Life.Church with Craig Groeschel

Episode: When Your Faith Feels Flat | A Church That Pleases God: Part 2

Date: January 11, 2026

Episode Overview

This special anniversary episode, led by Senior Pastor Craig Groeschel and Amy Groeschel, marks 30 years of Life.Church. The central theme examines what it means to be a church that pleases God, and, more personally, what it means to live with a faith that pleases Him individually and collectively. Reflecting on the church’s humble beginnings, significant faith-steps, and challenges, Pastor Craig challenges listeners to examine their own faith—whether it’s flat, conditional, stagnant, or safe—and calls everyone to return to bold, active faith rooted in a reverent view of God.

Key Themes & Discussion Points

1. 30 Years of God’s Faithfulness

• Reflecting on the Journey: Craig becomes emotional recounting the 30th anniversary of the church that started in a garage with a handful of people ([00:22-00:54]).
  • “Did you ever expect any of this to happen? And the answer is no...it exceeds anything I ever dreamed possible.” – Craig ([00:54])
  • “What if our greatest goal this year wasn’t just to improve our lives, but...to please God above anything else?” – Craig ([01:54])

2. A Church (and Life) That Pleases God

• The Scriptural Foundation
  • 2 Corinthians 5:9 and Hebrews 11:6: “Without faith it’s impossible to please God.” ([03:34], [04:46])
  • “To be a church that pleases God, it’s impossible to please God without this quality.” – Craig ([03:34])
  • The call is to live by faith—not just in big, dramatic ways, but in daily trust and obedience. ([05:12-05:36])

3. The Nature of Faith

• Faith as a Lifestyle:

  • Not just about ‘mountain-moving’ but in routine, daily choices: “Sometimes it’s like God, help me love my boss today. Faith, right? It’s not just faith in the big moments, it’s faith as a lifestyle.” – Amy ([05:12])
  • Faith to trust God even when it doesn’t make sense ([06:06-06:18])

• Challenging Listeners:

  • “If God answered every prayer you prayed last week, what would be different in the world?” – Amy ([06:44])
  • “Is your faith pleasing to God?” – Craig ([06:34])

4. How Jesus Responds to Faith

• Amazed by Lack and Greatness of Faith:
  • Mark 6 (amazed at lack of faith in his hometown – “Isn’t this Joey’s boy?”) and Luke 7 (amazed by the centurion’s great faith, who trusted Jesus’ word alone) ([07:00-08:32]).
    • “Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith.” – Amy ([07:56])
    • “I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” – Craig ([08:32])
  • Listeners are challenged: “Which one is you? Is your faith pleasing to God?” ([09:03])

5. Personal Faith Journey and Early Church Stories

• Raw Beginnings & Vulnerability:
  • Craig and Amy recall being young, insecure, and broke, but “full of faith and insecure.” – Craig ([10:07])
  • Notable anecdote about Jerome, the “four-fingered flipper” and the humble, equipment-poor beginnings of Life.Church ([11:13-11:45])
    • “Jerome was a drug dealer that got a finger shot off...But by the grace of God, Jerome was made new.” – Amy ([11:15])
  • The church’s first steps were marked by dependency on God alone, motivated by a “high view” of Him ([13:58-14:49])

6. High View vs. Low View of God

• Faith Reflects Our View of God:
  • “The strength of your faith is a reflection of your view of God.” – Craig ([15:09])
  • High view produces bold, growing faith; low view leads to:
    1. Conditional faith
    2. Stagnant faith
    3. Safe faith ([15:14-15:30])
  • “God pleasing faith isn’t trusting God to do what we want. God pleasing faith is trusting God even when He doesn’t.” – Craig ([16:14])

7. Identifying and Challenging Stagnant, Safe, and Conditional Faith

• Descriptions of Flat Faith:
  • Conditional: Trusts God only if He complies with personal expectations ([15:53-16:14])
  • Stagnant: Not dead, but not growing; “a void of spiritual hunger” ([17:26-17:50])
  • Safe: Avoids risks and lives with hedging “plan B” prayers ([18:13-18:33])
  • “You cannot play it safe and please God, because it’s impossible to please God without faith.” – Craig ([19:32])

