When it comes to school, not everything is equally important. When it comes to successful surgeries, not everything is equally important. When it comes to whitewater rafting, not everything is equally important. Why is it that we can accept this truth in so many areas of our life, and yet forget it when it comes to the list of things we need to do? In this message, Max Vanderpool poses a question to help you focus on what matters most.
It's quite a common experience. You hit 30 or 35 years of age and think to yourself: How did I end up HERE? Why am I working at THIS job? Living in THIS town? That's NOT what I had hoped/planned/dreamed when I was younger. In this message, Max Vanderpool makes a case for why some people end up places they didn't intend - because that's where the river took them.
Ever been on the receiving end of condemnation or of someone who thinks they are better than you? We all have - and it feels terrible. You'd think that, because of all that negative experience, we would turn around and be humble and esteem others. Yeah, not so much. As it turns out, it's all too easy to condemn other people - because it helps you feel better about yourself. In this message, Max Vanderpool teaches on the second most quoted verse in the Bible.
Sometimes, you're mad and you're not sure why. Sometimes, you're mad, and you're taking it out on ALL the WRONG people. Anger is an interesting thing. It's trying to tell us something - and we have to be WISE about what we do with the anger we feel. In this message, Max Vanderpool talks about what to do with anger, so that YOU and the people around you are better off.
In 1989, Jim Henson (the creator of the Muppets) mapped out a deal with the Walt Disney Company. Unfortunately, before the deal could be inked, Henson developed pneumonia and died at the age of 53. His son, Brian, was left holding the bag - because Disney backed out of the deal and now the voice of Kermit the Frog was dead. What do you do when you're mad at someone? And better yet - what do you do when someone has demonstrated they shouldn't be trusted? In this message, Max Vanderpool highlights...
From an early age, we're trained that when we hurt somebody, we owe them something. Our parents make us apologize...and sometimes make us provide restitution (money taken out of our allowance to pay for the broken window). But what do you do when someone hurts you and they don't apologize? When they're not sorry? Or worse, when they keep hurting you over and over again? The Bible has a LOT to say about forgiveness - but there's also a LOT of misconceptions about what forgiveness is and is not. K...
There are people in life who require extra grace in dealing with them. There are people in life who, because they are emotional vampires, will suck the life right out of you. There are people in life who will do everything they can to try to control you, to get you to do exactly what they want you to do. So what do you do? How do you respond? In this message, Max Vanderpool gets very specific about how to say no and establish healthy boundaries in your life with problem people.
What do you do when someone you care about is making a bad decision? If you're like most Americans, you AVOID talking to them (about it), but you tell anybody and everybody else who will listen that they're about to walk off of a cliff. Fortunately, there's a BETTER way, and it's spelled out for us in the Bible. Max Vanderpool shares how you can be lovely truthiness for your friends and people you care about - who are making bad decisions.
A LOT of the relational turmoil we experience is due to ego. And because we have ego, too, we have a remarkable capacity for actually making things WORSE. In this message, Max Vanderpool shares six (6) things wise people NEVER do in relationships.
Ever been to Hobby Lobby? Did you notice just how much God stuff you can purchase there? What IS it about American Christianity that causes us to put God stuff on our bodies and in our homes and in our cars? Would it surprise you to know we get it honestly? In this message, Max Vanderpool teaches on one of the most important passages in Scripture and what it will take to pass on faith to the next Generation.
In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus spent nearly three TIMES as much time teaching about the Kingdom of God as he did about salvation & eternal life. Why? Why would Jesus spend so much time announcing the arrival of the Kingdom of God and teaching about its nature? It's because Jesus is a KING. In this message, Max Vanderpool, shares the Biblical & cultural underpinnings to Jesus arrival as king.
Jesus knows what it is to be human. To face risk and uncertainty. Jesus knows what it is to suffer loss and betrayal. He knows what it is to grieve. Jesus saw God's miraculous power and provision, and he also witnessed people who weren't healed. Jesus knows what it is to want an outcome free from pain and suffering...and yet have to face it anyway. And Jesus has something important to say about fears, worries and our Father.
Caring too much about what other people think will STRESS you out. Ask any teenager fretting over a bad haircut or a pimple or worrying that they're too ordinary or too different. Ask any adult contemplating plastic surgery, fretting over their looks or their status in life. Why are we so afraid of what other people think? Why is it so hard to let others down? To fail? In this message, Max Vanderpool tackles the fear of what other people think and offers a better way to navigate through life.
The kitchen or office has to be kept a certain way. They ALWAYS have to drive. When someone suggests a new idea or a change to what's planned, they become anxious. They have issues with control. You might even say they're control freaks. Chances are you ARE one or LIVE with one. But does the attempt to control situations and relationships actually work? Does it give the control freak what they're looking for? In this message, Max Vanderpool walks through one of the biggest events in Biblical his...
