Seacoast Stories: Grow Your Faith

10 Books to Read This Summer

#Summer Reading
If you had to sum up your life in books, what would be on your bookshelf? Probably some books from when you were little—Berenstain Bears, [...]

10 Things We’ve Learned From 42 Years Of Marriage

#Greg & Debbie Surratt #Marriage
Founding Pastors Greg and Debbie Surratt have gained valuable wisdom during their 42 years of marriage. Here are just a few of their many helpful [...]

21 Days Without Screens

#21 Days Of Prayer and Fasting #fasting #Grow Your Faith #Kristin Mabry #Live #screen time #Simplify
I love the newness and beauty of a new year, reflecting on the past and assigning vision to the next. In what moments in the last [...]

3 Epidemics Buzzing Around Us All (Not counting COVID-19)

#Chip Judd #Hope #self-control #victimization
As a pastor and counselor, I often notice and think about the patterns in our behaviors and relationships that sabotage our efforts to live the [...]

3 Tips for Understanding What Jesus Said

#Grow Your Faith #Jesus Said
You look down, read the text message your significant other sent, and thought to yourself, “What does THAT mean?”

35 Years At Seacoast: A Seacoast Story

#35 Years At Seacoast #Grow Your Faith #Legacy #Pastor Greg Surratt #Seacoast Church
I’ll never forget the feelings that I had on that first Sunday morning. We had been meeting for several months, about 50 of us, in [...]

A Life Profoundly Lived — Remembering Corrie ten Boom 

#Corrie ten Boom #Elizabeth Reppard #Forgiveness #Grow Your Faith #womens history month
In honor of Women’s History Month, we’d like to honor a life profoundly lived—that of Corrie ten Boom. During World War II, when Nazi forces [...]

A Place For Us

#At The Movies #Grow Your Faith #The Greatest Showman
Movies reveal a lot about our culture’s fears, hopes, and values. During our summer At The Movies series, we’re talking about what moves us and [...]

A Series of Miracles in Difficult Times

#Cancer treatment #coronavirus #Covid-19 #Dustin McConnell #Grow Your Faith #Joan Smith #miracles #Myelofibrosis #Robert Smith #transplant
Written from an interview with Robert “Woody” and Joan Smith, Seacoast Mount Pleasant Campus. In the time of COVID-19, everyone’s life has been disrupted in [...]

A Woman’s Great Adventure

#At The Movies #Grow Your Faith #Small Group #Wonder Woman
Joining my first small group this summer has been my best experience yet at Seacoast. We are reading a book together called Captivating by John [...]

Abbie’s Story of Healing

#Grow Your Faith #Healing #Miracle Service #myseacoaststory
We are not meant to keep to ourselves what God is doing in our lives. So today, I want to share my healing story. On [...]

And They Lived Happily Ever After…

#Dianna Kirkpatrick #Grow Your Faith #Marriage #Re|engage #Rick Kirkpatrick #small groups #Valentine's Day
When you began your relationship, did you think life together was going to be just like the fairy tales? Are you living the happily ever [...]

Angry Like Jesus

#Anger #Grow Your Faith #Where's The Love
One of the most important things we learn to do as we grow up is distinguish between good and bad anger. Some anger is unreasonable, [...]

At The Movies: The Real Hidden Treasure In Moana’s Journey

#At The Movies #find god #Fulfillment #Gospel #Mac Mood #Moana #Restoration #Truth #West Ashley
As a father of two daughters under the age of 10, I’ve seen my fair share of Disney Princess movies. Moana became one of my [...]

Beauty In The Brokeness

#care ministry #Divorce #Divorce Care #Grow In Your Faith #Marney McNall
One Sunday, Kristyn’s husband didn’t meet her at church as planned. Pushing aside her uneasiness, Kristyn told herself that he was probably just tired after [...]

Boat Days

#Anxiety #Depression #I'm Fine (Not Really) #James Island Campus #Joey Svendsen #Johns Island Campus #Mental Health
I’ll never forget the day my (very) pregnant wife and I had joined some friends on their small boat, and we realized a bad storm [...]

Can You Really Trust God?

#Can You Trust God #Grow Your Faith #Trust God
When you get right down to it, we don’t really think God knows us, and we aren’t sure he knows what’s best for us.

