That's Grace Podcast
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There are few feelings worse than realizing that we’ve blown it. Whether it's a major betrayal or a minor misstep, our instinct is to often hide in shame. But when we feel like we’ve blown it with God, we can be tempted to think there’s no coming back. But in this video, we’ll see how our response to our failure can make all the difference. We'll explore the difference between shame-filled isolation and repentance that leads to restoration. If you've ever felt like you've let God down, this is something you don’t want to miss.
Every day we are faced with things that can distract us from what matters most. We chase after things looking for happiness and fulfillment, but what can often happen is that the pursuit of these things can cause us to drift away from our faith, something that has eternal consequences. In this week’s video, we'll explore what Jesus taught about living a focused, meaningful life and his warnings on the dangers of wasted time, discontentment, and self-centered living. Together, we’ll discover ways to keep our faith at the center of our lives so that we can live a life focused on the things that matter most.
In our curated digital world, it's tempting to unfollow anything that challenges our comfort or image. But what happens when following Jesus leads us to hard truths? In this video, we'll explore how Jesus' teachings often pushed the levels of comfort of many of his followers, causing many to question and even abandon him in the final week of his life. We'll see how we can learn to embrace these testing moments of following Jesus in a culture that avoids sacrifice and we'll find that the temporary discomfort we experience leads to a more fulfilling faith than we could ever imagine.
When life feels smooth and God seems close, it’s wonderful. Yet we often hit times when our faith seems to lack connection, leaving us frustrated and craving blessings without requiring change. But true encounters with God are not something to be controlled or manipulated for our gain. When we clearly see and understand Jesus’ glory and power, it can't be molded comfortably. In this video, we’ll see how some of Jesus’ closest friends reacted when Jesus fully revealed Himself to them and how this experience led them to the same question we are faced with - what place will He hold in our life?
Was Jesus just a good teacher? A revolutionary rabbi who liked to stir the pot? Or is He a nicety we rarely think about beyond the holidays? We often try to fit Jesus into a mold of our own making. However, in doing so, we risk missing His true identity. In this video, Jesus confronts His followers with a soul-searching question: "Who do you actually believe I am?" Rather than indulging inaccurate assumptions, He dispels those misguided notions. Jesus reveals He was sent for a far greater purpose - not just to teach platitudes but to radically transform lives through profound truth and grace.
Do you ever feel like you don't measure up spiritually no matter how hard you try? It can be exhausting trying to do good all the time and obey the religious rules. We’re tempted to feel discouraged, less than, or even to treat others differently based on how we all obey the rules. But is following Jesus just about keeping the rules? What if religious scorecards completely miss what God actually cares about? In this week’s video, we see Jesus revealing that God isn't foremost concerned with strict rule-keeping. Through a surprising encounter with religious leaders, we'll discover the one thing God truly prioritizes over anything else.
If we’re honest, we often prefer to envision Jesus as all-loving and endlessly patient - it's just more comforting. While we do see Him portray these characteristics in the Bible, we also see Him be raw and honest about other aspects of His identity. It’s often easier for us to minimize Jesus confronting sin and requiring self-reflection and repentance and focus on the more gentle aspects. But without grasping His justice and grace, we cling to partial truths. In this video, we start a journey to discover who Jesus really is - not just the gentle caricature we create to suit our preferences.
Many feel drawn to God yet hesitate when faith costs comfort or disrupts plans. It’s tempting to disengage when spiritual roads diverge from what we envisioned. But Jesus surprised disciples by challenging assumptions on following Him. No sugarcoating. Complete surrender - of security, reputation, resources - would amplify meaning. Centuries later, we still wrestle with trusting God’s wisdom over self-protecting logic. But what if yielding control unlocks courage and purpose despite uncertainty? In this video, see how Jesus calls ordinary people to walk away from their fears and insecurities to pursue something greater. Discover how relinquishing control unlocks courage and unconventional purpose despite uncertainty.
Escaping the messiness of life is not something any of us are exempt from. Whether it’s past mistakes and regrets or present failures and insecurities, we can often feel disqualified from God’s care and affection. But what if you’re wrong? What if the God that we often give up on has never given up on you? In this video, we see outrageous stories of Jesus that prove that nothing is too broken for Him to heal and that His relentless love and compassion can not only transform your life, but can offer you a newfound hope and unexpected purpose for your life.
