Shows
Generations Community ChurchAnother Kind of Prayer - AudioSmartphones. It seems like they're always in our hands - and always making it hard to be fully present with our friends and family. And maybe that's why prayer is hard for us. How do you spend time with an invisible being that you can't see with your eyes? In this message, Max Vanderpool makes a case for why there is another kind of prayer - one where you aren't talking and God's not talking - and that's okay.
2025-08-2428 minGenerations Community ChurchFreedom, Limits, and Authority - AudioIn life, you either have authority or you don't. And if you need to tell people that you're in charge, you probably don't have the authority you think you do. And no matter how old you get, you NEVER outgrow authority or authority structures. (The IRS can make you pay taxes, and the Kentucky State Police can make you stay under the speed limit - or, watch out!) In this message, Max Vanderpool makes a case for why ALL authority is God's authority - and that, because God speaks through the Bible, we should listen (and obey).
2025-08-1726 min
Generations Community ChurchGod Speaks through Desires - AudioGod 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.
2025-06-2230 minGenerations Community ChurchThe Disguised God - AudioGod 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...
2025-05-1826 minGenerations Community ChurchThe Language of God's Heart - AudioPharisees. 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...
2025-05-1126 minGenerations Community ChurchHearing God through Prophecy - AudioWhen 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...
2025-04-2727 min
Generations Community ChurchIndifference Is a Sin - AudioYou 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...
2025-04-1329 minGenerations Community ChurchWhen You See a Body - AudioThere'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 ac...
2025-03-1626 minGenerations Community ChurchSpitting Fire - AudioDid 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 "...
2025-03-1032 minGenerations Community ChurchStatus Anxiety - AudioKnow 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...
2025-02-2331 minGenerations Community ChurchThey Don't Need That - AudioWhen 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.
2025-02-1731 minGenerations Community ChurchYou Don't Understand - AudioThe 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...
2025-01-2629 min
Generations Community ChurchFight for us - AudioIn 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 f...
2024-11-1029 minGenerations Community ChurchThe Real Enemy - AudioYour 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.
2024-10-2024 minGenerations Community ChurchWonders Among You - AudioWhat 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...
2024-09-2927 minGenerations Community ChurchBeyond God's Reach - AudioAll 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...
2024-09-1525 minGenerations Community ChurchStrong & Courageous - AudioHow 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...
2024-09-0824 min
Generations Community ChurchDo You Want God to Speak? - AudioWilliam 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?"
2024-07-2827 minGenerations Community ChurchWorking Alone - Audio“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...
2024-06-3023 minGenerations Community ChurchPushback - AudioThis 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.
2024-06-2324 minGenerations Community ChurchThere's Something to Waiting - AudioOften, 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.
2024-06-1624 min
Generations Community ChurchThe Story We Live Under - AudioHistorian 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...
2024-05-1924 minGenerations Community ChurchI Don't See Jesus - AudioYou 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.
2024-05-1221 min
Generations Community Church(Really) Love Me! - AudioIf you've been part of Generations Community Church for ANY length of time, you've heard Max Vanderpool (our pastor) preach and teach on LOVE. So what does it REALLY mean to love someone? Today's message features several sections (cut here for brevity) where the congregation was invited to think about and discuss the following questions: (1) What does it mean to really love someone? (2) How can you tell when people are truly loving? (3) What are the traits of churches and families that are built on God's love? (4) When was the last time you were amazed by someone's love for you? Why...
2024-02-1815 minGenerations Community ChurchListen to Me! - AudioMuch of what takes place in our society is “Here’s why WE are right and YOU are wrong.” People don't need that. People don't need advice. People don't want to be told what they "need to do." People need to be HEARD. In this message, Max Vanderpool makes a case for why listening matters. It matters - because often there’s a question behind the question, the issue behind the issue. And what most people need in not an expert but as friend with open ears.
2024-01-2824 min
Generations Community ChurchJesus Is a Better Human - AudioMost American Christians don’t appreciate how big, how important, how all-encompassing Jesus is through Scripture. They camp out in the "red letters" and some of Paul's letters, but ignore everything else. It ALL points to Jesus. In this message, Max Vanderpool, makes a case for why Jesus is the true and better human. The only way to recover your full humanity is through Jesus. You won’t get there through self-help. You won’t get there by trying harder. You won’t get there by trying to obey all the stuff in the Bible. Jesus is the true and better h
2023-11-1922 min
Generations Community ChurchHow to Help Friends through Tough Times - AudioUnlike Job's friends, Jesus knows how to be a good friend for those experiencing pain & suffering, for those enduring loss, for the woman caught in adultery, and for the thief on the cross. Jesus is a better friend. In this recording, Amanda Duke shares the Biblical pattern of lament, Max Vanderpool shares how to be a good friend to someone who is going through and tough time, and Danita LaSage and Dawn Tippey share their experience of loss - and where they found Jesus.
