Grace Clarksville

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

As we continue to celebrate Christmas, we once again look back to God's people as they waited for the Messiah to come. We see that their story revolves around this foundational idea: freedom. Join Adam Dressler as he explores why freedom was so important to God's people and why we need that same freedom today. Scriptures:  Isaiah 61:1-3 Keywords: Advent, Christmas, Waiting, Isaiah, Jesus, Sin, Freedom

Everyone knows what it feels like to face injustice.  Other people wrong us.  They mistreat us and hurt us unfairly.  But it's not just other people that wrong us - we live in a world where we face wrong-doing every day.  How do we face these situations?  Join Adam Dressler as he continues our Advent series and explores how God addresses the injustices of our lives through Jesus. Scriptures:  Isaiah 59:1-11, Psalm 62:5-8 Keywords: Christmas, Advent, Jesus, Justice, Isaiah, Salvation, Waiting

As we enter this Christmas season, we will likely experience a lot of things - happiness, cheer, nostalgia, busy-ness, anxiety, and even sadness.  One of the most important things to experience in this season, though, is spiritual - God Himself.  This weekend, join Adam Dressler as he works through how we can experience something truly spiritual during this season through the unlikely discipline of waiting. Scriptures:  Psalm 62 Keywords: Christmas, Advent, Waiting, Psalms, Patience, Hope

Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus continually calling his followers to complete surrender.  One of the ways that this call changes us is through our surrender to a generous life. But how do we practically practice generosity?  This weekend, Adam Dressler explores one of the Bible's most clear and compelling passages on this subject as we finish up our short series, For You Not From You. Scriptures:  2 Corinthians 8:7-11, 8:3-5, 9:6-8 Keywords: Generosity,  Money, 2 Corinthians, Paul

Many times when you are striving to follow Jesus it can seem like God is constantly calling us to do hard things. We often forget that God wants more for us then he wants from us. Join Michael Bayne as he unpacks the why behind the call God makes on us to embrace generosity with our money, time, and influence.  Scriptures:  Mark 10:17-27 Keywords: sacrifice, generosity, giving, growth, mission