Screens are everywhere. On our phones, in our bedrooms, in restaurants and even on gas pumps. And we have become addicted to them. In a very real sense, screens are strangling our souls. In this (brief) message, Max Vanderpool lays out some decisions every person living today should make, so that they are better positioned to hear God's voice.
Why is it that other people's deadlines, other people's wants and needs tend to dictate the flow of our week? And why do we spend so much time sorting through stuff? In this message, Max Vanderpool highlights the three unspoken priorities that tend to drive life in America: (1) taking care of the house, (2) meeting the next deadline and (3) keeping people in our life relatively happy. Unfortunately, living that way is NO WAY TO LIVE. It's time to truly prioritize.
Parenting is harder than it used to be. Many things have come together to make this so - but most parents will agree that parenting today is filled with worry, hassle and a dose of guilt. That's because culture and the experts have all conspired to produce a list of dos and don'ts when it comes to raising your kids. Get a few things WRONG, we're told, and your kids are as good as gone. Do it RIGHT, we're told, and they'll be happy and successful. In short, we are being ruled by a tyrannical Kind...
Because the Bible has a lot to say in it, it's easy for pastors and teachers to tell listeners that they should do more. Pray more. Read their Bible more. Give more. Serve more. Share their faith more. You get the idea. For SOME of us, those should crack down on our hearts and heads like a ton of bricks. But it doesn't have to be that way. In this message, Max Vanderpool admonishes you that you should quit freaking out because you're not Jesus. Really.
Most of us are busy. And we don't need to be reminded that we are. Jobs, church, friends, family, the house, chores, laundry, bills and our kids' practices, games and performances make life crazy busy. Ironically, there are things on the INSIDE of us causing us to commit to so much. In this message, Max Vanderpool shines a spotlight on some of the heart and soul issues that drive us crazy busy. Because in order to change, you've got to know where you are TODAY.
Most Americans plop down in their bed at the end of the day with a *sigh* Their homes aren't clean. Their to-do list isn't done. Things aren't working out at school...at work...at home the way they would like. They are, in a word, discouraged. But what if there was a simple practice, rooted in Scripture, that could help combat that mindset? A practice that could actually leaving you feel encouraged, energized and feeling like God is with you and for you? There is. And in this message, Max Vander...
Over the past several hundred years, the church has developed two categories of people: essential players and non-essential players. But that's not how the church got started. What if it's the case that God wants to use YOU to change the world around you? You probably have objections. We all do. But in this message, Max Vanderpool explains that's how God has rolled for a very, very long time.
When we look at statistics and stories, it easy to become discouraged about the state of young people and faith. But what if there was something we could DO to stem the tide? To cement faith for a young person? In this message, Brian Hull outlines practical (and simple) things ANYONE can do to make a difference.
What does it look like to take the leap and believe what God believes about you? Is it possible that God wants to do INCREDIBLE things in this world ONLY through you? Yeah, yeah, we know. You find that hard to believe. But what if it's true? Are you ready?
I can't. That's impossible. That will never happen. These are the things we tell ourselves, and these are the things we believe about ourselves. But that's NOT what God sees, and it's not what God believes. Tucked away in the pages of the Bible is the call of Jesus on Peter (and the other disciples), Come...follow me. Woven into that statement is a belief that these individuals HAVE what it takes to become like Jesus and DO what Jesus did.
For anyone who follows Jesus, there is a tension between the ways things ARE and the way things are SUPPOSED to be. There is a tension between the faith and deeds lived out and the faith and deeds desired. While that tension is normal, the greater the tension, the more people have a hard time accepting your faith. In this message, Max Vanderpool wraps up our series on eschatology by unpacking Paul's concept of this age and the age to come - and what YOU can do to lower the tension in your life a...
One of the more peculiar claims of Christianity is that everyone who has put their faith in Jesus Christ will, one day, receive a new body just like the one Jesus sported immediately following his resurrection. But if you talk to most Americans about the afterlife, you'll hear them talk about an ethereal heaven up in the clouds. So what's going on? Do we get new bodies? Where will we live? And what does the Bible hint about it?
Judgment. Interesting word, isn't it? It's interesting because we, as Americans, don't care to be judged. Judged on our appearance, judged for our choices, judged on anything. And so we've come to see this word as really meaning mostly one thing: condemnation. But when the Bible uses the word judgment, it isn't referring to something mean-spirited, unfair or tyrannical. It's time to see judgment for what it is - and know it's something we've (really) been wanting all along.
Simply Google pictures of Jesus and you'll find a host of photos that depict a guy who embodies meek and mild. It's understandable, because when Jesus first came, he arrived as a (cute, little) baby born in a manger outside of Bethlehem. But are the pictures of Jesus entirely accurate? Do they represent the man who will return at the end of the age to wrap up human history? In this message, Max Vanderpool walks you through four (4) key passages that describe Jesus' return. And it's probably NOT ...
