Grace in the Little Things Hello Church Family, If you were with us on Sunday for either of our worship services, you heard me share a story of my mom’s earliest Christmases. Sadly, as a little girl, she often watched as several of her siblings received gifts, while she (and typically one of her sisters)… Continue Reading
Comforting Words Hello Church Family, Wow, what a difficult week for our church. On one day alone, three people connected to Northpoint passed away, while others were hospitalized or treated with major injuries or setbacks. Late Tuesday night, I stood in the front yard with a grieving family who’d just lost their husband and father… Continue Reading
God Likes Dirt Hello Church Family, Have you ever been to a good old-fashioned tent revival? Well, I’ve been to a few. Not necessarily because I wanted to go, but because I was forced to go. When God saved my mother out of a life of alcoholism and paganism, she made sure that my sister… Continue Reading
What’s Your Job at Church? This week, Pastor John hands over the TAGD keyboard to Marti Wiegman, Northpoint’s Director of Women’s Ministries. Dear Church Family, Earlier this week, one of our Women of the Word leaders relayed the story of sharing with a new acquaintance that she attends Northpoint. The woman asked her matter-of-factly, “What’s your job at church?” She just assumed that someone… Continue Reading
This week, Pastor John hands over the TAGD keyboard to Terilyn Brown, Northpoint’s Director of Children’s Ministries. Dear Church Family, How I used to dread when the month of October would roll around each year. Oh, I loved the cool, crisp mornings and the fall color, but as the month would draw to a close, the beauty of autumn would give way—at least as… Continue Reading
Jesus in the Motherland Hello Church Family, In a letter that we’ll soon be studying together, Jesus’ brother James writes: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (1:27). On Monday I’ll be making the 10,000 mile journey from… Continue Reading
Mission Week is Almost Here! This week, Pastor John hands over the TAGD keyboard to Pastor Brent Whitefield, Noerthpoint’s Pastor of Missions and Outreach. Mission Week is almost here and this year there will be something for everyone. It will be an opportunity for us to hear from old friends and make some new ones. Next Sunday, October 19, we… Continue Reading
Here’s a Tip Dear Church Family, I love reading stories about grace. Maybe you came across this heartening account this week, as well: last Saturday, Steven and Makenzie Shultz, a couple in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, went out to dinner to celebrate their sixth anniversary. But it was anything but a relaxing evening. After they were… Continue Reading
Hello Church Family, I’ve been praying for you a lot this week, for God to guard the hearts of our congregation, protect us from the evil one, and enable us to rest in his sanctifying grace. A friend emailed me this week, asking the question, “what does it mean for a father to provoke his… Continue Reading
Today Americans take time to remember the horrible events of Sept. 11th, 2001. It is well we should. National memory of formative events, positive and negative, are important for the health of a people. The act of remembering can serve to remind us of core values or to stir us to action or vigilance. Soldiers… Continue Reading