“I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” 2 Tim 1:5 (NIV) Today is my dad’s birthday. He is now on the spiritual path to finish well. However, when I was a child, my dad became an alcoholic which led to my parents’ divorce and ultimately to his imprisonment. As a result, my dad was not an integral part of my upbringing. When I look over my childhood, the one constant in my life was church. My mother and my mamaw made certain that I went to church with them each Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday night. My mother played the piano and my mamaw played the organ. God used that consistency in my life to allow me to be under the influence of the gospel each week in Sunday School, in worship, and in my church’s basketball league. God brought godly men into my life at church that would take me fishing, camping, and hunting. I watched those men closely to see how they treated their wives and their children. On March 28, 1979, I gave my heart to the Father who would never let me down. Jesus became the Lord of my life and He also became my Heavenly Daddy! Paul identified the sincere faith that Timothy’s mother and grandmother exhibited before him consistently. Timothy became a follower of Christ and devoted his life to teaching and preaching God’s Word. I love how Paul affirms the sincere faith that first lived in Timothy’s grandmother and mother. Are you handing down the faith? Is your faith sincere? Will the next generation be able to look at your life and see the reality of Jesus and His Lordship? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
Category: Bridger Generation
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Bridger Generation (6)
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” 1 Tim 4:12 (NIV) After being involved in a life altering Jet Ski accident and surrendering to preach at age sixteen, I remember officiating one of my first weddings. I was standing near the altar steps just before the wedding rehearsal was to begin when the mother of the bride asks, “Where’s the minister?” When I announced that I was the minister, you should have seen her face fall. She reacted by darting out the words of surprise that, in her estimation, I was just a kid. Those were the “good old days.” Paul’s words of encouragement and instruction to his young son in the ministry have been a life-line over the years of my ministry. Every generation has the honor of participation in God’s redemptive activity. Regardless of your current life stage, whether you are in the Bridger, Buster, Boomer, or Builder generation, you have the wonderful invitation from God for participation in God’s world redemption story. Don’t allow your inadequacies and insufficiencies to barricade you from joining God in His activity. Your usefulness to God is not based on your particular generational identification. Your usefulness to God is based on your identity in Christ and your availability to Christ. Surrender to the Lordship of Christ and be an example to others in your conversation, your convictions, and your conduct. Every person in every generation will one day stand before God to give an account for the deeds done while in the body. Set a Christ-honoring example for others. Be a model to follow! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Bridger Generation (5)
“‘And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.’” Matt 18:5-6 (NIV) Jesus loves the little children. As you read these powerful words of Christ, you may be offended by the strong language used. Jesus does not water down His conviction about the vitality and vulnerability of children. Jesus confronts us with the reality that the children are our responsibility. If we choose to mislead them, we will suffer the consequences. If we choose to guide them in the way of the Lord, we will be blessed. The vast majority of those who come to place their faith in Christ alone for salvation do so before the age of twelve. Children exhibit tenderness toward the things of God. They are so open to what God wants to do in their lives and through their lives. Children are like tender clay in the hands of a potter. God has given us the responsibility to help mold them and shape them into fully devoted followers of Christ. With this awesome privilege comes tremendous responsibility. Jesus wants us to take our responsibility of influencing children toward Him seriously. Think of what is at stake when children are misled. Not only is their immediate future jeopardized, but also their eternal destiny. I am so grateful for the godly men and women that God placed in my life during my formative years to point me to Jesus. They faithfully modeled the Christ-centered life. Every generation deserves to be lead to the foot of the cross and introduced to a saving relationship with Jesus. Are you in? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Bridger Generation (4)
