Gracelife Sarasota

In the last several weeks different people in our church have lost everything in one of 3 different storms. Do you remember what life was like before Hurricane Debbie wrecked so many lives a couple of months ago? What about those among us who lost everything during Hurricane Helene. That experience was life-changing for you. Do you remember the anxiety earlier this week as we watched weather reports, warning us about Hurricane Milton? How do you feel now that the storm has passed, and we see all this wreckage all around? Have you enjoyed the long gas lines? I have seen some fights. The Davis’ are still without power, so no bragging, please! Is it possible to find gratitude in the aftermath of a disaster? When we’re tempted to ask, ‘Why me?’—is there a deeper question we should be asking instead? Can we still be thankful, even when the world feels shattered? Even though life has been disrupted, and things are not “normal”, what can we have gratitude for this mor

You know our country is deeply polarized, & everyone on all sides, including you, has an opinion about who’s to blame. Could one of the big reasons be the redeemed’ s disobedience, & lack of faith that God is in control? How does it affect our community when the redeemed lack trust & confidence that God is sovereign & in control? -Instead of being the light of the world, we often become just another angry voice in the chaos. Instead of proclaiming redemption, mercy, love & grace we complain, quarrel, & look for hope in other things. We begin to place our hope in economics, politics, culture wars, etc. to fix what only our Unseen King can fix. What if God’s plan is for us to rise above the chaos? Will we trust Him or continue fighting for control? What might be the effect, the impact on our community, when the redeemed fully trust our Unseen King? This is a powerful lesson our church needs to take away from our series on Esther.

Have you ever noticed how easily we remember the traumatizing events in our lives, big and small? We never forget! We all have trauma, even those of us who think we don’t, are impacted by it in daily life more than you realize. They’re called core memories that cling to us, spring up without warning, they frame how we see life. These memories can breed bitterness, strain relationships, & foster a mindset of victimhood & entitlement. Have you experienced how easily these memories distract you from following Jesus or remembering the Word of God? It can almost seem like trauma is specifically designed to keep us from remembering mercy and redemption! But when it comes to remembering what God has done for us, it seems that requires more effort & discipline. We must have frequent, regular remembrance of the powerful moments God has displayed His sovereign grace to us. Remembering His goodness a vital part of both our obedience & our transformation.

It was the summer of 1991 at the outdoor basketball courts at USF. Pastor Joe, 23 years old, was playing pickup with college players while a crowd watched from the bleachers. It was like that Ski-Lo song, “I wish I was a little bit taller…”—everyone came to see their guy dominate the game. This may surprise you, but I was by far the shortest and slowest person on the court. It wasn’t even close. The game was at a critical point—game point, in fact. My team had the ball, and our point guard, under heavy pressure, was forced to pass it to me. I could see the sadness in his eyes. A 6'9" guy, who I'd even seen play on TV, rushed out to guard me. I panicked, thinking he was going to run me over. So, in desperation, I just heaved the ball into the air. We collided, and I went sprawling to the ground. Then I heard a massive roar from the crowd. Someone even yelled, "WHITE BOY!" To my shock, my blind 30-foot bank shot had gone in. My teammates ran over, picked me up, and we c

Isn’t it fun to be the one announcing good news? To see the thrill in someone’s face because of news you shared? When was the last time you had the privilege of sharing amazing news with someone who wasn’t expecting it? How did you feel when you saw their joy, the relief, the spark of hope in someone’s eyes as they received it? Good news can be so powerful! It can lift burdens, renew hope, even change someone’s life, even save their life! Can you imagine a scenario of having good news for someone but choosing, for whatever reason, to keep it to yourself? Wouldn’t that be kind of sick, even evil? Chapter 8 is the moment of the grand resolution of the whole Esther story. It serves as a powerful reminder of what we should do with the keys to deliverance and the message of greater hope we’ve been given.

Have you ever looked at the world around you and wondered, why does evil seem to be winning? Hypocrisy, injustice, corruption, doesn’t it seem like darkness is constantly gaining ground & closing in around us? We’re confronted daily w/what seems like the wicked prospering while the righteous suffer. There’s a psalm for that: (Psalm 73:3,12-14) For I was envious of the prosperity of the proud and wicked...look at these men of arrogance; they never have to lift a finger - theirs is a life of ease; and all the time their riches multiply. Have I been wasting my time? Why take the trouble to be pure? All I get out of it is trouble and woe - every day and all day long?"

