Prayers to the WORD

Here’s a prayer of petition and commitment based upon John 1:1-12...

In the beginning was the Word ...

to all who received him, who believed in his name,

he gave power to become children of God. ~ John 1:1, 12

Inspiring Word,
move over the chaos within me,
calling forth form and order,
that I may know you in my shaping,
and in the shaping,
surrender my life to yours.

Illuminating Word,
pierce the darkness within me,
calling forth insight and understanding,
that I may know you in my seeing,
and in seeing,
follow the way of your kingdom.

Incarnate Word,
indwell the life within me,
calling forth passion and purpose,
that I may know you in my living,
and in living,
embody you for the world.

Exodus - A Story of Liberation

This October + November we will journey, with the ancient Israelites, through their famous EXODUS.

The book and message of Exodus is one of the most iconic Old Testament stories. It recounts the birth of the nation of Israel; it introduces us to Old Testament heroes like Moses and Joshua; and it provides the basis for so much Judaeo/Christian history and tradition - the burning bush, the plagues, the Passover, the parting of the Red Sea, and the giving of God's law to his people. Most importantly, it tells the story of a God who is LORD over everything and faithfully desires to be with his people as they learn how to represent and share HIM with the world.

So join us each Sunday as we make our way through this invigorating and illuminating story.

Also, for a more in depth look and study in the message of Exodus, we invite you to download and use this Exodus Study Guide.

Enjoy. And may you see and experience the LORD in new ways.

The Parables of Jesus

Parables were short stories that had a moral or ethical point related to matters of Jewish law, interpretation, and application. The use of parables was popular in all stages of Jewish literature, from the Bible to the writings of the rabbis.

Jesus used parables often to coincide with his teaching and understanding of Torah. His parables were often misunderstood, even by his own disciples, and often had several layers of meaning. Here are the parables by Jesus recorded in Mathew, Mark, and Luke:

Parable: Lamp under a bowl 

Matthew 5:14– 15; Mark 4: 21– 22; Luke 8:16; 11: 33 

Parable: Wise and foolish builders 

Matthew 7:24–27; Luke 6:47–49 

Parable: New cloth on an old coat 

Matthew 9:16; Mark 2:21; Luke 5:36 

Parable: New wine in old wineskins 

Matthew 9:17; Mark 2:22; Luke 5:37– 38 

Parable: Sower and the soils 

Matthew 13:3–8, 18–23; Mark 4:3– 8, 14– 20; Luke 8:5– 8, 11–15 

Parable: Weeds 

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 

Parable: Mustard seed 

Matthew 13:31-32; Mark 4:30-32; Luke 13:18-19 

Parable: Yeast 

Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:20–21 

Parable: Hidden treasure 

Matthew 13:44 

Parable: Valuable pearl 

Matthew 13:45–46 

Parable: Net 

Matthew 13:47–50 

Parable: Owner of a house 

Matthew 13:52 

Parable: Lost sheep 

Matthew 18:12-14; Luke 15:4-7 

Parable: Unmerciful servant 

Matthew 18:23-34 

Parable: Workers in the vineyard 

Matthew 20:1-16 

Parable: Two sons 

Matthew 21:28-32 

Parable: Tenants 

Matthew 21:33-44; Mark 12:1-11; Luke: 20: 9– 18 

Parable: Wedding banquet 

Matthew 22: 2-14

Parable: Fig tree 

Matthew 24:32-35; Mark 13:28-29; Luke 21:29-31 

Parable: Faithful and wise servant 

Matthew 24: 45-51; Luke 12:42-48 

Parable: Ten virgins 

Matthew 25:1-13 

Parable: Bags of gold (minus) 

Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-27 

Parable: Sheep and goats 

Matthew 25:31-46 

Parable: Growing seed 

Mark 4:26-29 

Parable: Watchful servants 

Mark 13:35-37; Luke 12:35-40 

Parable: Moneylender 

Luke 7:41-43 

Parable: Good Samaritan 

Luke 10:30-37 

Parable: Friend in need 

Luke 11:5-8 

Parable: Rich fool

Luke 12:16-21 

Parable: Unfruitful fig tree 

Luke 13:6-9 

Parable: Lowest seat at the feast 

Luke 14:7-14 

Parable: Great banquet 

Luke 14:16-24 

Parable: Cost of discipleship 

Luke 14:28-33 

Parable: Lost coin 

Luke 15:8-10 

Parable: Lost (prodigal) son 

Luke 15:11-32 

Parable: Shrewd manager 

Luke 16:1-8 

Parable: Rich man and Lazarus 

Luke 16:19-31 

Parable: Master and his servant 

Luke 17:7-10 

Parable: Persistent widow 

Luke 18:2-8 

Parable: Pharisee and tax collector 

Luke 18:10-14

You Make the Difference - Tips on Gathering Well

Hello Grace Church family + friends. Gathering together on Sunday mornings is and always has been a very important part of our church's ministry. And a successful Gathering will always be corporate endeavor.  So here are some thoughts on gathering well... Be Intentional: Our mission + vision drives all we do: "Grace Church is a community of changed people committed to serve + renew the Greater Dunedin area with the movement of the Gospel." Everything we do is to this end and it can be summed up with one key word, discipleship (Matthew 28:19-20).  So, when we come to a Grace Church Sunday morning Gathering, let's remember #WHYWEGATHER  and come with an intentionality to grow, to learn, to serve, to give, to encourage, and to worship.  Do not come solely for social reasons. Do not come to be entertained. And do not come out of some begrudging sense of obligation (whether to God or to your church community).  Come because the MOST SATISFYING OBJECT in the universe has invited you to come and experience Him the best way one can... together, with other seekers. Be Committed: Another key component is to come regularly. Of course, we won't be able to make it church every single Sunday. Life happens; and there are plenty of good reasons to miss church. But I encourage each of you to make our Sunday Gathering a core part of your weekly routine; and to make regular attendance a priority. God most certainly isn't to be viewed as an "add-on" to your weekly endeavors and, therefore, neither should His people (nor our involvement with His people). "Let us not [give up or forsake] meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25).  Also, a huge momentum-killer is a low turnout to church meetings. So, when you come, your presence and participation can do a lot for our church's forward momentum. Please consider that and realize what a crucial part that plays in the kingdom-building cause of our mission + vision. Be Punctual: Also, and related to that, being on time is also very important. When a large percentage of the Sunday morning crowd is 10 to 20 minutes late, unintentionally, a negative message is sent to our new comers and visitors. When our meeting space feels empty at 9:56am, it's not a pleasant feeling for a first-timer and, more importantly, no one is there to greet them and make them feel welcomed. And they can very easily get a sense that corporate worship may not be a priority to this group of people. Obviously, that's not the case for us and we don't want any new comers to feel awkward, so let's do our best to be on time. Be Curious + Expectant: Come ready to learn and grow through our times of teaching, our corporate worship, and our interaction with one another.  And may I encourage you to invest your mind and prayers into our teaching series and/or topic. Remain curious, ask lots of questions, and expect to learn something new. Also, give some thought to the text and/or topic ahead of time. Listen to the Grace Church Podcast to catch up if you missed a week. Consider doing some of the extra readings recommended throughout the series. Check the blog  and our Facebook page for more resources and quotes. Etc., etc., etc. The more personal effort you put into our Sunday Gatherings the more you will receive. I promise!  So, remain curious and come ready to be challenged, encouraged and equipped. In summary...  Coming with intentionality and expectancy while remaining committed and punctual will greatly help our Sunday morning Gathering experience together.  Let's keep going! May we experience all the spiritual growth and vitality we possible can together!  All are welcome. Sundays at 10am (DHS). Grace + Peace, P. Heath P.S. Oh...and invite a friend to join us!

Parables - 4 Things to Keep in Mind

RC Sproul offers 4 interpretive guidelines to keep in mind when reading and studying the parables of Jesus...

1. Don’t treat parables like allegory.
An allegory is most often completely filled with symbolic meaning. Every detail means something that can be traced to the overriding principle that is being illuminated. Parables usually have one basic, central meaning. Trying to oversymbolize them can have the effect of tearing them apart. A person doesn’t understand the beauty of a flower by disassembling it. Like a blossom, a parable is best understood by seeing it in its simple and profound entirety.

2. The Rule of Three.
Like all good storytelling, parables usually follow the Rule of Three. Do you remember the stories you heard as a child—such as “The Three Little Pigs” and “The Three Bears”? Both of these stories are filled with more “threes”: three wolves, three beds, three bowls of porridge. Jesus did this often in the telling of the parables. And is it any wonder that many parables deliver three important truths or that most sermons rest on three important points?

3. The Rule of Two.
Parable characters often follow the Rule of Two. There were usually two people who experienced tension between righteousness and sin, good and evil. When you look for these two elements you will find an important part of the development of the parable.

4. Code words and phrases.
Jesus’ parables used certain phrases and code words that communicated in subtly powerful ways to His audiences. For instance, “How much more” is used to build a bridge from temporal things to spiritual realities. “He who has ears to hear” calls people to critically important issues of spiritual life and death. “Verily, verily, I say to you,” means that Jesus is speaking with earnest intensity; don’t miss it. Look for these phrases and understand where they’re leading you.

* Adapted from R.C. Sproul’s What’s in the Bible? 

What is a Parable?

Here's a good article to help guide our approach and application of Jesus' use of parable.

Introduction to Parables

How will The Huntley help Grace Church?

Hello friends! Unless you've been living in a cave (or completely ignoring us!), you probably know that we have a storefront! It's called The Huntley and it will be a communal, multi-purpose space which will greatly enhance our church's ministry. 

More discipleship!

More community!

More ability to effectively live out our mission + vision in serving + renewing the greater Dunedin area!

Listen HERE to find out how.

To all those who have already contributed to The Huntley renovations, thank you, thank you, thank you! We are currently at $5,247.00. We're trying to raise $7k. We have just a little bit more to go!

