The church is full of hypocrites. It's true. But it isn't just the church. LIFE is full of hypocrites...people who pretend to be "righteous" or a certain way when they are really struggling or not that way at all. If you watch the Netflix series, "The Crown," you see it in the marriage of Charles and Diana. But here's the thing: You do NOT have to have it together to come here, belong here, or be loved here at Generations Community Church. So please, don't fake it...not for our sakes...and certa...
Nov 21, 2021•25 min
The earliest Christians in Ephesus struggled with feeling like they were not enough, feeling like they didn't matter, and feeling like they didn't belong. It's because their culture told people you only matter IF you are smart (or intelligent), IF you are beautiful, IF you possess athletic prowess, or IF you can entertain. So the Apostle Paul reassured them...of God's love...of their identity...of their new FAMILY. It's the very kind of reassurance that we Americans need today.
Nov 15, 2021•36 min
Weddings are typically a lot of fun, except when you get stuck at the pastor's table. Why is it that people assume pastors and "serious" followers of Jesus are NO FUN AT ALL? In some ways, it goes all the way back to Puritan New England, but it's a myth perpetuated today by well-intentioned believers. So why did Jesus go to so many weddings, dinners, banquets, celebrations, and parties? BECAUSE HE WAS INVITED! In this message, Max Vanderpool unpacks our value "have fun" and why it's so desperate...
Oct 31, 2021•27 min
There's a tension between the right kind of flexibility and inflexibility. It's something parents (particularly of teenagers) live out daily. When should they HOLD FIRM to something and when should they BEND? And how do you know which is which? In the New Testament, we see the earliest Christians walk out this same kind of tension (between flexibility and inflexibility). Where and when do you hold firm? And when and were do you flex? Because, after all, Jesus WAS flexible...except when he wasn't...
Oct 24, 2021•28 min
Jesus said, "Love your enemies." And some people think that means you shouldn't resist someone breaking into your home or an army invading your country. Still others believe it means you should be a doormat for everyone and everything. Don't resist. Just sit there and take it, they say. So what did Jesus really mean by insisting that we love our enemies? Is it possible to hold out for justice AND mercy?
Oct 17, 2021•29 min
In the fall of 2018, God gave Generations a "place to call home." We had four months in our (new to us) facility before COVID hit. But what if we heard God RIGHT? What if this facility IS God's provision and a "place to call home?" What if, like the Israelites under the leadership of Joshua, God is giving us and opportunity and a place...so that WE can be a blessing? In this message, Brian Hull, draws connections between Joshua 1 and where we are (today) as a church family.
Oct 10, 2021•25 min
Most of us have gotten a Christmas gift (or job or boyfriend or girlfriend) that we THOUGHT would make us happy and satisfied...only to be disappointed. We have a habit of going to "empty wells" looking for water. In John's Gospel, Jesus is presented as a friend to sinners and as someone who CAN and DOES satisfy our deepest longings.
Sep 26, 2021•36 min
Jesus was more than just a relevant teacher. He had POWER to free people from demonic oppression, religious strongholds, stress and anxiety...and that SAME power is available to his followers TODAY.
Sep 12, 2021•33 min
Researchers have determined that there is ONE difference between the happiest and unhappiest people. And that difference isn't money, social status, physical appearance, I.Q., or possessions. It's the presence of joy-producing, life-giving relationships. That's right...people! Flourishing isn't just about connecting to God (and being connected to God), it's about connecting to God's people. In this message, Max Vanderpool offers some practical steps to activate your tribe.
Jun 27, 2021•20 min
In the American church, we've pushed the idea of a quiet time - something a believer does in the morning (by themselves) when the read the Bible (by themselves), pray (by themselves), and perhaps even journal (by themselves). But this ONE SIZE FITS ALL approach to connecting to God doesn't work (for many) and doesn't accurately reflect the diversity of personalities and temperaments that God made. In this message, Max Vanderpool cautions us not to wear someone else's armor.
Jun 20, 2021•20 min
The last 18 months have been brutal. A pandemic. Lockdowns. Shutdowns. A hotly contested presidential election. People have lost their ever-loving minds, haven't they? There are times in our lives when we are living the best version of ourselves...the person we want to be...the person God meant us to be...and we're flourishing. And then there are times in our lives when we are living a broken and corrupted version of ourselves...and we're languishing. In this message, Max Vanderpool talks shephe...
Jun 13, 2021•25 min
Living for God will require occasional acts of extravagant love and extravagant generosity - so much so that others in your life will question whether you're being taken advantage of, whether someone is playing you, whether you should be setting firmer boundaries. In this message, Max Vanderpool unpacks the action of the widow and her "mite" in the Temple complex. Most pastors simply want to say, "Be like HER. She gave everything." But so much MORE is going on in this passage - giving us a glimp...
May 30, 2021•23 min
Generations has put a lot of effort into loving people and accepting people. And that's a good thing. It's exactly what Jesus did in his relationships - he frontloaded them with love and acceptance. But, like Peter, we're going to need to do MORE than just love people. We're going to have to use words and talk ABOUT Jesus to others.