Cody’s Story of Healing

#Grow Your Faith #Healing #Men's Hike #Miracle Service #myseacoaststory
January 23 is a date that will forever be marked on my calendar. It isn’t my birthday, my anniversary, or any of my children’s birthdays. [...]

Concerned About How to Pay Your Bills?

#assistance programs #Budget #Dave Ramsey #finances #Unemployment #utilities
We know these are difficult days and there are a lot of unknowns. We hope to lessen your stress by providing some important resources and [...]

Connect Weekend: Zoe’s Story

#Connect #Connect Weekend #Grow Your Faith #ISO #relationships #small groups
Zoe hopes her new apartment becomes a place of rest for her women’s small group. For the past six months, Zoe has worked to rebuild [...]

Dealing With Difficult People (You know…like you and me.)

#Chip Judd #Grow Your Faith #Holidays #relationships
If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. ~ Romans 12:18 Each person must be responsible for himself. [...]

Deborah’s Story Of Healing

#Grow Your Faith #Healing #miracle
I’ve been searching for a way to put into words the significance of January 23, 2019. Simply put: Miracles still happen. I’m living proof. In [...]

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask For Help

#Care Care Ministry #Griefshare #Grow Your Faith #Single Moms
“But in the darkest of situations, in the darkest corners, God shines through in a way you would never experience otherwise.”

Don’t Let Learning Challenges Stop You from Connecting with God

#Bible #Bible App #Bible Study #Grow Your Faith #prayer #Seacoast Church
It is often taught that studying the Bible and spending time in prayer and worship are the best ways to connect with God. While these [...]

Family is Messy, and That’s OK. Here’s why:

#Family #Grow Your Faith #This Is Us
I remember very clearly the day my illusions about my family were shattered forever.

Father’s Day: Revealing The Kryptonite Of Fatherhood

#Father's Day #Grow Your Faith #Our Team #Seacoast Staff #small groups
Dads are strong. They might even appear resilient, and more often than not, they look like superheroes to their children. But even the best dads [...]

Father’s Day: The Other Side of Things

#Father's Day #Grow Your Faith #myseacoaststory #single dads
A single dad inspired the creation of Father’s Day. In 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd sat in church, wondering: if mothers had a day to honor [...]

Fighting for Marriage

#Debby DeRosa #Greenville Campus #Marriage #Men's Hike #small groups
In 2018, Travis Graham felt like his life was in shambles. During his years of military and police service, he had injured his back multiple [...]

Financial Peace University

#Financial Peace University
What a Snapshot Tells Us Snapshots capture more than we’d like sometimes. They catch unflattering moments, our mouths open, or our eyes mid-blink. Yet some [...]

Finding Breakthrough With Community

#Connect Weekend #Grow Your Faith #small groups
During a dark season in Zach and Megan’s lives, they began to look for a church with an authentic and transparent feel. At the time, [...]

Finding Confidence In The Midst Of Uncertainty

#Anxiety #Battles #Believers Battle Strategy #Christie Michaud #Confidence #Covid-19 #Fear #Peace #prayer #Truth #Uncertainty #Worry
Everyone is talking about COVID-19. So many voices and opinions and so much information. Who do we listen to? What’s the truth? And if the [...]

Finding Purpose

#Chosen Women's Conference #Dangerous #Discover Your Purpose
Adapted from an interview with Jess Reger Her first round of chemo was called Red Devil. The nurses wore HAZMAT suits to administer it to [...]

For Those We Haven’t Met Yet

#Grow Your Faith #Imagine #myseacoaststory
What did your life look like 20 years ago? Were you about to get a driver’s license? Still in college? Starting a family? Chances are [...]

Forgiving the Unforgivable

#battles to breakthrough #find god
Forgiveness is one of the hardest things God asks us to do. Why is it so important to forgive someone who has hurt us?

Freedom from Anxiety

#Anxiety #Grow Your Faith #small groups
This week, we celebrate freedom. As a writer and a Christian, I am especially grateful for the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion. [...]

From Homeless to Harbinger of Hope

#Adoption #foster care #Grow Your Faith #Journey Together Ministries #Katie Newingham #Nichole Johnson
After her dad appeared on America’s Most Wanted, Nichole Johnson’s parents left town, abandoning her at the age of 11. Little Nichole, with blazing red [...]