“Love your neighbor." "Turn the other cheek". Jesus' statements sound ideal but living them out is tough. Rather than rally political revolt like many of his day had hoped, Jesus focused on inner change instead. His piercing principles targeted the very areas we still today drift from God — money, enemies, judgment, hypocrisy. Beyond nice words, He exposes and transforms hearts, however unexpectedly. The question is — will we trust His wisdom to shape our lives for His greater purpose? In this teaching, we explore the gap between admiring Jesus and following Him when spiritual rubber meets life's road.
Do you ever feel like your life is too messy or you are too unqualified to be used by God? It’s easy to assume God favors those who are more put together, more educated, or with more skills. But in this video, we see that Jesus does the exact opposite of what we’d expect. Instead of finding the best of the best, he picks a group of regular people to launch a world changing mission. From this story we will see that while we believe we need influence, status, or better behavior to be used or noticed by God, God is looking for people just like you to do some pretty incredible things.
At Christmas, we often want to experience the feelings of merry and bright, the calm of silent nights, and the glimmer of anticipation for what’s to come. But when our reality includes grief, loneliness or disappointment instead, we wonder where’s the hope in that? It can feel like you got short-changed. What if the first Christmas was as confusing and unpredictable as this year feels for you? This Christmas Eve, see how Jesus freely chose an unideal birth to bring surprising hope to your imperfect holidays and uncertain plans. Discover how joy and purpose can emerge from the messiness we want to edit out of the story.
Out of the three gifts the wise men brought in the Christmas story, gold seems to make the most sense. No new family would turn down gold, especially a family that just had a baby in a barn! But what we might not understand about this gift is that it wasn’t an appropriate gift for just anyone. It was a gift for royalty. In this video, we dive deeper into the meaning of this gift to understand the Magi’s motivations in giving this gift and we’ll discover that this communicates that we all have a choice to make on who Jesus will be in our lives.
Gold, frankincense and myrrh - we know the three gifts in the Christmas story. Gold sounds like a decent gift for any new family to receive, but myrrh? Its main use was for embalming dead bodies! Why would the Magi give funeral oil to a newborn baby!? In this second week of our Christmas series, we discover more about this strange gift, why the Magi may have thought it was appropriate, and why its symbolic significance matters for us today.
We all know about the three gifts from the wise men - gold, frankincense and myrrh. But have you ever wondered why they brought such odd things as gifts? Why did they choose to bring these things for a toddler? In this first video of our Christmas series, we dig into the surprising significance of that fragrant gift - frankincense. We learn more about what it is, why it was given, and why its symbolic significance matters for us in this Christmas season today.
What’s the difference between feeling grateful and truly expressing gratitude? It’s good to verbally express thanks but too often, our sense of gratitude fades away with the words we say. If we want to live lives defined by gratitude, we need to move beyond just words. But what does that look like? In this video, we discover three principles that help guide us on a path of gratitude and sets us free from worry and fear associated with money. These principles not only remind us of all we have to be grateful for, but overflow into blessing those around us.
In our hustle-bustle world of instant everything, gratitude and thankfulness often get squeezed out. You’d think with all we have we’d be more grateful! Instead, we find it so easy to take for granted our many blessings and comforts. In this message, we find practical ways from the Bible to cultivate sincere, consistent thankfulness in our lives and learn how to move past discontentment and entitlement and let your needs and blessings prompt you to draw closer to God.
We take so much for granted - our lives, loved ones, talents we have. But have you ever stopped to seriously ponder where all the good in your life actually originates? Most often we assume it's from our own efforts and take full credit for it, but what if our thinking was totally backwards? In this video, we see what the Bible says about the true source of every blessing we receive. See the life changing difference between believing we're entitled to the good we have versus understanding it all as an undeserved gift from God.
Grace Church turns 18 years old! It's crazy to look back on how we started out with just 35 people crammed in a hotel conference room and to see where God has brought us. In this video, our Lead Pastor Sean Sears shares some awesome stories and history of where we have been as a church but also reminds us that we've only just begun to tap into all that God dreams for us. Hear how we can be a church God continues to bless and how you can be a part of helping these dreams become a reality!
Everywhere we turn, it seems we find conflict. Not only on the news but in our homes, workplaces, and communities. We long for peace in our world, in our lives, and in our hearts, but it seems there is always something ready to rob us of it. In this video, we explore the upside-down path of peacemaking Jesus lays out. While we’re distracted by achieving our definition of peace, Jesus calls us to engage through conflict to do the hard work of true peacemaking. Learn how to trust God through the struggle and become conduits of peace in a hostile world.
