Grace. We name our churches and daughters after this doctrine. And we think we understand it. But grace is far more disturbing and surprising than we often want it to be. And that's a good thing. In this message, Max Vanderpool challenges us to be surprised by grace.
You and I are judged. All the time. Too fat. Can't sing. Stuck in a relationship. Labeled. Sized up. Sometimes fairly, sometimes not. The man who originally said Don't Judge promised to come back - and judge. So what's judgment all about? And what do you need to know about judgment in the afterlife?
Harps, wings, robes and clouds. That's what most people think of when they think of heaven. The problem is none of that is what the Bible says heaven is like. In this message, Max Vanderpool tackles some common myths about heaven and why it's better than you think.
So what about hell? Is it real? What does the Bible really say? And more importantly, does Jesus believe in hell? In this message, Max Vanderpool tackles a little-taught and much-misunderstood doctrine of the Christian faith: the eternal fate of unbelievers.
6,305 people on Earth die every hour. Funny, isn't it? We rarely think about death. And yet it's the ONE THING we all have in common with each other. Rich or poor, black or white, Republican or Democrat, Christian or Muslim, we're ALL going to die. So what exactly happens at death? And how do you know? In this message, Max Vanderpool pushes away the Zombies for a closer look at our first step: death, itself.
The Pecking Order. It's everywhere you turn. Shown in dismissive comments about where you went to school or where you work. It seems we're no better than chickens. But 2,000 years ago, something DRAMATIC happened. Something that fundamentally changed and challenged the Pecking Order. In this message, Max Vanderpool argues that Jesus changed the world by making humility something people valued and aspired to.
It's the friend the who lost 70 pounds only now she can't stop talking about all those fat people and how they're going to have a heart attack or get diabetes. It's the coworker who got out of debt and is now socking away 15% of his income toward retirement - and who is constantly bring up those stupid people who are charging their way through life. Pharisees. They're everywhere, and they were around BEFORE Jesus and are stalking the earth today. In this message, Max Vanderpool shares how RADICA...
Jesus was a celebrity. No, he was a rock star. Everyone wanted to see him, hear him and catch him in action. Jesus found it almost impossible to find time alone. Which is why it's striking WHO he made time for. People on the outs with God and organized religion. People who were searching for something. In this message, Max Vanderpool shares what it means to share Jesus's attitude that there's room.
In the wake of the Friday's elementary school shooting, many are asking why and where's God. But the rest of the world simply nods, because they experience the full, unmitigated pain and brokenness of life virtually every day. In this message in a series about living a satisfied life, Max Vanderpool challenges us not to worry about trying to fix everything, but to get off our butts and actually do something.
Most of us have a picture in mind when it comes to the holidays. And that peaceful, love-filled, full-of-acceptance and happiness picture doesn't always (if ever) correspond to reality. In this message, Isaiah Surbrook lays out how, as teen or adult "kid" you can improve the relational climate with your parents. It may not be Norman Rockwell, but it WILL be an improvement!
At Christmas, you encounter a ton of difficult people. The clerk at the big box retailer who missed their calling. The people in line at the retailer: you know, the ones with the attitude. Aren't there people who need to be knocked down a few notches at Christmas? People whose attitudes or behaviors warrant a kick in the pants? In this message, Max Vanderpool, explains it's always easier to receive grace than to extend grace. But it's in extending grace that people are apt to change.
Young singles often think that marriage solves everything...at least sexually. And while it's true married people have sex more regularly than unmarried people, there's much more here than meets the eye. A frank talk about sex and marriage.
America LOVES labels. Homosexual. Heterosexual. Gay. Straight. Lesbian. Queer. Evangelical. Atheist. Democrat. Republican. So what does God see and how does God judge when it comes to the label factory?
If you're a woman in America, the deck is stacked against you. Men objectify you. Culture expects you to look more beautiful (and thinner) than humanly possible. What's a woman to do? Better yet, what's a man to do about it? A LOT. In this message, Max Vanderpool talks directly to men about how to treat ANY woman.
It’s easy in church to feel like a second-class Christian, because you’re single. It’s also easy to conclude that all that stuff about sex being something just for marriage as either impractical or outdated. The sexual marketplace in America is tough. So what’s a single (never married, divorced, etc.) to do?
