December 5 - 19
Everlasting Light
The power of the presence of Jesus Christ
Resources
Listen to Teachings
December 19
Not only is Jesus the light, he says that we are too. But, how? What does our relationship with darkness look like? Contrary to the tenor of the day, Jesus teaches that we defeat it by illuminating it. In the last week of this series, we will be taking a closer look at the unexpectedly blessed and confusingly difficult life of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Through observing her life, we will gain a template for our own. A template that, in the end, will make us a brighter people.
December 12
As we observe Jesus coming as the Light on that first Christmas the question now becomes what this means for our stories. Each of us has a different past and our experiences result in our spiritual journey taking a unique route as well. By understanding the way that we process information about the world and God we can come to a better understanding of what living in the Light looks like for us.
December 5
What is the message God intended to send through Christmas? Is there a way to know, to see clearly, the way that God feels about us by looking to Bethlehem? The birth and life of Jesus can be summarized with one word: light. From the beginning to its last pages, the Bible unfolds its description of darkness and God’s invitation to the light. Nowhere is this merciful invitation more evident than in the life of Jesus Christ, the Everlasting Light.
Group Guides
November 14-28
Eliminate Hurry
Resources
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November 28
November 21
Let’s be honest, eliminating hurry is easier said than done. Like it or not, living fast has become the norm. But, the default pace of modern life is costing us more than we think. And, to break the cycle we’re going to need more than just a good sermon. It’s going to take Jesus. Using his life as an example and taking his promises as true, will give us what we need to live with intentionality and peace. I’m the second week of this challenging series we will learn together how to take hurry head-on and win.
November 14
Modern life moves at breakneck speed. It’s a speed we weren’t built for, and we’re paying the price. If our life is a blink on an eternal scale, then how we spend what little time we have matters a great deal more than we might think. However, if we aren’t careful, our need to control will only add to the problem. In the first week of this critical series, through one of the most dramatic events in human history, we will discover together how to eliminate hurry through exercising trust.
Group Guides
View Additional Series at livevertical.tv/media
October 10 -24
Deep Pockets
A perspective on generosity
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October 24
It’s hard to be generous living from a deficit and distracted. However, when we choose to live with intentionality, generosity becomes a source of purpose and gives us that illusive sense of accomplishment. In a world where what matters least screams the loudest, how do we keep our focus? How do we minimize distractions and maximize impact? We choose giving over getting because, no matter how you slice it, our time is limited. But, what we do with it doesn’t have to be.
October 17
The Bible speaks about generosity often. It tells us being generous is not only a defining characteristic of God, it should be of us as well. Too often we think only of money when we are called to be generous. As with many things the Bible instructs us to do, it’s about so much more than what we’ve made it. From the beginning and in many ways, God has been generous to us. And, his plan is for us to pass along a portion of those gifts to others who need them. This week we will find out just how full our pockets are.
October 10
How do we experience the generosity of God in the Vertical community? Thankfully, through each other. In week one, through a conversation about an old story and reflection on our current situation, we will discover together the incredible ability of God to exercise generosity on multiple levels. Because of this love for us, he meets the needs we know about and then some. We will see together how God gives graciously from a deep supply.
Group Guides
View Additional Series at livevertical.tv/media
September 5 - 26
War on Shame
Defending against the unavoidable
Resources
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September 26
There are two sides to the war on shame. The one, led by the enemy of all good things, leads to destruction. The other, led by God, leads to a free and purposeful life. With each battle, we must choose sides by remembering our identity. Through our actions, we must show others, no matter their shame story, they are not alone. In the end, the war on shame isn’t won with force or loud religious opinion. Rather, victory comes through empathy and connection.
September 20
Once shame makes its assault, the messages we are left with can be difficult to live with. They have a way of turning guilt over an action into shame over our identity. To make matters worse, there are times shame enters our lives by invitation. This week, with the help of Jesus, Zacchaeus, and a woman on a mission, we will discover together the three things needed to guard against surrendering to shame.
