Great Lakes Church

84% of Americans believe the current generation is more angry than the generation prior. After all, there seems to be more to be angry about than ever. How do we navigate a world where we’re a little less irritated all the time. And why should we?

Part of following Jesus means NOT doing some things. Even more, it means not BEING a few things. Jealous, boastful, rude and proud are a few of those things. Why? Because we should never be more about us than them.

Wild guess: the first word that comes to mind when you hear the word Christian, is not patience or kindness. But it should be and if we understand what it means to love people the way Jesus loves us, we’ll change it. God doesn’t just love… He is love.

How many Christians have you met in your life? And how many of them did you like? Odds are those individuals made you think twice about the God they claim to serve and love. That’s totally reasonable and fair. The truth is though, that Christians shouldn’t be defining Jesus… He should be defining them.

From the time we are really young, we are faced with the question of "what do you want to be when you grow up?". As children we think about this in terms of having a job that's fun or cool; but as adults, it's more common to connect that question to our identity and sense of purpose. What if the answer to that question is easier than we might think, and found in the teachings of Jesus?

People spend so much time trying to figure out where to invest their money. The goal? Make a difference. Sometimes that’s a difference in our bank account, but there’s a bigger one if we’re willing to entrust it to a bigger God. May not be more money, but the impact lasts forever.

Sometimes getting alone is a good thing. But if that alone lasts too long, it starts to do just the opposite. Life is just not meant to be done alone – community is vital to thriving. It’s vital in following Jesus too.

Let’s say this out loud: It’s not easy to follow Jesus. And church’s have created all kinds of classes and programs to help us feel like we’re making at least a little progress. But we spend a lot of time frustrated. Good news: it’s not that complicated. Grab a towel, bend a knee and serve someone else.

Having a gym in your neighborhood doesn’t get you in shape. Sitting in the parking lot of the gym doesn’t either. You have to engage to see change. Church is kinda like that too.

We spend the better part of closing out a year and starting the next one thinking about what goals we should have for ourselves. Sometimes we even turn to God and ask what He thinks we should do. His answer? Maybe not what you expect.

It’s so easy for Christmas to become a countdown to some deadline — especially when we start thinking about it months ahead. There’s so much riding on one day, isn’t there? What if we turned that upside down and instead of a countdown, it was a build up? Because it’s in the anticipation that we discover what we need most… hope. 

Our families have “stories” we either tell ourselves or have told about us. And when we watch the stories that are told on TV or in movies, it’s easy to feel like ours is less than a great family. But here’s the thing, Mary, Joseph and Jesus were anything but the traditional family. And if they can make Christmas great, we all can.

A 2,000 year-old story that’s been told to us every Christmas since birth can be difficult to get inspired by– but what if we zoomed out? A three-part phrase in scripture, often overlooked, is the one that might unlock a fresh perspective for all of us.

Many of us have very fond memories of Christmas when we were kids. It was a wonderful, magical, special time of year. Then we became adults and it felt like all that special went somewhere. Now it’s something different. Does it have to stay that way? Not at all. We just have to find when made it special in the first place.

Have you ever spent some time figuring out what something is actually for? You know, the things you have just accepted as is but never wrestled with what for? The church can be that something for so many. But what is its purpose? Why does it exist? What’s it all about? The answer is way better and bigger than you might  imagine.

Church can be a very disappointing place – especially when you’re looking for one that meets your needs, wants and preferences. What if it was never meant to be something that’s consumed? What if instead it was something given to? That’s an entirely different equation. Perhaps an equation that would make a real difference in our lives and the world.

We all know the list of things you should never bring up at a dinner party. And at the top of this list is probably politics. Sometimes it seems like Christians have forgotten this – especially on social media. The problem isn’t that we talk about politics, it’s how we talk about them. Maybe if we focused more on that we’d realize they aren’t as tied to our faith as some might have us believe. Too...

Church is a loaded word for so many people. Maybe it brings up images of uncomfortable benches, stained glass windows and long, boring talks. Maybe it’s a strict set of beliefs you were forced to adhere to. Maybe it’s an organization you’ve intentionally kept at arm’s length. But what if we’ve been thinking of it all wrong? What if it’s not a building at all? Jesus said the church is people which...

Sometimes we come up against hard stops in life and aren’t always sure what to do. Often we think we “just give up.” Other times we assume we’ll need to start over. Neither of those options are appealing. And we think this way with work setbacks, relationship tension, DIY projects and even our faith. Maybe especially our faith. Jesus invites us to something different though: starting again from wh...

Grief can come from so many different things. It might be the loss of a loved one, a bad breakup, a canceled vacation, or big changes at church. Perhaps the hardest part of grief is moving on from it – it’s so easy to get stuck in. There is a time and place for it though because it’s often in these challenging seasons that God grows us most. So how do we make our way through grief in a healthy way...

We all have dreams for our lives. Some of those dreams have to do with romance. Others are more along the lines of finance, career or even vacation. When our future plans are jeopardized by our current circumstances, it’s hard to keep from becoming cynical and bitter. God’s dreams are bigger than our dreams though, and sometimes present defeats are setups for later victories.

Sadness can be one of the most lonely feelings in the world. But there is somewhere in that sorrow where God resides. If that’s true, it changes the meaning of the sadness all together. And it ensures we’re never actually alone in it. God is close.

Inevitably we face events in life that make us question if God understands, loves or cares about us. It could be the loss of a loved one, a job, a marriage or even changes at church. Those all feel like endings that leave more questions than answers. But what if the end of that thing is actually the beginning of another thing? Well that might change everything.

There are an estimated 380,000 churches in America today. And there are people in each of those that love their church and have a real hard time with the one down the street. It seems like Christians argue with other Christians more than anyone else. Is that what Jesus had in mind? Probably not.

Big Idea: The dilemma the church has struggled with throughout its history is figuring out who the church is for and who gets to be part of the faith community.      TIMESTAMPS 0:00 WELCOME 0:44 WEEKLY TALK   STAY CONNECTED   Great Lakes Church Website: greatlakeschurch.com Great Lakes Church Instagram: instagram.com/greatlakeschurch Great Lakes Church Facebook: facebook.com/greatlakeschurch Great...