Gvf // Grace Valley Fellowship

Jesus isn't Superman, Santa Claus, or our fairy godmother. We want a God who'll save us from our circumstances, but Jesus saves us from ourselves.

It’s not your circumstances that define your life. It’s your story. At the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew, we hear find a long boring genealogy... that would go on to change billions of lives & all of human history. Matthew wants us to see how this story makes sense of our personal (sometimes dark) past & history itself. Matthew 1:1-17

The kingdom of God isn’t some abstract theological idea or fairy land someone invented so that we’d love our enemies and be kind to one another and be good people. It’s real, it’s coming, and it’s for the good of the world.

What do you do when you realize that you have power, privilege, & influence that others do not have? King David sets an example of how to use our power as citizens of God's Kingdom. 2 Samuel 6

It’s that place in your life where no matter how hard you try, you can’t seem to win. It’s that place where you are the weakest. It’s a place of shame. It’s the place where – if you are not careful – the enemy will destroy you from the inside out. What do we do when we have strongholds of sin in our lives? 2 Samuel 5

Epic warriors face off in the field of flints, every other person gets disemboweled, [insert cheesy one-liners], political intrigue, assassins, a gratuitous sex scene, & truly epic cursing… 2 Samuel 2 & 3 is not for the faint of heart, but for those with eyes to see it is a beautiful picture of the coming of the Kingdom of God.

The world doesn't need a church that either shrugs off sin or celebrates when people "get what they deserve." The world needs us to love it enough to weep for it, pray for it, and, like Jesus, be willing to die for it.

All of us know what it feels like to be burned by someone else. What do you do when the pain won't go away? How do you move past the hurt and find freedom in your life?

How you view God's rules will affect how you rule God. Sermon excerpt from "Lies, Guns, & Antichrist: A Study of Desperation"

Let's stop thinking like Republicans or Democrats or Libertarians... and start thinking like Christians. // Sermon Excerpt from "Lies, Guns, & Antichrist: A Study of Desperation"

When David, a man after God's own heart, gets desperate, he lies, grabs a sword, & acts insane. When you get desperate, what will you do? Will you trust God or take matters into your own hands? 1 Samuel 21-22

When Jonathan realizes that David is King, he swears an oath of allegiance & takes off his robe. When Saul realizes that David is King, he tries to kill him & ends up prophesying naked. This gives us a picture of how we respond to the fact that Jesus is King (Messiah). When we are exposed before God, do we submit our lives or do we fight against Him?

It’s really, really easy for people (you & me) to think that we are good at reading other people’s motives - when, in fact, we’re really not. // Excerpt from David & Goliath Sermon

David & Goliath is the classic story of the underdog who conquers the giant. Children love it. Motivational speakers use it. Preachers preach it. But what's this story really about? Is it about how I can defeat my giants or is it about something else? In this talk, Paul unpacks how this is not just a self-help story about me & my greatness but that it points us to Jesus & His greatness. 1 Samuel 17

This is the introduction to the life of King David from 1 Samuel. Saul was the king that everyone wanted, but David was the king that they needed. "The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

In the Bible, food & meeting God seem to go hand in hand. Why does God put such an emphasis on when & how & what to eat? What does eating have to do with God's mission to save the world?

A Protestant pastor, Paul Anderson, & a Catholic Scholar, Dr. Jeffrey Morrow, (Assoc Prof of Undergraduate Theology at Seton Hall) chat about how they agree, disagree, & relate to one another from their very different traditions.

God does not want our begrudging service. He wants our hearts. And when He gets our hearts, we will want to serve. Deuteronomy 9 & 10

The Church exists to show off our God by sticking together no matter what.

We need God's Word the way that the ancient Israelites needed manna. We need to eat it. Every. Day. Exodus 15 &16