GraceLife Sarasota

Can you relate to that title? Do you ever feel like evil is right on your tail, like you’re barely one step in front of it? Do you ever notice how we tend to assume if we’re walking with God, things should settle down and go well. That faithfulness should produce safety. We’re comfortable saying God is sovereign, as long as it makes us feel secure. Until the gap between us and the evil chasing us...

Have you ever experienced times in your life where you felt like God was silent? Hard to hear? Difficult to access? I hear people say they need clarity, direction, guidance for God’s will, as if the issue is whether God is willing to speak. I’ve seen people assume the silence they perceive is because they’re unworthy & as a result God has cut off access! Let me break the suspense. Left to ourselve...

There are parts of the Bible we love to frame & hang on the wall, make cute memes to post on SM. Then the parts we’re not quite sure what to do with. Stories that don’t feel encouraging, that even make us uncomfortable with God and His Word. Today is one of those. At some point in our lives, we will be forced to answer the question: Lord, why? Why did this tragedy happen? It seems so senseless, so...

We are, by nature, very short-sighted people. We look at our lives through a keyhole, we see the crisis of Tuesday, the stress of Wednesday, and the bills due on Friday. We are obsessed with the immediate "right now." And because we are so focused on the immediate, we tend to view God as a reactive God. We struggle with what I call "Temporal Narcissism", the idea that God’s clock started when we s...

There’s a movement within the church today, especially in America, that assumes God builds His Kingdom the way the world builds theirs: through power, polish, strategy, influence, and impressive people. It’s the instinct that says the church must be culturally respected, politically connected, socially adored, and publicly successful if we’re going to make any real difference. And if we’re being h...

Have you ever noticed how instinctively we assume being in the presence of God requires being put together first? Most of us feel it. Before we pray. Before we repent. Before we worship. Before we come to this Table of the Lord. We think we need to be ready, emotionally calm. We need to be strong. We need to be moral. We need to be worthy. But what makes a person worthy of God’s presence? Is it re...

I think most of us desire to be loyal to our King. The real struggle is our expectations of what that loyalty will produce. I think many of us, especially in the American church assume loyalty to Christ leads to earthly blessings, or that loyal obedience should result in stability, peace, clarity, or at least fewer problems in this life than disobedience would bring. But what happens when being lo...

Do you ever negotiate your loyalty to God? Oh, we would never admit this out loud. But our actions often say something different. Our loyalty to follow Jesus can rise and fall with our circumstances. We trust Him, but when life becomes unmanageable, we start to renegotiate the things we once committed to God. We’ll make Christ our priority, but only while the emotional or financial costs feel reas...

Have you ever noticed how rarely we talk about the Holy Spirit? When it comes to the Spirit of God, most Christians often speak in vague, soft, sentimental terms. We know He’s the Comforter & Helper. We picture Him as a quiet whisper, a warm feeling, a subtle nudge. But is that all He is? Is the Spirit of God simply a gentle presence… or is He someone far more overwhelming? What about how the Holy...

If I were to ask you the question “Who is Jesus”, how would you respond? When you talk to others about Jesus, what do you tell them? The bottom line is there is no more important question to answer in all of life than that one. This question is especially crucial in today’s culture in which it has become increasingly common to conform our thoughts of Jesus in accordance with our own desires and ex...

Have you ever wondered if you would stay faithful under pressure? If staying loyal to Jesus suddenly cost you something you never expected to give? Your reputation? Your job? Your friendships? Your future? Your safety? Or even the choice between life and death? Most of us aren’t afraid that we don’t love Jesus. Of course we do. We’re afraid we won’t love Him enough when it matters most. We wonder...

What do you do when you know someone, or something, is working against you, like every step forward only uncovered a new obstacle waiting for you? Doesn’t following Jesus often feel like walking through a world full of traps? Maybe it’s at work. Maybe it’s in your family. Maybe it’s physical, emotional, spiritual, maybe it’s all of it at once. Here’s the deeper question beneath all the stress and...

