Valley Life Church

On Sunday, October 26, 2025, VLC gathered in person and also broadcast online via YouTube. Pastor Gio Serrato shared an encouragement to look to Christ for help with building endurance by laying aside our sin and picking up our cross, and finding the strength to persevere in Christ until the end. Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV) Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. https://bit.ly/Hebrews12_1-2ESV

On Sunday, December 8, 2024, VLC gathered in person and also broadcasted online via YouTube. Pastor Stuart Nice shared a Christmas message about when Mary received the promise from the Angel Gabriel that she would give birth to Jesus, and Mary’s response was, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” From this, Pastor Stuart encouraged us to live in spiritual preparation, welcoming what God says about us, never fearing what God assigns to our lives, and simply giving ourselves to God’s will. Luke 1:26-38 (ESV) In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. https://bit.ly/Luke1_26-38ESV

On Sunday, November 17, 2024, VLC gathered in person and also broadcasted online via YouTube. Pastor Stuart Nice shared a message about when Jesus was making his way to Jerusalem, and along the way, he turned and addressed the crowd that was following him. Jesus challenges them to count the cost of being his disciple. From this, Pastor Stuart encouraged us to return to Jesus, our first love, to restore our focus on Jesus, and to respond to Jesus’ voice calling us to a life of transformation through surrender. Luke 14:25-35 (NIV) Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” https://bit.ly/Luke14_25-35NIV

On Sunday, November 3, 2024, VLC gathered in person and also broadcasted online via YouTube. Pastor Stuart Nice shared a message about when Jesus was making his way to Jerusalem and was invited to eat at a Pharisee’s house. During the meal, Jesus instructed the people at the table to be generous when they throw a banquet, inviting those who are unlikely to be invited instead of those in their inner circle. From this, Pastor Stuart encouraged us to keep an eye out for those who are considered “others,” to stop keeping score, expecting to be repaid, and to keep our focus on Jesus. Luke 14:12-14 (NIV) Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” https://bit.ly/Luke14_12-14NIV

On Sunday, October 20, 2024, VLC gathered in person and also broadcasted online via YouTube. Pastor Stuart Nice shared a message about when Jesus was making his way to Jerusalem and was invited to eat at a Pharisee’s house. During the meal, Jesus shared a parable about how people chose where to sit at a banquet, reminding them to choose a seat of lesser honor. That way, you could be invited to sit in a place of greater honor. From this, Pastor Stuart explains how humility is necessary for growth and is something that can be cultivated in our lives. Luke 14:7-11 (NIV) When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” https://bit.ly/Luke14_7-11NIV

On Sunday, October 6, 2024, VLC gathered in person and also broadcasted online via YouTube. Pastor Stuart Nice shared a message about when Jesus was making his way to Jerusalem, and some Pharisees warned him that Herod wanted to kill him. Jesus replied by reiterating his purpose and his necessity to go to Jerusalem. From this, Pastor Stuart exhorted us to get bold about living, focusing our faith on our calling, and reconnecting with the Lord’s longing through us. Luke 13:31-35 (NIV) At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.” He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem! “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” https://bit.ly/Luke13_31-35NIV

On Sunday, September 22, 2024, VLC gathered in person and also broadcasted online via YouTube. Pastor Stuart Nice shared a message about when Jesus was teaching on the Sabbath and asked, “What is the kingdom of God like?” He then shared the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast. From this, Pastor Stuart led us in a discussion on “What is the Holy Spirit Up To?” He reminded us that God’s kingdom is counterintuitive and that small things have a great impact. The Holy Spirit uses what little we have, our prayers, talents, and resources, and makes them great in God’s kingdom, all the while leading us into new ways of transformation. As a benediction, Pastor Stuart shared a song – Come Jesus Come by Stephen McWhirter https://youtu.be/UViC6DllCeA Luke 13:18-21 (NIV) Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.” Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.” https://bit.ly/Luke13_18-21NIV

On Sunday, September 8, 2024, VLC gathered in person and also broadcasted online via YouTube. Pastor Stuart Nice shared a message about when Jesus was teaching his disciples, with the crowds listening in, about current events and how to make sense of them and walk through them. From this Pastor Stuart encouraged us to not get lost in theology (figuring it out), but rather to adopt an eternal perspective of life and use the bad to cultivate the good. Luke 13:1-8 (NIV) Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. https://bit.ly/Luke13_1-8NIV