Peeling the Onion

Some receive our ACG Newsletter but other readers of my blog do not so I added this article. If you would like to receive the newsletters go to the ACG website at www.achosengeneration.org



Several years ago a person made a comment to me regarding the “vision” that I had given their pastor. My ego wanted to pat myself on the back and tell me what a great job I had done serving the Lord. It seemed only to be nano-seconds before God awoke me from my self-indulgent dream.

Before I could even thank the person for the intended compliment, I said to the person, “I never gave your pastor a vision.” I went on to explain that the vision for the “InterGenerational church” was planted in the pastor’s heart by God and I was given the privilege of “peeling the onion.”

When that was said, the person had a perplexed look on their face. I went on to tell them that what brought me to the church was the trust of the pastor because he knew in his spirit that I shared the same vision that God had given him.

I have come to realize that God has trusted A Chosen Generation with a clear understanding of vocabulary, definitions and strategies for the restoring of the InterGenerational Church.

There is a part of that trust and favor for this message that can be paralyzing or empowering. With God’s trust comes enormous responsibility. I have chosen to be empowered.

God has allowed ACG to help some incredible pastors “peel the onion.”

When God entrusted A Chosen Generation with a message for the InterGenerational Church, He also gave me some very clear guiding principles that I have worked hard to follow from the very first day.

1. Never hold a pastor hostage. Having spent a couple of days in Special Operations during my 23 years of military service I thought I understood “Hostage” but it took me time to understand what God was telling me. Over time I understood God to mean that if we withheld truths, training, equipping and resources that God has given ACG from Pastors, we would hold pastors hostage to this ministry and that was never God’s intention.

2. Never out price the small church. This has been foundational from the very beginning. I believe that God desperately loves the small church and sees it as just as important as any “mega-church.” The reality is that much of what God has given ACG is best implemented in smaller churches that best represent family. That is not to say that we cannot help larger churches. It is merely to say, “If it is of God and good for His church, it should be good for ALL His churches.”

3. Be open and operate with integrity. We have worked very hard to be open, honest and with full integrity.

In the 20/20 Vision for His Vision for 2020, it is very clear that it will require resources. We must shift from doing the ministry to training others and trusting them to carry the message. We must lock arms with many other organizations and ministries. This will require us to travel and attend conferences and meetings that are expenses and not direct revenue producing. Over time we will be able to see these types of events and training as investments for ACG and the churches we serve.

From the very beginning, I have known that God is our provider, not men or churches. His resourcing of A Chosen Generation will come through faithful churches as well as men, women and families who are obedient to God’s nudging. God is going to use the obedience of many others who He has trusted with Kingdom Resources to resource A Chosen Generation.

In the past, I believe that I have lacked boldness to talk about money or resources. I have no good reason for that except to say that I believe the work God has entrusted to A Chosen Generation is Kingdom work and can be part of God’s greater plan of raising up “World Changers.”

It is critically important for everyone to know that I am not asking you for just financial support. I am inviting you to join A Chosen Generation on an incredible journey; a journey that in the next ten years will reach over 5 million people with message, strategies and resources to restore the InterGenerational church in His Kingdom. We are devoting our energy to helping pastors “peel the onion” of a vision that God has to them.

I am inviting you to become part of something that in 10 years you can look back and tell your children and grandchildren, “I was obedient and God let me be a part of something amazing.”

My prayer is not that you will donate to ACG. My prayer is that you will earnestly pray, seek God’s heart and then to be obedient to what He tells you.

InterGenerational Traditions

Have you ever given thought to how traditions were established? It the simplest of answers, traditions have been established because they were done the first time and someone realized it was good and wanted to do it again and continued through the years.

Several years ago, we did something that has become one of our family traditions. We had gone to Christmas Eve services and then everyone came to our house and we just did “family.” Our Christmas Eve dinner has been clam chowder, shrimp (and lobster for the daughter who claims she does not like shrimp) and snacks. We all wrap gifts, play games and enjoy being with one another. Everyone spends the night together at our home.

Then our daughter, Lauri, added a twist. Everyone was allowed to open a present. It happened to be a present of her choosing. Each one of us opened our gift which was new PJ’s. One by one we each went and changed into our new pajamas. Now, out of our “church” clothes and with a fire blazing in the fireplace, we settle in to just have “family time.”

The picture is dark and of the fireplace with stockings hung. For some odd reason, no one in our family would allow me to post a picture of all of us in our pajamas.

Now with our family spread out and each with extended families, our Christmas Eve tradition happens on the even-numbered years and the week after Christmas on the odd-numbered years.

I am not sure that our oldest granddaughters, Ellie and Hannah, can remember a Christmas without new pajamas and the whole family enjoying being with one another. Now we add Makayla and Liam to the mix and I hope they will always remember Christmas that includes the family and new pajamas.

InterGenerational churches must be built on InterGenerational families; families who do life together and create their own traditions.

If your kids and/or grandkids were asked if your family has any Christmas traditions, what would their answer be and what do you want their answers to be?

A Vision for InterGenerational or Just a Slogan

Very often I am with leaders who talk about “InterGenerational” ministry as if it is already happening in a powerful way in their church or organization.

Many times, a closer look reveals that InterGenerational ministry is being given “lip service.” The term is being woven into messages and documents as if that is all that is required. The problem is that many churches appear to believe that InterGenerational ministry can be accomplished by a slogan or including the word in a mission or vision statement.

When InterGenerational is left to a slogan or vision statement and there is no clear strategy to accomplish goals or implement actions, it does not take very long for most of the people to see “the Emperor has no clothes.”

The Holiday Season is a very important time for churches and families. It is a season where the church has an incredible opportunity to bring families closer together and not farther apart.

It is not too late for this year!!

I want to suggest that as churches and families, we look carefully at the activities of the season. I think that we can divide activities into three basic groups.

1. Family activities where we all do something together. We must be sure that we
intentionally plan these types of activities- - games, caroling, events.

2. Activities where one part of the family watches another part of the family do
something. This can be a part of the evening. Things such as children’s Christmas programs can be followed by some family time.

3. Activities where one part of the family does things separate from the rest of the
family. Small Group parties that do not include our children are a good example. Also, time for mom and dad to have a dinner alone is very important.


Like a good diet, our spiritual life must have balance. I like pizza, but not for every meal. I want to do things with my children and my grandchildren. I also want some time with friends and with only my wife.

Churches should take a close look at the diet they are presenting to the church family. There should be balance there as well.

One of the things that my home church does regularly is the shaping of Communion to be a family time. Often we are given the elements and told to hold them and gather with our family. That simply act draws our family closer together.

If we do not look at our activities at this time, InterGenerational can become just a slogan.