2023-10-3033 min
Generations Community ChurchRefrigerator Rights - AudioFriendship requires that we make and keep promises, even though we will break them and need forgiveness. That's because true friends, good friends, are peole who have committed to stand by you and with you - people who will not run away, bail or dump you simply because they get mad or hurt or offended. We all need these kinds of friends. So what does it take to get there? In this message, Max Vanderpool explains the power of refrigerator rights.
2023-10-0825 min
Generations Community ChurchEliminate Hurry - AudioCorrie ten Boom once said that if the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy. If the devil can't make you sin, he'll make you busy. Huh? How is that again? That's because both sin and busyness have the exact same effect—they cut off your connection to God, to other people, and even to your own soul. In this message, Max Vanderpool makes a case why you should eliminate hurry from your life.
2023-08-2735 minGenerations Community ChurchPeople over Streaming - AudioIn 2023, far too many of us are choosing streaming over people. We go home, and we're tired. We've been with people all day at school or work, and those people have been extremely "people-ly," and so we stream something. But here's the thing about streaming or gaming: It will not energize you, it will not calm your mind or allow you to hear your heart or God's voice. We need each other, and we need to be together. In this message, Max Vanderpool makes a case why you should choose people over streaming more often than not.
2023-08-2028 minGenerations Community ChurchScripture before Phone - AudioWe BECOME what or who we reflect. We BECOME what we pay attention to, and far too many of us are paying way too much attention to our phones – which means we are not hearing God’s voice: “You are my beloved child – and you are becoming like me!” In this message, Max Vanderpool makes a case for why putting Scripture before phone will better position you to hear God's voice and experience the Fruit of the Spirit in your life.
2023-08-1325 min
Generations Community ChurchYour Testimony, My Testimony, Our Testimony - AudioIf someone we KNOW & TRUST gives us a testimonial, we generally accept it, whether that's for an InstaPot, a lawn service, or a church. But if a stranger gives us a testimonial, we hold it as suspect, dubious. So why do we trust all these strangers on Amazon & Google? We ASSUME that because there are SO MANY of them, the truth must be in there. And we also ASSUME that every single review is legitimate (and written by an actual person). We assume a lot, don’t we?
In this message, Max Vanderpool makes a case that people talk MOST ab...
2023-07-1622 minGenerations Community ChurchLovers Aren't Haters - AudioYou are going to encounter people who CLAIM to be on Team Jesus, but who are selfish, mean, and hateful. In fact, the more you get the know them, the less gracious, kind, loving, or forgiving they are. Instead, they are angry, spiteful, and hateful. Despite their claims of religiosity, despite their insistence that they follow Jesus, they are lying to you and to themselves. The Apostle John will have NONE of this. In this message, Max Vanderpool unpacks the most important characteristic of someone who is walking in the way of Jesus.
2023-07-0929 min
Generations Community ChurchThe Temptation to Perform, Impress, and Possess - AudioIn 2009, Tim Keller told his congregation in New York City, “We want to feel beautiful. We want to feel loved. We want to feel significant. And that’s why we’re working so hard.” And those people “had lived their whole lives with parents, music teachers, coaches, professors, and bosses telling them to do better, be better, try harder.” In America (like ancient Rome), we applaud and celebrate the achievers, the rich, and the beautiful. Is it any wonder so many people labor to obtain:
• Enough success
• Enough popularity
• Enough stuff
To convince themselves and everyone else that THEY ARE SOMEBODY. In this...
2023-05-2128 minGenerations Community ChurchSafe, Wanted, Accepted, and Seen - AudioWe've all known people like Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent who have been marked with a curse or marked with a blessing. And in our community, their stories have been shared in two places: (1) In our county jail – one STORY after ANOTHER - of men addicted to drugs, because they are trying to mask the pain of their upbringing and lack, and (2) At Asbury’s outpouring – one STORY after ANOTHER – of men and women who, often in spite of or instead of – are now redeemed, forgiven, beloved, treasured, and set apart for God’s work. In this message, Max Vanderpool maps out fiv...
2023-04-3024 minGenerations Community ChurchThe Sirens of Identity - AudioUnlike traditional cultures, we tell people in America to find certain dreams, feelings, or intuitions they have (on the inside) and assert them, express them, follow them, and MAKE them HAPPEN! Don’t let anyone (else) tell you what to do (or how to live your life)! Especially your parents. But this way of identity formation nearly always leads to comparison, anxiety, and condemnation. In this message, Max Vanderpool identifies the PRIMARY way we go about identity formation in American and why it (simply) doesn't work.
