Generations Community Church

You 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 t...

We Americans think that (the sin of) gluttony is simply eating too much. And we think the results of that speak for themselves in larger bodies and higher fat indexes. But we're missing a LOT of what gluttony is (really all) about. In fact, gluttony can have to do with food rules (those foods are bad and these foods are good), picky eating, and so much more. So if gluttony isn't simply eating too...

There'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 i...

Did 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...

Cooperation is working together to do more than you can do alone. And God LOVES to put people together who are very DIFFERENT from each other to accomplish His purposes.

Know 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...

When 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...

We do NOT like arrogant or conceited people. People who think they're smarter than us, faster than us, better than us. In fact, deep inside of us is a cheer section that gets activated when arrogant people FAIL or fall on their face. Pride is like that. It just "smells bad" and never looks good on you. But what if it's possible that WE have a little more pride going on (under the hood) than we rea...

The 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 cent...

Two men would be called the same thing: "King of the Jews." One man was given the title by the Roman Senate for his ruthless and victorious military campaigns. The other man was given the title as he was crucified by Roman authorities. By bringing Herod & Jesus together at the SAME time in history, God shows (once again) that He uses people who appear to be weak to triumph over those who appear to...

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 u...

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 th...

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 o...

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 r...

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 se...

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 Vanderpo...

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 bec...

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 Sp...

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 sa...

All 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...

How 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 th...

Think back to a time when someone made time for you. Maybe that looked like caring for you when you were sick, or teaching you how to tie your shoe, making food for you, or teaching you how to read or learn a new skill. No matter what it is, when people make time for us, it can bring us joy. It’s like a light shining on a dark day. Caring for one another isn’t always the easy thing to do, but it c...

Jesus assumed that his followers would pray and fast. But Jesus doesn't want them to fast like "the hypocrites" do. So what it that? What makes a person a hypocrite when they are fasting? And what are the reasons (or benefits) to fast? Is it to control our appetite? Is it to hear ourselves and the voice of God more clearly? In this message, Matthew Maresco draws out the "Daniel Fast" and what Jesu...

On any given Sunday, you bring your body to worship - but your attention could be elsewhere. And this is what gets God's shorts in a bunch in the Old Testament - God's people were OBEYING him (coming to worship, etc.), but their attention - their hearts - were elsewhere. In this message, Matthew Maresco and Dawn Tippey unpack what lies at the heart of worship and why we use music.