Grace Hill Church - Collierville, TN

THIS EPISODE: Don't major in minors ⇢ Yes, there are some “closed hand” matters indisputably central to our faith that we should never lose sight of. But there are also many “open hand” matters that are disputable matters of conviction—things we should be approaching with immense grace, compassion and humility. Today we dive into Romans 14 to gain understanding of Paul's insights about how we shou...

THIS EPISODE: Last time we talked about God and government—a lighthearted little sermon. ;-) This time we continue with Paul in Romans 13 as he shares an important metaphor in shaping our lives as Jesus followers: WEARING CHRIST. “Every believer has put on Christ by virtue of trusting in who Jesus is and what he has done for us. Yet we are also called to put on the character qualities and virtues...

THIS EPISODE: Imagine this ⇢ A government so corrupt & convinced of its own power, that the administration has elevated themselves to a god-like status. Imagine a leader so brazenly drunk on his own power that he's willing to commit some of the most heinous acts in human history, and do whatever it takes to accomplish it’s own agenda. This is the precise context in which Paul is writing the bo...

THIS EPISODE: “I am the way, the truth and the life.” ⇠ There's more to this statement than seems apparent at first, in how deeply it impacts the brokenness, sin, and death in our world. Looking deeper into this, we can see three salient, life-changing truths: When we're lost in our brokenness & cutoff from God, Jesus provides the way back for us. When we're completely trapped in our sin, Jesu...

THIS EPISODE: As we continue reflecting on how modeling Jesus means living life “on the contrary”, we consider how being consistently considerate of others fits into this, what it really looks like, and a sobering reality that 'love' is ultimately more about what you do than what you feel towards another. Then we look at the deep work of overlooking the personal offenses around us, and how you can...

THIS EPISODE: As we turn our attention to chapter 12 of Romans, we see Paul describing 5 things that are important dynamics for a Christ follower's life lived “on the contrary”: 1: Humble Evaluation 2: Gracious Cooperation 3: Faithful Participation 4: Consistent Consideration 5: Extreme Condonation Starting with the first 3 of these, we begin to see a core truth that we were made to need each othe...

THIS EPISODE: We begin a new series called “On the Contrary” looking at Paul's writing to the church in Rome, a very diverse group of people with mixed beliefs, and struggling with how to live their Christian faith out in their world. Sounds familiar doesn’t it? As Christ followers we've never had a better opportunity to let the love of Jesus more brightly than when world is screaming for hope, co...

THIS EPISODE: Essential Empathy—In this brief departure from our "First Thing First" series, we attempt to make better sense of how we can (and should) be responding to the storm that's raging all around us right now. We all tend to view these things through our own lens, which is often filtered by political convictions, circles of influence, and personal experiences. As Christ followers...

THIS EPISODE: Is this even possible? ⇢ Amid a global pandemic, an election year with the highest of stakes, and the evils of racism exploding in front of us—fear, anger and anxiety are at an all-time high for almost all of us. How should we respond to the “perfect storm” of adversity roiling around us right now? As Christ followers, it's important—urgent even—that we do whatever we can now more th...

THIS EPISODE: Last time we began looking at the life changing truth that God loved us first. This time we consider an important byproduct of this great truth: God loving us first changes not only our lives, but also HOW we love and WHO we love. Reflecting on “The Good Samaritan” we'll see how Biblical love is sacrificial and often surprising. Just imagine if we worked together to outlove each othe...

THIS EPISODE: Be Honest: What do you see as the “first thing” in your life right now? From the myriad of priorities & concerns in any given day, which one would you genuinely aim to have first on the list? And what might an unbiased audit of your thoughts, actions & choices in any given week reflect your “first thing” to be? As we all consider “what’s next” in our lives after quarantine, i...

THIS EPISODE: As we wrap up our Psalms of Hope series & continue our journey of "lament", let's consider a Biblical frame that can be distilled down to two simple things—two words that, when understood, can bring some much needed perspective to our circumstances, and even change your life if you let them. Let's unpack this and more in today's message… PRIMARY TEXT: Psalm 22:1-11 (ESV...

THIS EPISODE: Ever faced anything in life that, as a Christ-follower, you just can't seem to make sense out of? Events, circumstances or situations that you just can't see a "greater plan" in, or how it even aligns with God's character at all? Yeah, been there too. And when it happens, it's not uncommon to find ourselves wrestling with feelings, thoughts & questions that we'd rather...

