The Genesis Project

Why me? It's a question we've all likely wondered. We ask it when life feels unfair. But what if we think about that question differently? What if we look at all the blessings we receive and ask, "Why me?" The Scriptures give us a totally different perspective on the answer to that question.

In a time of chaos and uncertainty, good deeds don't go unnoticed. Often when we think about telling the world the good news of the Kingdom of God, we instantly imagine proclaiming that message to others. While it's no substitute for telling people, good deeds are a tangible way of showing people what the Kingdom we proclaim looks like in practice.

The hardest part of doing good isn't doing good; it's who we're called to do it to. The Apostle Paul wrote that we should "do good to all people", but most of us have someone or several someone's we'd like to keep outside of the all.

This present crisis has highlighted the need for Christians to be clear about what we are here for. The New Testament says we were "created for good works." Doing good is our calling, and it's more important than ever in recent memory to keep that calling at the forefront of our minds.

In a departure from talking about COVID, culture, or a series-related topic, we paused to talk about something that many people would rather avoid: our weakness.

Does God have "friends"? Interestingly enough, the Bible does tell us that God has them! Who are they? And, what makes someone a "friend of God"?

What was the original design for marriage? Is it a contract? Is it for my happiness? Is it supposed to complete me? Or is it far more sacred and meaningful than that...?

What was the original design for raising kids? Not everyone's going to raise them; but a lot of us will. Is there some ultimate goal we should be aiming at? And if we're culture-makers, how do we raise culture-makers...?

What in the world am I here for? This question gets asked in every country, culture, and time in history. What was the original design for us?

This culture is "brand culture." Everyone is looking to live out their own authentic self-identity. To present an image to culture representative of who they are. What image were we made to reflect? What was the original design for our identity?

At The Genesis Project, we're aiming to live a life that makes people wonder about the why behind our what. Find out what A Questionable Life is all about!

Hope. Our world is both filled with it and starved for it. What is the object of your hope?

At The Genesis Project, we believe that every follower of Jesus is sent into the world to demonstrate and proclaim the message of Jesus to the world - at home, at work, and at play. What does that mean?

"In the everyday stuff of our lives." We say that an awful lot at The Genesis Project. We believe that Jesus' teachings apply not just to the "religious" sphere of life, but to and for the everyday.

Rules. We have a love/hate relationship with them. But every relationship we're in has them. The Church is called to be a community of relationships guided by the rule of love. But because of the widespread misunderstanding of that term, we walked through a series of love-based commands from a sample New Testament list focused on the kind of community we're called to be: a Gospel Community.

It's been said that this is the most connected, isolated generation ever. Our first core value is Real Relationships. Driven by the Biblical mandate to love sincerely, and supported by the statistical evidence of widespread loneliness in our culture, there's never been a better time in history to focus on Real Relationships.

5 years is a significant milestone for a church plant!

"To the least of these..." It's become a cultural phenomenon. This simple line, uttered by Jesus nearly 2,000 years ago has become the reference of choice for why the Church should care for the poor, the sick, and the hurting. In this week's parable, we take a careful look at who Jesus says "the least of these" really are.

In this week's parable, Jesus sets us straight about "rewards in heaven"; who gets them, and why.

No one likes a person who "toots their own horn"; not even God. In this parable, Jesus reveals to us what kind of heart attitude impresses God and earns his approval, and what kind comes up short.

More. It's the culture we live in - we always want more. And sometimes, we actually get it. In this week's parable, Jesus challenges us to rethink the reason that we have in the first place, and what we ought to do with more.

Love. It's a word that means an awful lot of things to us today. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus not only redefines who we're called to love but clarifies what love really is.

Forgiveness. Most of us want it. But giving it can be difficult. Who do we have to forgive? How often? And, is forgiveness solely on us? Jesus' parable of the unmerciful servant challenges us to redefine what we understand about forgiveness.

Fruit. It's what everyone who plants a seed is after. What's the secret ingredient to getting it? Soil. It's all about the soil. This week's message examines the "Parable of the Sower," sometimes called the "Parable of the Four Soils," and links fruitfulness in a spiritual sense, to our heart prep.

