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EMPOWERING GENERATIONS

History Is In Session

by Corine Channell July 17, 2022

One of the classes you study in school is History. The definition of history is: “The study of past events, particularly in human affairs. Also the whole series of past events connected with someone or something.”

How do we learn and change and grow if we don’t know what happened in the past? The past is our teacher. The past is our experience. The past is our history. You can NOT cancel history class.

HISTORY CAN’T BE FORGOTTEN

The past is a part of the sum total of the history of mankind, and of each of us as individuals. I have a past that has made me who I am today – all of it – the good, the bad and the ugly. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” (George Santayana)

Pr‌actically speaking, let’s just see why history is important – it gives us the resources to become better people; it teaches us about who we are; it helps us understand others and how they think or feel or live; we get a world view; it helps us not to repeat the same mistakes or even tragedies and overall history prepares us to be launched into the future. “A nation that forgets its past, has no future.” (Winston Churchill)

THE DIVINE INTERLOCKING

We are genetically connected to those generations who have gone before us. Did you know that in our own DNA are memories from our ancestors – memories of their struggles and hardships, their joys and triumphs. In essence, we carry them in us. We are part of a bigger story and part of a legacy, albeit good or bad. IF bad, we get the chance to do better and to be better. IF good, then we get to pass it on generation to generation. “If you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree.” (Michael Chrichton)

So we are all connected to our ancestors who came before us. Sometimes you actually get to find out what they themselves were up against, and how they overcame.

ANCESTRAL ROOTS

My ancestors came to America on the Mayflower ship in 1620, exactly 400 years ago. They were called Pilgrims, and I myself was even born in Plymouth. My ancestor was William Brewster, the Pastor of the first church in America. He was also an author, who wrote over 400 books. My heritage and who I am have become so much more valuable to me now that I know what my roots are. My kids and my grandkids didn’t seem much surprised that my roots are in Jesus and writing. “Of course they are Nani – that makes sense!” We laugh at that but really, if there was no record of it I would have NO way of knowing. It empowers me to continue on for the sake OF my children and grandchildren, and generations to come. I hope someday someone will be able to say, “Oh look – 10 generations back was this lady you’re related to (or maybe named after)- she loved Jesus and writing, just like YOU!” THAT is why we can NOT cancel history. We are all interlocked like puzzle pieces from the past to the present to the future.

Our culture has become a drive thru experience, where we want what we want and we demand it NOW. That thinking keeps us imprisoned to only the here and now, and only thinking about ME ME ME! God thinks in generational terms, about family lines, blessings, covenants, memorials, offerings, memories and acts of remembrance. We are not here by accident or some random twist of fate. We are each a part of a bigger story.

THE STORY MATTERS

“We will not hide them from our children, telling to the generation to come, the praises of the Lord, and His strength and the wonderful works He has done.” ((Psalm 78:4) “Tell your children about it, and let your children tell their children, and their children the next generation.” (Joel 1:3) “That these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city…and that the memory of them should not perish among their descendants.” (Esther 9:28)

“The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” (Winston Churchill)

Keep history in session for you and yours, and those generations yet to come. Leave behind a honorable legacy.

___________

Why I Believe Generation Z Will Be the Most Influential Generation We Have Ever Witnessed

by Dr. William M. Wilson May 29, 2022

written by Dr. William M. Wilson

“Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less.” If this statement by The New York Times best-selling author and speaker John Maxwell is close to being true, then the leadership potential of Generation Z is huge because they are influencing the world. Generation Z is now the largest generation on the planet, as 2.47 billion of the 7.8 billion people on earth are part of it. Larger than both the millennial and baby boomer generations, Generation Z’s number alone positions them to make a significant impact.

Gen Z is currently influencing consumer and financial decisions in a substantial way. Forbes magazine recently noted that Gen Z represents $29–143 billion in buying power in the United States, along with exhibiting a considerable influence on how monies are spent by other generations. “Ninety-three percent of parents today say their children influence family and household purchases, according to a report by CASSANDRA, meaning a major portion of overall market spend is because of these youths.” Marketers and businesses are acutely aware of Gen Z’s buying and decision-making power and are attempting to identify what works with them. The traits that characterize Generation Z can be surprising, combining a desire for security, authenticity, and social value with an expectation of speed, convenience, and seamless service.

