Join us in-person every Sunday at 10:00am ET at 505 E. McCormick Rd Apopka, FL 32703 or Click the livestream page to watch the services streaming every Sunday at 10am ET and Wednesday at 7pm ET (Wed Midweek service streaming only).

What is StoryLife?

StoryLife is a mission to share God’s truth with the world. Your Life, His Story… It has many avenues of expression, one of which is StoryLife Church, which is a local church located just outside of Orlando, FL. It is located at 505 E. McCormick Rd Apopka, FL 32703

In order to fully know God He requires that you embrace, in faith, the record of His Son. In doing so, the narrative of your own life drastically changes. Your identity, once composed of nationality, race, ancestry, sexuality, political affiliation, or social standing becomes a new draft written by the Author of the Universe.

God wants you to know and live the true story of your life. His desire for you is expressed over and over in His own story. He has gone out of His way, even unto death, to offer Himself as the biographer of your life. The question then becomes- Are you willing to lay down the pages of your life and hand Him the pen? Are you ready for it to be His story, your life?

If so, join us. Observe my life and the lives of those around me. In doing so, you will see the authorship of God. Know what He has said about you. Join us as we discover our part in the greatest story ever told.

Welcome to StoryLife,

-Pastor Brad

ALL MEANS ALL: Embracing Tension, Grace, and Relationship with God

By Brad Knight

The Illusion of Clean Narratives

We've created a Christianity of convenience—sanitized, comfortable, and ultimately powerless. Churches have become museums of perfect stories, displaying polished testimonies while hiding the messy reality of human experience. But true faith isn't about looking clean; it's about being made whole.

Most religious institutions prefer neat story arcs. They celebrate resurrection without acknowledging crucifixion. They want triumph without tension, victory without struggle. But life doesn't work that way. Our spiritual journey isn't a straight line—it's a complex tapestry woven with threads of pain, grace, confusion, and redemption.

The church has become expert at creating external performances of spirituality. We dress up our wounds, put suits on our brokenness, and pretend everything is perfect. But God isn't interested in our performances—He's interested in our hearts. True spiritual maturity means holding contradictions. It means recognizing that faith isn't about eliminating tension, but learning to live authentically within it.

Relationship vs. Religion

Cultural Christianity is a poor substitute for genuine relationship with God. We've replaced intimate connection with ritualistic performance, trading deep spiritual intimacy for superficial compliance.

Relationship with God is messy, intense, and transformative. It's not about following rules but about understanding that you were loved before you took your first breath. It's about recognizing that your identity was secured before the foundations of the earth were laid. Many people supplement relationship with religious practices. They create a safe distance, believing that looking like everyone else protects them from the intensity of true spiritual connection. But God isn't interested in your religious costume—He wants your heart.

A true relationship with God contains everything: blood, dirt, chaos, life, breath. It includes sin and redemption, the cross and resurrection. It's not clean. It bears wounds—just as Christ bears the wounds of His relationship with us for eternity.

Holding Tension: Biblical Perspectives

The Bible is not a book of simple answers but a complex narrative of divine relationship. It's filled with tension: law versus grace, mercy versus judgment, weakness versus strength.

Consider the cross—the ultimate paradox. Humanity murders God, and God's response is, "Father, forgive them. They know not what they do." This isn't just a story of salvation; it's a profound revelation of divine love that transforms our greatest sin into our most significant redemption.

Biblical characters understood this tension. Jacob wrestled with God, demanding blessing. Job challenged divine justice while maintaining relationship. Mary watched her promised son die, holding onto hope beyond comprehension. Tension is not something to be eliminated but embraced. It's where faith truly emerges.

The Flour and Cake Principle

Imagine life as a baking process. Flour alone is bitter, powdery, seemingly useless. But in the hands of a master baker, it becomes something beautiful and sweet. Your struggles, sins, and challenges are like flour. They seem meaningless, even destructive. But God uses every ingredient. He knows exactly how much "flour" is necessary to create the masterpiece of your life.

Evil is real, but not ultimate. It's an ingredient, not the final product. Your pain has purpose. Your brokenness is not the end of your story—it's part of your transformation.

Identity Over Discipline

You will never overcome your struggles through sheer willpower. Transformation happens through identity, not effort. You don't become royalty by trying—you recognize you were always royal. Stop wrestling with yourself and start resting in God's love. Your freedom isn't achieved through perfect performance but through understanding your inherent worth.

Grace Beyond Sin

Romans 8:28 isn't just a verse—it's a cosmic principle. "All things work together for good" means exactly that: ALL things. The promotion and the pink slip. The honeymoon and hospice care.

God doesn't just manage your life—He redeems it. Where sin abounds, grace superabounds. Your darkest moments become the canvas for His most profound revelations.

Living in the Shadow of the Cross

Here's the invitation: Name your wounds. Whisper your unresolved pain. Bring your struggles to the foot of the cross—not to abandon them, but to live in their transformative presence. The place you most want to flee is precisely where God wants to meet you.

All means ALL. Every tear, every struggle, every moment—God uses it all. You are not defined by your failures but by His relentless love.

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