2023-04-1627 min
Generations Community ChurchReborn - AudioAdults and students alike are plagued with social media feeds of everyone else's best moments and highlights, perfectly cut and curtailed to LOOK amazing. As you scroll through, you wonder why YOU have to struggle so much when it seems like everyone else is flying. But this way of living is fragile and exhausting...and it's NOT the Gospel way. In this message, Max Vanderpool, explores what it means to be BORN AGAIN and how it's more than just going to heaven when you die.
2023-04-0925 min
Generations Community ChurchAn Armored Life Together - AudioFor the past several decades, pastors, church leaders, and Christian conferences have told folks to get up early in the morning. Read your Bible (alone). Pray (alone). Journal and reflect on your life, your life issues, and where God might be at work in your life and the world around you (alone). So when Americans READ or HEAR Ephesians 6 and the Apostle Paul's admonition to put on the armor of God, they think, "Oh, yeah, I should do that. I should have done that this morning...when I was alone." But is that what Paul meant? In this message, Max...
2023-03-2627 minGenerations Community ChurchWhere the Love Is - AudioOn the one hand, the Church (with a capital "C") has sinned and erred and hurt and (at many different times) born a bad witness for Jesus. On the OTHER hand, how it is even possible to talk about experiencing God's LOVE apart from His Body? In this message, Max Vanderpool makes a case for why the most profound experiences of God's love are found in relationship and communion with other believers who are often very different from you.
2023-03-1231 minGenerations Community ChurchThe Powers That Be - AudioAre demons real? Are angels? Chances are, your religious background (or lack thereof) has affected HOW you answer those questions. And are demons and angels like what we see on television or in movies? In this message, Max Vanderpool teaches on the Apostle Paul's use of powers and authorities and what Paul meant by them. Their influence can be seen, not just in individuals, but also in societal, political, cultural, and religious systems.
2023-02-1925 minGenerations Community ChurchGifts with Strings - AudioAmericans believe that the PERFECT gift is both spontaneous AND something given with no strings attached (and no obligation of reciprocity). And so when we read that salvation is God's GIFT to us, that's HOW we tend to see it. But throughout the ancient world (the Hebrew world, the Persian world, the Babylonian world, the Roman world, the Jewish world), gifts were nearly always given with the expectation of reciprocity...because a gift was often given to initiate a relationship. In this message, Max Vanderpool teaches from Ephesians 2:8-9 and explains what's behind Paul's understanding of this gift of God.
2023-02-1226 minGenerations Community ChurchThe Future Is Now (Sort of) - AudioHow you think about the future matters, because how you think about the future affects the decisions that you make (today) and the feelings and attitudes you have. Among theologians, this is called ESCHATOLOGY. But make no mistake, the way in which the American church has tended to see the future (the world's going to burn, etc.) has affected how American Christians live out their faith. But what if the way we've tended to think about it or see it is NOT how the Bible presents it? What if the Apostle Paul, Jesus, and God's people of the Old Testament...
2023-01-3023 minGenerations Community ChurchThe Mystery Revealed - AudioPaul's letter to the Ephesians hits on many BIG themes like salvation, the nature of family, belonging, reconciliation, identity, powers, and holiness. And at the heart of this letter is Paul's insistence that, when what's been hidden gets revealed, it can change EVERYTHING. In this first message on Ephesians, Max Vanderpool attempts to allow Paul to speak to us today - and will be making a case that Paul simply taught Jesus 101 - putting into letter form the bigger things that Jesus taught and lived.
2023-01-1527 min
Generations Community ChurchOne Click to Rule Them All - AudioAmericans walk away from freedom click by click, decision by decision, decade by decade, so much so that by the time they’re 40-45 years old, they’re stuck in a job they hate (but can’t leave), because they’re making payments: house, student loans, cars, credit cards. And coincidentally, our smartphones and smartwatches and smart-devices are accelerating these steps away from freedom through the use of "one-click." In this message, Max Vanderpool tackles how to handle debt and why it might be wise to turn off those "one-click" settings.
2022-10-2327 minGenerations Community ChurchProportional Trust - AudioWhy is it that some people are extraordinarily generous while others are exceedingly stingy? Why does the world have the likes of a Ronald Read and Sylvia Bloom and (also) the likes of a Montgomery Burns and Mr. Krabs? What does it mean to actually TRUST God with everything? And why is it that LOVE always involves a form of risk? In this message, Max Vanderpool, revisits the larger ideas of scarcity and abundance as they connect to trusting God.