The Kingdom of God. What is it? What's it like? Jesus used vibrant language to describe it as a rapidly advancing, vigorous, unexpectedly potent thing that is shockingly resilient, invasive, and aggressively expanding.

Jesus was a storyteller. But his stories weren't just teaching illustrations. They were a verbal game of hide and seek. What did Jesus have to hide? What do we have to seek?

Can you be good without God? While the question on its surface might seem to have a simple answer: yes...this question forces us to ask an even bigger question: without God, what is "good"?

Utopia. It's a beautiful dream, but whenever anyone has attempted to get us there...it goes badly. Very badly. What gives? Why do we dream of a perfect world if its unattainable?

"All roads lead to God." When it comes to religious beliefs, this is the popular narrative. But, isn't it missing something? After all, history is witness to the belief in literally hundreds of thousands of gods. So...which God?

"It's a miracle!" As often as it's said, it's easy to lose track of what exactly is meant. When we find front row parking at Wal-Mart, or make it early despite bad traffic, we call it "a miracle." No one has trouble believing in those miracles. But aren't, like, supernatural miracles, impossible?

In the 20th century, a scientific discovery with startling implications was made: the universe had a beginning. Of course, for 3,500 years, the book of Genesis had made the exact same claim. Prescient?

"The long term goal of Christianity is to learn to surrender to the will of Someone bigger than us, and to adjust our lives accordingly."

"Sometimes I have a crappy attitude, and I take it out on other people."

"Your mind is like a bad neighborhood, don't walk in it alone."

If everything were as it should be, what would it look like? The way you answer this question gives shape to the causes you'll be devoted to in your story.

"Everything in my life would be better if..." All of us have an end to this sentence in mind. But, not all endings are equal.

"Why am I here?" Nearly everyone throughout history and across the globe has asked this question, and the answer to this question is at the core of the story of God.

Everyone gets in fights. Most of us know how to push each other's buttons. But isn't there a better way? Proverbs challenges us to reconsider the natural inclination to escalate a tense situation, and teaches us why and how to diffuse it. But will we do it?

Words. We use them...a lot. Our culture is engaged in a 24-hour a day, 365 day a year conversation about a host of issues. To put it bluntly: we talk too much. Proverbs challenges us in a talkative culture to learn to hold our tongues, restrain our speech, and measure our words.

You ever catch yourself staring? Looking around at everyone else's life, thinking "Must be nice..." Envy, Proverbs says, does terrible things to our inner lives.

Have you ever met someone whose responses to feedback, correction, and direction were defensiveness, anger, and challenge? Have you ever been that person?

Sometimes being out of control feels really good. But it's almost always momentary, and it ignores the aftermath.

Better. It's the life we're aiming for. And better decisions better our lives. Which begs the question: What is the source for the decisions your making? What's your "wisdom well"?

At its core, the scandalous message of Christmas is that God took on flesh to dwell with the ordinary.

Peace on earth? Goodwill to men? They are the perfect holiday greetings, but why do we celebrate a holiday that began with an announcement that doesn't seem to have any similarity with reality?

A series on generosity and gratitude just wouldn't be complete without saying "THANK YOU!" to the volunteers who give their time, talent, and treasure to make The Genesis Project what it is!

Being generous feels wonderful, until it doesn't. How do we deal with the practical reality that sometimes generosity is sacrificial? Or that we don't exactly feel "grateful" for the opportunity to be generous because it hurts?

We live in the wealthiest nation, in the wealthiest generation of all time...and sometimes, we just need to remember that!

Who are you giving thanks for in this season of your life? And, who is giving thanks for you in this season of life? Generous people generate thanksgiving!

Satan. Literally "the accuser". This is perhaps the devil's most infamous title and role. Like a prosecuting attorney in a court of law, the devil accuses us of guilt.

Leadership is influence - nothing more, nothing less. And everyone is under the influence of someone. Our enemy the devil is an influencer, whose goal is leading humanity astray.