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!