Game Night Creates “Ohana”

#Grow Your Faith #small groups
Shaun and Jessica Key’s small group started from a casual, summer game night at their house. Forming a group for married couples wasn’t our intention,” [...]

Grateful for Moms More than Ever

#Covid-19 #Debby DeRosa #Gail Kirby #Grandmothers #Greenville Campus #Grow Your Faith #Kidscoast #Mother's Day #Seacoast At Home
Written from an interview with Gail Kirby, Seacoast Greenville Campus This Mother’s Day, we have even more reason to celebrate moms. During the current stay-at-home [...]

Healing Your Relationship with Your Mother As An Adult

#Grow Your Faith #Healing #Jessica Fackler #Love #Mother's Day #Parenting
Mother’s Day has been a bittersweet holiday for most of my life. I’m thrilled to receive the handmade cards and garden bouquets from my own [...]

Honoring His Memory While Expanding Her Heart

Returning to The Basic School in Quantico, VA after a few days of intense Marine Corps training in the field, Shannon checked in her gear, [...]

How Do We Make The Supernatural Become Natural?

#Ghost Stories #Grow Your Faith
When we read stories or see art from the ancient world or the middle ages, it often looks fantastical. Mythical beasts, demons, and angels are [...]

How To Celebrate The Holidays With Your Kids After Divorce

#care ministry #Christmas #DivorceCare #Grow Your Faith #Sarah Wolf
When I was eleven, I knew it was the last Christmas that I’d spend with my parents in the same house together. As a child, [...]

How To Have an All-in Marriage

#Grow Your Faith #Marriage #Marriage Ministry #Pastor Josh Walters #Re|engage #small groups
Often when we see an obstacle that scares us, we try to avoid it. But when we avoid a problem, all we are really doing [...]

I’m Fine (Not Really)

#addiction #Depression #Emotional Health #Hope #I'm Fine (Not Really) #Marriage #Mental Health #recovery #Spiritual Health #suicide
How are you? The most common answer to that question is “fine,” but are you, really? What do you do when everything is not fine? [...]

Immeasurably More

#Ephesians 3:20 #Grow Your Faith #Sisterhood #Sisterhood Hike #Tiffin Lamoreaux
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may [...]

Inspiring Mother’s Day Stories Of Challenges and Rewards

#autism #blended families #foster care #Grow Your Faith #mom #mother #Mother's Day #Sisterhood #stepmom
This Mother’s Day, Seacoast celebrates the gift of motherhood and highlights moms on different parenting paths. Read how a mom of a child with autism, [...]

I’ll Send You an Army

#Counseling #Depression #Grow Your Faith #Healing #Physical Trauma
“You are asking for one person to share your life, but I am not going to send just one to help carry your burden, I [...]

Kidscoast Worship and Seacoast Music Release Fun and Energetic EP

#Kidscoast Worship #Seacoast Music
Whoever said “children should be seen, not heard” obviously never heard kids like ours. With the release of our brand new Kidscoast EP, we’re putting [...]

Learn to Fight Well – Takeaways From The Revive Marriage Conference

#Bryan Hill #Chelsie Hill #Conflict #Grow Your Faith #Marriage #Marriage Ministry #Revive Marriage Conference #small groups #Summerville campus
Pastor Bryan and Chelsie Hill share what they learned at the Revive Marriage Conference, and how couples can "start small" to begin loving each other [...]

Lessons From A Daughter To Her Father

#Brian Lewis #Daughter #Father's Day #Fatherhood #Grow Your Faith #Men's Ministry
As Father’s Day approaches, I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about how my wife and I have prepared our daughter for adult life—especially [...]

Living with Loss

#care ministry #Debby DeRosa #Griefshare #Healing #organ donation #Sisterhood
On April 3, 2020, Wendy Sprintz lost her daughter, Jessica, to Sarcoma, an extremely rare form of cancer. Wendy had already gone through a divorce [...]

MLK, The Man, The Myth, The Legend

#Dr. Martin Luther King #Grow Your Faith #Josh Hall
Today, we have the privilege of remembering and honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—one of those rare people who come along once in a [...]