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’” Matt 18:1-4 (NIV) Every generation can only enter the kingdom of heaven one way. Through repentance and childlike faith, a person from any generation can enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus not only solidifies the method of entry, but He also identifies the measure of greatness in the kingdom of heaven. The road to greatness is paved in humility. Children have the wonderful capacity to believe. They want to believe that anything is possible and they can dream some amazing dreams. Being around children has a contagious factor of faith. The simplicity of their faith can also be very convicting for those who have become too familiar with the cognitive realm. Children have the refreshing quality of demonstrating humility in their willingness to acknowledge their need for comfort, love, and acceptance. What will the next generation see in you? Will the Bridger generation be convinced that repentance and childlike faith in Jesus is the answer by simply observing the way you live? Your conversation and conduct immersed in humility for God’s glory will demonstrate to a watching world the reality of kingdom citizenship. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Bridger Generation (3)
“Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.” Luke 8:40-42 (NIV) Have you ever been desperate? Our natural tendency is to be strong and independent and seek to figure things out on our own. However, in those seasons of desperation, we recognize that we are finite and that God is infinite. God has a way of reminding us of our dependency upon Him. Sometimes the reminder comes in the package of suffering. The ruler of the synagogue, Jairus, was suffering as a parent as he watched his only daughter at the tender age of twelve lay dying. Jairus sought Jesus and fell at His feet. Jairus was in a season of desperation and pleaded with Jesus to come to his house to rescue his dying daughter. On His way, Jesus was interrupted by the woman with the issue of blood. Jesus healed this woman and then the report came that Jairus’ daughter had died. “Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.’” Luke 8:50 (NIV) “When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. ‘Stop wailing,’ Jesus said. ‘She is not dead but asleep.’” Luke 8:51-52 (NIV) “They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and said, ‘My child, get up!’ Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat.” Luke 8:53-55 (NIV) Jesus is the answer for every generation. The Bridger generation, those born between 1984 and 2002, has needs that only Jesus can meet. Will you be available to share Jesus with the next generation? Those in desperation need a demonstration of the love that Jesus provides. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Bridger Generation (2)
“‘Why were you searching for me?’ he asked. ‘Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?’ But they did not understand what he was saying to them.” Luke 2:49-50 (NIV) The secret to concentration is elimination. Our life on planet earth is full of distractions. It can be very difficult to focus on what really matters in this life. There are so many tugs and so many allurements. Just examine the Bridger generation for a few moments and you will notice how they are bombarded with unlimited options for entertainment. How do you get children to focus on things of eternal value when they are saturated with external impulses? In the Bible, we get a glimpse of Jesus at the age of twelve. While Joseph and Mary were in the caravan headed home, Jesus was in the temple sitting among the teachers listening to them and asking them questions. Three days later, Joseph and Mary return to Jerusalem in search of Jesus. You can imagine their consternation and relief when they found Him. Jesus responded to them by clarifying that He had to be in His Father’s house being about His Father’s business. “Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” Luke 2:51-52 (NIV) “‘My food,’ said Jesus, ‘is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.’” John 4:34 (NIV) Jesus oriented His life around His Heavenly Father’s agenda. Are you investing in the next generation at that level of intensity? Are you passionately giving your life to our Heavenly Father’s agenda? There’s an entire generation to reach for God’s glory. Are you in? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Bridger Generation (1)
“After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals.” Judges 2:10-11 (NIV) All it takes is one generation. It is difficult to fathom how one generation can witness the mighty works of God such as water from a rock, manna from heaven, and crossing the Red Sea on dry ground and fail to pass down the faith. From generation to generation, the faith of our fathers can erode or explode, evaporate or emanate. All it takes is one generation. In our modern context, the younger generation known as the Bridger generation, are those born between 1984 and 2002. They comprise 27 percent of the United States population. They are also known as Mosaics, Millennials, and Generation 9-11. The Bridger generation has a desire for authentic faith and acceptance of others. Will the faith be handed down to them? “Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.” Prov 7:2 (NIV) “Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?” Matt 16:9 (NIV) “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” Heb 2:1 (NIV) God has called us to reach and disciple every generation for His glory. Will you live in such a way that those who know you, but don’t know God, will come to know God because they know you? As Dr. Johnny Hunt says, “The people in your community may not read the Bible, but they will read the gospel according to your life.” Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor