PODCAST · religion
Donelson First Podcast
by Jeffrey Dean Smith
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.
Episodes
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The Well-Lived Life Part 4 | Work: Labor With Purpose
What if your work is about far more than earning a paycheck? In Part 4 of The Well-Lived Life, Senior Pastor Jeffrey Dean Smith explores a biblical vision of work that reaches far beyond careers, titles, and occupations. From the opening chapters of Genesis to Paul's words in Colossians…
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The Well-Lived Life Part 3 | Desire: Guard Your Heart
What do you really want - and why do you want it? In Part 3 of The Well-Lived Life: Biblical Wisdom for What Matters Most, Senior Pastor Jeffrey Dean Smith explores the powerful role desire plays in shaping the direction of our lives. Proverbs 4:23 warns us, "Above all else, guard your heart, for...
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The Well-Lived Life Part 2 | Decisions: Choose Wisely Each Day
What separates a life lived from a life well-lived? The decisions we make each day. Most life-changing decisions do not announce themselves as life-changing. Instead, our lives are shaped by thousands of seemingly ordinary choices - what we pursue, what we refuse, whom we trust, what we forgive,...
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The Well-Lived Life Part 1 - Time: Number Your Days
Time is one of the few things in life we can never replace. We cannot save it, make more of it, or get it back once it is gone. We can only decide how we will spend it. In Part 1 of The Well-Lived Life: Biblical Wisdom for What Matters Most, Senior Pastor Jeffrey Smith begins with one of...
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May I Ask A Question... Again? Part 11: The Answer that Leads to Jesus
For nearly three months, we have brought our questions to Scripture - questions about life, faith, suffering, eternity, and the things we simply do not understand. In the final message of the series, the questions ultimately lead us to the most important question of all: Who do you say Jesus is?…
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May I Ask A Question... Again? Part 10: God's Will For Your Life
How do you know God's will for your life? How can you recognize the leading of the Holy Spirit when Scripture doesn't give a specific answer? And what happens if you make the wrong decision? In Part 10 of May I Ask a Question… Again?, Pastor Jeffrey Smith explores one of the most personal…
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May I Ask A Question... Again? Part 9: Salvation - The Only Way to Heaven
What does it really mean to be saved? Is Jesus truly the only way to heaven? If Christianity is true, does that mean every other religion is wrong? And perhaps most personally: Can you lose your salvation? In Part 9 of May I Ask A Question... Again?, Pastor Jeffrey tackles some of the most...
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May I Ask a Question… Again? Part 8: The Hardest Doctrine - A Study on Hell
Hell may be one of the most difficult, uncomfortable, and often avoided doctrines in all of Christianity. But if we are going to take seriously what Jesus said about heaven, we must also take seriously what He said about hell. As this message reminds us, "What you believe about the eternal...
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May I Ask A Question… Again? Part 7: Living Forever
What if heaven is not just something to look forward to someday - but something that should completely transform the way you live today? In Part 7 of May I Ask a Question... Again?, Senior Pastor Jeffrey Smith explores one of life's greatest realities: eternity. Discover why the Bible repeatedly...
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May I Ask a Question… Again? Part 6 : The First Five Minutes After Forever
What happens in the first five minutes after you die? It is one of humanity's oldest - and most important - questions. While the world offers endless opinions, only one Person has conquered death and returned to tell us what lies beyond it: Jesus Christ. In Part 6 of our May I Ask a Question……
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May I Ask A Question... Again? Part 5: How to Hear God
Does God still speak today? If so, how can we recognize His voice? In Part 5 of our May I Ask a Question... Again? series, Pastor Jeffrey Smith explores one of the most important questions every believer must answer: How does the Shepherd speak, and how do His sheep learn to hear Him? Drawing…
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May I Ask A Question... Again? Part 4: The Shepherd's Voice
Have you ever prayed, "God, I just need to hear from You"? Whether you are facing a difficult decision, carrying a heavy burden, or simply longing to know God's will, you are not alone. In Part 5 of May I Ask a Question... Again?, Pastor Jeffrey Dean Smith begins a two-week focus on one of the…
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May I Ask A Question... Again? The Spirit Filled Life - Part 2
The abundant life Jesus promised isn't lived by accident—it's lived with purpose. In this message, we discover that every believer is engaged in a spiritual battle and that our enemy's goal is to keep us from experiencing the fullness of life Christ offers. Through Scripture, we'll explore how to...
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May I Ask A Question... Again? The Spirit Filled Life - Part 1
Many Christians know they're saved but still feel spiritually stuck. In this message, we explore Jesus' promise of the abundant life found in John 10:10 and discover that following Christ is about more than simply securing eternity - it's about experiencing true life today. Learn two foundational...
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May I Ask A Question… Again? Part 3: The Silence of God
Have you ever prayed with all your heart... only to be met with silence? In Part 3 of the May I Ask a Question... Again? series, "The Silence of God," we wrestle with one of the hardest questions every believer eventually faces: What do you do when God seems silent? Through the honest words of...
