Life Group - Study Guides

McFarland, USA tells the true story of Coach Jim White, who reluctantly takes a coaching job in a struggling farming community after losing his previous position. Determined to leave as soon as a better opportunity comes along, Jim initially sees McFarland as something to escape. But as he invests in his runners and their families, his perspective begins to change. He discovers that life isn't about constantly chasing something better. It's about faithfully loving and serving the people God has already placed around us.

The Unbreakable Boy tells the true story of a family navigating life's unexpected challenges through two very different perspectives. While Austin embraces each day with contagious joy despite his circumstances, his father, Scott, struggles with unmet expectations and the life he thought he would have. Through their journey, Scott learns that lasting joy isn't found when life gets easier, but in learning contentment in Christ and choosing gratitude in every season.

The Aeronauts follows a scientist and a daring balloon pilot as they attempt to reach heights no one has ever reached before. Along the journey, they face unexpected dangers that force them to decide whether fear will guide their choices or faith will move them forward.

At The Cove Church: We Stay United and We Keep It Real. Before Jesus went to the cross, He prayed that His followers would experience the same kind of unity that exists between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. That kind of love and unity isn't something we create on our own, it's something God grows in us as we choose humility, forgiveness, honesty, and grace. As we love one another well, we become a powerful witness to the world of who Jesus is.

For Father's Day, we looked at what it means to know God as our Heavenly Father. While our experiences with earthly fathers may vary, God is the perfect Father; He is faithful, loving, and always present. In Galatians 4 and Romans 8, Paul reminds us that through a relationship with Jesus we have been freed from slavery to sin and fear and adopted into God's family. Because of Christ, we are no longer defined by our past or our failures. We are God's children, secure in His love, empowered by His Spirit, and heirs to His promises. Understanding who our Father is helps us understand who we are in Him.

At The Cove Church: We take the Bible seriously and we are generous. Throughout Scripture, God calls His people not only to know His Word, but to trust it, obey it, and allow it to shape every area of life. The tension comes when we embrace the parts of God's Word that comfort us while resisting the parts that challenge us. As we take Scripture seriously and put it into practice, it changes the way we live, including how we view our time, resources, and generosity.

This week we continued our series, The Tension, by looking at the first two Core Values of The Cove: Love God Passionately and Love People Unconditionally. In Matthew 22, Jesus was asked to identify the greatest commandment. Rather than choosing one, he connected two: loving God and loving people. Jesus teaches that these are not competing priorities but inseparable. The closer we grow to God, the more we should reflect His love in the way we treat others.

As we begin this Core Values series, we’re starting with something Jesus made clear from the beginning: following Him was never meant to be passive. Sometimes faith can slowly become something that we keep to ourselves. We can drift into routines, comfort, or convenience and miss the tension Jesus calls us into as His followers. Jesus called us to believe and then follow. That means growing, transforming, serving others, helping others know Him, and celebrating His faithfulness. This week we will look at what it means to actively live out our mission statement: Introduce our friends to Jesus, learn to follow Him, and celebrate His presence in our lives.

God often calls fearful and/or unqualified people to great tasks. When those individuals despite their weakness, shift their trust to God their great tasks become successful. When we stop trusting God and forget about his faithfulness our life becomes barren and anxious, but when we trust in the Lord, we have deep rooted resilience and fruitfulness. This week as we study scripture let us consider how our own fear and our human perspective distort the vision God has for our own lives.

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, one of the final instructions He gave His disciples was to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). As followers of Christ, it can be easy to be consumed with our own schedules, struggles, and responsibilities and overlooking God’s heart for all nations. This week’s message challenged that the Gospel was never meant to stay in one place. As a church, we are not perfect, yet we desire to faithfully obey our Savior. We want to be a church that listens when God says “go.” This week as we study Scripture consider what it means to live on mission, listen to the Holy Spirit, and carry the hope of Jesus beyond our comfort zones.