2022-10-1628 minGenerations Community Church(I'm) Valuable (and Not Comparing Myself to Others) - AudioSocial media has become social comparison, and we do it ALL the time. You take a family vacation to see family. Your Instagram friend takes a Disney cruise and goes snorkeling. They win. You lose. THEIR life is better. You break up with your boyfriend/girlfriend, because it isn't healthy. Your Instagram friend gets engaged and announces a destination wedding. They win. You lose. THEIR life is better. You move into an apartment/house and think, "this could work." Your Instagram friend does a major home renovation. They win. You lose. THEIR life is better. In this message, Max Vanderpool...
2022-09-2526 minGenerations Community ChurchEyeballs and Fearmongering - Audio85% of Americans own and use a smartphone, and the "smart" part of smartphone means that it's really a hand-held computer that can also make phone calls. And we use these smartphones. A LOT. While driving, while using the bathroom, and before going to bed (and some of us sleep with our phones). But what if these devices are actually ramping UP our fears? In this message, Max Vanderpool walks through two passages from Matthew and why faith and fear tend to move in opposite directions. WARNING: Listening to this message may cause you to change the settings on your smartphone.
2022-09-1830 min
Generations Community ChurchA Thin Place - AudioCeltic Christians had a word to describe places where the boundary between heaven and earth had been collapsed. They called it "a thin place." Thin places are those places and spaces where it's EASIER to encounter God, EASIER to hear His voice, EASIER to sense the leading of God's Spirit. In this message, Max Vanderpool unpacks the broader meaning behind the Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120-134) and why it matters that we regularly visit thin places.
2022-07-1724 minGenerations Community ChurchPure Happiness - AudioI'll be happy when...
I'll be happy when I'm finally finished with school. I'll be happy when we have a bigger apartment/house. I'll be happy when the kids are older and not so much work. And the list goes ON. Americans spend incredible amounts of time and energy trying to get happy or make themselves happy. And it often ends in disaster. Why? Because pursuing happiness NEVER results in being happy. In this message, Max Vanderpool makes a case for why the Psalmist exclaims "Happy is the man who..."
2022-06-1923 min
Generations Community ChurchFight Cleanly - AudioChristians often confuse peace-MAKING with peace-KEEPING. Jesus was a peace-MAKER. That means that he didn't ignore tensions or differences. In fact, Jesus wasn't afraid to disagree with people. Peace-KEEPERS, on the other hand, tend to appease, avoid, and defer to others when tensions arise. True peace will NEVER come by pretending what is wrong is right. In this message (taken from Peter & Geri Scazzero's Emotionally Healthy Relationships), Max Vanderpool will spell out what it does and does not mean to fight cleanly.
2022-05-2228 minGenerations Community ChurchListen Incarnationally - AudioWhen was the last time you were with a family member, friend, or co-worker and felt like they weren't listening to you? What were the clues? How did you KNOW they just weren't getting you or getting it? Listening is linked to CARING, which is why it's critical for Christians (followers of Jesus) to learn the art of incarnational listening. Jesus was a good listener, and the world would see his followers (Christians) VERY DIFFERENTLY if they were known for being good listeners. Imagine someone saying, "I know they claim Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, which...
2022-05-1528 minGenerations Community ChurchBecome (Emotionally) Self-Aware - AudioIn life, there is a continuum of emotionally compromised people. Some lean toward OVER-regulating their emotions, pushing negative feelings deep down into their heart and soul, hoping that those highly charged and highly negative emotions will simply disappear or fade away over time. Others lean toward UNDER-regulating their emotions, expressing EVERY passing feeling they have with robust intensity. BOTH ends of the continuum are unhealthy. BOTH ends of the continuum will hamstring your relationships. In this message, Max Vanderpool makes a case for why becoming more like Jesus means becoming more emotionally self-aware.
2022-05-0827 min
Generations Community ChurchI Am the Door - AudioWe live in a world marked by chaos, ugliness, and scarcity - and that makes us afraid, so we try to mitigate our fears by exerting control. But NO amount of control will ensure our safety or guarantee that we have what we need. Which is why, time and time again in the Bible, we're implored to have faith, to put our trust in God and NOT in ourselves or in what we can control. In this message, Max Vanderpool unpacks Jesus's statement, "I am the door" and what it means to trust God for protection and provision.
2022-03-2729 min
Generations Community ChurchHelp. My friend is about to do something stupid. - AudioIt's difficult to deal with a family member, close co-worker, or friend who's making BAD decisions. Why? Because it eats you up on the inside! And it eats you up on the inside, because (more often than not) YOU don't say anything to that friend...for fear you ruin the friendship or because it's really none of your business. It's absolutely CRAZY that we would tell the WORLD about a potentially stupid decision or pattern but NEVER tell the person it will negatively impact. In this message, Max Vanderpool teaching on what it really means to speak the truth in...