September 12
Every effective campaign involves strategy. The war on shame is no exception. In order to defeat shame we must learn to see ourselves as God sees us. With a firm grasp on our identity, we will be able to navigate the first, difficult steps away from shame and toward restoration. And, by trading our brokenness for wholeness, we become a beacon for others, signaling the way out. This week, through the story of one man, we will see how God operates with divine precision to help us discover who he’s designed us to be.
September 5
To take on shame, we have to start at the root: failure. Our failures, common and uncommon, store themselves in our memories as sources of shame. Clearly, it is not God’s desire for us to be held captive by the shame of our previous mistakes. However, if we aren’t intentional, we can allow shame’s short walls to keep us barricaded in, defeated. In the first week of War on Shame, we will take a look at a man’s failure, his community’s response, and the lengthy results of his restoration.
Things commonly experienced that cause us shame & the biblical answer for these. Common problems met with an uncommon solution result in an extraordinary life free from shame. [John Mark]
Group Guides
August 8 - 22
Neighbors
Radically Ordinary Hospitality
Resources
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August 29 Overview
The wounds caused by the Church are often deep and prone to infection. Churches are full of broken people. And, if those people don’t have a clear understanding of their mission, they can create more broken people. How do we stop this damaging cycle? We watch Jesus at work. Today, as we wrap this series, we will see together how Jesus healed a blind man, what the church did with him, and how we can keep from making the spiritually lethal mistake of choosing law over love.
August 22 Overview
In order to have the opportunity to be hospitable to our fellow man, we must build bridges for our neighbors to walk across. In a world full of polarized passion it’s the open walkway, not the closed gate, that welcomes, invites. The pillars for these pathways? According to Jesus' followers from the beginning, they are patience and acceptance. This week we will take an indepth look at how Jesus welcomed and valued others so that we can do the same.
August 15 Overview
Having established the necessity of welcoming others as followers of Jesus, we now move into the expectations of what this really means. This week we discuss what to do when we are faced with the needs of others, from small to overwhelming. Where does our responsibility to others begin and to what lengths should it take us? As an inclusive community, we will answer these big questions together because we are committed to meeting the needs of others through the daily grind of radical hospitality.
August 8 Overview
In the first week of this series, we will face head on the southern misconceptions of hospitality, the ways we’ve regrettably gotten it wrong. Thankfully, one event in the life of Jesus, a master at meeting people where they were, gives us the corrective template we all need. Through the actions of one woman, we will see that genuine empathy is the key to transformative hospitality. We will discover together that hospitality is not a talent we possess, it’s a discipline we develop.
Group Guides
July 11-25
Fact or Fiction
The Lies We Believe
Resources
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July 11 Overview
Emotions are powerful. So powerful, in fact, that they are the origin for how we interpret most of our life experiences and guide many of the actions we take. How can we know that God, who is not human, knows how we feel when we feel? If Jesus did not sin, how could he possibly understand the things we often go through? These are honest questions, and they deserve honest answers. This week, we will discuss together three of the most powerful human emotions and how Jesus himself knows them well.
July 18 Overview
Acceptance and love are the foundations of any healthy relationship. If we’re honest, when it comes to God it’s easy to question these two things. How does God feel about us? Does he just tolerate us? Is he comfortable keeping his distance until we do enough to please him? We’ve all spent time asking these questions. This week, we’ll be discussing God’s main emotion toward us and how it changes everything we do.
July 25 Overview
No one wants a difficult life, and no one, no matter the appearances, gets an easy one. Life contains its fair share of overwhelm and difficulty. Our experiences teach us this. In these times, the lie that God won’t give us more than we can handle haunts us. Correcting this lie make peace and hope available no matter the circumstance. In this last week of our Fact or Fiction series, we will take on perhaps the most dangerous lie of them all.