8. Anecdotes of Risk and Faith

• Early Acts of Faith:
  • Sharing about the first offering and inviting those in need to take from the offering plate ([20:03])
  • Losing their first meeting venue and boldly declaring, “God’s gonna open up a door and we’ll call you” even when no alternative existed ([21:51-22:09])
  • Expanding to a bike factory on a handshake and building the first campuses without resources or guarantees ([22:09-23:06])
  • Inventing video church and multi-site approaches out of faith-fueled necessity ([23:06-23:04])
  • “A faith that costs nothing, accomplishes nothing.” – Craig ([26:33])

9. The Challenge of Faith Over Time

• Faith Drained by Hardship and Routine:
  • Craig confesses to periods of leading with “a very, very safe faith” and losing the desperation that fueled past risk-taking. Hard seasons forced him to become desperate for God again ([26:33-28:33])
  • “The good news is, because it was difficult, it made me desperate for God again.” – Craig ([26:33])

10. Renewed Vision and Faith for the Future

• A Church for ‘The One’:
  • “My faith is big again. My faith for the One. I have never cared about the One more than I do at this moment.” – Amy ([28:49])
  • “As long as there is one person in this world that does not know Christ, this church is not too big.” – Amy ([29:16])
• Call to Self-Examination and Spiritual Renewal:
  • “Is your faith pleasing to God? Because a faith that pleases God is never conditional, it’s never stagnant, it’s never safe.” – Craig ([29:28])
  • Recalling who God is – Savior, Redeemer, Comforter, Rock, Healer, Defender, Peace, Hope – as the source of faith ([30:06-30:22])

11. Final Encouragement and Prayer

• Bold Prayers for Renewed Faith:
  • “Believe again, trust again, step out in faith. Believe that He hears the cries of your heart...” – Amy ([31:28])
  • “This church was built by faith. And the future of this church... will be built by people who still have faith that God can do more...” – Craig ([32:32])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If God answered every prayer you prayed last week, what would be different in the world?” – Amy ([06:44])
• “Without faith, it’s impossible to please God.” – Craig ([04:46])
• “Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith.” – Amy ([07:56])
• “A faith that costs nothing, accomplishes nothing.” – Craig ([26:33])
• “My faith is big again. My faith for the One.” – Amy ([28:49])
• “As long as there is one person in this world that does not know Christ, this church is not too big.” – Amy ([29:16])
• “God pleasing faith is trusting God even when he doesn’t (do what we want).” – Craig ([16:14])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:22-01:52: 30-Year Reflection and the question of goals—pleasing God vs. self-improvement.
• 02:25-03:17: Scriptural basis for pleasing God; faith as the essential quality.
• 05:33-06:18: Faith as a lifestyle—trusting God in big and small moments.
• 06:34-07:00: Challenging the listener’s faith—“Is your faith pleasing to God?”
• 07:00-08:32: Jesus’ amazement at lack/greatness of faith: Mark 6 and Luke 7.
• 10:02-11:45: Story of Life.Church’s humble beginnings, transparency, and Jerome the “four-fingered flipper.”
• 13:58-14:49: Dependence on God, having a high view of God.
• 15:09-15:53: High vs. low view of God; conditional, stagnant, and safe faith explained.
• 19:40-20:03: First offering—radical trust and generosity.
• 26:33-28:33: Confession of leading with safe faith; return to desperation for God.
• 28:49-29:28: Renewed faith for ‘the One’; church never “too big.”
• 30:06-32:32: Closing challenge—see God high and lifted, believe big, end with bold prayers.
• 33:46-37:22: Prayer for renewed faith and salvation invitation.

Tone & Delivery

• The episode is marked by humility, vulnerability, gratitude, and passionate exhortation.
• Both hosts are deeply personal—sharing stories of risk, failure, and renewed faith.
• The teaching moves fluidly between scripture, personal testimony, and practical challenge, all in an accessible, heartfelt tone.

Summary Takeaways

• Pleasing God is about having and living by bold, growing faith—not conditional, stagnant, or safe faith.
• Our view of God directly shapes our faith; seeing God as holy and powerful fosters courageous trust and obedience.
• Life.Church's growth and impact have been built on repeated, risky steps of faith, not on resources or ease.
• Even pastors struggle with keeping faith vibrant; returning to desperation for God is key.
• Every ‘one’ matters—personal faith and church vision must always be oriented toward reaching people for Jesus.
• The future belongs to faith-filled believers; the challenge is for everyone to “believe again, trust again, step out in faith.”

If you’ve ever wrestled with your faith feeling flat or safe, this episode is a heartfelt call to renewed trust in God’s power, goodness, and faithfulness—both for yourself and the church.