2022-02-2729 minGenerations Community ChurchHelp! I'm dealing with emotional vampires. - AudioYou're going to have people in your life (from time to time) who expect YOU to fix THEIR problems...their money problems, their relationship problems, or their emotional problems. And if you're not careful, you'll walk right into this trap of trying to fix (or rescue) people. Whether you consider them "extra grace required" people or emotional vampires, one's things certain: there's GOT to be a better way. In this message, Max Vanderpool teaching on how to love people without rescuing them (from Paul's admonitions to the Christians living in Galatia).
2022-02-2024 minGenerations Community ChurchHelp! I'm dealing with inconsiderate people. - AudioYou're going to encounter difficult people. People who push your buttons. People who interrupt. People who never shut up. People who violate your personal space. People who do not seem to possess the ability to see ANYTHING past the end of their nose. So what do you do? What do you do with the non-listener? The one-upper? The gossip-er? The curmudgeon? In this message, Max Vanderpool teaches on the "wisdom from above" when it comes to dealing with inconsiderate people.
2022-02-1326 min
Generations Community ChurchTrading Places - AudioMany of us have encountered a sudden reversal of fortune in life...a deadline that got moved or a tax refund that increased when the paperwork was finished. At the heart of the Gospel is a similar sudden reversal of fortune for humanity. In this message, Max Vanderpool explains the heart of the Gospel - from Romans 3 - that has a perfect illustration from Polish history.
2022-01-3026 minGenerations Community ChurchHow to Support Friends through Loss - AudioOur church family has endured some loss (of late). Lost groups & gatherings (due to Covid). Lost people. Lost marriages. And lost pregnancies. But Americans (for better or worse) aren't very good at supporting people through loss. We tend to say the darndest things. If you've ever struggled with what to say to a friend who's grieving or how to support a friend who's experienced loss, you're not alone. It isn't easy or intuitive to know what to say or what to do. In this message, Max Vanderpool, maps out some practical ways you can support a friend or family member...
2022-01-0927 min
Generations Community ChurchHaving Fun - AudioWeddings 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 desperately needed today.
2021-10-3127 min
Generations Community ChurchActivate Your Tribe - AudioResearchers 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.
2021-06-2719 minGenerations Community ChurchFinding Your Footing - AudioIn 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.
2021-06-2020 minGenerations Community ChurchLanguishing and Flourishing - AudioThe 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 shepherd, sheep, and sheep-pens in order to map out a way to flourish.
2021-06-1324 min
Generations Community ChurchLove & Generosity - AudioLiving 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 glimpse into the heart of God and how extravagant love and generosity is measured...
2021-05-3023 min
Generations Community ChurchChoose Kindness - AudioWe'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.
2021-02-2824 min
Generations Community ChurchThe Little Ant Can - AudioChances 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.
2021-01-1718 min
Generations Community ChurchThe Sword and the Cross - AudioAll the kingdoms of the world use power the same way. They use POWER OVER others. They leverage it, exert it, use and abuse it. And they attempt to control others (or coerce them) through the power of the sword. But not God. And certainly not God's Kingdom. In this message, Max Vanderpool, emphasizes what it looks like when God uses power.
2020-10-2521 minGenerations Community ChurchYour Kingdom Come - AudioHow did YOU learn to pray as a kid? Who taught you how to pray? Who gave you the words and language you use to pray? In this message, Pastor Max Vanderpool unpacks why the disciples asked Jesus to teach them HOW to pray and ponders what we're really asking when we pray that God's kingdom will COME.
2020-10-1117 min
Generations Community ChurchHow to Avoid Sucking Joy out of Your Life - AudioA lot of people think that being happy or experiencing a lot of joy in your life is what makes people grateful. It make sense happy people are grateful, sad/angry people are hateful. But research shows what the BIble has long taught: it's actually the OTHER way around. Practiced gratitude actually opens up the channel for joy in your life. In this message, Max Vanderpool, wraps up our teaching series on joy from the book of Philippians.
2020-07-1914 min
Generations Community ChurchEnlarge Your Soul through Grief and Loss - AudioMany people, especially those of us with FAITH, tend to minimize loss and disappointments in life. It's no big deal. I'll be okay. God's got something better for me. - We tell ourselves these things, but we feel devastated on the inside, wondering whether God is (ultimately) good and wondering whether we can really trust Him. That's just ONE REASON the Book of Job is in the Bible. In this message, Max Vanderpool implores all of us to truly embrace the loss and disappointments of life - only then can we be truly human. Only then can we be truly...