Group Guide
Weekly Devotionals
June 6th, 13th, & 27th
Make Way
How to Take Action in Difficulty
Resources
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June 6th Overview
An unlikely candidate for the job, she is still remembered today for her impeccable performance. A historic way-maker, she confronted and counseled the commander of an army. This was no small task. In a series of difficult moments, Deborah took a series of healthy actions that helped save a nation from disaster. In the first week of this series, we will see how
June 13th Overview
From his supernaturally announced beginnings to his politically motivated murder, John's life was marked as one who would make a way. In the end, he did just that. Even still, his circumstances and his plan didn’t always seem to match. As a result, doubt moved into his life. This week, Jesus will help us navigate the times when what we believe in seem to have let us down.
June 27th Overview
Life, without a doubt, will throw us dilemmas. If we aren’t careful, those dilemmas can throw us into a tailspin. When we are making way, we will face difficulties. And, the decisions we make in critical times can determine our future. Rather than anger or anguish, we can choose maturity. No matter the impossible that is in front of us, we can know that God has gone before us, and with God all things are possible.
Group Guide
Weekly Devotionals
June 20 - Stand Alone
Father’s Day
Resources
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Group Guides
Group Guide - Stand Alone
May 16 and May 30
Built Not Born
How God grows us over time
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May 16 Overview
When we examine closely the activity of God, certain patterns emerge. God is a god of order, and his activity is true to his character. How He builds us, follows a pattern. Over time, if we are willing, God’s desire is to develop us into who he designed us to be. Every moment, every circumstance, every interaction serves as the raw material God uses. Some of these feel more critical than others, and they should. In the first week of this two-part series, we will investigate together how God grows us and how we can help.
May 30 Overview
There’s this particular way God builds us. It’s often intense, but it’s never in isolation. He has made us relational beings, and his plan for our growth is always carried out in a relational context. Even Jesus, while on earth, modeled this pattern. In order to grow, we must be in an authentic relationship with God and others. Alone we fall prey to desire and poor judgement. Together, we will not so easily fail. This week we will investigate a few sentences from an important letter that will give us a blueprint for how to be built.
Group Guides
Weekly Devotionals
May 23 - Stand Alone
My Story Matters
Resources
Watch Catherine's Story
“I think was thinking about being an imposter, being a fraud, and how sometimes I still feel like that. But only God gets to tell me who I am.” - Catherine
Vertical + Interview
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May 9 - Stand Alone
Mother’s Day
April 11 - May 2
Tipping the Scales
What to do when we don’t know the answer
Series Resources
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April 11 Overview
There’s almost nothing more dangerous than an honest question with dishonest motives. Commonly called a trap, they are often best laid by the most religious among us. This practice has a long and ancient history even reaching all the way back to the time of Jesus. At the end of a long day’s journey, a man named Peter found himself cornered, interrogated about Jesus and his participation in taxes. As ill-intentioned as this question was, Jesus used it to grow Peter in unexpected ways. Jesus tipped the scales.
April 18 Overview
With all the distractions that surround us, how do we know which battles to take on and which ones to let pass by? If God knows who we are and what we are built for, how do we best trust him with what’s in front of us? This week, Jesus shows us through his instructions to Peter how he prefers to teach us, what he’s up to, and how he makes us ready for what matters most. In week two of our series Tipping the Scales, we will dive deeper into the incredible day Peter was questioned by the religious and cared for by his teacher.
April 25 Overview
When it comes to what God has planned to do in and through our life, we have a part to play. Certainly, God can accomplish what he wants without us, but he chooses to include us. Joining with him leads us to peace and purpose, a rare combination. Caringly, God often takes us to familiar places to help us learn how to accomplish unfamiliar things. Maturing is difficult, and it’s also worth it. Following Jesus often means allowing him to tip the scales from caution to confidence.
May 2 Overview
Does Jesus really have a plan for my life? How can I know, in the here and now, that he cares enough to have prepared a future for me? In the last week of our series Tipping the Scales, we will investigate these really big questions together. We will see, through the life of Peter, when given the time Jesus is the ultimate change agent. He inspires and empowers more than any other influence. Looking to tip the scales from your old ways to something better? Look no further than Jesus himself.
