We’ve talked about Samson and Jephthah the last couple rounds. They both made terrible mistakes and seemed to be poor leaders. We used them as “bad examples!” However, they BOTH are listed in the Hebrews 11 “Hall of Faith” passage! Why? How? Maybe we should examine “what is faith?” That’s what we did at the Powerline Park GNCC. This message was pre-recorded as I was not able to attend. Trevor Lemaster and Clayton Kawasaki represented Team Faith, set up the pits and hosted chapel. Give a listen and let’s grow in our faith!

“On Purpose, For a Purpose!” God outlined his plan for Samson’s life, yet Samson never fully stepped into it. God’s purposes prevailed, but Samson’s life was full of drama and disappointment. What lessons can we learn from the strongest man who ever lived? This was our discussion at The Hoosier GNCC 2024.

The Old Gray in Monterey, TN was the hometown GNCC race for Team Faith. Really cool to have Brian O'Rourke come out and share some stories - from botching the opening prayer at a jet ski race to winning gold at X-Games! There were some definite low points in between. We turn to Matthew 16 and look at what it means to “give up your life in order to gain it.” God’s economy is backwards, inverted and so totally worth it!

How did the crowd miss that Jesus was The Messiah? They started out so good: “Hosannah!” But within a few days, “Crucify him!” Jesus came to fulfill a promise God made way back in Genesis, yet the people assumed he was there simply to defeat Rome. When we make up a god in our own image, culture will absolutely sway us. Look at the story of Jephthah in Judges 11. This is a most unusual Palm Sunday message! However, it makes the point that we need to stand on Truth found in God’s Word.

4 years ago, the world shut down. Churches too!  In hindsight sight, many pastors wished they hadn’t shut down at all. And others, namely those who latched onto the out-of-context “love your neighbor” theme - have gone wholesale into deception/gay-affirmjng. Does God’s Word have anything to say about how to stand firm in deceptive times? About how to discern truth from error?!You know it does! Give a listen from The General GNCC…

Last week during the “Not Ashamed” message, I made the statement that “Jesus came to set us free from the penalty of our sin AND the dominion of our sin.” Yet, so many times it seems that even as Christians, we are dominated by sin. How can that be? What do we do? Is there escape?! Of course! We turn to Luke 15 and James 4 for the answer at the Wild Boar GNCC…

Romans 1:16 says “I am not ashamed of the Gospel.” But what does that mean? Die for the Good News? Sure. But Paul also demonstrated in that passage how to stand for truth in a culture that denied Ultimate Truth. Welcome to Round 1 of the 2024 GNCC Season!

Hamas attacks Israel. Israel responds. Protests erupt. Is this Biblical? Apocalyptic? How should a Christian view Israel? How should we respond? All good questions, but there is one “question behind the question” that must be answered: “Why did Jesus have to die?” Seems unrelated! Give a listen to the chapel service from the 2023 Ironman GNCC and find the connection!

Chapel from The Buckwheat 100. We talked about courage and looked at an obscure Old Testament king, Jehoshaphat. He’s actually a model of what NOT to do! But there was a prophet who is part of his story, Micaiaha, who was bold without reservation and did not care what other people thought. That’s who I want to be like!

“The Sound of Freedom” movie was released this past summer - it’s the true story of Tim Ballard who quit his job with Dept of Homeland Security to pursue a sex trafficking ring in S. America. At the end of the movie, statistics were given stating that the USA is a top destination for child sex trafficking. How did we get here?! We were a nation founded on godly principals, but how far we’ve fallen! The question is, how do we stop it? How do we war against the culture? We looked to Genesis 4 for the answer. God told Cain, “Sin is crouching outside your door and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Let God do his work in our lives and allow that to spill over to our culture.

The earth’s magnetic field is actually not at true north! Depending on where you are on the globe, it’s off by a few degrees. Much like our culture, it also changes! (By about 50km/yr) As Christians, the Word of God is our True North - but there are things pulling at the compass needle that can put us off by a degree or two. In the short term, it’s no big deal. But 1° off-course over 60 miles will put you an entire mile off target! How do we orient to True North? Give a listen from the Snowshoe GNCC Chapel...

“Purpose in the Pain” was the message for the Mason Dixon GNCC. It’s a tough topic! Life is hard and often unfair. Where is God? Does He know? Does He care? I can assure that not only does He see our suffering but He USES it to bring us even closer in relationship with Him…if we let it! Tune in and hear about God’s sovereignty in the life of Job.

I’m a ”mistaker!” I do dumb things all the time! Will that keep me out of Heaven? Or is there something more? A young man asked Jesus a similar question. It’s the story of “The Rich Young Ruler” in Matthew 20. We discussed at the (very muddy) John Penton GNCC.

The difference between Christianity and 40,000 other belief systems (religions) is that only Christianity can claim proof that it IS the way. And that is through a resurrected Savior - something only God could do! But how do we know the Resurrection happened? Couldn’t it just be a myth, passed down from generations? Or a hoax? Or maybe grief-stricken people made a mistake? We tackle these questions at The Hoosier GNCC! There is a God who loves us and went to extreme lengths to prove it!

John 3:16 is probably the most recognized Scripture reference, although many people do not know what it actually says. Nonetheless, many athletes use the number 316 to point the way to Jesus, who gave his life so that none would perish. But did you know the context of the verse goes all the way back to the time of Moses? There’s a story in the Old Testament about the Israelites being bitten by poisonous snakes! Jesus uses that story as he speaks the words of John 3:16.

Ever since Genesis 3 there has been a Problem and a Promise! The problem is sin. And the promise is that the serpent’s head would be crushed! The way God brought about the promise is fascinating. Detailed to the very day of the Crucifixion, Burial, Resurrection and…Triumphial Entry! This is a Palm Sunday (Monday) message that will make you think as well as appreciate the detail God gave thousands of years in advance!

The General GNCC Chapel: Honoring God in the little things, or “Killing Lions!” 😳We looked at the parable of the talents (did you know a biblical “talent” of gold would be worth nearly $1.5 MILLION in today’s currency?). And then turned our attention to I Samuel 17 - the shepherd boy who killed a lion and then a giant! God is good and He has a Plan and a Purpose for each of us. Be faithful in the small things!

I Samuel 2:30 says, “I will honor those who honor me.” In context, there’s a bit more to it. We dig in at the Wild Boar GNCC Chapel and learn about honoring God in the Old Testament and honoring God now. There are some real life examples of people who honored God, refused to compromise…and God honored (and used) them greatly!

A revival started in 1970 at Asbury College and swept across the USA! Ripple effects from that still affect our culture today. Is God doing it again?! How does that work? If we really are living in the End Times, won’t there be a “Falling Away?” Could it be BOTH?! Chuck answers theses questions and more at the Big Buck GNCC.

This is a follow up to a couple weeks ago when we discussed “Situational Awareness: Are you paying attention?” Here, at the Buckwheat 100 GNCC, we took a look at a current event and then discussed Jesus’ teaching on End Times and persecution. “Hated by all nations.” A lot is happening in our world and in our country. We should be paying attention to the signs!