Having a pure heart often feels impossible with all the temptations and brokenness around us. This struggle can cause us to feel discouraged and unworthy or tempt us to throw in the towel and allow our hearts to become calloused and dirty. So how can we actually experience purity of heart like Jesus teaches? In this video, we see that purity of heart does not equal perfection, but rather can be obtained through practical habits to guard your heart, change your focus, obey God's voice within you. When we live this way, we can experience the blessing and peace God intends for us.
Injustice seems rampant today. We hunger for wrongs to be righted, yet showing mercy appears weak and lets the offender off the hook. So how do we reconcile Jesus’ teaching for us to want justice, but also freely give mercy? In this video, we see how Jesus flips the script by redefining our understanding of justice and mercy, what it would look like for us to live as people of justice and mercy, and how living out Jesus' radical, countercultural teachings leads us towards lives of peace, contentment, and purpose that we’ve been craving.
Do you ever feel like life is leaving you empty and unfulfilled? You try to check all the boxes for success - nice job, possessions, relationships - but something's still missing. What if God knows something about finding a blessed and fulfilling life that we’re missing? What can be challenging is sometimes Jesus’ instructions can feel backwards to us. Jesus said the poor, grieving, and humble are blessed, but living that way doesn’t sound like it leads to a better place. So what is Jesus talking about? In this video, we’ll be unpacking these counter cultural values that are supposed to lead to blessing and favor and see how Jesus intended them to bring us a life of meaning and purpose.
Living out your faith nowadays can feel like you’re on stormy waters. With Christian values diminishing in our culture, many people of faith are left feeling overwhelmed, angry, or tempted to leave their faith behind. So in these divided times, how should Christians respond to the culture around them? In this video, we answer this question by giving a Biblically-grounded perspective on what it looks like to stand firm in your faith and also live as a person of compassion and love towards those who do not share your beliefs.
Most of us grew up being taught evolution, but what if there’s actual empirical evidence that points toward purposeful design? We’re putting the Bible to the test to see if believing in Creation requires you to check your brain at the door, or if you can believe the Genesis account and still be rational and intelligent. In this video, we'll see respected scientists who believe the data fits better with Genesis than natural selection, and we'll discover how the world around us defies random chance, revealing fingerprints of an intelligent Creator behind it all.
Relationships today are complicated. Our world is constantly communicating to us how to navigate things like sex, dating, and marriage, but is this really working out well for us? Many of us still struggle reconciling our faith with our current desires and our past failures. In this video, we’ll have an open, judgment-free conversation on what the Bible says about navigating tough topics like healthy boundaries for sex, dating in a modern world, divorce, and re-marriage. Discover how to reconcile faith with your desires, build intimate relationships that honor God, and find hope and healing from heartache.
Navigating the topic of gender identity today is tough. Transgender. Gender dysphoria. Non-binary. What does it all mean? We want to care for people's innermost feelings and desires but is fully exploring and expressing all feelings and desires leading us towards wholeness? The complexities surrounding these issues leave many longing for clarity. In this video, we'll see what answers and wisdom the Bible gives around this topic to help us navigate these delicate and important issues.
Do you ever worry you'll look back with regret on how you spent your time and energy? It’s hard enough just getting through the day to day, let alone making sure your decisions are leading to a life of fulfillment and purpose. That’s where having strong values can help! In this video, we talk about 4 values designed to help you build a life of purpose and meaning. Find out why being biblically centered, outwardly focused, radically generous, and personally involved matters and also practical ways for you to start incorporating these values into your life this week.
Between pandemics, politics, and social media outrage, it's no wonder so many of us struggle with fear and anxiety. The constant state of feeling triggered can really take its toll on our mental, emotional, and spiritual health, and while we try to hide, ignore, or self medicate these feelings, they never really seem to go away. But here's the truth: you were created to live in peace, not in panic, but that doesn’t mean we’ll never wrestle with these feelings. In this video, we'll unpack practical techniques to manage fear and anxiety and give you Biblical wisdom for processing these emotions.
Love is a super confusing emotion. We say we "love" a lot of things when we really mean we like, we desire, we enjoy, we crave. And sometimes when we say “love” we really mean "lust". We live in a world that glorifies fantasy love while real relationships struggle and more often than not our disordered desires lead to pain and brokenness. No wonder we have so many questions about love! In this video, we take a look at what the Bible says about this messy thing we call love to find clarity and understanding so we can manage this emotion in a better way.