New Chapters

#Christmas At Seacoast #Grow Your Faith #Local Missions #Reverse Offering #Roy Jacques #Summerville campus #The Blessed Life
Nine long months. Nine months of sleepless nights, mornings not feeling well, and being tired all the time. For Mary, it must have felt like [...]

No Temporary Miracles

#brain surgery #Healing #healing service #hydrocephalus #Lori Fitzgerald
My husband, Adam was born with hydrocephalus—excess water on the brain. When he was five months old, he had his first brain surgery where a [...]

Not Just A Number

#Grow Your Faith #myseacoaststory
Written from an interview with Kara Slick Majewski When my son Johnny was in elementary school, his friends invited him to Seacoast. He asked me [...]

Not On Your Own

#Connect Weekend #Grow Your Faith #Johns Island Campus
When David Sohns was diagnosed with cancer, he and his wife Erin shared the news through tears with their Seacoast Johns Island family. They were [...]

Not Really an Empath

#Counseling #Couples #Empathy #Grow Your Faith #Jeremy Black #Marriage #Married
For the longest time, I perceived that empathy was the ability to feel what other people feel. In fact, my relationship with my wife, Julie, [...]

Not Your Typical Couple

#Dream Team #Grow Your Faith #Marriage #Marriage Ministry #Tim Lindsay #Valentine's Day
Rebecca and I aren’t a lovey-dovey couple, who cuddle or hold hands. We aren’t experts in the 5 love languages; we don’t wear matching outfits; [...]

Our Foster Care Story

#foster care #Greenville Campus #Grow Your Faith #Local Missions
After our daughter, Karsyn, turned 6, my husband, Zack, and I were ready to expand our family. Shortly after, we were excited to find out [...]

Praying For A Miracle – Kevin and Amy’s Story

#Amy Slater #easter #Grow Your Faith #Healing #Kevin Slater #miracle #prayer
December 7, 2021  An ordinary morning.   A 5:00 a.m. start and a shower, as usual—until…  as the steaming water fell on Kevin’s shoulders, his heart [...]

Resolving Conflict in Marriage

#Conflict #Conflict Resolution #Counseling #Jeremy Black #Marriage #Marriage Ministry #Married Couples #Married Life
Recently a friend shared with me that he and his wife were stuck on resolving an issue. It got me thinking about conflict resolution and [...]

Resurfacing

#find god #Global Missions #Grow Your Faith #Haiti
Guest post by Maggie Robinson I have gone on three mission trips to Morency, Haiti since last summer. Every time I’ve traveled there, I returned [...]

Returning Home

#Grow Your Faith
At Seacoast, part of our mission is to help people find God. Our attendees continue to imagine a future where we can offer as many [...]

Seth’s Story Of Healing

#Conway #Grow Your Faith #Healing #Miracle Service
The afternoon of our first healing service in January, campus pastors were introduced to Joshua Silverberg and Wes Pickering, who would lead the service that night. After [...]

Super Bloom: It’s Time to Flourish

#desert #Grow Your Faith #growth #Pastor Josh Surratt #Series #Super Bloom
Is there anyone on the planet who is NOT happy to see 2020 go? For many of us, it has been a hard year personally, [...]

Taking Down Language Barriers

#Connect Weekend #Dream Team #small groups #Translation Team
When Jessica Serrão arrived in Charleston from Brazil, she was invited to Seacoast, and soon began attending regularly. To immerse herself in the culture, and [...]

The Importance of Connection

#Columbia Campus #Grow Your Faith #Small Group
Sometimes it seems like no one could possibly understand what you’re going through—but then you join a small group. God is a pro at bringing [...]

The Last Supper

#Communion #easter #Grow Your Faith #Last Supper #Passover #Response Time
This Easter season has a different feel to it, doesn’t it? Uncertainty has a way of making us look at our lives differently. But is [...]

The Miraculous Blessings of Prayerful Healing

#Ghost Stories #Grow Your Faith #Healing #myseacoaststory #prayer
Adapted from an interview with Micah Nichols Believing in God is to believe in the supernatural. So why do we often doubt God’s intervention in [...]

The Power Of Camp

#Custom Students #summer camp
Power of Camp Four days. What if that’s all it takes for something to happen that you’ve been praying for, maybe for a long time? [...]