Don’t you love it when your plans or strategies come together? Especially when the outcome is super important? It's very rewarding! You feel intelligent, in control, powerful! It confirms your high opinion of your wisdom & foresight! Even our selfish, ambitious, lustful, unrighteous plans that hurt others provide this intoxicating illusion of control. While it’s good to strategize and plan, we must remember that control is often an illusion. But sometimes, despite our best efforts, our plans fail—sometimes spectacularly. And when they do, that feeling of being in control can be replaced with humiliation, helplessness, powerlessness, and sometimes even fear. Imagine the devastating humiliation when plans you were so confident in fail so badly, they cost you everything. The humiliation of plans gone wrong is something many will face on the Day of the Lord. Esther 6 gives us a powerful lesson about the peril of placing our trust in human plans, especially plans that are inspired primarily by

"Reverence & awe for the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. For by me, your days will be multiplied, and years added to your life." - Proverbs 9:10-11 Do you know people who seem prone to making unwise choices? Have you ever felt like you might be one of them? Why do people make the same silly mistakes repeatedly? While others seem to be able to learn from their mistakes? This kind of wisdom, or lack of it, reveals a deeper issue, a lack of trust in God’s sovereign plan, so we take over. What about people who seem to consistently display wisdom to make courageous, faithful, obedient choices. Why do some people possess heavenly wisdom while another seems trapped in foolishness? The kind of wisdom you consistently display has little to do with intelligence, talent, or resources. Instead, it reveals how much you trust in God’s sovereign power & plan, perhaps more than you’re willing to admit. Esther 5 presents a powerful contrast between these two

Have you ever been so distraught, anxious, distressed and distracted you couldn’t eat or sleep? Maybe you were worried about your bills or you lost your job, or a huge costly catastrophe that came upon you. Maybe it was a legal decision from the judge, a medical diagnosis from your doctor, or other potential, looming bad news. Maybe it was just immense grief and sorrow over losing someone you love, a spouse, or a parent, or a child. All of us have faced devastating events in our lives, leaving us feeling helpless, that exposed our frailty or vulnerability. But these heavy moments provide the most stark of contrasts between the faithful & rest of the world. Without eternal hope, life is pretty much about grabbing what you can, and enjoying peaceful moments between bad news. But for followers of Jesus, these moments present an opportunity for our greatest expressions of worship to God.

"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as it's own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." - John 15:18-19 Have you noticed the world seems to hate Christianity? Does this hostility towards Christianity frustrate you? Are you easily discouraged, or enraged when culture or government seems to conflict with the Kingdom of God? No matter the political persuasion, there are American Christians who are confused, perplexed & angry at society. As a pastor, I observe an American church infected with a destructive, spiritual pandemic of anxiety, fear, and even anger. Christians on both political sides are anxious, even angry at the prospect of who might be president in 6 months. Outraged or confused by SCOTUS decisions ranging from gay marriage on one side, to overturning Roe v. Wade on the other. We get worked up in culture wars, like the reenactment of Da Vinci’

Do you know what these are? Call it what it is. Ugly. Just look at them! This “art” is at best “questionable!” Everything is out of proportion. They are stick figures. Coloring outside the lines. Some don’t even resemble anything! But someone somewhere thought they were precious enough to take a picture and put it on the world wide web! These are obviously posted by people who love the kids who made this refrigerator art. To them these are beautiful. They love them, cherish them, and put them up for everyone in the house to see! To anyone else, these are worthless. Now before you say, “Pastor Joe that is mean!”, how long would you keep it up on your fridge if you didn’t love the kid? The story we will look at today in Esther is like this analogy of a parent loving ugly refrigerator art. We’ll learn that we can be grateful for how God used Esther & Mordecai without ignoring their terrible choices.

Do you know what these are? Call it what it is. Ugly. Just look at them! This “art” is at best “questionable!” Everything is out of proportion. They are stick figures. Coloring outside the lines. Some don’t even resemble anything! But someone somewhere thought they were precious enough to take a picture and put it on the world wide web! These are obviously posted by people who love the kids who made this refrigerator art. To them these are beautiful. They love them, cherish them, and put them up for everyone in the house to see! To anyone else, these are worthless. Now before you say, “Pastor Joe that is mean!”, how long would you keep it up on your fridge if you didn’t love the kid? The story we will look at today in Esther is like this analogy of a parent loving ugly refrigerator art. We’ll learn that we can be grateful for how God used Esther & Mordecai without ignoring their terrible choices.

