Shelbyville Community Church

In 2024, my wife and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary with a trip to Alaska. What I learned while there was that their motto, "Alaska: the last frontier," lives up to the hype! This state, larger than California, Texas, and Montana combined, is immense. Mountains, glaciers, rugged coastline, and wildlife are abundant. We spent 11 days traveling the wilderness in a camper van. We...

We all need a fresh start, and a new year usually brings that opportunity. So, what do you want 2026 to look like? What’s one thing you want to do differently? How do you want to act? Will you take a relationship with God into the new year? If you have a relationship already, will you grow more in that relationship in the coming year? The truth is, there are moments in life when the ground under u...

Every Christmas, we celebrate by giving gifts. Some say the tradition began with the Wise Men, who brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the newborn King. Others point to the story of St. Nicholas, known for quietly giving gifts to children. But long before either of those stories, the true tradition of Christmas giving began with God Himself. Christmas started with a gift from heaven — when Go...

In John 13, Jesus gives His disciples a new command. “Love one another.” That wasn’t actually a new command. What made it new was what Jesus said next: “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” This was a raise the bar, sacrificial kind of love. And His followers took this command very seriously. First century Christians developed a reputation for taking in abandoned babies. Infanticide...

Relationships in the Kingdom of God are of the highest value. Nothing is more important. Seriously. If you don’t believe me, check out what Jesus teaches in His biggest sermon. “So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother or sist...

Have you ever had someone pray for you? How did that make you feel? Did that have an impact on you? Jesus did that for YOU! He took time out of His life to stop and pray for YOU. Take that in for a moment. Jesus not only loved YOU so much that He went to the cross for YOU, but He showed YOU He loves YOU by stopping to pray for YOU. In John 17, Jesus knows His time has come. Prior to this moment He...

In John 16:33, Jesus said: “in this world you will have suffering.” My oldest son is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. His job is to predict the weather. It’s a good job, because nobody expects him to get it right all the time. If my son, the meteorologist, was giving a forecast for our lives, here is what he would say: “There is a 100% chance that trouble will come into your life...

Throughout the book of John, Jesus just can’t stop talking about the Holy Spirit. In fact, when you get to John 16, Jesus says something that is jaw-dropping. “Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send him to you.” (John 16:7, CSB) Jesus, what did you just say? Imagine for a m...

As Jesus prepares his disciples for life without Him, He spends significant time emphasizing one important point. Before we are asked to do anything for God, He invites us to be with Him. Intimacy with Jesus is the goal. But so often, sitting with God takes a backseat to performing for God. There is work to be done, accomplishments to be won… and we forget the truth of Psalm 46:10 — that we know G...

In John 15, Jesus teaches us the secrets of the vine. In verse 5, He says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.” (John 15:5, CSB) This passage is often taught as if there is only one condition for fruit bearing: remaining in Jesus. But notice that there are two conditions to growth and change here,...

Every good thing you have in the Christian Life comes through the Holy Spirit. Throughout Scripture and history, the Spirit of God has been actively at work. In the second verse of the Bible, we read these words: “The earth was formless and void and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” (Genesis 1:2) It was out of that hovering of the Spirit that Creation burst forth. The rabbis in Jesu...

Baptism is a picture of a new life! This weekend we have the amazing opportunity to celebrate what God is doing here at SCC through the ancient practice of baptism. We’re used to thinking that baptism day is about us or the other people who made their declaration of faith alongside of us, but nothing could be further from the truth. Baptism is a celebration and picture of Christ’s loving work of s...

This Sunday, you don’t want to miss a powerful message about peace in troubling times—the kind of peace that doesn’t depend on what’s happening around you, but what’s happening within you. In a world filled with chaos, worry, and uncertainty, God offers a calm that defies all understanding—and we’re diving deep into how that actually works. If you’ve ever wondered how to hold on to peace when life...

