Stop Working So Hard Hello Family, It has been my delight to pray for you this week. Not only have I brought your name before the Lord, asking him to increase your joy in him, but I have also repeatedly thanked God for you and the privilege of serving as one of your pastors. Over… Continue Reading
A Thousand Hills’ Worth of Cattle Dear Family, I have been praying for you this week, that God would unite us together in his love. At one of our year-end congregational meetings not too long ago, someone made a very helpful comment. This gentleman asked, “Can you give us occasional updates on how we’re doing… Continue Reading
Maundy Thursday Hello Family, There was a house in ancient Jerusalem, near the center of town, which had a large upper-story guest room. The room was well furnished and perfectly suited for a private gathering. We don’t know much else about the house, and nothing really about the owner, but it was at that house,… Continue Reading
This week, Pastor John hands over the TAGD keyboard to Pastor Brent Whitefield, Northpoint’s Pastor of Missions and Outreach. Palm Sunday Reflections Palm Sunday is typically a time for reflection on Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The narrative as recounted in all four Gospels is the heart-warming stuff of Sunday school flannel graphs. We can imagine Jesus waving beatifically from astride his donkey, much like the pope coming… Continue Reading
Helping Children See Jesus Hello Family, My prayer for you this week has been patterned after Jesus’ own intercession in John 17: I’ve asked God to “keep us from the evil one” (verse 15), and to “sanctify us in the truth” (verse 17) in order that we “may all be one” (verse 20). I had… Continue Reading
The Tenderness of God? Hello Family, I have been praying for you this week, specifically, that God would intensify your trust in him, and bolster your faith in his goodness. People often ask me, “How much can you see when you’re on the platform preaching?” My answer is: I see a lot. I notice when… Continue Reading
The Un-Politician Hello Church Family, I have been praying for you this week from Psalm 90: “O Lord, satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” This is a unique time in the life of our country. This is political “crunch time,” so to… Continue Reading
The Mark Hello Church Family, As far as I know, no Sunday school teacher has ever instructed a child to “be like Cain.” Certainly, church kids are told all the time to emulate David, Abraham, Joseph or Job, often in moralistic fashion (in other churches, of course!), but, to my knowledge, Cain has never been… Continue Reading
2.11.2016 This week, Pastor John hands over the TAGD keyboard to Pastor Brent Whitefield, Northpoint’s Pastor of Missions and Outreach. Report from Botswana Hello Church Family,I had the great privilege of spending the last week in Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana. Alex Ivascu, a member of our outreach team, accompanied me on the journey.… Continue Reading
Experiencing God Hello Church Family, I’ve been praying for you this week, that God would pour out his comfort and mercy on you. In the early 1990s, Henry Blackaby and Claude King wrote a best-selling (and somewhat polarizing) book called Experiencing God. It was hailed by many as a “revolutionary treatment” and “fresh new look”… Continue Reading