2020-02-1627 minGenerations Community ChurchLoved - AudioWhat's suppose to happen in a family is that a child is LOVED unconditionally by his/her parents that that child becomes an adult, who when they hear about a God who loves them unconditionally, immediately understands the concept and is able to trust God no matter what. RARE is the home where THAT kind of love is demonstrated. So these kids become adults who labor under a burden of becoming successful enough, having enough people like them or owning enough to believe they are SOMEBODY. Jesus didn't need any of that - because Jesus KNEW he was LOVED. In...
2019-12-2225 minGenerations Community ChurchBlessed Are the Flexible - AudioThere are Type A people and Type B people. There are planners and free spirits. And yet, despite the differences in personality, it simply ISN'T okay to be inflexible...about everything. In this message, Max Vanderpool piggy backs off of the Apostle Paul in teaching on what flexibility looks like in a church...especially one with a new building.
2019-11-1726 min
Generations Community ChurchDon't Let Stuff Ruin Your Life - AudioThe average American man owns 12 pairs of shoes. The average American woman owns 27 pairs of shoes. The average person living in many countries on the continent of Africa or in certain provinces of India or China owns ONE pair of shoes. How many shoes are enough? And is the stuff you own making your life EASIER or HARDER to manage? In this message, Max Vanderpool teaches an important life truth that Jesus articulated in Luke 12. It's one of the best ways to have FINANCIAL SMARTS.
2019-10-2027 minGenerations Community ChurchFight the System - AudioThe rich and powerful play by a different set of rules. It doesn't matter if your name is Hunter Biden or Chelsea Clinton or Jenna Bush Hager - opportunities open up for YOU that don't open for other people. So the rich make the rules - and the rules benefit the rich. BUT God is bothered when the rich and powerful play by a different set of rules. God is bothered when the rich and powerful systematically OPPRESS the poor, so that the rich become richer and even more powerful. In this message, Max Vanderpool attempts to unpack economic justice...
2019-10-1326 minGenerations Community ChurchEscape Debtors Prison - AudioIn America, we LOVE freedom. We've named 15 towns from Maine to California FREEDOM, and we like to think that FREEDOM is what we (actually) export to the rest of the world. So why is it that SO MANY Americans aren't free, when it comes to their finances. Why do so many of us slave away in jobs we can't stand, because we have house payments, car payments, student loan payments, and credit card payments. In this message, Max Vanderpool teaches why DEBT and FREEDOM move in opposite directions, and what you can do to be FREE.
2019-09-2229 minGenerations Community ChurchChurch Is a Family, NOT a Business 2019 - AudioFor the past several decades, churches (in America) have operated like a business. They've promoted people into leadership who can get things done, make stuff happen, and get results. They've measured success in terms of butts in seats, size of facilities, and scope of programming. But have we made a mistake in doing so? And what have we LOST in running things that way? In this message, Max Vanderpool teaches on the BIGGEST METAPHOR for the church found in the New Testament: a FAMILY - and what that means for Generations in the years ahead.
2019-08-2523 min
Generations Community ChurchSelf-Control - AudioThree-year-olds and eighty-three-year-olds have one thing in common: if they think it, they say it, and if they feel it, they express it. Which is why it's incredibly important to develop some self-control when it comes to what you say to others and what you say to yourself. In this message, Max Vanderpool talks about practical ways to bring about life in your speech.
2019-07-2823 minGenerations Community ChurchPeace Under Pressure - AudioUnlike joy, which is complex and can accommodate other emotions and feeling, peace won't share space with worry, fear and anxiety. In fact, worry, fear and anxiety will exert enough pressure that peace is pushed out entirely. And yet, Jesus promised that we would HAVE (experience) peace. Max Vanderpool unpacks Matthew 6 to help paint a picture of what this fruit of the Spirit might look like in your life.
2019-06-1719 minGenerations Community ChurchJoy When There's No Reason - AudioWe know. You've got the joy, joy, joy, down in your heart. WHERE? Down in your heart. Unless you don't, and then you feel a little guilty that, maybe, you're just not living the Christian life the way you're supposed to. But what if joy isn't just a feeling? What if you can experience joy AND pain at the same time? In this message, Max Vanderpool, tackles the second fruit of the Spirit - JOY - and offers practical advice for cultivating MORE of it in your life.
