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DEFYING GRAVITY (AND PHYSICS)
50th Anniversary of my Calling to Preach
Senior Pastor Keith Stewart
November 8, 2026

Fifty years ago, on December 5, 1976, at the age of 15, I preached my very first sermon. This Sunday, I'm returning to that same passage of Scripture—but after five decades of preaching, studying, making mistakes, and growing in my understanding of God, I see something in this familiar story that I couldn't see back then.

We all know the story of Peter walking on water. But what if we've been focusing on the wrong person? What if the greatest lesson in this miracle isn't about Peter's courage, his fear, or even his faith—but about something extraordinary Jesus was revealing about Himself?

Join me this Sunday at Springcreek Church for “Defying Gravity (and Physics)” as I celebrate 50 years of preaching by revisiting the passage where it all began. I hope you'll discover something about Jesus that will change the way you see this familiar story—and perhaps even the storms you're facing today.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. The disciples witnessed the miracle of Jesus feeding the five thousand, yet Mark tells us they failed to understand its meaning (Mark 6:52). Why do you think it's possible to experience God's goodness and provision without developing a deeper understanding of who God is? Have you ever recognized God's activity in your life more clearly in hindsight?

2. Jesus sent the disciples into a situation where they would encounter a storm. Why do we sometimes assume that following God's will should make life easier? How has your understanding of God's presence changed through difficult experiences?

3. Peter is often remembered for sinking, but before he sank, he actually walked on water. What does this story teach us about courage, failure, and the willingness to take risks in following Jesus? Is there an area of your life where fear or the desire for security is keeping you from taking a step of faith?

4. When Peter became overwhelmed by the wind and waves, he began to sink. What circumstances in your life tend to capture your attention and magnify your fears? What practical things help you refocus on Christ when life's challenges seem overwhelming?

5. Jesus called Peter a person of “little faith,” yet immediately reached out and rescued him. What does this reveal about the character of Jesus? How might your relationship with God change if you genuinely believed that Christ's grip on you matters more than the strength of your grip on Him?

6. The sermon challenges us to move beyond asking, “What's in this passage for me?” to asking, “What does this passage reveal about God?” How might this change the way you read Scripture, pray, or approach worship? What have you discovered about God's character that has significantly changed your understanding of faith?

7. Jesus' words, “It is I; don't be afraid,” take on deeper significance when understood alongside the Old Testament descriptions of God's identity and authority over the sea (Exodus 3:14; Job 9:8). How does recognizing who Jesus is—not simply what He can do for us—change the way we respond to uncertainty, suffering, or fear?

8. The message concludes with a shift in perspective: fifty years ago, the focus was on the man who got out of the boat; today, it's on the God who came walking toward the boat. How has your own understanding of Jesus changed over the years? If you could share one important discovery about God's character with your younger self, what would it be?

Suggested closing question for the group: Of everything we've discussed, what is one truth about Jesus you most need to remember in your present circumstances?

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YOU WANTED THIS, REMEMBER?
Dr. Jessica Fernandez
November 1, 2026

Have you ever realized that the very things you're struggling with today are the same things you once prayed for? We pray for marriage, children, careers, and new opportunities, but we don't always anticipate the responsibilities, sacrifices, disappointments, and grief that can come with those blessings. Through Hannah's story in 1 Samuel 1–2, we'll explore the hidden layers of answered prayer and discover that receiving what we prayed for doesn't mean the journey will always be easy. Just as mother-of-pearl reveals its beauty through layers formed over time, our lives are shaped by layers of joy, sacrifice, growth, and unexpected challenges. The life we prayed for can be both beautiful and difficult. We can be grateful for the blessing and still struggle with what it requires because the difficult layers don't make the blessing any less beautiful.

Discussion Questions

1. What part of your life today was once an important prayer? How have your expectations of that blessing changed?

2. Hannah was loved by Elkanah while still longing for a child (1 Samuel 1:4–8). How can we be grateful in one area of life while honestly grieving another?

3. What do Hannah’s vow and annual gift of a robe (1 Samuel 1:22; 2:19) teach us about love, surrender, and the responsibilities that accompany blessings?

4. The sermon describes “Same Shiloh. Different season. Different layer.” When have you returned to God carrying a different burden after a prayer was answered?

5. Which step do you most need right now—Remember, Recognize, or Remain Faithful? What is one practical way you can live that out this week?

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THE CRUSHING PLACE
Pastor Jerrid Fletcher
October 25, 2026

In “The Crushing Place,” Pastor Jerrid Fletcher names the experience of living under pressure that won’t let up: carrying more than we can bear, praying “How long, O Lord?” (Psalm 13), and slowly being shaped by survival mode. Through the life of Paul, a man who was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, and “under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure” (2 Corinthians 1:8), the sermon shows that faithfulness and feeling overwhelmed can exist together. In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul names his pressure honestly but doesn’t let it have the final word: “hard pressed on every side, but not crushed” (2 Corinthians 4:8–9). The sermon invites us to focus on two things while we’re being pressed. The first is our posture: whether we turn toward God or away from Him, as seen in Job, Hannah, and Paul. The second is our perspective: whether we let the pressure become the whole picture or fix our eyes on what is unseen and eternal (2 Corinthians 4:17–18). Paul learned contentment in the middle of the crushing, not after it (Philippians 4:11). In the same way, the crushing place doesn’t have to be where our faith breaks. It can be where God does His deepest work in us.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. The sermon says, “What we carry doesn’t just weigh on us. It trains us.” What have the burdens you’ve carried trained you to become: guarded, cynical, numb, or something else?

2. Paul named his pressure honestly in 2 Corinthians 1:8 and 2 Corinthians 4:8–9. What makes it hard for you to name what you’re carrying, whether to God or to other people?

3. Think of a “How long, Lord?” season in your life (Psalm 13). What did the waiting reveal about your faith that an easier season might not have?

4. Job worshiped, Hannah poured out her soul, and Paul submitted. Which of these postures comes most naturally to you under pressure, and which one is hardest?

5. “The crushing place doesn’t create what’s inside of us. It reveals it.” What has pressure revealed in you, and what are you filling yourself with day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16)?

6. Paul called his suffering “light and momentary” by weighing it against eternal glory (2 Corinthians 4:17–18). How can you hold onto that perspective without minimizing real pain?

7. Paul says he learned contentment (Philippians 4:11). What might God be trying to teach you in the season you’re in right now?