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May I Ask A Question... Again? Part 2: When God Does Not Make Sense
Why does God allow suffering? Why do prayers sometimes go unanswered? And how do you trust God when life doesn't make sense? In Part 2 of May I Ask A Question... Again?, Senior Pastor Jeffrey Smith tackles some of the most difficult questions believers face. Through stories from…
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May I Ask A Question... Again? Part 1: What Matters More Than Answers
Is it okay to question God? Does He welcome our questions? What do we do when heaven seems silent? As we begin this summer series, Senior Pastor Jeffrey Smith lays a biblical foundation for navigating life's hardest questions. Discover why God is not threatened by your doubts, why His presence is...
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Vision Sunday Part 4: Onward We Go
For the past several weeks, we have been asking a defining question as a church family: Who are we becoming? In this fourth and final Vision Sunday message, Senior Pastor Jeffrey Smith challenges Donelson First to move beyond inspiration and into obedience. Throughout Scripture, whenever God...
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Vision Sunday Part 3: Together We Go
Together We Go reminded us that the future of the Church is never built by spectators. It is built by stewards. Over the past three weeks, we have talked about vision, discipleship, community, generosity, outreach, and the calling God has placed upon Donelson First to remain the light on the…
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Vision Sunday Part 2: Now We Go
Senior Pastor Jeffrey Smith continues the Now We Go Vision Sunday series by answering a critical question for the Church: How do we actually go? Drawing from Ephesians 4, this message reveals that the mission of the Church was never designed to rest upon a few leaders, but upon an entire body of...
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Vision Sunday Part 1: Now We Go
In Part 1 of the three-week Vision Sundays series, Pastor Jeffrey Smith challenges the Church to reject cultural compromise and rediscover the call to holiness, unity, and mission. "Now We Go" reflects on six years of revitalization at Donelson First while casting a bold vision for the future:...
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Belonging - Part 16: Build
In the final message of Belonging: The Doctrine of Becoming Like Christ, we confront a defining question: What are we building - and why? James closes his letter by painting a picture of a healthy, thriving church - not perfect, but purposeful. A church that is: • Praying — where prayer is not a...
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Belonging - Part 15: Shine
Part 15, "Shine," centers on Epistle of James 2:8 and the "royal law" of love, emphasizing that true belonging in Christ is never abstract but visibly lived out. This message challenges believers to treat love not as a suggestion, but as a binding decree from the King - authoritative, public, and...
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Belonging - Part 14: Love
The Doctrine of Becoming Like Christ draws from Epistle of James chapter 3 to confront the power of our words as a true measure of spiritual transformation. This message explores how the tongue, though small, can either ignite destruction or become an instrument of Christlike love within the...
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Belonging - Part 13: Hope
This week's message explores the kind of deep, enduring hope described in James 5- a hope that does not remove waiting but transforms it. In seasons of suffering, uncertainty, and delay, you are reminded that true hope is rooted in confidence in Christ, not in quick answers or easy outcomes. Like…
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Belonging - Part 11: Serve
In our formation journey through the letter of James, Pastor Jeffrey challenges us to examine whether our faith is truly alive - because real faith doesn't stay still, it serves. When we understand our belonging in Christ, serving shifts from obligation to a natural response of a transformed heart.
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Belonging - Part 9: Grow
In part 9 of our series through James Pastor Jeffrey teaches on perseverance leading to maturity. In James 1:2-4 we learn that trials strengthen faith and produce Christlike character. "God is not merely trying to help you survive your trials. God is forming you through them!" Pastor Jeffrey Dean...
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Belonging - Part 8: Pray
In part 8 of our series through James Pastor Jeffrey teaches on prayer. Our attitude surrounding prayer directly correlates to our true dependance on God. "Prayer is belonging lived out loud." Pastor Jeffrey Dean Smith Donelson First Belonging Part 8: Pray March 8, 2026
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Belonging - Part 7: Forgive
In Part 7 of our series through James Pastor Jeffrey echos the call of James to put aside favoritism and prejudice. To take up the call of God to show mercy. "Unforgiveness does not imprison the offender. It imprisons the soul." Pastor Jeffrey Dean Smith Donelson First Belonging Part 7: Forgive...
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Belonging - Part 6: Give
In Part 6 of our series through James Pastor Jeffrey challenges us as believers to answer the call of God to give. Give of our time, attention, finances, whatever God is impressing on each of our hearts, as an outward sign of an inward transformation. "If your treasure never moves toward the...
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Belonging - Part 5: Decide
Pastor Jeffrey continues our series through James with part 5: Decide. He lays out the necessity of deciding to obey, and how that is the true way to live freely. "Belonging is not formed by intention. It is formed by obedience." Pastor Jeffrey Dean Smith Donelson First Belonging Part 5: Decide...
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Belonging - Part 4: Listen
Pastor Jeffrey continues our series through James with part 4: Listen. He discusses the constant noise of our culture, as compared with James' call to humility and wisdom through listening. "Sometimes your greatest ministry to someone is not what you say but how you listen." Pastor Jeffrey Dean...
