Grace Clarksville

What does it mean to be a mom?  More than cards, flowers, and breakfasts in bed, being a mother is a calling.  This Mother's Day, we celebrate this great gift by looking at what the Bible shows us about mothering - in all of its messiness and meaningfulness.   Scriptures: Genesis 3:16 1 Samuel 1:24-28 Luke 1:46-49                     2 Timothy 1:3-5  Keywords: Motherhood Moms Mother's Day Parenting Children Family 

We have been given the power to create and destroy, and many of us live as if the power is only used against us. What we say, what we don’t say, how we say it, everything about our words has the ability to speak life and death. We live in a world that is desperate for hopeful words, yet expects injurious words from everyone. Our greatest example of the power of our words is found in Jesus, when He was confronted with the adulterous woman. It was what he chose to not say that spoke the loudest to her situation.    Scriptures:   Proverbs 12:18  Keywords: Words Injury Healing Wisdom Heart   

What is God like?  The parable of the Prodigal Son reveals some of God's essential characteristics that, if seen and believed, will shape how we relate to God in profound ways.  We will look at this parable for a final week as we examine the most important character in this story: the Father.   Scriptures:   Luke 15:11-32    Keywords:   The Prodigal Son God Father Grace Luke 15

 If the grace of God is true, it should change the way that we see everything. Join us for week 2 of this series about God’s grace and, specifically, how it can change the way that you see others.   Scriptures:   Luke 15:11-32  Keywords: Grace People Serve Others Joy Anger Resentment  

If the grace of God is true, it should change the way that we see everything.  Join us as we begin a new series about God's grace and, specifically, how it can change the way that you see yourself.   Scriptures:   Matthew 16:1-4 Luke 15:11-32  Keywords: Grace Prodigal Son Luke 15 Jesus Self-pity Self-esteem Pride

When a group of religious scholars asked Jesus to perform a religious sign, he simply said, "Instead of a giving you guys a new sign, I'm just going to tell you to look at Jonah."  What did Jesus mean by this subversive response?  Join us for Easter With Grace as we explore the connection between Jesus and this well-known prophet.   Scriptures:   Matthew 16:1-4  Keywords: Jesus, Resurrection, Easter, Jonah, Matthew 16, Grace

As we finish our series on Jonah, we encounter even stranger things than a storm and a fish.  We see an ill-purposed tent.  A mysterious plant.  A scorching wind.  A destructive worm.  What do all of these things mean?  And what does God want to tell Jonah through them?  Join Adam Dressler as he explores the lesser-known part of this epic story in our final week of Unlikely God. Scriptures:   Jonah 4:1-11  Keywords: Jonah, Mercy, Compassion, Pride, Selfishness

Most people know the story as Jonah was swallowed by a big fish.  But what happens after that?  As Jonah's story continues, we see how God uses Jonah to reveal an important message to his enemies - that God sees their evil actions and wants them to change.  And the miracle is they actually do.  This week Adam Dressler explores how God makes real change possible in our lives. Scriptures:   Jonah 3:1-10  Keywords: Jonah, Nineveh, Mercy, Repentance, Change, Hope  

The story of Jonah is much more than a fish story. Jonah’s journey reveals God’s passionate pursuit of people. Join Michael Bayne as he continues the Unlikely God series and reveals how God will stop at no length to redeem and rescue people. Scriptures:   Jonah 1:17-2:10  Keywords: salvation, Jonah, rescue, restoration, hope    

Depressed and full of despair, Jonah runs from God, hoping to find peace.  Instead, he finds a deeper suffering within a raging storm.  But God will simply not let Jonah go.  What does this mean for us as we face our own storms today?  Join Adam Dressler as he continues our series through Jonah in "Unlikely God." Scriptures:  Jonah 1:4-16 Keywords: Jonah, Depression, Despair, Suffering, Redemption, Hope  

