In 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.

In 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.

The 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.

The 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.

Living 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 by Him.

Living 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 by Him.

Generations has put a lot of effort into loving people and accepting people. And that's a good thing. It's exactly what Jesus did in his relationships - he frontloaded them with love and acceptance. But, like Peter, we're going to need to do MORE than just love people. We're going to have to use words and talk ABOUT Jesus to others.

Generations has put a lot of effort into loving people and accepting people. And that's a good thing. It's exactly what Jesus did in his relationships - he frontloaded them with love and acceptance. But, like Peter, we're going to need to do MORE than just love people. We're going to have to use words and talk ABOUT Jesus to others.

According to Anne Lamott, when Americans tend to pray, they tend to pray three things: (1) thank you, thank you, thank you, (2) help me, help me, help me, and (3) I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But what if there's more to prayer than that? And what if it actually matters WHO you're talking to? In this message, Pastor Max gives some practical advice on practicing praying to God.

According to Anne Lamott, when Americans tend to pray, they tend to pray three things: (1) thank you, thank you, thank you, (2) help me, help me, help me, and (3) I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But what if there's more to prayer than that? And what if it actually matters WHO you're talking to? In this message, Pastor Max gives some practical advice on practicing praying to God.