Generation – John Markum

Six Thoughts for My Generation

Posted on May 22, 2013 by johnmarkum

Last week I added a somewhat pointed post (click here to read) to my blog asserting that the sin of my generation is entitlement. I went on to elaborate on how we got here, and the long term effects of maintaining a pervasive entitlement epidemic among today’s young adults. And I meant every word. Yet I wasn’t done with just that post. There’s more that needs to be said to my generation regarding this issue of entitlement, which I eluded to in my previous post. So here are six things I need to say to today’s young adults:

Everyone knows your life is hard. Welcome to the club. It’s not that I don’t feel for you. Because I do, honest. You’ve likely had it much worse than I ever have. But you’re in good company. Focusing on how you’ve been wronged is only going to hold you back. Conquer your past. Be strong enough to overcome what others have done to you. Get counseling if needed. But drop the bitterness.
Give more than you take. You owe the world a living, not the other way around. Stop trying to get what you can out of life, and start determining how you can make it better for the benefit of others. And don’t just settle for giving as much as you take. Over deliver on your life.
You’ve got unimaginable potential. We live in the most exciting time in history! We have been recipients of the most advanced technology, creativity, and communication abilities. The world has gotten smaller before our eyes. We can learn practically anything within seconds. Most of our generation can barely remember life prior to the internet. The generation of teens coming after us has never known life without Facebook! We are one of the most coveted voting demographics of our time. We cannot afford to squander our opportunity. Your potential is limitless. Do something with it.
Failure isn’t final. The only people who have never failed are those who have never attempted anything worthwhile. Your life won’t be significant because you’ve avoided failure, but because you’ve risked it. And if/when you do fail admit it, learn from it, and move on.
Don’t be a narcissist. You’re life is not about you. Quit pretending otherwise. Pour yourself into others. By giving your life away, you find life. Choose to find your satisfaction in building others up rather than yourself.
Don’t run from God. It’s a race you won’t win. My generation largely overreacted to the deficiencies we saw in previous generations. We discovered they were human, with flaws and everything. Some of them even claimed to follow God while secretly living a lie. Just because people have been fake doesn’t mean that God is too. And just so you don’t setup a new false expectation, know that religious hypocrisy is multi-generational. True God-followers are -well- like Jesus: full of grace and truth (John 1:14). Gravitate toward such people.

Blessings,
Pastor John

The Sin of my Generation

Posted on May 15, 2013 by johnmarkum

Every generation has it’s pitfalls. And every previous generation is acutely aware of the next generation’s short-comings. Because of this, my generation seems to rebel against the criticism that comes from those in our parents’ and grandparents’ era. But regardless of the source pointing it out, adults between 25-40 are in danger of reaping the consequences of a severe generation-wide transgression.

The sin of my generation is entitlement.

Each generation’s experiences influence the next generation. My grandparents’ generation (those 60+) were strict, hard working, and learned to get by on little and be happy with it. Because of that influence, my parents’ generation (45-60) inherited much of their parents’ strong work ethic, but were determined to give their children opportunities and advantages that they never had. Out of love for their kids, they worked very hard to provide and make sure that their children had it “better” than they did. Our generation (25-40) grew up learning to take those advantages for granted, and their parents began to complain about how easy their kids had in comparison to their own childhood.

And so now we have an entire generation of adults who largely expect the world to provide the same advantages their parents gave them, which were thanklessly received but seldom earned. As a result, we see prolonged adolescence. Men “grow up” still milking their parents financially well into their 30’s. Grandparents are raising their grandchildren. Government assistance such as welfare, food-stamps, and housing are higher than they ever have been in our country. A “broken home” used to refer to a family that went through a divorce. But there are now more homes that were never whole to begin with.

If you fall within the demographics I’m describing, you might be beginning to protest. Before you go there, remember that I’m one of you. I’m speaking about the problems we’re dealing with as an insider. And no, we’re not all suffering from a self-centered sense of entitlement. Yet this is the pervasive problem of today’s American young adults. And to be fair, perhaps you are one of the multiple thousands of our time who did not have such a great advantage while growing into your adult years. But if you lean on those disadvantages as an excuse for not making something of yourself, then you are still suffering from entitlement.

The longer we – as a generation – continue to delay adulthood by clinging onto the sippy cup of our childhood that we used to have or didn’t feel we had, the more egregious our sin. We are committing a crime to ourselves, each other, and most of all, to our children’s generation by maintaining an attitude of entitlement.

So snap out of it! I’m not against you. I AM YOU. We’re in this together. And there is a huge responsibility laying upon us to make a difference and contribute something significant to this world. To whom much is given, much shall be required. I’ll post more on this subject later in my next post.

Blessings,Pastor John

The Tuesday Ten: Big Influencers

Posted on September 18, 2012 by johnmarkum

This week, I decided to share the top ten people who have influenced my life the greatest, whom I have never met. Also, these are non-biblical individuals, so the obligatory “Jesus,” or “Apostle Paul” didn’t make this list.

Billy Graham: Taught me that the Gospel, itself, was powerful enough to change multitudes.
Rick Warren: Dared me to think about church differently.
Peter Furler: Former lead singer for the band, Newsboys. Showed me that good music can be fun, loud, powerful, and full of the Holy Spirit.
Steven Furtick: The church should be the most creative entity in the world… and it’s OK to preach in jeans.
Perry Noble: Be real. Be yourself.
Bob Hughes: Missionary to the Philippines. Don’t hold back!
Chuck Swindoll: It’s lonely to lead.
Andy Stanley: Discipleship happens in community.
Mark Zuckerberg: Connected more people to a social website than were on earth during the time of Christ.
Steve Jobs: A man who clearly had an amazing gift. He changed much about my world. I think of people like him advancing God’s Kingdom.

These are not perfect men, and some of them may not even be Christ followers. But I – and much of my generation – have been greatly influenced by these individuals, and I’m grateful to be the recipient of their contributions.