Generations Community Church

God is actively involved in our lives, and God speaks to us through our desires. It's NOT our fleeting wants - things like that "doo-hickey" we see at Sam's Club and think to ourselves, “Oh, I want that.” But it's the deep, core desires of our heart. In this message, Max Vanderpool makes a case for why our truest desires reflect God’s desires in us and for us - and that God speaks to us through our deepest longings.

If you live with other people, there's always ONE job no one wants to do. Maybe it's cleaning the bathrooms or folding laundry or picking up dog poop. But there's always SOMETHING everyone avoids. Not so with Jesus. There was a job to do - and he did it. In fact, he didn't even blink an eye. It didn't faze him one bit. One of the more profound ways we can live like Jesus is by NOTICING the needs around us. It will require a little humility and service - but it's one big way we LIVE LIKE JESUS.

We have different "windows" of our life. There's the window that we see and know - and that others see and know. We post about it on social media. It's "us" (our love for Star Wars, etc.). And then there's the window that only our spouse or children see - but no one else does. To others, it's hidden (or secret). There's also a window of our lives that others see with clarity - but we don't recognize. Our husband or wife, our parents, our closest friends or co-workers KNOW this about us - but we're oblivious. These things are our blind-spots - and God puts people into our lives to speak to us about our blind-spots.

God parted the Red Sea. Jesus fed the 5,000. Big stuff. Big miracles. Clear and unmistakable. But even though God can and does do "big stuff" from time to time, he actually PREFERS to come to us in disguise - in a way we don't immediately recognize. You could almost say that there is something delightfully playful about God and the way he speaks to us. It's wry. It's coy. And it means we need to be patient with ourselves (and our ability to hear and discern his voice). In this message, Max Vanderpool returns to Luke 24 with an admonition on how we can better position ourselves to recognize the God who often comes to us "disguised as our life."

Pharisees. Got to love 'em, right? They were absolutely CONVINCED that they had God all figured out. They just knew exactly what God loved and what God hated, what God would (or wouldn't) do in a particular set of circumstances, and what everyone else should and shouldn't do. But when God in the flesh (Jesus) shows up on the scene - the Pharisees aren't congratulated. They're challenged. How could they get so many important things wrong? In this message, Max Vanderpool unpacks how to hear God's voice - where it's the clearest - and why Americans are the new Pharisees (regardless of whether or not they're religious).

God is a God who initaties. He makes the first move. He takes the first step. And that's really, really good news, considering the mess we've made of relationships and the world He made. May's virtue focus at Generations is INITIATIVE: seeing what needs to be done and doing it. And when we take initiative, we're reflecting God's nature and character to the world around us.

When we Americans hear the word PROPHET, we tend to think of a fortune teller or someone who can predict the future. But predicting the future is only a SMALL part of what prophecy is in both the Old and New Testaments. Much of what prophets did, particularly in the Old Testament, is speak on God's behalf to remind God's people of the covenant (and the promises) they made with God. Some people want to believe that prophecy died out in the first century of the church. Since we have the Bible, they say, we have all we need. But is that what Scripture says? In this message, Max Vanderpool makes a case for why Biblical prophecy is alive and well today (in 2025) and ways you can discern a word given to you or for you.

Have you ever felt like God was speaking to you? Saying something? Prompting you to do or NOT do something? How did you KNOW it was God? All of us are born with a natural capacity to hear God's voice - but learning to distinguish God's voice from our own - or from other voices in our head is also a SKILL we learn to develop over time. Why? Because learning to hear God's voice is the most important thing you'll ever learn to do. Period. Full stop.

You fall in love. You're captivated. You date, court, propose, and marry. You're IN love. Everything is passionate and real and authentic and natural. But over time, things change. Life happens. And some married people find that their love hasn't been sustained, hasn't deepened. Instead of being in love with their spouse, they're indifference - or worse, find that they've grown to resent or hate them. What's TRUE of married couples is TRUE of all of us when it comes to our relationship with God. Over time, we can become INDIFFERENT, bored, fatigued, and distracted. That's not only a problem, but it's a sin. In this message, Max Vanderpool outlines the greatest threat to the American church and to the average American's "walk" with Jesus. And it isn't lust, greed, or pride. It's ACEDIA.

We Americans think that (the sin of) gluttony is simply eating too much. And we think the results of that speak for themselves in larger bodies and higher fat indexes. But we're missing a LOT of what gluttony is (really all) about. In fact, gluttony can have to do with food rules (those foods are bad and these foods are good), picky eating, and so much more. So if gluttony isn't simply eating too much food, what is it? And why do so many of us turn to food for comfort and help when we're experiencing big (or difficult) emotions?