Group Guides
Weekly Devotionals
March 7 - 28
A Long Obedience
Discipleship In an Instant Society
Series Resources
Listen to Teachings
March 7 Overview
We are not the first people attempting to follow God with our lives. There are, thankfully, lessons to be learned from those who have gone before us. However, understanding the training they have passed down to us can be, well, difficult. This week Austin will creatively take us through the life-giving instructions of Psalm 121. What’s the first step in being a good disciple of Jesus? Limiting distractions no matter how much they may call for our attention.
March 14 Overview
God’s instructions to us through the Bible were not motivated by a spirit of restriction. Rather, he has given us the information we need to live full and free lives. Those who choose to follow God’s plan for navigating the world we live in join with generations that have gone before them. Obedience has a history. And, that history has proven over and over and over the benefits of following the design of the Designer.
March 21 Overview
It cannot be denied that community is essential. And, it’s equally difficult as it is essential. Our own history shows us sustained unity among a group of people often feels unattainable. But, when we understand God’s original design of diversity, a unified community becomes desirable and obtainable. We have been designed to live and thrive together. In order to do that, we must answer the biblical challenge of Psalm 133. We must get along.
March 28 Overview
In our final conversation on these powerful songs, we tackle the most challenging of them all, the Song of Joy. In 2021, while our world’s systems and securities seem to be reducing themselves rubble, how do we have joy? Is the Bible just that unaware of the fallout of hardship? Or, does it know something we do not. Could an investigation into the past give us what we need to hope in the future again? Yes, yes it can.
Group Guides
Weekly Devotionals
February 7 - 28
Dead to Me
A Series on Forgiveness
Series Resources
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February 7 Overview
How do we forgive? Why should we forgive? When we can forgive, how many times should we forgive the same person? One day, Jesus answered all these questions with one, beautifully challenging story. In the first week of this series, we will investigate together the benefits and the costs of forgiveness.
February 21 Overview
Often, the hardest person to forgive can be ourselves. This lack of forgiveness can have profound effects on the relationships we value most. In the absence of forgiveness, we are left with resentment. And, resentment leads to destruction. This week we learn how to move away from diversion and toward the forgiveness we desire and deserve.
February 28 Overview
Trauma. It’s no light topic. The events of our lives that cause us the most pain can create inside us a tangled mess of emotion. And, emotions, whether faced or ignored, drive our behavior. In our final week, special guest Karen White will help equip us with what we need to address and forgive the most damaged parts of us.
Group Guides
Weekly Devotionals
January 31 - Stand Alone
My Story Matters
Resources
Watch Jack's Story
Son, I just want you to know I'm proud of you, I love you, and you do have what it takes to be a man and to accomplish whatever your heart desires. - Dad
Vertical + Interview
More Vertical Stories
Watch Additional Stories from the Vertical Community
January 3 - 24
Hell or High Water
The why and how of living with a code
Series Resources
Listen to Teachings
January 3 Overview
Solving situations from scratch can be frustrating, and often leads to failure. Every person deserves to live a life guided by a personal code. They won’t all be the same, but they will all take us to the same place: a life lived on purpose within our purpose.
January 10 Overview
Setting healthy boundaries in our lives requires an extraordinary level of self-awareness. With a glut of devices through which we can build this awareness, we are left with very little room for excuses. In order to successfully live by our code, we must start by stopping the don’ts.
January 17 Overview
Stopping the unhealthy isn’t the same as living the healthy. We were designed for good things, world-altering things. With all the choices in front of us, how do we choose what to do? Our code will help us set a plan in motion.
January 24 Overview
The rewards, for us and others, of living by a Christian code of conduct are generational. By changing and intentionally designing the way we live, we affect not only those around us but also those that come after us. What we were handed is not what we have to hand down. The code, when executed, changes everything.
Group Guides
Weekly Devotionals
