Grace City Portland

Have you ever been on a long journey in life, when one day you wake up and can’t quite remember why you started in the first place? SOUL DRIFT: When the truth of the gospel and your actual lived-out experience begin drift apart. Jesus will often interrupt a moment to address the soul drift that happens in our lives.

THIS IS A PORTRAIT OF A MAN WHO HAS NOTHING TO PROVE, NO FEAR OF REJECTION, NO FAÇADE TO UPHOLD, NO REPUTATION TO PROTECT, NO EGO TO SHIELD David is simply free – free from the opinion of others and bound by his great love for the God who has been so good, mighty and faithful towards him his entire life so far. And... The context of David's mighty worship is the 'fear of the Lord.' What does uninh...

I believe, in many ways, we as a society have forgotten how to grieve well.  Obviously, we are all very aware of the reality of pain and regret and disappointment. I think it’s fair to assume that everyone is familiar with feelings of loss and sorrow. But I think it’s also fair to say that many of us are lacking the ability and awareness to process these emotions in a way that’s actually healthy a...

The life of David – the man after God’s own heart – is the tale of the merciful king. And the tale of the merciful king is the story of God. It seems like no matter how you break it down, the life of David simply keeps leading us back to Jesus – the King without a crown, the Lamb of God, the Lord of the cross. ---------------- HOW CAN WE PRACTICE LIVING AS AMBASSADORS OF THE MERCIFUL KING? AS REPR...

Young King David... Leader of the misfits, captain of the rejects, commander of the distressed! This is origin story of David’s ‘mighty men.’ He didn’t recruit the elite, or the influential. Instead, he attracted the rejects and the rabble, the distressed and heavy laden, the bitter in soul. David drew the ones who the empire spat out...  The ones who were fed up doing it Saul’s way... Always stri...

Six chapters in, and this has become David’s life... On the run from his own people, being hunted down by his own leader and mentor, psycho king, Saul. Have you ever been there? When you begin to respond to God’s leading in your life, and it feels like all hell breaks loose! This is a poignant reminder of an important principle that appears frequently throughout Scripture... ANYTIME YOU MAKE A DEC...

In the kingdoms of this world, there’s always a struggle for a place at the table. If I give up my place in line, me and my tribe may be left out indefinitely. But life in God’s kingdom is virtually the opposite! When I give up my rights in obedience to (and love for) King Jesus,  what may initially feel like losing my life actually becomes the beginning of gaining true life - truly living in free...

David’s success reminded Saul of his own failures, therefore David had become the target of Saul’s insecurities.  But to make it even worse, Saul wasn’t merely some anonymous troll, or just some random loser looking to exploit David’s popularity. Saul was the father of David’s best friend. He was his soon-to-be father-in-law. He was still the champion of God’s people. It’s not hard to imagine that...

The point of diving into David’s story isn’t to come out as either a fan or a critic of David. We want to study the life of David, because through it, we have an opportunity to grow closer to God. The way David related to God, in the midst of all his ups and downs, reveals so much about God himself. While we watch David navigate family conflict, mourn the death of his best friend, get hunted down...

Hope is looking at the world and the things in your life that are ugly, unjust, senseless, seemingly irredeemable, or just plain dead (like scar tissue), and yet still believing that God can redeem it, that He can raise it back to life, that He can make something beautiful out of what once felt like nothing but trash. Because Jesus conquered death. He is the Lord of resurrection life. Where does y...