There's always some politician or someone at the office who is simply lusting after power. And then there's that moment when someone blurts out: “I’m lusting after some dark chocolate right now.” Lust. Lusting. We use that phrase to describe wanting something. So is lust just a longing or hankering for something? And why would THAT be a sin? And if sex is something good and a gift from God - how is LUST different from good sex (the kind experienced in a loving marriage between a husband and a wife)? In this message, Max Vanderpool wades into sex (the act and activity) and examines why Jesus made the claim that someone can actually commit "sexual sin" in their heart - without ever doing the deed.

Did you grow up with at least one brother or sister? Can you recall a time when you got so angry with them that you could SPIT FIRE? Of course, you can! There's nothing like an annoying little brother or sister or stuck-up older brother or sister to bring out the fire in you! Unfortunately for us Americans, we are living in a "wrathogenic environment," one in which our social media algorithms are designed to feed us content that makes us MAD and ANGRY and fuming at someone or something. In this message, Max Vanderpool tackles the deadly sin of "wrath" (the bad form of anger) and how we can become less angry people.

Cooperation is working together to do more than you can do alone. And God LOVES to put people together who are very DIFFERENT from each other to accomplish His purposes.

Know someone who makes more money than you do? Go to school with someone who’s smarter? More attractive? Better at sports? If you’re single, do you know anyone with a husband or wife totally "in love?" If you feel stuck in a marriage, do you know anyone who’s single and care-free? Have you struggled with infertility and know someone who’s having kids, one after another? Do you have kids, but know someone who has passive, compliant ones? Know anyone who has more square footage than you? Maybe even a garage – that they don’t even use for cars? Of course you DO! And knowing and seeing them spurs feelings of ENVY inside of you. In this message, Max Vanderpool unpacks how ENVY is the sin no one enjoys - and how deflate ENVY's power can get deflated in our hearts and minds.

When a pastor is wearing a $2,000 sweater or a $4,000 pair of shoes in an Instagram post, there's a problem. Most folks would say that pastor is crossing a line. But what's true of pastors is true of everyone else. There's a line between a need and a want. There's a line between what's reasonable and what's excessive or extravagant. And that line is virtually impossible for us to see when it comes to our lives and our decisions. In this message, Max Vanderpool tackles the sin of greed and why we don't like greedy people.

We do NOT like arrogant or conceited people. People who think they're smarter than us, faster than us, better than us. In fact, deep inside of us is a cheer section that gets activated when arrogant people FAIL or fall on their face. Pride is like that. It just "smells bad" and never looks good on you. But what if it's possible that WE have a little more pride going on (under the hood) than we realize? And what if it's the case that pride is EASY to see in others but nearly impossible to detect in the mirror? And more importantly, how we can we keep the kind of "smelly arrogance" at bay?

The way we talk about sin today is not helpful. A calorie-packed dessert is something truly sinful. But the way we USED to talk about sin (back in the 1970s and 1980s) isn't particularly helpful, either. Lots of people who needed Jesus steered clear of church, because they felt condemned enough already. So how do we talk about sin in way that makes sense to us (as Americans living in the 21st century) but that also reflects the reality of sin we read about in Scripture? In this message, Max Vanderpool introduces our winter teaching series on the 7 Deadly Sins and our (collective) failure to be truly human.

Two men would be called the same thing: "King of the Jews." One man was given the title by the Roman Senate for his ruthless and victorious military campaigns. The other man was given the title as he was crucified by Roman authorities. By bringing Herod & Jesus together at the SAME time in history, God shows (once again) that He uses people who appear to be weak to triumph over those who appear to be strong. Herod the Great seemed unstoppable, but as it turns out, he was no match for (even baby) Jesus.

The typical teenager has a room full of stuff. And that room is a METAPHOR for life. What will they keep? What will they toss? What will they make space for? The Barbie collection they started at age six? The Nintendo games they no longer play? And what's true of bedrooms and garages is also true of calendars and relationships. Every yes is (also) a no - because you do not have unlimited time or unlimited space (for everyone and everything).

We live with a lot of fear. And we're afraid - to do things we know we are called to do or created to do - so we shrink back. We defer. We wait. But what would it look like if we KNEW we were loved - if we were NOT afraid? In this message, Brian Hull revisits the encounter Mary had with an angel - and how it put her on a path to trust and risk and NOT be afraid.