The Promise At The End of A Christmas Song

I hear Christmas songs playing in the coffee shop, retail store, brewery, and tire shop. Everywhere I go. I’m not complaining—I love hearing them. But [...]

The Unrecognized Sides of Prejudice

#biracial #Grow Your Faith #Unity #Where's The Love
Sometimes we don’t realize the assumptions we make, the stereotypes we blindly accept, the divisions we create. In our Where’s the Love? series, we are [...]

Time to Renovate

#Grow Your Faith #Prayer and Fasting
I’m having a hard time concentrating. My husband is cutting out the fiberglass tub surround in the downstairs bathroom as I write (well, try to [...]

Truly Seeing The Power Of Prayer

#care ministry #Healing #Marines #Mount Pleasant Campus #prayer #Rooted #small groups
This year, working at home one April morning, Ryan Savageau received a text message from his friend, Steve, with unsettling news. His wife, Jennifer, had [...]

Trusting God With His Money

#Aaron LaFalce #Asheville Campus #Giving #Money #The Blessed Life #Tithe #Worship
I remember a time when there never seemed to be enough money. It’s not that my wife and I were in poverty or had this [...]

Unraveling The Truth

#Grow Your Faith
In 2008, I only came to Charleston to help my parents move and get settled in. I was ready to go home, having been sick [...]

VBS Amped 2018 Recap

VBS 2018 was an amazing week! We saw God do big things in the hearts of your children and we’re grateful you allowed us to [...]

What Can We Make Of The Present When We Compare It With The Past?

#Grow Your Faith #Seacoast Vintage
When I walk through the halls of Seacoast, I walk through memories. They live in the rooms, sit in the chairs, waiting for me to [...]

What Dandelions Can Teach You About Parenting

#Children #custom #Grow Your Faith #Kidscoast #NextGen #NextGen Weekend #Parenting #Serve #Terri Stuckey
It’s spring! I love the burst of new leaves on the trees and the smell of jasmine in the air here in the Carolinas. But [...]

What Do I Tell My Kids About COVID-19?

#Charlotte Cox #Covid-19 #Family #Grow Your Faith #Kidscoast #Memories #ParentCue #Seacoast At Home
At the top of my journal/planner today, I wrote “Peace, Be Still.” As a mom of four kids in elementary, middle and high school, I [...]

What I Didn’t Expect as a Mom

#Grow Your Faith #Mother's Day
Happy Mother’s Day! We would like to honor all the moms out there by sharing a few of their voices, their hearts…and their experiences—the small [...]

What To Do When You Face Divine Delays

#Delays #Grow Your Faith #Josh Surratt
Lead Pastor Josh Surratt shares a little history on Paul’s time in Caesarea and some perspective on tackling the divine delays in your own life.

What To Do When You’re Praying For A Miracle, But You Have To…Go

#Church Online #Daniel Floyd #head injury #Healing #Marney McNall #prayer #Response Time #Tracy Kerr #Worship
Written from an interview with Tracy Kerr The beauty of the mountains covered in glinting pristine powder made Tracy Kerr forget how treacherous the slopes [...]

What’s Going On At Seacoast?

That’s certainly a common question that I’m asked regularly these days. The easy answer is that God seems to be at work. But honestly, God [...]

When Plans Change

#Anxiety #At Home #Change #Church Online #control #Disciples #easter #Good News #Grow Your Faith #Hope #Jim Fleming #Manning Campus #pandemic #stress
Easter feels a little different this year, as we all plan to celebrate at home, rather than gather under one roof. Even though we can’t [...]

When We Want to Ask Why

#Grow Your Faith
Yes, I was praying for God to save him, but the thought that kept going through my mind was ‘Please don’t let this cause me [...]

Why Does Jesus Speak First to a Woman on Easter? 

#easter #Easter At Seacoast #Grow Your Faith #Healing #Jesus #Marney McNall #Mary Magdalene #resurrection #women of the bible #womens history #womens history month
All but one of the disciples had fled, fearing for their lives. Only John and a few women stayed with Jesus as he was crucified [...]

Worship Center Construction to Begin

#Grow Your Faith #Josh Surratt #new building