If all our Grace Church friends + family gave an extra $20-30 to the our 947 Huntley Ave. project we would hit our $7,000 goal! 

Together, this is totally doable!

Join this grassroots effort! Consider giving and being a part of the exciting things to come with The Huntley in Dunedin?  Every gift helps! 

You can donate HERE. 

To read more about some of the plans for The Huntley read HERE. It's pretty exciting! Also, you can follow some of the progress + news about The Huntley by following this hashtag - #ProgressAtHuntley.

Thanks for pressing on with us.

Grace + Peace,

P. Heath

The Storyteller - Summer (2016) at Grace Church

Hello friends! 

It's summer! And one of the rhythms within Grace Church's annual teaching schedule is to spend our summers looking into the character, personhood, actions, and teachings of Jesus as recorded in the four Gospel accounts.

Jesus was a masterful communicator and thought-provoking rabbi; and this summer we will be considering the message of God's good news and Kingdom through Jesus' many parables and allegories in a series entitled, The Storyteller.

This isn't the first time we have looked at Jesus as a storyteller. Listen to Kingdom Stories Pt. 1 + Kingdom Stories Pt. 2 (from way back in 2012!).

Oh, and there's is a way for you to participate in this teaching series too. Here it is...

Do you have any questions about a parable or about one of the many allegories Jesus shared in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John?  If so, please let us know and we will be sure to address it!

Christ is Supreme - The Whole Series on Colossians

Who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 

 Colossians 1:12-14

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing 

over them by the cross.

Colossians 2:13-15

Hi Grace Church family + friends! I had such a wonderful time taking our church through the message of Colossians in April + May. Special thanks to Daryn Kinney and John Howell for contributing to the series with their great insights on their assigned texts. 

Here are all the messages from the series:

April 3rd 

"Christ + The Forces" - Overview of Colossians

April 10th 

"Family + Movement" - Colossians 1:1-14

April 17th

"The Incomparable Christ" - Colossians 1:15-23

April 17th

Communion Reflection - Colossians 1:24-29

April 24th 

"The Great Aha!" - Colossians 1:24-2:5

May 1st 

"Firmly Planted" - Colossians 2:6-15

May 8th

"Pretentious Religion Pt. 1" - Colossians 2:16-23

May 15th 

"Pretentious Religion Pt. 2 - Colossians 2:16-3:11

May 22nd

"A Community of Differents Pt. 1 - Colossians 3:12-4:6

May 29th

"A Community of Differents Pt. 2" - Colossians 4:2-18

Grace + Peace, 

P. Heath

The HUNTLEY - Join the Effort!

Hello friends! Exciting things are in the works as we plan and consider how The Huntley (947 Huntley Ave) will be used. Here are just some of the ways it will be used (beginning this summer!):

The Q Series - A bi-weekly study + discussion group aimed at addressing specific questions about faith, culture, theology, and biblical passages/topics.

The Conversation - A monthly discussion group for skeptics, agnostics, and atheists.

Directions - We plan to reboot our church membership class which, in the past, we have called it our Community Commitment Class. The reboot will be called Directions and will involve 3 meetings: Grace Church 101 + 102 + 103. The Directions Series will run several times a year, all at The Huntley.

Other Grace Church Meetings + Events - people in our church are already talking about doing a special summer kids program, marriage discussion groups, a mom's discussion group, and parenting classes - all at The Huntley!

Outreach + Service Projects - The Dunedin Give Backhas a couple projects and planning meetings planned to be held at The Huntley. Also, plans for some free healthcare courses and child-birthing classes, which will be held at The Huntley, are in the works. And a local church planting network will begin having their regular meetings at The Huntley beginning in August.

Local Dunedin Groups - The Dunedin Lyricists Society, a local Rotary Club, and several local Dunedin companies have already expressed interest in utilizing The Huntley for events and meetings.

Grace Groups - When our Grace Groups resume in August (after the semester break), several groups already plan on meeting at The Huntley!

So, as you can see, the Huntley will greatly enhance our ability to live out our mission + vision and connect with our community. But we can't do it without some fundraising support!

A lot of renovation progress has already occurred at The Huntley. Though much of the building will be remaining as is, we have opened up about 1000 sq. ft. (by removing some walls and the drop ceiling) to create a wonderful multi-purpose area. (And you can follow some of the progress + news about The Huntley by following this hashtag - #ProgressAtHuntley.) 

We will be painting and doing the finishing touches soon. But before we do that we have some of the more expensive components to get done first - A/C work, electric work, lighting, and insulation foam sprayed on the ceiling.

We are raising $7,000 to pay for the renovations and move-in expenses. Some money has already come in; but we have a bunch more to raise! Would you please consider giving and being a part of the exciting things to come with The Huntley? 

You can donate HERE.

(And please select "947 Huntley Ave.")

This is super exciting! Will you help us get there? Will you be a part of something awesome in Dunedin!?!? Every donation helps! 

Thanks for pressing on with us.

Grace + Peace,

P. Heath