Have you ever wondered why it is that you love Jesus? Do you love Him because you’re smart enough to realize you should… or is there something far more miraculous going on? And since Jesus really is the King, why is it that some people light up when they hear His Name, and others stay quiet, roll their eyes, or even get angry? How can the same Jesus that fills your heart with peace, joy, and hope...

This is one of the most well-known stories in the Bible. Even people who aren’t Christians know about David & Goliath. But sometimes the stories we think we know best are the ones we understand the least. Most people turn this story into a motivational, moralistic, pithy slogan: “Face your giants. Be brave like David.” But if we’re honest, we cannot be David in this story. We all face enemies we h...

Have you ever noticed how naturally we celebrate God on spiritual mountaintops, but question Him in the valley? Too many people try to measure faith by the elevation of the spiritual mountaintop. But God measures it differently. The truth is, most of life is spent in the valley. If you’re not there right now, don’t worry. Sooner or later, every person will walk into one or be pushed into one. Some...

Today’s sermon is about fear… It’s about the right way to fear, and the wrong way to fear. Let me ask you an uncomfortable question: When was the last time fear got the best of you? What was it? You know that slogan, “Faith over Fear”? Honestly I can’t stand it. It looks great on mugs & T-shirts, but if we’re honest… real life is more complicated. I mean I get it. But If fear was something you cou...

What do you do when your own sinfulness creates darkness & consequences in your life? Where do you turn for relief? When it comes to spiritual sickness, most people are experts at symptom management. We numb guilt w/distractions, cover shame w/excuses, and patch sin with quick fixes. We rearrange the spiritual furniture in the dark & call it progress. But here’s the problem: you can’t medicate a s...

Did you know that Mother Theresa and Princess Diane died just a few days apart. Which death got the most attention? What kind of people does the world seem to love? Is it the smartest? The most talented? The beautiful? The strongest? The most impressive on the outside? What if God chose His children the same way as the world does? If that were the case, most of us would be disqualified. We’ve all...

Do you consider yourself courageous? How do you define courage? Today, the louder you are, the braver you seem. Our culture says courage means standing up for yourself, being ready to argue, to win the debate, to make your point. Even in churches, being loud is often confused with courage, and bitterness masquerades as boldness. We hijack what true courage is, mistaking it for political passion. W...

When was the last time you felt at peace? Does joy feel distant for you right now? Is life wearing you down? If so, this sermon’s for you. Because John teaches us something profound: Real joy in this life is always tied to truth. Not circumstances, not emotion, not success, but when we are walking with God’s presence, in truth. Do you know what the difference is between happiness and joy? If you’v...

Have you ever been duped? Maybe you gave money to someone in need, only to find out later you were manipulated? Maybe you trusted someone who promised they’d have your back, but when you needed them most, they were gone. Have you ever been conned, promised opportunity, partnership or love & instead you were left empty & embarrassed? Few things are as discouraging as realizing you’ve been deceived....

Biblical truth isn’t just some kind of philosophy or just another abstract idea. It’s the only spiritual voice that matters. It matters in every area of life. It strengthens us, protects us, & gives us courage to follow Jesus no matter the cost. It shapes leadership, exposes lies, fuels joy, and demands courage. Today, we start a 4 week mini- series on 2 & 3 John. we will uncover how these short l...

Scripture tells us that when unity in the church of Jesus is broken. Everything else around it begins to unravel. Satan & his evil forces know they can’t undo the cross, so the miracle of unity among us is their most common target. Division often sneaks in through our families & friendships. It’s all part of spiritual warfare. It’s Gen 3 all over again. Evil whispers lies, stirs up scandal, flatte...

Do you ever find yourself content to come to church every week and never really engage with anybody meaningfully? In America, Its very easy to slip into church life without really knowing anyone or making an effort to know anyone. We come in, smile, shake a few hands, sing the songs, and leave without ever remembering a name? What if worship was never meant to be that anonymous? What if true worsh...

What would it take for you to risk your comfort, to part with your money, your time, your safety, not for your kids or your closest friends, but for people you’ve never even met? Would you do it for people who don’t look like you, don’t vote like you, maybe don’t even like you personally? Most of us would admit that level of generosity is unnatural. What’s natural is generosity for those we alread...