Back in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve weren't afraid. They weren't afraid of predators or disease. They weren't afraid of displeasing God or letting each other down. Of course, things didn't stay that way. In this message, Max Vanderpool shines a light on fear's silent partner. Knowing this will allow you to know the truth...and the truth will set you free.
You don't have to train children to be afraid. You don't have to tell them scary stories or expose them to ghosts and goblins on Halloween. Kids will inevitably come to believe that something is hiding in their closet or lurking under the bed. And you know what? They're right. There's GOOD reason to be afraid. You could get sick. Something could happen. There could be an accident or a fire. They could walk away. In this message, Max Vanderpool identifies the FIRST STEP you should take to begin t...
What if every congressman, every senator, every bureaucrat and every president made financial decisions with the firm belief that the money they are spending BELONGS to the American people? What if they believed they were just managing our money? It would be a game-changer! In the message, Max Vanderpool lays out a case that what's true of Uncle Sam is also true of you. The money and stuff you have isn't really yours, anyway. And that's good news.
In 2016, 8 out of 10 Americans wanted the American government to STOP all foreign aid. Regardless of your politics on the issue, people from poor, developing nations often expect richer nations to help out. We do the same thing. If you're in-laws are loaded and pulling in $350,000/month - you expect them to pick up the tab for dinner. Rich people should be generous. In this message, Max Vanderpool shares two principles that every American should know.
One of the jobs Uncle Sam has had for the past 50+ years is the building and maintaining of roads & bridges. Unfortunately, there are indications that Uncle Sam isn't doing so well in that job. Too bad, because the engineers who built those things in the 1950s & 1960s WARNED Uncle Sam they would have to be replaced. Like Uncle Sam, too many of US haven't adequately prepared for bridges and hurricanes in our lives. It doesn't have to be that way. We CAN be ready...and much, much less stre...
Most folks are a bit cynical about the government. They're not sure Uncle Sam can get his act together. Part of that is due to the fact that Uncle Sam has a hard time managing his finances. In this message, Max Vanderpool makes a case that what's true for Uncle Sam is ALSO true for you and me. Debt limits freedom.
Did you know that what makes YOU feel the most loved is not necessarily the same thing that makes your mom, dad, spouse, brother or sister or friend feel the most loved? It's not enough to just love someone - you've gotta love them in ways they understand and get. In this message, Max Vanderpool makes the case for why love is only love when it's expressed in relationship - and how the doctrine of the Trinity can help us love better.
Why is it so hard to find relationships that are truly reciprocal? Why are so many relationships lopsided...where one person does all or most of the giving and the other person does all or most of the taking? In this message, Max Vanderpool talks about an important concept that's needed in EVERY healthy relationship, one that's rooted in the doctrine of the Trinity.
You didn't learn to walk by yourself. Someone taught you. You didn't learn to talk by yourself. You learned from others. YOU are social being, and you get it honestly, because you are made in the image of God. In this message, Max Vanderpool explains why the doctrine of the Trinity matters where you and I live.
Often, we're not aware of unhealthy patterns, habits or issues until someone points them out to us. Typically, when we are first confronted with it - we forcefully deny it. But is that wise? In this message, Max Vanderpool shares why owning your stuff opens the channels of God's grace and makes change possible.
One of the ironies of the day is that, despite a wealth of modern translations and audio versions available, the Bible remains a book mostly UN-read by Americans. Why is it so hard to read the Bible? In this message, Max Vanderpool shares what happened in Jerusalem after the walls were rebuilt - and regular Bible intake positions you to better hear God's voice.
Distracted. If there was a word that described most of the people you bump into these days, it's distracted. But when you are distracted, you can miss the great (work) that's right in front of you. In this message, Max Vanderpool reminds all of us that we are doing a great work, and we cannot come down.
Generations now has missionaries on the field in two places. What's it like to be a missionary? What makes a missionary feel supported and encouraged? In this message, Dean Davis, veteran missionary (to Ecuador) lays out a strategy for encouraging missionaries, based upon 2 Corinthians 9:6-15.
Have you ever worked with a Debbie Downer? You know, the person who shoots down every single creative idea...and who tells you, in detail, why it won't work? If haven't yet, you will. Debbie Downers are everywhere. How do you handle negative people? And more importantly, how do you handle discouragement? In this message, Max Vanderpool lays out some important steps in DEFEATING discouragement, peering into the life of Nehemiah.
By your mid-twenties, you've had your share of tasks and jobs that were disgusting. That you didn't want to do. That you hoped SOMEONE ELSE would tackle. Avoiding the unpleasant and difficult isn't new. And it's a problem Nehemiah encountered 2,500 years ago.
Anything significant you attempt in this life will include problems. Buying your first home (or car). Getting married. Having kids. Moving. Starting a new career. No matter what you endeavor to start, you can take it to the bank there will be bumps, criticism and even out-right opposition. The good news is that this is nothing new. And we can learn some things from how Nehemiah handled his problems rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem.