You cannot simultaneous be grateful AND anxious. You cannot simultaneously be grateful AND resentful. Our brains simply cannot experience BOTH gratitude AND either of those other emotions. So maybe there's something to the fact that PRACTICED gratitude invites joy into our lives. Maybe there's a reason we're called to be a grateful people. Maybe, just maybe, the holiest people you know are also the most GRATEFUL people you know. It's more than just a coicidence. It's the way God made things.

High school graduation. College. Military service. Career launch. Marriage. Children. Empty Nest. Retirement. Divorce. Health issues. Our lives are FILLED with BIG transitions. Some of them are planned and anticipated, and some of them are a surprise - because we never saw it coming. And when we find ourselves in those moments, we become incredibly reflective - looking back at what's happened in our life - and looking forward and wondering what's GOING to happen. Those transitions - those seasons - are fertile ground for us to STOP and recall what God has done for us. Because doing so helps us believe for today.

In the Bible, you encounter stories about Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Rahab, David, Esther, Mary, Peter, John the Baptist, Paul, Cornelius. These people certainly had faith - a LOT of it. And, when you're reading or hearing these stories, you might be tempted to think: “I’m not like that. I could never have that kind of faith.” Maybe so. Maybe you're NO Moses or NO Esther. But did these people really accomplish anything because they had lots of faith? Is that how faith works? In this message, Max Vanderpool tackles the issue of faith and the fact that God will fight for us, no matter how much OR how little faith we have.

Hidden sin rarely stays hidden. Many, many famous American pastors have discovered this truth in all its complexities and sorrow. Hidden sin rarely stays hidden. And that's precisly what a man named Achan learned in the Book of Joshua (found in the Old Testament). Achan secretly took some silver and gold left on a battlefield after the battle was over. No one saw him do it. And, for a while, it seemed as though Achan would get to keep what he took without consequence. But Achan learned that hidden sin rarely stays hidden. And hidden sin nearly ALWAYS brings about personal and corporate defeat.

Your biggest enemy is never who you think it is. It's nearly NEVER your ex-husband, ex-wife, mother-in-law, mom or dad, other kid in band, or the girl whose Instagram account gets so much more traction than yours. Nope. It almost NEVER is. Your biggest enemy is nearly always in your head (thinking) or in your heart (feelings) - and may, in fact, be the devil, himself. In this message, Max Vanderpool teaches on the fall of Jericho (when the walls came tumbling down) and what we can learn about God, about ourselves, and about our true enemies.

Our lives are filled with symbols...from the unassuming golden arches of McDonalds to the family Christmas tree that's put up each year. Symbols are used and matter, because of their potential to evoke powerful memories and emotions. Take, for example, the first time the family Christmas tree is put up - after "mom" or "dad" or a child has died. All of a sudden, this simple object of Christmas becomes an avenue for renewed grief and grieving. It's no longer just a family tree - but a reminder of what has been lost. What many American Protestant don't realize is that God loves to use symbols to trigger our emotions and our memory.

There are a lot of choices that we need to make in life. Some of those choices can help us grow and shape us positively. Others can pull us in different directions, leaving us struggling to figure out which choice is best. What do we do when we’re confronted with all of these choices? Do we rush ahead? Or do we pause and let God lead us toward the best way to act? Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. It's also like a "muscle" that we need to exercise. Listen in to our teaching time from October 2024's Intergen worship.

What do you do where there is a great barrier between you and where you think you are going? Because you're going to face them. And sometimes you'll break through the barrier. And sometimes you won't. So what do you do? In this message, Max Vanderpool teaches from Joshua 3 and how Jesus is a better Joshua - and how God can and will help us safely across. At the end of the day, it's not WHAT God says that's the issue. It's that we're not sure we can TRUST Him. Of course, it's not like anyone else who's life is recorded in the pages of the Bible hasn't struggled with the SAME thing!

All of us know someone we might consider to be "beyond God's reach." It's the family member who obstinately REFUSES to have anything to do with "organized religion" and who claims to be more "enlightened" than the rest of the family. It's the co-worker who grew up in church but is the first one to name the hypocrisy and politicization of church as a reason to "stay clear." Is it possible to be too far gone for God's compassion and mercy? Can any of us get to a point where it's no longer possible to hear God's voice? In this message, Max Vanderpool walks us through Joshua 2 - and the story of Rahab and how faith and fear are common reactions to when God is at work.

How do you handle it when you're about to DO something you've NEVER done before? Is there a part of you that's anxious or afraid or uncertain? And how do you handle it when you're about to GO somewhere you've never been before? What questions run through YOUR mind? Will I succeed? Or will I fail? Will things work out? Or will I get crushed? Will these people like me? Will I fit it? Can I figure things out? It's a LOT to shoulder. But here's the thing about God and faith. If you follow God for any length of time, God will take you places you've never been before. Count on it. Expect it. (Perhaps even dread it a little.) In this message, Max Vanderpool teaches from Joshua 1 - and what's it like to find yourself in a place you've never been before.

