Gvf // Grace Valley Fellowship

What would it look like to see the universe through the eyes of an ancient believer? In Psalm 104, the Psalmist sits in awe of God's work in creation and has a vision of the life that bursts forth in gratitude & peace, fear & worship. While we may never see the universe the way an ancient Israelite sees it, is it possible to catch a glimpse of that vision of life? Can we learn to see God at work in all things the way he did?

The early church fathers spoke of "the book of creation." Just as a book contains the words of the author, creation itself is a book written by God. Reality is pregnant with meaning. It is a personal expression of a personal God. Everything has meaning. Everything points us to Him. Using Psalm 19 as our guide, we will explore how to read the book of creation so that this ancient vision of life gets into us and, through us, brings wonder, gratitude, and peace to our modern world.

We’ll be looking at Chapters 1 & 2 in John’s Gospel to discover, or perhaps re-discover, how absolutely AWESOME Jesus is. He is both Infinite & all-powerful (see John 1:1-5) AND Intimate, accessible and personal (1:29-51). The main point we’ll try to get is, “It is only to the degree that we are CAPTURED BY and LOVE (and LIKE!) JESUS, that we truly COME ALIVE and become TRANSFORMED and IMPACTFUL people.”www.newstorychurch.life

Have you ever had someone provoking you? Is someone deliberately trying to upset you? Most of us can handle this for a time or two, but what if this goes on for months or years? What if we start to feel forgotten by God? Hannah was such a woman who lived in an extraordinary situation with extreme hostility and provocation. How did she handle this? What did she do? From 1 Samuel 1:1-20, you will learn how to handle difficult situations and see a tremendous promise from God.www.newstorychurch.life

The church of Laodicea is full of highly capable people who are confident that they can succeed in life without help from anyone... even Jesus. Their success has blinded them to their true spiritual condition. Their lives have drifted away from Jesus - He's not even invited to their church services anymore - and no one seems to have noticed. In this letter, Jesus forces them (& us) to face the reality that we cannot see ourselves clearly without help. newstorychurch.life

"Never judge a book by its cover" is a modern-day saying, but over 2,000 years ago, the apostle Paul said essentially the same thing. The small, run-down, persecuted ancient church of Philadelphia was filled with Nike Christians (really!) who were faithful pillars in their community. Despite external appearances, this tiny and faithful church had the keys to God's kingdom, while other larger churches with more earthly status were judged as faithless, compromised and even dead!Summary: Be Nike Christians like the Church in Philadelphia. Just do it! Win the prize for your faith under trials. newstorychurch.life

In ancient Sardis, history has a way of repeating itself. They seem stuck in a cycle of getting comfortable... too comfortable. Eventually, they get so distracted and so busy that they forget to guard against their enemies and their city falls. In Revelation 3, it sounds like history is about to repeat itself again. Except this time, it's not the city of Sardis that's about to fall. It's the church.newstorychurch.life

If the church at Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7) was full of fundamentalists who loved God's Word but hated people, this church would be just the opposite. They were super loving, affirming, and active in the community. Really, really nice people. But they also tolerated some things that seemed to directly contradict the Word of God... and Jesus wants to talk to them (& us) about this. newstorychurch.life

If you had to choose: "Renounce Jesus or die." Would you die for Jesus? In that moment, many of us would choose to die.... or, at least, we hope we would. But what if the test you face is less about dying for Jesus and more about living a life of dying to your own desires… for the sake of Jesus? In His letter to Pergamum, Jesus warns them (and us) against thinking that if Satan isn't trying to kill us, then we're safe. If he cannot destroy you, he’ll try to make you self-destruct. If he cannot defeat you, he’ll seduce you.newstorychurch.life

In His letter to the church at Smyrna, Jesus writes: “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer.” He writes this as the Roman government is getting ready to hunt them down & kill some of them. It’s a bit jarring. In this message, we'll explore how Jesus gave these early Christians courage, peace, and even joy in the face of unthinkable suffering... and how He wants to do this for us too.newstorychurch.life

At the end of the first century, the churches faced immense cultural pressure to conform to the world's values and ways. Some churches held firm to the teachings and way of Jesus... and were hated, rejected, & persecuted. Other churches compromised with the world... and lost their reason for existing. So, Jesus wrote them (& us) letters to help us overcome the world without becoming like the world. This week, we'll look at His letter to the church of Ephesus, a church that held tightly to the truths that Jesus taught but somehow lost their love for people.newstorychurch.life

What happens when a modern, iPhone-using, Starbucks-drinking, Netflix-watching, well-educated American picks up the Bible & finds that the Apostle Paul believes this world is controlled by the Devil? Do you laugh, do you hide in fear, or do you start to pray? That's the question we'll consider as we close out this study of Paul's letter to the ancient Ephesians. newstorychurch.life

Wouldn't it be amazing if God were not mad at me? Wouldn't it be life-changing if his acceptance for me was not contingent on my making the grade; my living up to a behavioral standard empowered by my sincerity, my perseverance, my full-hearted fervency, and my sold-out determination? How would it change my life if God told me that he loves me as much as he loves Jesus? What if grace was real? Let's see this morning.newstorychurch.life

Why doesn't the Apostle Paul openly denounce the institution of slavery?  Only when we've grappled with this question of justice can we begin to appreciate why Paul seems to think that spiritual slavery is an even more pressing issue.newstorychurch.life

The parent-child relationship is central to life. It forms you from birth. And, if you happen to have kids, you form them in ways that you cannot imagine. (Maybe you dare not imagine.) In this message, we talk about how Jesus  redeems these most basic, most human of relationships that we might experience "the life that is truly life." newstorychurch.life

In marriage, women & men behave, think, feel, are… different. We shouldn't overstate this, or attempt to overly define roles based on these differences. But differences there are. How we relate to one another in these differences can be a matter of great pleasure or horrific pain. In our message today, we'll explore how Jesus's changes marriage and redeems it... so that you can more fully reflect God's love to God and to one another. newstorychurch.life

As part of our New Story Missions focus, we welcome Mike Harder to share with us. Could there be more to life than chasing personal achievement or rising to the top of your career? Could there be more than simply accumulating personal power, money or accolades? Could God give you a mission worth your life? In the book of Acts, Luke says yes. God not only calls us to a life with greater purpose and meaning; He gives us the special gift of His Spirit to help us in this new mission. This message shares how God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things when they give their lives to His purpose.www.newstorychurch.life

"If a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live," MLK. Before he is executed, the Apostle Paul writes to Timothy to give him (and us) some perspective on the mission that we find ourselves caught up in. It is hard and costly. To be part of it means that you will suffer. It might cost you your life. And... it's worth it. It's so very worth it.

For the Apostle John, the vast, epic story of Easter cannot be separated from that which is most personal. Every resurrection story he tells is (almost awkwardly) intimate. We find Jesus meeting Mary in her shame, Thomas in his doubts, and Peter in his denial. When we probe John and ask, "Why? Why do you want us to see Easter in such deeply personal terms?" Rather than answer directly, John tells us a story about Jesus meeting two dear sisters and their dead brother in the house of suffering.