May 23, 2021•20 min
According to Anne Lamott, when Americans tend to pray, they tend to pray three things: (1) thank you, thank you, thank you, (2) help me, help me, help me, and (3) I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But what if there's more to prayer than that? And what if it actually matters WHO you're talking to? In this message, Pastor Max gives some practical advice on practicing praying to God.
May 16, 2021•28 min
If you don't know what's IN The Bible, you're going to spend your entire life just guessing. And because you're an American, you'll be making up what you think Jesus is like. (And here's the thing: Americans almost always think Jesus is just like them. If they CARE about environment, Jesus would care about the environment. If they care about unborn babies, Jesus would care about unborn babies.) Sometimes, you'll guess right, but often you'll guess WRONG. Why guess? Read or listen to The Bible. R...
May 09, 2021•24 min
Any time there are two or more people, there is going to be CONFLICT. And unresolved conflict takes up room inside your body through high blood pressure, stress, eating problems, stomach issues, weight gain, weight loss, and a HOST of other ailments. Why live that way?
Apr 18, 2021•26 min
There are certain ingredients that will NEVER make a cake or a dessert. Cabbage, beets, slimy spinach, and pickled pigs feet are examples of foods that CAN be eaten but never enjoyed as a dessert. PEACE works in a similar way. There are ingredients necessary for peace to take hold in your life. Fortunately, the Apostle Paul spells out what these ingredients are.
Apr 11, 2021•20 min
Today is Easter Sunday. And Easter comes to people who are shaken, afraid, and have had their expectations turned upside down. Why? Because there is no place you can go that Jesus can't.
Apr 04, 2021•18 min
Shakespeare once wrote that expectation is the root of all heartache. As it turns out, Bill wasn't wrong. What if expectations get in the way of our relationship with God? What if we expect Jesus to be and do things that Jesus won't be or won't do? What then? Palm Sunday is the day Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem as its king, and it's a day laden with expectations.
Mar 28, 2021•23 min
What do you do when you think or know that God has told you something, but nothing happens? Do you wonder if you heard God wrong? Do you get worried that God got busy or distracted? Or are you tempted to take matters into your own hands?
Mar 14, 2021•21 min
Because of the pandemic and the lockdowns and restrictions, a LOT of us have been waiting for things to get back to normal, things to reopen, the vaccine, and the END of the pandemic. But we Americans aren't really good at waiting. But what if God is actually DOING something while we wait? What if we can trust that God IS at work?
Mar 07, 2021•14 min
We're always dividing people into two groups. And, when it comes to kindness, we often feel like there are people who deserve kindness and people who don't. But Jesus doesn't see things that way. In this message, Max Vanderpool wraps up our February emphasis on the virtue of kindness.
Feb 28, 2021•25 min
Expectations can get you into trouble in life, particularly family expectations. But what if GOD actually has expectations of us? What then?
Jan 24, 2021•14 min
Chances are, you have a tendency to work hard or you have a tendency to do just enough to get by. And you know a ton of people in both categories. The Wisdom literature, in the Bible, has something to say about work, and hard work in particular. In this message, Max Vanderpool explains why Solomon appeals to ants - and what they can show us about work and preparing for a rainy day.
Jan 17, 2021•19 min
It is a mistake to believe that the best way to live life is to do so independently. It is a mistake to NEVER ask for help, never accept help, never rely upon people - because you believe they won't do it right or because you believe they'll let you down. There's a reason Jesus said that you have to BECOME like a (little) child to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. And it's probably NOT for the reason you think.
Dec 20, 2020•17 min
These days, we have an army of psychologists and therapists reminding people to self-advocate, to not allow themselves to become doormats (or become co-dependent), to stand up for themselves. And while there's truth to all of it, something profoundly POWERFUL happens when you stand up for someone else. In the midst of the pandemic and lockdowns, many pastors and churches are generating noise about THEIR rights to gather and worship. But what if they're missing it? What if they're missing an oppo...
Dec 13, 2020•17 min
The Christmas story is saturated with risk and faith. We see it play out, over and over again, with Zechariah & Elizabeth, Mary & Joseph, the shepherds, the wise men, and even Herod. Why does God (seem) to ask people to trust Him to do the impossible? And how is it that people, like Mary, can simply let it unfold?
Dec 06, 2020•19 min
The world's kings and queens and presidents KNOW how to make an arrival, which makes the arrival of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (on Christmas Day, so to speak) quite odd and quite extraordinary. To mark the first Sunday of Advent, Pastor Max takes a loot at the genealogy of Matthew 1 and what Matthew is saying about Jesus.
Nov 29, 2020•17 min
There is one sure test of whether or not God is ruling someone's life. And some people pass the test with flying colors, while others simply don't. What is this test? It's a test Jesus, Himself, put forth as the ultimate sign of God's Kingdom.
Nov 22, 2020•17 min
Why is it that two people can be in the same room but see what happened differently? And why is it that, at so many church events, God seems to "move" some people but not others? Jesus's signature teaching, in all likelihood, was the Parable of the Soils. And Jesus makes a BOLD CLAIM. Some people will recognize the movement of God and others won't.
Nov 15, 2020•20 min