A violent storm.  A big fish.  These are the things that we think about when we think about the story of Jonah.  In reality, there is far more to this familiar story than just a storm and fish.  Jonah's story is about God doing unlikely things in unlikely places.  This year as we journey towards Easter, join Adam Dressler as he begins our series on the book of Jonah. Scriptures: Jonah 1:1-3 Keywords: Jonah, Grace, Mission, Repentance, Lent

In one of the few stories that we have about Jesus before he begins his public ministry, we see him running away from his parents and spending time in the Temple.  More than a lesson in obedience to his parents, this story shows us one of the foundations of Jesus' life: worship.  Join Adam Dressler as he concludes this series by exploring what true worship actually is and why all of us need to practice it. Scriptures:  Luke 2:41-52 Keywords: idolatry, jesus, luke, the, way, worship

Why should we try to live a good life?  Why should we try to make better decisions,  and become better people?  Before Jesus begins his public ministry, he does this very curious thing: he asks John the Baptist to baptize him.  Join Adam Dressler as he explores how our pursuit of a better life and Jesus' baptism are connected in deeply important ways. Scriptures:  Matthew 3:13-17 Keywords: Obedience, baptism, Jesus, spiritual growth, Matthew 3

Jesus begins his public ministry by fasting – denying himself food.  Throughout his life, he intentionally said “no” to many things – especially celebrity status – so he could please his Heavenly Father.  Join Michael Bayne as he unpacks how Jesus connected with God through the art saying no so he could say yes to God. Scriptures: Matthew 4:1-11 Keywords: fasting, denial, testing, growth, waiting, patience

We live in a world where we are constantly surrounded by noise. We rarely have times where we can think and be still. We move through life with a soundtrack that we consume through media and constant activity. Jesus faced similar distractions when people pulled for his time and attention. Join Michael Bayne as he explores how Jesus pulled away from the noise in order to connect with God. Scriptures: Luke 5:12-16 Keywords: Time, Quiet, Solitude, Peace, Direction

When most of us think of "spirituality," we tend to think about typical "spiritual" activities: reading the Bible, going to church, and praying.  But what if our understanding of "spirituality" needs to be broadened to include other things - things like rest and leisure?  As we continue our series on how Jesus connected with God, join Adam Dressler as he looks at an often under-appreciated rhythm in Jesus' life: rest. Scriptures:  John 2:1-11 Keywords: Rest, Leisure, John 2, Jesus, Work, Productivity 

Prayer is foundational to a close relationship with God.  Yet for many of us, regular and meaningful prayer remains a struggle.  But what if it was actually possible to experience life-giving, soul-satisfying prayer?  When we read about the life of Jesus, this is what we see.  And it is possible for us today.  Join Adam Dressler as he continues our series The Jesus Way by looking at prayer. Scriptures:  John 17:1-5 Keywords: Prayer, Jesus, Spiritual Disciplines, John 17

When we look at the life of Jesus, we see a person who lived with an intimate and deeply personal connection with his Father.  During his life, he made the outlandish claim that we could know his Father - God - in the same way.  How is this possible?  Join Adam Dressler as he begins our new series by looking at one of the most important ways that Jesus related to God: through the Word. Scriptures:  Matthew 4:1-11 Keywords: Jesus, Spiritual Growth, Matthew, Bible, Scripture, Meditation, Temptation

Most of us see the New Year as a fresh start and a new opportunity to make things different. Often that blank slate quickly gets filled with things that distract us from what really matters in life. Join Michael Bayne as he helps us fill in the blank slate of the New Year with the power of intentional prayer. Scriptures:  1 Chronicles 4:9-10 Keywords: Prayer, Change, Faith, Future

Thousands of years ago, God's people waited for the coming Messiah to give them light in the midst of darkness.  John describes the significance of God answering his people through Jesus in his very famous passage - John 1.  Join us this week as we celebrate our final Sunday of Advent by looking at how Jesus came to give us light and what that means for our lives today. Scriptures:  John 1:1-5, 9-14 Keywords: Christmas, Advent, Jesus, John, Waiting, Hope