A recent McKinsey report says Gen Zers are undefined, communaholics, prologuers, and realistic. They are also a consumer force to be reckoned with, according to McKinsey, who states, “Young people have always embodied the zeitgeist of their societies, profoundly influencing trends and behavior alike. The influence of Gen Z—the first generation of true digital natives—is now radiating outward, with the search for truth at the center of its characteristic behavior and consumption patterns. Technology has given young people an unprecedented degree of connectivity among themselves and with the rest of the population. That makes generational shifts more important and speeds up technological trends as well.”

Generation Z is also more financially conservative than other generations. Michael Pankowski, who leads the Crimson Connection on the Harvard campus and is a Gen Zer himself, said, “35% of us plan to start saving for retirement in our 20s, and another 10% are planning to save as teens.”

Generation Z is also influencing nations and politics. Roughly 24 million Gen Zers were eligible to vote in the 2020 election, which accounted for roughly 10 percent of the total number of eligible voters in the US. Generation Z has been at the forefront of protests against racism around the world, and they are the most racially diverse generation ever. They will overthrow and reverse systemic racism patterns, opting for societies where every race and mixtures of races are treated equally. Over the next decade, their influence and leadership on social issues from climate change to abortion will be felt in the capitals of the world.

Generation Z will also lead and influence the world because of their educational prowess. They will be the most educated generation in history. A recent Pew Research Analysis noted that more Generation Zers are in college in the United States at the age of eighteen to twenty-one years than were in any previous generation at the same age. These trends are also true globally as the emerging middle class accesses higher education, bringing an explosive need for advanced opportunities while giving rise to a host of new global institutions to meet the need. This ascendant knowledge base in Gen Z will serve them well in the marketplace and push them toward leadership quickly.

Gen Z will influence the world. This is indisputable. However, the question before us and them is how will they influence it? This collective generation has the greatest opportunity in the history of humankind to make a positive impact and an exponentially expanded opportunity to grow the influence of God’s kingdom on the earth. I believe that they are the new leadership generation, and everyone will see their impact for good in the days ahead.

From all my years of travel and engagement with young people, I have become convinced that Gen Z is special and unique. The unprecedented variables surrounding them have created an environment conducive to greatness. I believe they will rise to the occasion and that history will view them as one of the most important generations ever to live.

The storms are going to be strong in the days ahead, and Jesus is going to be revealed in mighty ways. Above the wars, disasters, calamities, diseases, and difficulties, however, Christ will stand—calling our names and beckoning us to step onto the surface of the sea and walk with Him. I believe that many in Gen Z are standing on the edge of a boat right now with their faces turned into the wind or kneeling in the sawdust at a makeshift altar somewhere—giving Jesus everything. Fearless and faith-filled, they are about to make history. Their time of destiny has come, and the Holy Spirit has marked them for this moment. My heart sees them as they believe God’s estimation of them and as they step onto the sea, witnessing the miraculous. The depth of the storm before us will only make the height of their victory appear even greater. When the dust of time has settled and tumult has turned into eternal peace, it will be forever known that Generation Z was Born for the Storm.

_________

The Long Journey Back

by Corine Channell February 23, 2021

written by Corine Channell

I have spent the last few years fearfully trudging the long journey back into the cesspool of a past I was attached to, in more ways than I realized or was ever willing to face. The pain was too deep and too great, and more than I could mentally handle. I call it “too much of too much”.

In recent months I have finally gotten far enough in to uncover the murky depths long-buried by time and its shame. It has been the most terrifying and liberating journey I did NOT know I needed to take.

Long Journey: Facing My Past

But WHY? Why would I care to face my past; the one I had carefully laid to the side and ignored all the while hoping it would just go away. Why would I decide I needed to face my deepest darkest fears? Why would I subject myself to the pain of reliving abuse, rejection, shame, and despair? There is really only one reason for me – generations. I did it for those who come behind me.

I do not want to leave any trace of my abuse alive and well in my DNA and in my family line. I do not want to leave any stones unturned. Deuteronomy 7:9 says, “Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, who keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations.”

