is a scary word. It sounds risky, costly, dangerous, reckless—a liability, especially in Egypt. Our first instinct is to see vulnerability through the lens of potential betrayal or the shame of exposure. So, by nature, we avoid it. We protect ourselves. We build walls. We convince ourselves that vulnerability is weakness. But that’s because human eyes struggle to see the benefits of...

Vulnerability is a scary word. It sounds risky, costly, dangerous, reckless—a liability, especially in Egypt. Our first instinct is to see vulnerability through the lens of potential betrayal or the shame of exposure. So, by nature, we avoid it. We protect ourselves. We build walls. We convince ourselves that vulnerability is weakness. But that’s because human eyes struggle to see the benefits of...

We love a good revenge story. When the underdog finally gets to force justice on the people who wronged him, something about it fires us up. The buildup, the payoff, the moment the tables turn… it’s appealing because we love the idea of our hands controlling justice. But restoration, though far less dramatic, is always the more powerful ending, even when we can’t see it at first. At the new Night...

We love a good revenge story. When the underdog finally gets to force justice on the people who wronged him, something about it fires us up. The buildup, the payoff, the moment the tables turn… it’s appealing because we love the idea of our hands controlling justice. But restoration, though far less dramatic, is always the more powerful ending, even when we can’t see it at first. At the new Night...

Can you truly say that you are surviving in Egypt? Is there any outward evidence of life saving transformation? The truth is, we’ve become experts at looking like we’re surviving in Egypt. And we do it economically, comfortably, and in style. We’ve built our own little transformation ecosystem—our music stations, our books, our bumper stickers, our inspirational memes on social media. It’s like we...

Can you truly say that you are surviving in Egypt? Is there any outward evidence of life saving transformation? The truth is, we’ve become experts at looking like we’re surviving in Egypt. And we do it economically, comfortably, and in style. We’ve built our own little transformation ecosystem—our music stations, our books, our bumper stickers, our inspirational memes on social media. It’s like we...

You know what I hate? I hate getting on a plane, walking to my seat, and having to pass all the first class passengers. I mean, who do they think they are? Sitting there with their giant seats and overly polite flight attendants. And of course, as I make my way to row 32B, I can see the special treatment happening right in front of me. The plane isn’t even fully boarded yet and they’re already get...

You know what I hate? I hate getting on a plane, walking to my seat, and having to pass all the first class passengers. I mean, who do they think they are? Sitting there with their giant seats and overly polite flight attendants. And of course, as I make my way to row 32B, I can see the special treatment happening right in front of me. The plane isn’t even fully boarded yet and they’re already get...

You may not realize it, but redemption and transformation are the most compelling parts of any good story. In every great movie, there’s a thread of redemption woven into the plot. And the same is true in real life—transformation is where inspiration lives. When there is undeniable, tangible, objective evidence of change… when you can see a beautiful metamorphosis into the image of Christ… somethi...

You may not realize it, but redemption and transformation are the most compelling parts of any good story. In every great movie, there’s a thread of redemption woven into the plot. And the same is true in real life—transformation is where inspiration lives. When there is undeniable, tangible, objective evidence of change… when you can see a beautiful metamorphosis into the image of Christ… somethi...

Egypt is filled with depravity, selfishness, and every distraction imaginable—anything that can pull our eyes away from God. It’s easy to criticize Egypt; doing so helps us avoid looking at our own depravity. But Egypt is only half the problem. The other half—the part that makes Egypt truly difficult—is the darkness within us, much of which we live in denial about. There’s the depravity we don’t m...

Egypt is filled with depravity, selfishness, and every distraction imaginable—anything that can pull our eyes away from God. It’s easy to criticize Egypt; doing so helps us avoid looking at our own depravity. But Egypt is only half the problem. The other half—the part that makes Egypt truly difficult—is the darkness within us, much of which we live in denial about. There’s the depravity we don’t m...

What is it about human beings that allow us to grow comfortable living with bitterness and resentment? We can carry it for years, sometimes decades, without making any effort to resolve it or even admitting it exists. Bitterness blinds us. It numbs us. It hides itself so deeply that we don’t see the damage it’s doing to us or to the people around us. Most bitterness begins with betrayal—and betray...

What is it about human beings that allow us to grow comfortable living with bitterness and resentment? We can carry it for years, sometimes decades, without making any effort to resolve it or even admitting it exists. Bitterness blinds us. It numbs us. It hides itself so deeply that we don’t see the damage it’s doing to us or to the people around us. Most bitterness begins with betrayal—and betray...

Recently Laura and I had the privilege of spending a couple of weeks in the UK, and we saw some incredible things. But the most stirring moment—believe it or not—was a sight almost no one visits. It was Winston Churchill’s grave. Middle of nowhere. Off a highway. Up a small gravel road behind an old church. The most important man of the 20th century, a flawed yet brilliant leader… resting quietly...

Recently Laura and I had the privilege of spending a couple of weeks in the UK, and we saw some incredible things. But the most stirring moment—believe it or not—was a sight almost no one visits. It was Winston Churchill’s grave. Middle of nowhere. Off a highway. Up a small gravel road behind an old church. The most important man of the 20th century, a flawed yet brilliant leader… resting quietly...

Have you ever had the thrill of teaching someone and watching the moment they finally “get it”? During my first season coaching football, I worked with the 2nd and 3rd team JV players in a strong Tampa program. Every day after stretches and fundamentals, the head coach sent all those kids to me and two assistants. We taught them the basics, and early on it was chaos. I took the offense, the other...

Have you ever had the thrill of teaching someone and watching the moment they finally “get it”? During my first season coaching football, I worked with the 2nd and 3rd team JV players in a strong Tampa program. Every day after stretches and fundamentals, the head coach sent all those kids to me and two assistants. We taught them the basics, and early on it was chaos. I took the offense, the other...

Suddenly life in Egypt had become insecure, uncertain, and people wanted to know what God was saying. It’s interesting—if life in Egypt contained no tragedy or threat of it, I wonder how often we would be willing to hear from God. Right after 9/11, I remember people who had shown no appetite for spiritual truth in decades suddenly leaning in. They asked, “Was this predicted in Revelation?” “Is God...