On a hill far away, stood an old rugged cross. Those iconic words compose the first line of a beloved hymn written by George Bennard in 1912. The words are powerful by themselves, but to know the story behind them takes the song to a deeper level. You see, George was converted by the gospel of Jesus Christ when he …
Have you ever considered becoming a foster family? Listen to Randy Harling, President of Connie Maxwell Children’s Home, talk about his own experience and an exciting new partnership to help your family serve in this way.
Powerful day with North Side family as we focused on Isaiah 48! Even on the dreaded Spring Forward Sunday, the church was getting after it this morning! We sang everything from Handel to Gaither this morning! If it is biblical theology, it needs to be sung no matter its age! Four of these songs are from our upcoming Easter services, …
In this 6th post on productivity, I want to talk with you about a tool that can help you if you use it wisely. If you don’t, it can dictate your life! I am talking about the dreaded tool known as email. In his book, Do More Better, Tim Challies, offers a unique perspective on how so many people handle …
Parents can either discipline too harsh or too lenient. Both are dangerous. Enjoy this video? Check out the growing collection of Family Alter videos!
Powerful day focusing on Isaiah 45 today! We tried to do some minor tweaking to the service to allow people to prepare to meet with God. It was pretty special seeing people quiet their souls before we began. Today’s service (well, at least the 11:00, we changed some things around on the spot at 9:30): Are You Washed in the …
Nowadays, when one begins to use such dirty words such as “truth,” the crowds begin to cry from the streets: “There is no absolute truth!” Well, is that statement absolutely true? “All truth is relative!” Apparently, all truths are relative except when it comes to that specific phrase. “That might be true for you but not for me.” Can I …
I don’t like to blog about too many political issues, so this post will be brief and clear. After Super Tuesday’s unsurprising results, I want to share just a few thoughts in a few hundred words. In this election, many people are voting against what they hate rather than for what they love. A common theme you hear on every …
We want to invite you to our Easter weekend special worship services on Friday and Saturday night at 7:00 pm. This year’s worship nights will be called “The Old Rugged Cross.” Join us as we cherish the old rugged cross this Easter weekend. Using hymns of old, we will recount the sacrifice of Jesus and worship the risen King. You …
In this 5th installment of a series on productivity, I want to throw out some ideas for you on how to moderate social media. While there are so many positives concerning social media, it can turn into an addictive time-waster like no other. Social media is like a walk through Walmart. You spend more time than intended & walk out …
Great time with our church family today. The worship team was great. The leadership and volunteers were getting after it all over the place. I loved getting to meet some new guests! The preacher was decent ;). It was an honor to be able to preach today at North Side but also to be led by such a great team! …
During my senior year of high school, I struggled with a calling into ministry. Years earlier, I was confident concerning the direction but lacked the specifics. I knew I wanted to serve Jesus with my life but just unsure how. The ebb and flow of high school seemed to be challenging that leading. Years removed from the initial prodding, I was struggling with …
Powerful day with the North Side family! It is simply amazing watching the church be the church! Today’s services: Reading – Isaiah 40:28-31 Everlasting God – North Side Worship Christ Be All Around Me – Michael W. Smith Prayer Time (we have 11 Baptist churches in our community without a pastor and we split into groups, choose one of them, …
“O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.” -Isaiah 37:16 Powerful day of worship as we built our services around Isaiah 36 and Isaiah 37. Here’s the service order: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross – North Side Worship Reading – Isaiah …
Greenwood Calendar is a site that seeks to promote what is good about our city. In addition to numerous news articles, they feature a band of the week. After hearing North Side Worship lead at the YMCA Prayer Breakfast, Robert Stevenson wanted to come over and shoot a video of one of our practices so that others could get a taste …
Serving as a pastor in the Bible Belt comes with quirky challenges. As a pastor, one of my greatest burdens is watching how churches compete with one another. You would think we would realize we are on the same team. You would think we would grasp that there are enough unchurched folks out there to fill every congregation. You would think we would …
In this fourth post in a productivity series, I want to give some tips on how to organize projects. I was speaking at an event recently, and someone came up to me who had read a book I had written. As we talked about the content for a while, she eventually acknowledged, “I’ve always wanted to write a book myself. …
Since Connie Maxwell Baptist Church is in a transition time, I took a band over to lead worship with our family over there this morning. It was such a great time to serve that church. Love the ministry of our partners over there and excited to serve them! I knew that North Side was in excellent hands. I heard the …
I was recently contacted by a youth leader who was considering if his group should make the switch from the summer camp they had been used to and go to MFUGE this summer. I want to share with you my response because I believe in FUGE camps and am excited to be one of their camp pastors again this summer. Here’s …
