Gvf // Grace Valley Fellowship

Celebration is commanded by God. In the Old Testament, God demanded that His People shape their lives around massive, sensual, expensive, crowded feasts. This Sunday, we are going to finish our series on delight by exploring how God uses the spiritual discipline of celebration to deepen our capacity for delight in Him, others, and life.

We are created to be with God and to delight in Him. In the Scriptures, this is portrayed as a great feast. In this message, we'll discuss how we can make sure the good things in life don't keep us from the great feast.

According to the Scriptures, our ability to experience the wonder & beauty of life is directly related to how we see other people. In this message, we explore what it looks like to see what God sees in people through the story of the Good Samaritan.

We are the most distracted people in the history of the world. Distractions not only increase our anxiety and get in the way of real relationships, they diminish our capacity for delight. In this message, we talk about moving from distracted to aware, from absent to full present, and from anxiety to delight.

If we'd all like more delight in our lives, why is it so rare? In this message, we explore how our perspective, our priorities, and other people all shape (& mishape) our capacity for delight. Matthew 26:6-13

From page one of the Scriptures, we find that delight is more than a nice feeling. It's the stuff of life. It feeds our love and fuels our passion. It covers over a multitude of sins and heals our wounds. It gives us a reason to get out of bed in the morning and a reason to push through hardship. In this message, we talk about why we all need more of it and where to start seeking it out.

Jesus modeled discipleship when he chose just 12 followers and invested intentionally, deeply and sacrificially in them. The apostle Paul discipled Timothy into a mature leader in the church. Discipleship is the most effective means to spread the gospel, change lives and help others reach maturity. Sound important? It's more than that. It's essential.

A strong sense of community has been an essential part of the Christian church since its inception in Acts Ch.2. But how do we maintain community in the midst of a global pandemic? The answer involves food, prayer and your couch.

Jesus said he was the truth...but what is truth? This question has plagued humans for thousands of years. One thing is clear: the essential church needs it, and it brings freedom.

Humility. Jesus modeled it, the Pharisees missed it and the Essential Church must have it.

The church isn't an essential church without love. Jesus said so.

How we respond in moments of stress, weariness, and frustration can be revealing.  In today's message, we'll look at how to prepare our hearts before these moments take us by surprise.

Sometimes it takes seeing the darkness of our own hearts before we can appreciate the brilliance of God's grace.

When the 12 spies reported what they saw in the land of Canaan, 10 saw impossible obstacles and killer giants, while two spies saw a land flowing with milk and honey that was theirs for the taking. How is this possible? Simply put: The faith these two spies had in God was bigger  than the giants who opposed them. What about yours?

When life is difficult or doesn't make sense, there is an (understandable) need to hear from God. We want God to give us hope and direction. But just below the surface of this good desire lies a subtle temptation to put words in God’s mouth.

When our lives get put on hold, one of the first great temptations is discontentment. In this message, we'll talk about how to shut off the voices that stir up discontentment & root out it out of our hearts. Through Christ, we can find a peace that is greater than circumstances and a joy that is bigger than our hardships.

Sometimes we end up in a place where life is unsustainable, where all of our plans die, where life is just on hold.  It's a place where God whispers: "Your plans might be ruined, but Mine are not."

In the Scriptures, the desert - like a pandemic - is a place of desperation and transformation. It's the place you meet God or the place you lose your faith. One way or the other, it will change you. How is this pandemic transforming you? 

In John 6, Jesus reveals to the crowds that He alone can satisfy their deepest desires… yet they refuse. As the crowds go back to chasing after the very things that they know will never truly satisfy them, Jesus turns to His followers (to us) and asks: "What about you? Are you ready to give up your life so I can give you My life?" 

Jesus sent his closest friends into a fierce storm late at night and allowed them to strain, fight against the waves and experience fear for hours on end. Why? He wanted to show them more than just “another miracle” - he wanted them to understand his love, his power and his plan in a way they could not do from the safety of the shore. And it worked.