Generations Community Church

The Choluteca Bridge stands as a testament to how things can change. Originally built in 1935 and completely rebuilt in 1996 - the Choluteca Bridge no longer spans the Choluteca River. Why is that? Because in 1998, Hurricane Mitch dumped 75 INCHES of rain - and all that water CHANGED the course of the river. The American church faces a similar situation. All our programming and efforts from the 1950s to the 1990s was designed for a river that has MOVED (and that river is American culture). The good news? Jesus is already at work. In fact, he never stopped working in the lives of Americans to redeem and restore humanity - one human being at a time. Are you ready to join Jesus on his mission?

All of us will attend (at one point or another) the “school of hard knocks.” What is the school of hard knocks, you ask? It's the twists & turns of life – the hardship, adversity, difficulty, loss, tragedy, and suffering that life sometimes throws AT us. And here's the thing: winning and achievement do not teach you what kind of human being you should be. Being the most beautiful girl in town or being the boy who can throw a ball the farthest do not teach you what kind of human being you should be. But hardship can. And God often uses the "school of hard knocks" to help transform us into the kind of human being that we see in Jesus. It's the second mark of a disciple - following Jesus means we are being CHANGED by Jesus.

All of us will attend (at one point or another) the “school of hard knocks.” What is the school of hard knocks, you ask? It's the twists & turns of life – the hardship, adversity, difficulty, loss, tragedy, and suffering that life sometimes throws AT us. And here's the thing: winning and achievement do not teach you what kind of human being you should be. Being the most beautiful girl in town or being the boy who can throw a ball the farthest do not teach you what kind of human being you should be. But hardship can. And God often uses the "school of hard knocks" to help transform us into the kind of human being that we see in Jesus. It's the second mark of a disciple - following Jesus means we are being CHANGED by Jesus.

One of the more fascinating things about God - the transdimensional being who made all of created reality, like our entire universe - is that he doesn't force a relationship with the people he made in his image. God doesn't MAKE anyone "walk in the way of Jesus." Instead, God invites. And our response to that invitation is the first mark of a disciple - someone who is (actively) following Jesus. Disiples follow. Jesus leads. But it's not a "one-and-done" thing - it's really a string of decisions woven throughout your entire life - decisions about what to leave behind and what to pick up.

One of the more fascinating things about God - the transdimensional being who made all of created reality, like our entire universe - is that he doesn't force a relationship with the people he made in his image. God doesn't MAKE anyone "walk in the way of Jesus." Instead, God invites. And our response to that invitation is the first mark of a disciple - someone who is (actively) following Jesus. Disiples follow. Jesus leads. But it's not a "one-and-done" thing - it's really a string of decisions woven throughout your entire life - decisions about what to leave behind and what to pick up.

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.

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.

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.