(DEUTERONOMY 27:4-8) When you’ve crossed over the Jordan, use these stones & some plaster to build an altar on Mount Ebal to the Lord your God. Don’t use tools, build it with your hands! You shall offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God, make peace offerings, & have a feast there. You shall rejoice before the Lord your God. And you shall write on the stones all the words of the Law.

God often uses our desperation to showcase his glory & power.

"All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one." - Matthew 5:37

What kind of church would GraceLife be if everyone was like Ganon or Chris? Stunning, good-looking, great personality? Would our church be bigger, and more appealing? Would more people be drawn to Mt Lockwood Ridge? Listen, people like Chris, Gannon & myself, we are so tired of carrying that burden of being who everyone loves. Obviously, joking about Chris, But seriously, have you ever thought about how diverse & creatively God has made us all? There isn’t another person in our church close to a Raz, or Curley. There’s only one Jen, Brent, or Bob Cluckey. There’s nobody like Todd, Cean, or Jackie. No two GraceLifers are alike at all! Yet we are united under one Gospel. We need each of them, each of you, with every quirk, oddity, peculiarity, and diversity, to be what makes GraceLife so special. God’s creativity in our church is critical. We can’t accomplish His plans on Mt. Lockwood Ridge without each one.

Raise your hand if you have ever made an unwise, foolish, or just downright sinful decision. Have you experienced earthly consequences from those choices so severe that you felt there was no way back? Have you ever wrestled with the potential earthly, spiritual, and eternal impact your own free will has had on others? When we make bad choices, can our choices disrupt God’s plan of salvation not just for us, but for others? This concept has been one of the most polarizing, controversial theological debates within the church for 2,000 years. The human heart has this natural desire for independence & autonomy. But free will comes with a cost as well, right? We all cherish human free will don’t we? The right to make our own decisions, to choose our own path. Every follower of Jesus has struggled with the burden of how our decisions bring consequences on us and others. It’s the tension of trying to grasp how human free will can exist within the framework of God’s sovereign grace. Today&

How many of you have ever played chess? What are the two most important pieces on the board? The King & Queen. These two pieces are all-important; everything centers around them, and where they are dictates the flow of the game. These two pieces on the chessboard are controlled by the players, who move, direct, & use them for their own strategies. But outside the game, off the chessboard, they are pointless trinkets with no power or value. Imagine playing Monopoly, trying to use the queen to move to whatever property you desired, without the dice. It would be absurd, right? Your opponent wouldn’t allow it because the queen has no power in the game of Monopoly. Do you realize that’s exactly what earthly power and authority are really like? Like a chess piece under God’s control? Just as the queen is powerless in Monopoly, earthly rulers have no ultimate power outside their own realms. Earthly rulers like the one we will learn about today, may seem powerful within their own kingdoms, but th

Have you ever felt like God was missing? You believe in God, you have faith, but you can’t see Him in your situation? We have faith, but we can’t help the fact that we feel this way as if God has gone silent & He’s nowhere to be found. We’ve all been there. We’ve been perplexed, suffering, frightened, in pain, and maybe even devastated by loss & pain. It’s one of those moments in life you just can’t see what God is doing. Even praying doesn’t seem to help ease it. Usually, because we cannot see the big picture, God is doing things beyond our comprehension. But we also know from God’s Word, He IS there! He knows how every detail is part of His grand plan of redemption. That’s the essence of the Book of Esther, a cherished story in Jewish history that’s overlooked by church leaders. There is a profound message of God's presence, hidden, but working behind the scenes to ensure His will is fulfilled. It’s a story about the preciou

Before we begin our new series in Esther, I wanted to take a week to talk about GraceLife’s stance God’s Word. With so many new faces, I think it’s important to take one week to explain why we do what we do here. A biblical church is characterized by unwavering confidence and trust in the Bible as the ultimate source of truth. A biblical church, which there are several in Sarasota, believes God’s Word is supernaturally inspired and infallible. Any good, biblical church will declare that they believe scripture is inspired, reliable, accurate, and preserved by God. But our belief and trust in God’s Word should be based on more than just blind faith. After all the stakes are high. If we’re going to have complete trust in God’s Word, shouldn’t we understand why? This isn’t the Easter Bunny There are compelling reasons why God's Word is reliable, miraculous, and worthy of our hope, trust & reverence. In fact, the Bible, the Word of God we have today, i