Think back to a time when someone made time for you. Maybe that looked like caring for you when you were sick, or teaching you how to tie your shoe, making food for you, or teaching you how to read or learn a new skill. No matter what it is, when people make time for us, it can bring us joy. It’s like a light shining on a dark day. Caring for one another isn’t always the easy thing to do, but it certainly is what Jesus asks of us. When Jesus gave the command in Matthew 5 to let our light shine, it wasn’t just to bring joy into each other’s lives, but also to bring glory to God. We are reflections of Who God is, and as we “Live Bright” this month, we’ll discover exactly how we can shine God’s light.

Jesus assumed that his followers would pray and fast. But Jesus doesn't want them to fast like "the hypocrites" do. So what it that? What makes a person a hypocrite when they are fasting? And what are the reasons (or benefits) to fast? Is it to control our appetite? Is it to hear ourselves and the voice of God more clearly? In this message, Matthew Maresco draws out the "Daniel Fast" and what Jesus was concerned about when he warned against "fasting like the hypocrites."

On any given Sunday, you bring your body to worship - but your attention could be elsewhere. And this is what gets God's shorts in a bunch in the Old Testament - God's people were OBEYING him (coming to worship, etc.), but their attention - their hearts - were elsewhere. In this message, Matthew Maresco and Dawn Tippey unpack what lies at the heart of worship and why we use music.

YOUR spiritual life (and yes, even your prayer life) isn't just about YOU - it affects the people around you and the church family to which you belong. That's just another reason WHY prayer is important. As Dr. Paul Tippey walks us through The Lord's Prayer, we see that prayer is getting intimate with God through reverence and worship, seeking His agenda, His will, His provision, His protection - anything beyond that isn't (really) necessary. Unfortunately, people have COMPLICATED prayer.

Brian Hull walks us through Luke 2:41-52 as we explore the virtue of wisdom (finding out what you should do and doing it).

William Tyndale was on to something when he translated the Bible into English, so that ordinary people could hear it, read it, and understand it in their native language. The Bible is meant to be heard, read, and understood. And yet, familiarity can breed contempt - or, at the very least, indifference. In this message, Max Vanderpool looks at a moment when God's people were MOVED by hearing God's Word and asks, "Do we really want God to speak?"

Your life is important. And the great stuff of life lies right in front of you - today - if you can see it and recognize it. And, while rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem was important to Nehemiah - because it would mean people were safe at night and because it would mean business could happen during the day and because the city could finally flourish again - it's also a METAPHOR. Your life, like Nehemiah's city walls, is important - so important that you should not "come down" from the great work in front of you.

When you're tired and worn-out, you can get easily discouraged. And those are the times and moments in your life when you will be MOST tempted to quit or walk away from someone or something. New parents with a six-month-old who won't sleep through the night are ready to return that child to the hospital for a REFUND! The graduate student who is half-way through their program working a full-time job "on the side" thinks they will NEVER finish. Tired, worn-out people get easily discouraged. And discouraged people tend to make BAD DECISIONS. So what do you do? How can you stave off making bad decisions when you're discouraged?

There's a difference between joy and happiness. Happiness is typically a (more) fleeting emotion, one tied to a particular set of circumstances. We get an ice cream cone we wanted. We're happy. We get married like we wanted. We're happy. You get the idea. But JOY - joy is a more long-lasting state of being, characterized by contentment and satisfaction with life overall. And one thing to remember in trying to cultivate joy is this: joy is MARRIED to gratitude. It's not that joy makes us grateful - it's that gratitude makes us joyful.

“Ugh. This would be so much easier (or better) if I did it myself.” Have you ever muttered those words? Have you ever had those thoughts? Accepting help (from others) can be incredibly difficult. Face it, those class projects in school sure didn't help. Unfortunately, that thinking isn't healthy and isn't biblical. That's because ONE is too small a number to accomplish anything of significance. In this message, Max Vanderpool tackles our inclination to do things alone - and to resist offers of help from other people. He should know. He spend the first half of pastoral ministry doing that very thing.

This sermon is not an admonishment to “be like Nehemiah.” However, LIKE Nehemiah, when you name what is broken and insist on changing it – you’re going to face PUSHBACK. Count on it. Expect it. It’s going to happen. But know that God deals with the truth (way things ARE) – and it’s much easier to fix or address anything in the light. In this message, Max Vanderpool continues our summer series on the Book of Nehemiah - and the idea that you can never go home again.