2019-06-1027 min
Generations Community ChurchEvil Alexa and Addiction - AudioAddiction always starts with something that feels good, whether it's drugs, alcohol, sex/porn, social media, sugar, or gambling. That's because our brain releases dopamine - the chemical that makes us feel good and that tells us to do that again. That's why it is SO HARD to break an addiction. The other reason it's hard to break an addiction is because of the SHAME we feel. In this message, Max Vanderpool highlights the EVIL ALEXA we all have lurking inside of us - and how that factors in to addiction.
2019-05-2625 minGenerations Community ChurchBetter than You OR a Worm - AudioWhat would you have to do in order to have to APOLOGIZE to every single person you encountered at a public event, like a wedding? Can you imagine doing something SO BAD that it racked up millions of views and thousands of people were calling you the most despicable things? We have a problem in America, because we have become unforgiving. In this message, Max Vanderpool, makes a case for why forgiving others and forgiving yourself is a way to TAME shame.
2019-05-1925 min
Generations Community ChurchJesus Promised Joy, but I'm Depressed! - AudioThe One Hundred Acre Wood has some characters: Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Kanga and Roo, Rabbit, Tigger, Owl, and Eeyore. And most of us can relate to ONE of these characters. But what do you do if you can related to Eeyore? What do you do if you struggle with depression? Can you be a Christian and actually be clinically depressed? In this message, Max Vanderpool teaches from John 15 about joy, happiness, sadness, and yes, even depression.
2019-05-1226 minGenerations Community ChurchOverwhelmed by Shame - AudioThere are certain words we don't say in polite company (vagina, masturbation), and there is an entire concept we don't talk about (ever) in America and the West: SHAME. Shame is one of the most powerful emotions we experience, because it is connected so strongly with our sense of WHO we are. In this message, Max Vanderpool makes a case for whey Jesus came to do MORE than just pay the penalty for our sin - he came to take our SHAME.
2019-04-2123 min
Generations Community ChurchConfronting Idols - AudioIdols. We TEND to think of stone or golden monkeys (or some sort of other fake deity) placed in a temple and worshipped by people wearing grass skirts (like on Gilligan's Island). But what if idols are MORE than just stone monkeys? What if they are ANYTHING we value more than we value God? Is it possible idols (in our homes, in our hearts, in our churches and in our nation) are what's ROBBING the Church of power today? In this message, Max Vanderpool attempts to explain the power of Acts 19.
2019-03-2424 minGenerations Community ChurchSurprise, Surprise, Surprise - AudioIt's really, really difficult to (correctly) guess who's going to sign on to Team Jesus and who, ultimately, is going to reject Jesus. Face it, just like Pastor Max, YOU are a bad guesser. And that's good news, because it's SCANDALOUS who receives grace and becomes a new person (sometimes). In this message, Max Vanderpool tries to set the stage for how unexpected and wondrous Acts 9 really is.
2019-03-1023 min
Generations Community ChurchSurprise, Surprise, SurpriseIt's really, really difficult to (correctly) guess who's going to sign on to Team Jesus and who, ultimately, is going to reject Jesus. Face it, just like Pastor Max, YOU are a bad guesser. And that's good news, because it's SCANDALOUS who receives grace and becomes a new person (sometimes). In this message, Max Vanderpool tries to set the stage for how unexpected and wondrous Acts 9 really is.
2019-03-1023 minGenerations Community ChurchHypocrisy in the Church - AudioWhy? Why do we have such a need to impress others? And we do we LIE in order to look better than we really are? In this message, Max Vanderpool teaches on the ultimate you can't fool God stories in the Bible - and why pretending to be something on the OUTSIDE that you aren't on the INSIDE is a really, really bad idea.
2019-02-2425 min
Generations Community ChurchEven Fumes Are Enough - State of the Church - AudioWe often think of faith like a fuel tank. If your tank is FULL, you're going to GO places. If your tank is empty, you're probably not going to go anywhere, if at all. But what if that notion of faith is WRONG? What if even FUMES are enough - for the impossible? In this message, Max Vanderpool gives a state of the church and teaches from Mark 9.
2019-01-1326 min
Generations Community ChurchLies Do Not Become Us - AudioYoung children and old people have something in common: they have no filter. If they think it or feel it, they say it. And they will say something TRUE, even if it hurts someone else's feelings. In this message, Max Vanderpool unpacks the 9th Commandment: you must not bear false witness against your neighbor (or as we learned it: thou shalt not lie).
2018-11-1825 min
Generations Community ChurchCooperation - AudioIf you've ever had to work on a GROUP PROJECT with your classmates, you may have decided you were better off doing it by yourself. But that kind of thinking won't help you accomplish ANYTHING of significance. In this teaching time from November 4th, Max Vanderpool explains why the Bible advocates for cooperation: God wants us to work together.
