Welcome to the Donelson First podcast with pastor and author, Jeffrey Dean Smith. Each week discover how to experience the best life God intended for you. Check out donelsonfirst.com for additional ways to connect + grow.
It's Christmas, Y'all! As we kick off our Christmas series, we turn to Psalm 46:10, a powerful reminder for us all as we enter this season of Advent. In a world that often feels chaotic and uncertain, this verse invites us to pause, reflect, and find peace in God’s presence. Join us as we explore how this timeless scripture speaks to our hearts and prepares us to celebrate the hope, joy, and peace of Christmas.
12/3/24 • 45:03
As Pastor Jeffrey brings to a close what has been a most remarkable journey From Fear To Freedom, we study Moses’ final moments on earth and unpack scripture to truly understand how he shall be remembered.
11/25/24 • 54:31
In all the disappointments Moses faces in his journey, we see that none are as heart-wrenching as the moment when Moses forfeits being able to take this final step out of the wilderness and into the land promised to the people of God. Listen as we reflect on the weight of this pivotal moment and see that, with God, it is never too late to become the person He has made you to be.
11/19/24 • 48:02
Everyone has a “thing”. And those who eventually admit their “thing” are those who find freedom on the other side of surrender. After eleven months in our From Fear To Freedom series, we unpack Moses’ “thing” that is the veracity that prohibits him from ever stepping foot into the land God promised to Abraham under the stars so very many years ago.
11/11/24 • 54:15
As we studied the tenth and final Commandment, we see it is conceivably the most instructive and, too, the most devastating of all the Commandments God spoke to the nation of Israel, because this Commandment, above all other nine Commandments, addresses the most intimate and inner manner of the heart.
11/5/24 • 51:46
What does God mean when He speaks these words in Exodus 20:15, “Do not give false testimony against your neighbor?” In Part 31 of our From Fear To Freedom series, we turn to the original translation of these words to seal the deal in our minds as to what God is saying to His people then... and to His Church today!
10/28/24 • 53:39
When God tells Moses to tell his people, “You shall not steal”, we see that God is actually commanding these two things: Number 1, do not deceive; and Number 2, do not be deceived. Though stealing takes on so very many forms and faces, we see that at the core of the actions by the thief is evidence of a heart deceived.
10/7/24 • 48:51
To fully grasp the magnitude of Commandment #7, you shall not commit adultery, we must clearly understand how God ordained the first marriage relationship between Adam and Eve. Take a listen as Pastor Jeffrey offers a biblical perspective on God’s design for marriage and unpacks common questions that often surface as it relates to adultery.
10/1/24 • 52:29
As we study Commandment 6, you shall not murder, we see the importance of studying the fullness of Scripture and the original text to adequately understand God’s position on a matter. At the heart of this Commandment specifically is the discovery of just how very much God loves you.
9/23/24 • 52:21
As we continued our study of the 10 Commandments and how they are eternal and true for all of time, Pastor Jeffrey gave us tangible ways that we can remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy and honor our father and mother.
9/17/24 • 11:42
We often think of Moses as the great deliver, the great emancipator. He, too, was the great law giver. Deliverance from fear, bondage and slavery was obviously a life-changing trajectory for the nation of Israel. But, on the other side of their freedom, a nation without laws, really isn’t a nation free. A nation without laws is a nation still in bondage, enslaved to chaos, and immersed in anarchy. As Pastor Jeffrey begins to unpack the 10 Commandments, we see that the law was necessary for God’s people if they were to ever become a truly free nation.
9/9/24 • 53:55
There are very many reasons as to why so very many people have chosen to make Donelson First their home over the past 112 years. Take a listen as Pastor Jeffrey answers the question, “Why Donelson First?”, by sharing the impact being made through the light on the hill in Music City.
9/3/24 • 57:31
In part 25 of From Fear to Freedom, Pastor Jeffrey continues to unpack the requirements God demands on the part of His people and principles that align with them as we consider our own life journey.