Americans have been fascinated with the end of the world for a very long time. We love to talk about the apocalypse, Armaggedon and the anti-Christ. What you may not realize is that the view shaping books like The Late Great Planet Earth or Left Behind is only ONE of FOUR major ways of looking at the end of all things. In this message, Max Vanderpool lays out the major view of eschatology among Christians and what Jesus, himself, had to say about his return.
God is not just in a church building on a Sunday morning. Or on the pages of open Bible. God isn't just around when we feel like He is. God is actually everywhere...all the time...working His will into the universe. What difference would it make if you actually believed God as with you and for you...everywhere?
If this life is all there is, that's not good enough. It's not good enough to compensate for the unfairness or brutality of life for some. And it's not good enough in the face of something deep within us that screams we were meant for something MORE. In this message, Max Vanderpool teachings on the parousia (the second coming of Jesus Christ) that promises a bodily resurrection for ALL.
How do you help a friend who's going through a difficult time? What do you say? How do act? What's even normal? Most people aren't sure how to be a good friend to someone who's experiencing real pain & suffering. But clearly, there are better ways than others. In this message, Max Vanderpool and Charlotte Lacy lay out simple things ANYONE can do to support someone who's experienced a loss or tragedy.
In the wake of pain and suffering, tragedy and loss - why do some people flourish and others flounder? Why do some people become incredible human beings while others simply become bitter? In this message, Max Vanderpool walks through the life of Joseph and how leaning into God rather than walking away can make all the difference. Because God often cares MORE about who you become than what you have or accomplish.
Ever had a season in your life where you were searching? Wondering? Ever feel like an outsider? Of course you have! Everyone has. The beautiful thing about the Gospel and the Church is that BOTH are supposed to be INCLUSIVE, where people of faith make room in their lives for people who are searching and wondering. We see no better example of this than in Acts 11.
If you don't know the special words, special handshake, what to wear or how things are done - if you're an outsider, it can feel really uncomfortable. Jessamine County is FULL of religious outsiders: people who are convinced that church goers judge them and who think they are better than them. That's just how it works with outsiders. In this message, Max Vanderpool shares how the first-century church overcame the insider/outsider divide and how that can make a difference here and now.
Categorizing people into "us" and "them" is easy and convenient. You don't have to think. You don't have to wonder. It's us and them. But what if categorizing people that way, especially people advancing God's Kingdom, is harmful? What if it violates the way Jesus rolled? In this message, Max Vanderpool makes the case for why other churches are NOT our competition and why we should look at other believers from other Christian traditions as allies...and as "one of us."
American culture is full of myths and legends that are perpetuated by people who don't actually believe them. Case in point: the man in the red suit. It's no wonder that a LOT of people WONDER about the stories of Jesus' birth. Wise men following a star, a virgin birth, angels in the heavens. How do you make sense of it? Did it actually happen? In this message, Max Vanderpool reminds you it's okay to wonder, but that, at the end of the day, there's good reason to have confidence in God and confi...
Here's the truth about sex: your pastor doesn't want to preach about it as much as you don't want to hear about it. That's because American attitudes and practices, when it comes to sex, are so different than they were a generation ago. Interestingly, tucked away in the book of Proverbs, are two metaphors for sex: (1) water and (2) fire. In this message, Max Vanderpool unpacks those metaphors.
Twitter. Isn't it amazing how, in just 140 characters or less, someone can literally ruin their career, reputation or even land in jail? You would THINK people would think before they Tweet...but you would be wrong. It happens all the time. Smart people think before the speak, because they know the right words at the right time can move mountains.
Teen drivers often don't realize that speed is NOT their friend. That's because a wrong move, an oncoming car, a distraction in the cabin can all cause the driver to over-correct. And when speed is involved, over-correcting can lead to disaster. Choices work the same way. Certain choices take you certain places...every single time. Smart people know that decisions/choices are conduits. There's a conduit between what you decide today and where you end up tomorrow.
How is it that college-educated, smart people end up hoodwinked, divorced, bankrupt or worse? Why didn't they see it coming? In this message, Max Vanderpool lays down the framework for making decisions based upon wisdom...not head smarts. That's because smart people end up in stupid places not because they lack knowledge, but because they lack wisdom.
We've all had a friend whose parents were big on Jesus (church attendance, faith, etc.) but small on living like it. Maybe they were mean or just hypocritical. But our friend struggled because of it. And we've all known of a church that ran off the pastor or is famous for its politics and backstabbing. And, once again, people struggled with faith because of it. Maybe, just maybe, faith isn't supposed to just be a Sunday thing. Maybe faith is supposed to be an every day thing. In this message, Ma...
What does it mean to be a disciple? Is it a kind of super-Christian, like a missionary or pastor? What does it look like exactly? In this message, Max Vanderpool makes a case for why discipleship is both relational and a process.
This is business. It's nothing personal. That's what a lot of people are told as they're let go, downsized or disappointed in the workforce. And for the past 20 years (or longer) pastors and church leaders have clamored after running church as a business. Looking back, we should ask if that was such a good idea after all. In this message, Max Vanderpool lays out WHY the primary metaphor for church should be that of a family and not a business.