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Belonging - Part 3: Surrender
Pastor Jeffrey continues our series through James with part 3: Surrender. Surrendering our pain to God and trusting that He will do what He has already promised. " Your trials are not signs of God's absence. Rather, they are tools of God's formation." Pastor Jeffrey Dean Smith Donelson First...
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Belonging - Part 2: Belong
In this the second part of our series through James Pastor Jeffrey unpacks the importance of the believers identity as belonging to Christ and how this informs our lives as a whole. "Exile is not the evidence of God's absence. It is often the environment of His deepest work." Pastor Jeffrey Dean...
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Belonging - Part 1: Believe
This is part one of a sixteen week study through the book of James. Pastor Jeffrey begins this verse by verse study with James 1:1-12. "James is not writing as an outsider. He is not writing as an academic. He is not writing as a detached observer. He is writing as a brother who once doubted, a...
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Christ Is Here: Part 5 - The King Revealed: Christ for the World
In this the final part of Pastor Jeffrey's Advent series he teaches on the final components of God's provision and plan for Christ's birth: the magi. They recognized the star because God had been preparing them for years, through Daniel's teachings in Babylon. Every step of the advent story was a...
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Christ Is Here: Part 4 - The Promise Fulfilled: Christ in Us
In Part 4 of our Advent series Pastor Jeffrey begins by a look into the person Luke. The one who wrote the story of Jesus's birth, without having met Jesus during His earthly ministry. The story of Jesus was related in order that all of us could hear of it and be blessed by it. It is the very...
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Christ is Here: Part 3 - The Peace: Christ for Us
In Part 3 of our Advent series Pastor Jeffrey explores the cultural context and significance of the details surrounding our saviors birth. From the task of these particular shepherds to the language utilized throughout Luke God was writing a story that was understood to the Hebrews even as it was...
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Christ is Here: Part 2 - The Presence: Christ Among Us
Part 2 of our Advent series looks closer at the prophetic details perfectly fulfilled by the birth of Christ. Pastor Jeffrey details the historic context of Jesus's birth place, and the beautiful prophetic fulfillment found in it. " Every detail was divine. Every detail was anointed. Every detail...
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Christ is Here: Part 1 - The Promise: Christ Foretold
Pastor Jeffrey opened the Advent season with part 1 of Christ is Here: Christ Foretold. This message centers around the character of God that is revealed through His promise fulfilled. The beauty of God's plan is revealed through prophecy made and fulfilled.
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Gratitude - Part 4: Rejoice
Pastor Jeffrey concludes our series on Gratitude with part 4: Rejoice. This week focuses on the beauty and necessity of gratefulness in the life of believers. We are called in every circumstance and season to give thanks to God. Gratitude in the easy moments is appreciation. Gratitude in the hard...
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Gratitude - Part 3: Return
Pastor Jeffrey continues our series on Gratitude this week with part 3: Return. This week focuses on the call of God to return to Himself. Gratitude calls us to return to the Father who all our blessings come from. This does not only apply to those who have run away in rebellion, but those who…
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Gratitude - Part 2: Remember
Pastor Jeffrey continues our series on Gratitude this week with part 2: Remember. This week focuses on the act of worship that is remembering what God has done. Gratitude grows when memories are tended to. When you remember what God has done, you rest in who God is.
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Gratitude - Part 1: Return
Pastor Jeffrey begins our new series, Gratitude. He details the natural human tendency to seek God out of need, and then forgetting gratitude while in the state of blessing. Gratitude is a way to live, independent of circumstances.
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The Joy of Pain - Part 11: The Eternal Joy
Pastor Jeffrey concludes our 11 week series The Joy of Pain with this week's message: The Eternal Joy. We are encouraged to hope in the knowledge of the eternal reality of joy in spite of present circumstances. The source of eternal joy is the very presence of God. "The joy of pain is not that…
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The Joy of Pain - Part 8: The House of Healing
In Part 8 of our series, The Joy of Pain, Pastor Jeffrey unpacks God's assurance of comfort in the midst of our difficult circumstances. Not as the absence of adversity but as His unwavering presence within it. His strength given to us to sustain and heal us.
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The Joy of Pain - Part 6: More Than a Thorn
In Part 6 of our series The Joy of Pain, Pastor Jeffrey explores the powerful contrast between the brilliance of God's glory and the reality of our human limitations. Through Paul's testimony of the thorn in his flesh, we're reminded that even in weakness, the strength of Christ prevails.…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
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.
HOSTED BY
Jeffrey Dean Smith
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How many episodes does Donelson First Podcast have?
Donelson First Podcast currently has 194 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Donelson First Podcast about?
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.
How often does Donelson First Podcast release new episodes?
Donelson First Podcast publishes regularly with 194 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
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You can listen to Donelson First Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Donelson First Podcast?
Donelson First Podcast is created and hosted by Jeffrey Dean Smith.
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