To A Thousand Generations

A THOUSAND generations. Those words are a stark reminder to me that my life is NOT my own and just about me. If that was true, I would not have taken the voyage of healing, in a raging sea of horrors. I did it for my kids. And for my kids’ kids, and their kids, and their kids. And for a thousand generations. We all come with 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great grandparents, 16 great-great-grandparents, and so on with the power of multiplication all the way to 1,024 great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparents.

We are all connected, from generation to generation and there is NO escaping it. So, the question is, do we want to leave behind a legacy of blessing, or a legacy of curses? Yikes. I would assume we would ALL choose blessing. “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live.”
(Deuteronomy 30:19)

Leave A Lasting Legacy

What IS a legacy? It is a provision, birthright, heirloom, endowment, an inheritance of some sort – something we leave behind when we are gone. Generally, the very first things we think of in terms of inheritance is money or property; the family business. Money and property and businesses are all great, but we all don’t have ANY of that to leave behind. I know I don’t. So what CAN I leave behind???

IF I am able to leave behind blessings to my offspring, then I have come to understand it comes through my freedom from an ugly past. NO way, NO how do I want to leave behind my fears and guilt and struggles and bondages. For me, I have had to face all my secrets and shame from abuse, in order to rise above it and break it off the next generations after me. Secrets breed secrets; anything you hide can grow and reappear in those who come after you.

The Bible is clear on the subject of truth – it sets you FREE. “Ye shall know the truth (ALL the truth) and it WILL (not maybe) set you FREE.” (John 8:32) We can not even hope to pass on a pure, uncontaminated heritage unless we first unravel the sins of the past, the shames of the past, the failures of the past. By doing that, it stops it ALL – dead in its secretive paths. THIS is why I am trying my hardest to face every part of who I was and who I am, in order to get the best version of who I have yet to be.

Long Journey: Choose Blessings

“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse.” (Deuteronomy 11:26) It is ALWAYS a choice – in fact, every minute of every day of your life on planet earth is governed by your choices. I don’t know about you, but I find this sobering – it feels like a weighty responsibility I did NOT always take so seriously. I mean, I knew that – but only of recent did I connect that my silence about my past and its harmful, damaging effects on me could become somewhat of a curse I could unknowingly pass down.

I now refuse to be governed by silence and shame. I refuse to let MY offspring and bloodline not see clearly, the journey before them. If we do NOT face OUR own enemies and slay them, how can we hope to teach THEM how to do that for themselves? No more secrets. No more shame.

I am telling my story soon, in a book I have titled Beyond The Bolted Door, to be released soon. It is MY way to heal and to help others heal and to break the silence I have held for way too long. No longer will I be held captive by satan’s lies and his fear tactics. I WILL be a voice for a thousand generations. THAT is my legacy. THAT is my hope. THAT is my WHY. That is the blessing I can leave behind.

And I do it scared. But I know it matters. My story matters. Your story matters. You can and WILL change history.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and NOT for evil, to give you a FUTURE and a HOPE.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

To a thousand generations.

February 23, 2021 0 comment

Faith

History Class Is In Session, Pay Attention, Don’t Forget

by Corine Channell July 16, 2020

written by Corine Channell

One of the classes you study at school is History. The definition of history is: “The study of past events, particularly in human affairs. Also the whole series of past events connected with someone or something.” Currently, history is in danger of being erased, as if events of the past never happened. How do we learn and change and grow if we don’t know what happened in the past? The past is our teacher. And the past is our experience. The past is our history. You can NOT cancel the history class.

HISTORY CAN’T BE FORGOTTEN

The past is a part of the sum total of the history of mankind, and of each of us as individuals. I have a past that has made me who I am today – all of it – the good, the bad, and the ugly. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” (George Santayana)

Practically speaking, let’s just see why history is important – it gives us the resources to become better people; it teaches us about who we are; it helps us understand others and how they think or feel or live; we get a world view; it helps us not to repeat the same mistakes or even tragedies and overall history prepare us to be launched into the future. “A nation that forgets its past, has no future.” (Winston Churchill)

THE DIVINE INTERLOCKING

We are genetically connected to those generations who have gone before us. Did you know that in our own DNA are memories from our ancestors – memories of their struggles and hardships, their joys, and triumphs? In essence, we carry them in us. We are part of a bigger story and part of a legacy, albeit good or bad. And if it is bad, we get the chance to do better and to be better. IF good, then we get to pass it on generation to generation. “If you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree.” (Michael Chrichton)

So we are all connected to our ancestors who came before us. Sometimes you actually get to find out what they themselves were up against, and how they overcame.