2018-11-0409 minGenerations Community ChurchFaithfulness Matters - AudioAdultery. We tend to think of it as that thing that happens when a husband or wife CHEAT (sexually) on their spouse. We tend to think of it as PRIVATE MATTER. And our thinking couldn't be farther from the truth (or the reality of it). In this message, Max Vanderpool teaches on the 7th Commandment (you must not commit adultery) and why the Bible has so much to say about it when it comes to OUR RELATIONSHIP with GOD!
2018-10-2825 minGenerations Community ChurchYour Future - AudioHonor your father and mother. It's a pretty straight forward command. And yet, we typically make a couple of assumptions when hearing it: (1) that it's for kids (no, it's for adults) and (2) that it's for our parents' benefit (no, it's for our future). In this message, Max Vanderpool tries to blow away the fog that surrounds the 5th Commandment and why it's really NOT about your parents but about YOUR future.
2018-10-1422 minGenerations Community ChurchIdolatry - AudioWhen we read the 2nd Commandment (make no graven images), we think: NOT ME. That's one commandment I haven't broken - I don't even have a chisel or a lathe - couldn't make one if I tried. That's because, when it comes to idols and idolatry, we tend to think of statues, temples and people in grass skirts on a National Geographic special. But idolatry has to do with your HEART. In this message, Max Vanderpool exposes 4 common idols of contemporary American life - and what to do about it.
2018-09-1622 min
Generations Community ChurchA Piece of Humble Pie - AudioOne of the BIGGEST things we despise in other people is the sense they think (or believe it to be the case) that they are somehow better than us. Here's the GOOD NEWS: God feels the same way (read James 4:6). In this message, Max Vanderpool talks about the things God brings in our lives to cultivate humility.
2018-08-2625 min
Generations Community ChurchHabits and Virtues Are (Almost) the Same Thing - AudioWhy is it that some people are honest and other people aren't? Is it the case that some people are just good people and others are bad people? Or is it (more) the case that some people are simply in the habit of being honest, of telling the truth? In this message, Max Vanderpool explains why the Apostle Paul (and so many others from ancient times) talked about vices and virtues - because habits are really, really important.
2018-08-1927 min
Generations Community ChurchBaptism Partially Explained - AudioThere are a LOT of different ways Baptism is practiced in America: you can be sprinkled as an infant, you can get dunked as a kid, teen or adult, you can don a white robe in a traditional setting, and you can get a cool t-shirt in a party-like contemporary one. Face it. Because there are so many different ways Christians baptize, there's confusion. In this message, Max Vanderpool makes a case for why baptism is still important and what it is, at a core level.
2018-08-1321 min
Generations Community ChurchJesus and Wisdom - AudioIs being SMART the same thing as being WISE? Some people think so, but the Bible makes a case for why wisdom is, in fact, different and why it's worth pursuing. In this message, Max Vanderpool, teaches on the ONLY passage in the Bible to describe Jesus's childhood.
2018-08-0610 min
Generations Community ChurchBridging the Gap - AudioThere's something my wife can say that ALWAYS grabs my attention: "I miss that Max." When she says it, it's an indicator that I've just been laughing, relaxed and not too serious. I'm the man she met and fell in love with. I'm being the best version of me.
Every one of us has a best version of ourselves...it's the person God had in mind when he made us. And being that person while remaining connected to Him is what helps us FLOURISH.
In this message, Max Vanderpool lays the groundwork for the Me 2.0 series and how God wants...
2011-02-2022 min
Generations Community ChurchBridging the GapThere's something my wife can say that ALWAYS grabs my attention: "I miss that Max." When she says it, it's an indicator that I've just been laughing, relaxed and not too serious. I'm the man she met and fell in love with. I'm being the best version of me.
Every one of us has a best version of ourselves...it's the person God had in mind when he made us. And being that person while remaining connected to Him is what helps us FLOURISH.
In this message, Max Vanderpool lays the groundwork for the Me 2.0 series and how God wants...
2011-02-2022 min
Generations Community ChurchBible Forum - AudioIn this Q & A Forum on Bible reading, Debbie Cumbie, Isaiah Surbrook, Max Vanderpool, Mike Vanderpool and Stephen Harrod discuss reading the Bible for the first time, what's worked (and hasn't worked for each of them) and how they've heard God speaking to them through His Word.
2011-01-1629 min
Generations Community ChurchBible ForumIn this Q & A Forum on Bible reading, Debbie Cumbie, Isaiah Surbrook, Max Vanderpool, Mike Vanderpool and Stephen Harrod discuss reading the Bible for the first time, what's worked (and hasn't worked for each of them) and how they've heard God speaking to them through His Word.
2011-01-1629 min