Often, you find yourself in circumstances you did NOT choose. And, for Americans (who LOVE choice and freedom), this is tough. Because there is so much to your life you do NOT get to choose. Nehemiah faced that. But what if you find yourself in circumstances you didn't choose and that don't feel like they are taking you anywhere? What then? What do you do when it feels like nothing is happening? You wait. In this message, Max Vanderpool talks about the waiting we ALL experience in life - and what to expect from God when you're waiting.

At some point in our adult lives, we develop a strong desire, a longing, to "go home again." It's a desire for safety and comfort, a desire to know and be known, a desire to things to be right and as they should be. Unfortunately, none of us can EVER go home again. So what's a person to do? What do you do with the gap between the way things are and the way things should be? Max Vanderpools starts off this study of Nehemiah and the desire we all develop (over our lives) to return home.

Historian Noah Harari says that "nations are built on stories." As Americans, we know this to be true. Think of George Washington and the cherry tree or Paul Revere and his ride through towns shouting, "The British are coming." And just as nations are built on stories, so are God's people (Israel and now the Church) and so are we as individuals. So what is the dominant story of YOUR life? What story do you live under? And what kinds of emotions does this story tend to evoke out of you? In this message, Max Vanderpool traces the ways in which Jesus reframes the story his disciples were telling in the wake of Jesus's death - from Luke 24 - and we have a better (and TRUE) story to tell.

You are going to have MOMENTS and SEASONS of your life when you are on the Road to Emmaus, when you don’t SEE Jesus on the road you're traveling. And you're going to be tempted to say that faith no longer works or that God isn't who you thought (loving, involved, etc.). So what do you? What do you do when you can’t see (or recognize) Jesus on the road? In this message, Max Vanderpool shares his journey of early 2024 - and what NOT to do when you can't see Jesus.

There are often small ways in which we physically reflect one or both of our parents. Hair color. Freckles. The way we smile (or laugh at a joke). Mannerisms, too, can put us in territory where someone will say to us, "Boy, do you remind me of your father." Part of what it means to be human is to reflect - or image - our Creator. But, as Scripture and experience teach us, we often choose to reflect other things - and those things and those reflections often bring about ruin and death. In this message, Josh Lanier unpacks why confession matters - and how honesty with one another can help us relect our Heavenly Father to each other and the world around us.

You actually give up a LOT to participate in a "stuck-ness" community (or tribe). You don't get to simply show up when you want, you don't get to define (necessarily) what's important. But you also GAIN so much more. Americans, however, are rugged individualists who make their own decisions and decide (for themselves) what's best for them. Which is why it's difficult for Americans to get what the Bible means when the Bible talks about or describes community. In this message, Amanda Duke unpacks the kind of "good stuck" you want to have in life and how that "stuck-ness" gets maintained.

Both the NIH (National Institutes of Health) and the CDC (Center for Disease Control) have released studies showing that LONELINESS is the single, biggest predictor of premature death...of all causes. Americans are lonely, isolated, and spending lots of time online - but they generally report feeling depressed, anxious, and disconnected. What gives? In this message, Ryan Hicks makes the case for why we are made for community - and practical steps we can take to "be together."

It can be difficult to find patience while you’re waiting for something important—or even something that’s not important. At its core, patience is about trust: trusting people to follow through . . . trusting that a process will run smoothly . . . and most of all, trusting that God has our best in mind and that God’s timing is better than our own. Thankfully, as we follow Jesus, the Holy Spirit is helping us grow and transform to become more like Jesus. This transformation includes growing in our ability to trust that God will be with us while we wait. As we follow Jesus and trust God, we will grow in patience.

Easters come and Easters go - but what difference does Easter really make? In this message, Brian Hull unpacks the potent symbolism and foreshadowing woven into Jesus's final week in Jerusalem - the week that culminated with his death and resurrection. So what does a sandal, a lamb, a goat, a kernel of wheat, and fruit have to do with Jesus? What do they have to do with us? Is it possible to go to church your entire life and never really "hear the music?"

We've all had something so amazing we wanted to share it with people who matter to us. Maybe it's how to digitally clip coupons at Kroger - or how to take a selfie by just holding up your hands with five fingers - but we know what it's like to have or know something so worthwhile we simply can't keep it to ourselves. One of the more amazing stories from Mark's Gospel is Jesus's encounter with the man possessed by a legion of demons - and what happened to that man as a result. In this message, Brian Hull unpacks what it means to share Jesus - because we've encountered him and his goodness in our life - all because we care about other people.