GracePoint Church

Christmas is a season rich with traditions—stockings hung on mantels, twinkling lights on trees, and nativity scenes carefully arranged. But have you ever stopped to consider where these traditions began or what deeper truths they point to? This Sunday, we’ll take a step back in time to explore Christmas from a passage many wouldn't consider part of the Christmas story... I won't tell you which ex...

Winter is here. Thanksgiving swooped in this past week and ushered in the Christmas season.  The wonder of Christmas is upon us. The calendar date is not the "actual birth date" of Christmas, but it's the idea of creating a "space" to pause and celebrate what our faith, as Christians, is all about--the birth of Jesus. Which is Great News. But, there is even greater news. Though the birth of Jesus...

Most of us found ourselves in the dark a month or so ago as the storm of the century ripped through Western North Carolina. At first, being in the dark was an inconvenience. But, as time passed and light never came, the struggles began. Add to that the inability to communicate and not have water--we realized how vulnerable we really are.   BUT...then the lights came back on. Most of us had a new a...

Well...it's over. The election. Most of us likely gave it more attention than was needed. It can be quite a distraction from what God tells us is important. We come by it honestly, because our leaders tend to have a lot of say on the day to day experience of our lives.  The same thing was happening when God spoke through His prophet Malachi. His people were forgetting what was important. They bega...

Do you remember your first job? How about the day you got married? What about that first house you moved into? My guess is that those were some pretty amazing days. I'd also guess that...after a while...the joy faded. Like a fire that is not tended will go out, so many things in life fade if we don't work on them. A couple needs to remember to keep dating. A house needs upkeep.   This weekend, we...

I get fascinated with how time works. Do you ever think about it? One of the latest things I've been pondering personally is the time span between our family's move to Asheville, and Helene being almost the amount of time as Helene was to now–it simply blows my mind! How is that possible?! When I think of longer spans and how it works also with matters of faith, I have similar conniptions. How is...

How are you doing this week? With all that has been happening in our community, how is your soul? How is your walk with Jesus? Trials like the one we have been sharing this month bring out our best and our worst.   God uses adversity to shine a spotlight on our heart...encouraging us where we are walking "with" Him and revealing those areas of our lives where we are holding on to "control" and not...

I was done! This was going to be the last time I put any money into that junk-heap of a car. My 1978 Ford Pinto was draining my back account on a regular basis. I finally gave it a burial, and bought a new(er) car. The problem wasn't that I got a much needed car. The problem was that I bought a car that looked nicer than I needed it to look, and cost a little more . . . no, a lot more than I shoul...

Pressure seems to come from all sides. It seems like everyone wants something from us. Friends, family, work, school, church, clubs...all seem to pull at us until we are exhausted. As a result we have so little left to give to anything else. The important things are left in the dust. We find ourselves rushing through life, attending to the necessary, the immediate, and the urgent.   Our battle is...

"You're grounded!" I can still hear the words as I worked to hold back tears of frustration toward my parents who failed to heed my cries of innocence. Truthfully, I was guilty. My parents were right. Their motivation was in my best interest...grounded in a deep love for their son.  Everyone one of the minor prophets we have studied have shared echoes of the same message--God gave us a path--the p...

All of us come to times in our life when we don't understand what God is up to. At times like this, the bible teaches us to have faith and trust that God has a plan...even when it doesn't make sense.  However, if you and I had an "honest" moment, there are times when that seems all too convenient...like "wishful thinking." Doubt starts to creep in and if God doesn't come through in a reasonable am...

I still remember the first time I jumped off of a diving board. I was terrified. My brother was behind me and refused to allow me to retreat to the safety of the pool deck. My dad was in the water in front of me...urging me on. This was the scariest moment of my life up until that point.  After what seemed like an eternity...I inched close enough to the end of the board that I lost my balance and...

I grew up with five siblings. When dinner was put in the middle of the table, it was a free-for-all. Being on the younger side of the sibling tribe, I often missed out on the choice morsel of a fine macaroni and hotdog casserole or the extra helping of mashed potatoes. I remember crying out, "It's not fair!" Fast forward to the present day and I've learned that very few things in life are actually...

The gavel lands with a gut-wrenching thud and your heart sinks. You are guilty! That's the message of Micah. God's people have drifted away from God. They have forgotten God and have put themselves on the throne. The result has been a litany of sins that have led God to "step in" and pronounce His verdict. Fraud, theft, greed, debauchery (you may have to look that one up), oppression, hypocrisy, h...

The gavel lands with a gut-wrenching thud and your heart sinks. You are guilty! That's the message of Micah. God's people have drifted away from God. They have forgotten God and have put themselves on the throne. The result has been a litany of sins that have led God to "step in" and pronounce His verdict. Fraud, theft, greed, debauchery (you may have to look that one up), oppression, hypocrisy, h...

It's not unusual around Western North Carolina, to be driving down the road and come across a tree that has fallen. Have you ever wondered how that happened? A moment before the tree was standing straight and tall. Sometimes a storm will be strong enough to blow a tree over but even then, most trees have a strong trunk, and a deep root system enabling them to weather even the toughest storms. A tr...

This Sunday we will take a break from our study of the Minor Prophets and look at how many of the truths can give us insight into our present cultural challenges. Thus far, our study of the Minor Prophets has revealed God’s involvement in culture throughout history. Our current cultural moment seems just as difficult and corrupt as the generations of the prophets. How do we apply what God has said...

As a little boy sitting in Sunday School, I loved the story of Jonah--the idea that some huge fish swallowed a living man! Wow! For years, whenever I thought of Jonah...I thought about this incredible picture.  Perhaps by now, like me, you have learned that this book is about so much more. In fact, it's really not about a "whale" at all. The prophecy of God through His prophet Jonah is, once again...

Sometimes we forget that all people are created in the image of God. They are of great worth because God made them. So, when we look around and see the depravity of the world around us it's easy to view people who don't know God as the enemy. Especially, when some of those people do such evil things--cheating, murder, abuse and unthinkable violence.   Many of us long for God to come and put an end...