Hooking up (casual sex for sex's sake) gets a lot of press but fails to reach beyond 5% of American experience. That doesn't surprise us at all, because sex is more than just an activity: it's a mingling of bodies and souls.
In so many churches across America, sex is the one word you'll never hear. But step outside, and sometimes it's all you'll hear. God created sex, and the church should most definitely talk about it.
When you're a kid, there's something magical about the first time you have your own money. You don't have to ask your parents to get something for you - you can get it yourself. Having your own money ROCKS. So how does God factor into that? Into your money? And is there something profoundly spiritual about what you do with that money? In this message, Max Vanderpool shares how to unleash a powerful motor for your financial boat - a motor that will take you places you could never go on your own.
For the past two decades or more, American life has been predicated on borrowing. Going to college? Borrow. Need a car? Borrow. Need new clothes for your job? Charge it. Of course, we all know that borrowing too much for too long can get you into trouble. The good news is that there IS a better way. In this message, Max Vanderpool explains the lighter the load, the greater the buoyancy - and why that can make all the difference.
Let's face it, the world's financial and governmental institutions are taking on a LOT of WATER. Some claim it's only a matter of time before we see Greece go under. Others claim America will be close behind. So what do you do? How do you stay afloat FINANCIALLY in a world that's got some basic buoyancy problems? In this message, Max Vanderpool shares TWO THINGS you can do to prevent a capsizing from becoming a tragedy. So grab that life jacket and have that lifeboat READY!
What do you do when you believe God is asking you to do something? If you're like Moses, you have a million reasons why God should pick someone else. After all, you haven't been faithful, you really don't read your Bible like you should - and hey, isn't God aware of all those thing you did back then? But what if all those reasons we come up with are really a smoke screen, so that we can hide behind our fears? And what if those fears and reasons are the VERY THING keeping us from experiencing God...
In this message, Max Vanderpool shares two things you can do to bring about a revolution of blessing around you and because of you. It's time to get into that phone booth and don the cape - the world needs you!
The biggest imprint in our lives comes from what we receive and don't receive from our parents. It was true for Bruce Wayne, and it's true for all of us. Most people, however, receive a curse in their childhood. But what if God can take that curse and turn it into a blessing? What if YOU could walk life as a blessed man or woman of God?
None of us really accepts that we are ordinary. We want to be so much more than that, and for good reason. In this message, Max Vanderpool makes a case for why Superman is better than Batman - and why rooting your identity in God is the only way to be free.
If you've ever been waiting for God to move in your life or do something (miraculous), it can seem like God's timing is always late. Always. But should you conclude that God doesn't care or isn't involved? Or, even more to the point, how do you measure God's love and concern for you? In this message, Max Vanderpool unpacks the raising of Lazarus and what that means for us today.
Emotions and feelings are POWERFUL, and trying to control them is like trying to control the waves at the beach. It's impossible. So what do you do when your feelings don't line up with reality or with what you know about God? In this message, Max Vanderpool, reminds us that, when in doubt, go with what God says (instead of what you feel).
It's funny how some people we know think that having a baby or buying their dream house or graduating is somehow going to make them happy. Funny, that is, until we realize we've been looking for people and things to make us happy. In this message, Max Vanderpool probes our common quest for happiness and where to find it (hint: not where we've been looking).
It's common today to hear people talk about God as their friend and Jesus as their homeboy. And while true, in one sense, perhaps God has become too familiar to us. And too small. In this message, Max Vanderpool challenges us to see God for who He is (without humanity).
Panelists Joanna Cumbie, Christina Dillon, Micah Huber and Paul Huber share about the youth missions trip in June (2012) to Steubenville, Ohio. Matt Dillon frames the trip within what God is doing when we are fully present.
When it comes to conflict, two types of people tend to emerge: the mercy people who apologize and will do anything to make a relationship right and the knife or gun people who will show mercy by using only one bullet. And there's a whole lot in between. No wonder we all tend to avoid direct conflict. In this message, Isaiah Surbrook shares how to deal with conflict that increases the chance of a good resolution.