THIS EPISODE: How do you want the story of your life during COVID-19 to be told afterward? What impact will you have had, and what traits do you hope to have been cultivated in your life during this season? From David in Psalm 131, we see a beautiful submission of pride, ego & ambition. Instead, we see a renewed heart that is (i) humble, (ii) content, and (iii) hopeful. There's much we can gai...

THIS EPISODE: “Are we there yet?” ⇠An all-too-familiar question for anyone who's ever roadtripped with kiddos, amiright? And, being really honest, also a question many of us are starting to ask God right now—about the anxieties & uncertainties of “messy middle” we all seem to be stuck in for...well, who really knows how long?! But here's the thing: There are some deeply important aspects of Go...

THIS EPISODE: Jesus did exactly what he said he would—he died a sinner's death, then rose back to life 3 days later. And his resurrection changed everything forever, period. Sure, that's the Easter story. But how does it impact our world today? And if Jesus can conquer death & sin by rising from the dead, how does this shape our knowledge or certainty of what Jesus WILL do? Especially in the m...

THIS EPISODE: In these recent weeks we've all come to starkly face the reality that our “normal lives” are more fragile than we thought. And how quickly an “invisible enemy” (Covid-19) can turn our worlds upside down with uncertainty, anxiety, fear, anger... But incredible news: We can STILL have hope. In the midst of it all, we can still remain calmly anchored to confidence, certainty and HOPE. W...

THIS EPISODE: Uncertainty & anxiety seem to have a "choke hold" on our world right now, right? With no apparent end in sight, where can we find and experience genuine HOPE right now? Let's please invest a few minutes together with Psalm 23. Let's look with fresh eyes at our Good Shepherd, and explore how profoundly he cares for us—with kindness and tenderness—even as we face adversit...

THIS EPISODE: Ask yourself: Is Jesus in today's storm? There's no way around it: Our world's suddenly turned upside down by Covid-19. But where is Jesus in all this? In the midst of constant chaos & confusion all around us, how should we respond? WWJD? (yes, cliché—but it's the RIGHT question, isnt' it?) In this timely message, we ask you to consider: Does this "storm's" presence mea...

THIS EPISODE: Within about the last week, the impact of the Covid-19 virus has been widespread and felt by everyone across our nation & world in unexpected ways. How should we feel & respond to this, as Christ followers? God didn't give us a spirit of fear, right? But...what else then, in these tumultuous, uncertain times? We invite you to join us for a few minutes diving a bit deeper into...

THIS EPISODE: To help explain the Kingdom of God, it's place and importance in our lives, Jesus uses several analogies in Mark 4—a lamp, a tiny mustard seed, a soil producing a crop by itself... In this episode we look at these more closely and come to see 4 important Kingdom of God realities that every Christ follower should understand: The Kingdom of God IS TO BE REVEALED. The Kingdom of God GUA...

THIS EPISODE: In parable form, Jesus spoke of four different kinds of “heart”: a CALLOUSED heart a COSMETIC heart a CROWDED heart a CULTIVATED heart So, what are the differences? What does each typically look like in today's world, and—most importantly—what kind of “heart” do YOU really have? It matters, more than you might think. Let's unpack this and more in today's message... PRIMARY TEXT: Mark...

Can you be in close proximity to Jesus, and still not follow Jesus? Learn more in this episode, and consider Jesus' interactions with the (i) FANS, (ii) FOLLOWERS, and (iii) FAULT-FINDERS around him. PRIMARY TEXT: Mark 3:7-35 (English Standard Version—ESV) A Great Crowd Follows Jesus 7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea 8 and Jerusalem...

KEY POINTS: Jesus is our JOY. Jesus is the PERFECT SOLUTION. Jesus is concerned FOR THE WELL BEING OF HUMANITY. PRIMARY TEXT: Mark 2:18-3:6 New King James Version (NKJV) Jesus Is Questioned About Fasting 18 The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” 19 And Jesus s...

Primary Sources: IVP Bible Background Commentary Enduring Word Commentary (Guzik) TNTC Mark (Schnabel) A Theology of Mark's Gospel (Garland and Kostenberger) Mark for Everyone (Wright)