HISTORY: ANCESTRAL ROOTS

My kids and my grandkids didn’t seem much surprised that my roots are in Jesus and writing. “Of course they are Nani – that makes sense!” We laugh at that but really if there was no record of it I would have NO way of knowing. It empowers me to continue on for the sake OF my children and grandchildren, and generations to come. I hope someday someone will be able to say, “Oh look – 10 generations back was this lady you’re related to (or maybe named after) she loved Jesus and writing, just like YOU!” THAT is why we can NOT cancel history. We are all interlocked like puzzle pieces from the past to the present to the future.

Our culture has become a drive-thru experience, where we want what we want and we demand it NOW. That thinking keeps us imprisoned to only the here and now, and only thinking about ME ME ME! God thinks in generational terms, about family lines, blessings, covenants, memorials, offerings, memories, and acts of remembrance. We are not here by accident or some random twist of fate. We are each a part of a bigger story.

THE STORY MATTERS

“We will not hide them from our children, telling to the generation to come, the praises of the Lord, and His strength and the wonderful works He has done.” (Psalm 78:4)

“Tell your children about it, and let your children tell their children, and their children the next generation.” (Joel 1:3)

“That these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city…and that the memory of them should not perish among their descendants.” (Esther 9:28)

“The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” (Winston Churchill)

Keep history in session for you and yours, and those generations yet to come. Don’t be a part of the cancel history culture or there will be no future to walk into.

July 16, 2020 0 comment

Articles Faith

Planetshakers Works To Raise Up A Generation Of Christ Followers, Taking The Gospel To The Nations

by Jennifer Alden July 31, 2019

written by Jennifer Alden

Planetshakers

Since its inaugural gathering in 1997, Planetshakers has gone on to become a global movement through its annual conferences, international church campuses and numerous live recordings, including multiple Dove Award-nominated projects.

The Australia-based collective, led by Senior Pastors Russell and Sam Evans, has hosted gatherings in cities around the world while also launching Planetshakers Church in 2004.

With over 17,000 members in Australia, Planetshakers Church is one of the fastest-growing churches in that nation’s history, stretching across five campuses in Melbourne with additional locations in Singapore; Cape Town, South Africa; Geneva, Switzerland and Austin, TX.

planetboom

Planetshakers sends multiple music touring teams across the globe, ministering to millions in over 40 nations. planetboom, as a part of this ministry, embodies the next generation and is passionate about encountering God and seeking His presence. Comprised of young musicians, songwriters and vocalists, the team leads thousands of teenagers in breakthrough praise and worship every week.

Relentless in their pursuit of God, they seek to change the culture around them through a new sound of praise and worship that is both relevant and powerful. And the energy and excitement this youth-ministry presents with onstage, has been extraordinarily mind-blowing!

planetboom | Praise On Praise | Official Music Video

Watch this video on YouTube

Planetshakers’, planetboom’s, newly released Praise On Praise declaration conveys the goodness and greatness of God. It is produced by Planetshakers’ worship leader Joth Hunt and creative director Josh Ham, written by Josh Ham and youth pastor, songwriter and drummer Andy Harrison, featuring worship leaders and recently engaged couple, Aimee Evans and Noah Walker.

This new single and video follow planetboom’s first full-length album, companion book and audiobook, all entitled Jesus Over Everything, which released amidst acclaim earlier this year (March 22).

“planetboom’s debut full-length release is a leap forward for youth worship, combining an incredible myriad of styles in a seamless presentation unlike anything else out there today,” says NewReleaseToday.com’s Kevin McNeese. “This truly is worship for a whole new generation that pushes the bar forward on what a live recorded worship experience can be.”

For all the latest planetboom news and updates, visit www.planetshakers.com/planetboom.

July 31, 2019 1 comment