In a strange turn of events today, a grand jury indicted two people who pretended to want to purchase aborted fetal body parts rather than the organization that was selling them. Months ago, a group’s sting operation provided footage that showed Planned Parenthood employees admitting to illegal activity concerning partial birth abortion procedures and the potential profits. So, fetuses that are …
And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men -Isaiah 29:13 Such authentic services today. Amazed at what God is doing through his church. Here is how the service based on Isaiah 29 came together: …
In this third productivity post, I want to discuss the importance of choosing the right tools to keep you organized and focused. A few years ago, we remodeled a good portion of our home. As we went from project to project, I was on a first-name basis with all the employees at Lowe’s. I am a penny-pincher, so if I …
In this second post in a blog series on productivity, I want to talk about the importance of learning discipline. I mentioned in the previous post on “Disguising Laziness,” that I struggled greatly with procrastination. I tried to blame it on my wiring, but ultimately, I was simply succumbing to laziness. My close call with an online Greek course in seminary …
I used to brag about being a procrastinator. I could wait till the last-minute and get anything done. While I would drive people close to me crazy, I just accepted that’s “how I was” and barely made it through everything I did in life. That’s until my second semester of seminary came along. Prior to seminary, college had pushed me academically. …
Powerful time in Isaiah 26 this morning. So many people with so much that God is doing in their lives right now. Incredible just to be a bystander to watch him at work. Today’s services: Risen – North Side Worship Christ Is Risen (He Is Risen Indeed) – Keith and Kristyn Getty Announcements (Chronic Pain Class, Ladies’ Night Out, Marriage …
Where is this ruthless world headed? As you look at the state of our world, it is easy to get overwhelmed with its course and direction. How are believers to respond? We addressed this issue today through the teaching of Isaiah 25. Our services were also built around this great chapter of Scripture. It was such a special time of …
Today was such a great reminder of God’s faithfulness for this church. He has been so good to this congregation and continues to show himself strong among us. Loved hearing the very loud singing worshipers today. It really just seemed like everyone was dialed in. It was a great moment to celebrate the vote and hiring of our Mission Pastor. …
2015 was a busy year. The world had some interesting developments. Church and ministry were blowing and going. And in the middle of all of it, for whatever reason, people checked out posts on this blog. For all the posts written, these were the top 15 of 2015: 15. What to Do About Personality-Driven Churches The rise (and unfortunate falls) …
It was a fantastic day as we completed our last worship services at North Side in 2015. So thankful for all that God is doing with these people! Services: Joy to the World – North Side Worship (with iPad intro) In Christ Alone w/The Solid Rock – Travis Cottrell Scripture Reading – Isaiah 9:6-7 Prayer Time What Child Is This? …
Tonight was amazing. Packed room of worshipers singing beautifully to the Lord. Our Christmas Eve service always seems to be one of my favorite nights of the year! The order of service: Communion and Messianic Scriptures What Child Is This – Hanna Eppley A Christmas Alleluia – Chris Tomlin Let There Be Light – Point of Grace Scripture Reading – …
Powerful services today at North Side. I love worshipping with our church family. I love all the new folks God is bringing our way. I love watching people just get it. Here is how our services came together: Little Drummer Boy – We arranged this song on Wednesday using cups, trash cans, roto toms, and drums. I used my boys …
“Fear Not” was written for “The Word” project to cover the incarnation of Jesus. “The Word” is a project by North Side Worship telling the grand narrative of the Bible. It is available at North Side (May 3, 2015) and iTunes (May 5, 2015). Song Info We had finished writing all the songs for “The Word” project and “Fear Not” was not on there. We had …
Marriage must be built on the gospel teaching us how to forgive one another without bringing the sins up again.
To say my heart is full tonight is an understatement. Words cannot describe all the wonders of what God is doing in the life of his church right now. I won’t apologize for the emotions, because God has just been so good to me and to his church. Today was absolutely full of God on the move. Here is how …
Such a special day to start out celebrating Christmas! We started a new series studying through the Book of Isaiah. We are calling it “The LORD Is Salvation” since that is what the name of Isaiah actually means. Our services went like this: Christmas/Sarajevo 12/24 – Trans-Siberian Orchestra Family Dedication Hark the Herald Angels Sing – North Side Worship O …
The Gospel Coalition, Benjamin Watson, and Darrin Patrick joined together on the one-year anniversary of the Ferguson, Missouri court case decision for an honest conversation about racial tension and how the Rescuer, Jesus Christ, brings reconciliation to all. Watch the replay above.
We wrapped up our “Until He Comes” series today. Studying 1 & 2 Thessalonians has been so powerful and timely! Our services came together like this: To God Be the Glory – The Alone Instrument How Deep the Father’s Love for Us – Kings’ Kaleidoscope Prayer Time O the Deep Deep Love – Sovereign Grace Christ Is Risen (Because He …
We got to celebrate the global Church today. We had one of our missionary partners from West Africa join us in worship and it was great to have everyone together! Here was the service rundown: Hausa Greetings Go – North Side Worship Holy Spirit – Francesca Battistelli Mission Video Prayer Time Jesus, Son of God – Chris Tomlin No One …
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