Why do 4 letter words have such power, and yet bring such confusion? I remember a time in my marriage that I believed I was “Help” my wife, only to realize what I meant by “Help” was not the same way she was defining “Help”. I had to learn what this 4-letter word meant for her and learn how to live in that with her. Love is another 4-letter word that has the same impact. I can say I “Love” someone...

I don’t know if you’ve ever heard the story of the football game between the large animals and the small animals. It was incredible. The large animals, as you might imagine, were just cleaning up on the smaller animals. It was no contest. They would kick the ball off to the rhino, he would receive the ball in the end zone and just rumble down the field. Nothing could stop him. Squirrels were hangi...

There's an old story. A Sunday school teacher is explaining to children how they cannot get to heaven through human effort. They can't earn their way. So she begins by asking them some questions. "Can you get to heaven if you go to church often enough?" They said, "No!" "Can you get to heaven if you give enough money?" Again, they all say, "No!" &q...

In John 12, Mary, having witnessed Jesus raise her brother Lazarus from the stench of grave, brings a very expensive perfume to dinner and pours it over Jesus’ feet. She then bows and begins to wipe His feet with her hair and her tears. What is Mary doing exactly? What is the point? Well, it’s certainly an extravagant act of worship. That is clear. She loves Him. She believes He is the Christ, the...

This Sunday, we're stepping back into our study in the Gospel of John! And we're picking back up with one of my favorite stories in scripture, the resurrection of Lazarus. The last time I taught from this story was when I officiated my grandma's funeral. And this story is so powerful when it comes to finding hope in a season of grief. But more than that, it's a story of how Jes...

People sometimes say and do stupid things. Larry Walters was a truck driver who wanted to be a pilot, but he couldn’t pass the eye exam. So one day he went down to the local army navy surplus store and bought 45 weather balloons and a tank of helium. When he got home, he attached those balloons to a lawn chair, anchored the chair to the bumper of his jeep, and inflated all the balloons with helium...

In Colossians chapter 2, Paul commands us to be a people who are gentle with one another. He begins the command to gentleness this way: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy, and dearly loved…”. We are told three things about ourselves here as followers of Jesus. We are chosen. We are Holy. We are dearly loved. I don’t know if you feel chosen today, but God has chosen you. I don’t know if you f...

God is Faithful. Do you Believe That? Our first response may be, “About what?” or “Related to what?” The Bible in both the New and Old Testaments just states, “God is Faithful.” It’s one of His attributes that is true about Him all the time! Even when Jesus appears in the end of time, the words, “Faithful” and “True” are tatted on His thigh. Well, they may not be tattoos, but they are visible for...

We are in a series on the “Fruit of the Spirit,” and so far each fruit has looked captivating and desirable. I mean, what’s not to like? We’ve talked about Love. Who doesn’t want that? Joy. We’ll do almost anything for it. Peace. We are desperate for Peace. Patience. I’d like some of that yesterday. Most of us would love to be more kind. But this weekend, we are talking about Goodness—not just bei...

Kindness is both a fruit of the Spirit and a command. It is not optional, because you and I are meant for kindness. In fact, God often uses the smallest acts of kindness to leave the biggest legacy. Take Tabitha, for example. She made clothing for widows. She does the same thing over and over, every single day. She sews. That’s it. It’s not glamorous. It may even be a bit monotonous. But God uses...

Waiting and patience aren’t part of our 2025 culture, which values speed and immediate results. It's about now! We want access now! We want our answers now! We want our deliveries now! We want spiritual growth now! We want weight loss now! (not so much that one) Patience feels increasingly countercultural. Yet Scripture mentions patience over 70 times, highlighting it as a fruit of the Spirit...

I wonder if you’ve ever had a busy season or a busy day and you said something like: ”All I need is a moment of peace!” I remember a funeral for a young man that I was doing many years ago. Unfortunately, this young man had taken his own life. One of his friends just kept looking into the casket and saying, “All he wanted was a little peace.” He said it over and over again. Don’t we all? This brin...