8/26/24 • 50:08
Before God spends a significant amount of time, 40 days and nights, alone with Moses on the Mountain, God outlines specific requirements His people are to follow. What is fascinating about these requirements is just how very relevant these truths are for our lives today!
8/19/24 • 45:45
In Part 23 of From Fear to Freedom, we see, in God’s perfect timing of this story, a touching moment occurs for Moses. God sends Moses the gift of his family’s presence and is given three challenges in a heartwarming exchange from his father in law, Jethro, as it relates to priorities.
8/12/24 • 50:44
In week 22 of From Fear to Freedom, Pastor Jeffrey teaches us that the Lord is not taking these people on such a journey of testing for His knowledge. He is doing so that these people will arrive at the knowledge that it is the Lord who has brought them out of the land of Egypt and into a land of green pastures, and lush waters, and fruitful soil.
8/6/24 • 54:00
In this week's time of study, we see God’s hand of provision, just as the nation of Israel had watched all that God did to bring them out of Egyptian captivity and into a free life on the other side of the Reed Sea. Yet, with every step forward, new perplexities and challenges emerge.
7/30/24 • 48:42
No longer living under the brutal 430 year captivity of the Pharaoh and the nation of Egypt, God establishes His expectations for the nation of Israel from moment one.
7/22/24 • 55:50
In this week’s time of study on the tenth and final plague, we see the Hebrews awaken at daylight on day 157,054 as slaves. By midnight, they begin day one of a new life - one they are to commemorate for generations to come.
7/1/24 • 53:47
In Part 18 of From Fear to Freedom, we see that each of the plagues from God is directed against one or more of the 3 main forces in Egyptian life: the Nile, the land, and the sun. We also see that once the Pharaoh understood that God was more powerful than he, the King attempted to negotiate with God to broker a compromise of a meeting in the middle.
6/24/24 • 53:01
In this week’s time of study, we see the reality of the Pharaoh’s sin and its aftermath upon the nation of Egypt by reading the story as if we were in the story.
6/11/24 • 50:38
From the moment God revealed His will to Moses as Moses stood barefoot on holy ground before a burning bush, Moses was forced to decide upon whom his allegiance would rest. And his choice to journey back to the land where he had once been wanted dead was one that now placed him at odds with so very many people.
6/3/24 • 55:22
Though God has proven Himself faithful over and again in the story, we still see that Moses is a man vacillating between trust and fear. Join us in week 15 on our journey as we see how God continues to direct Moses’ steps.
5/28/24 • 48:17
After this intense fire-side exchange on the mountain with God, Moses is now ready to go to Egypt. Take a listen to see factors that influence Moses' change of heart and greatly dictate what happens next in his journey from fear to freedom.
5/13/24 • 48:48
As we continue our journey with Moses, we see God is concurrently restoring his faith and confidence after living 40 years with immense and unfathomable feelings of insignificance, all the while preparing him to do the unthinkable in the lives of millions of Hebrews, and too, in his own life.
5/7/24 • 45:22
As we continued our study and examined Exodus 3:11-22, Pastor Jeffrey taught us that Moses does not yet fully comprehend what God is doing. What we are learning from the man Moses is the responsibility we have, while exercising free-will, to obediently follow the ways and workings of God.
4/30/24 • 46:15
On day one of his new life, Moses comes to the far side of the wilderness where he meets with God and God reveals His divine plan.
4/23/24 • 57:23
Scripture tells us Moses spent 40 years, 14,610 days, living as a nomad taking care of sheep. That’s a long time! But as the saying goes, “What a difference a day can make.” On the day the bush caught fire, day one of a new life began as God chose to speak to Moses.
4/16/24 • 51:16
Moses stepped ahead of God’s plans, and it sent him on a 40 year journey. But what we are going to see is that, even amidst the missteps: God still remains in control even when I have lost control.
4/9/24 • 47:28
As we celebrate Easter, we do so studying the parallels of two men - Moses and Jesus - remembering that it was obedience that led Moses from an Egyptian palace to the Promised Land and ultimate love that led Jesus from the cross to an empty tomb.
4/1/24 • 44:00
