Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty, founding pastor of Victory Christian Center in Tulsa, passed away quietly early Sunday morning after a battle with lymphoma, surrounded by his family and close friends.

I wish I had the opportunity to become a closer friend of Pastor Billy Joe. For the better part of our ministry lives, Cathy and I admired he and his wonderful wife Sharon from a distance. It was only recently that…

Categories: Church •General •Personal •Thoughts
Tags: northstar • church • america • mission • time • grace • building • courage • god • lives
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This is the question Cathy and I, our staff and some very close friends have been praying about for the last several months.


Three years ago, when we opened the doors to Northstar Church, we determined to be a “going and reaching” church rather than a “clutching and grabbing” church. We all have seen too many churches who are more focused on keeping “the found” rather than reaching the lost. Really, I believe the more we focus on the lost in our communities, the more we will fire up the found to engage their gifts for God. The final words of Jesus were “Go!” He told us to continually look for new places, new people and new cultures to take the Gospel to.

Categories: Church •Church Growth •Church Planting
Tags: northstar • church • america • gospel • life • time • courage • god • times • jesus
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So what is God saying to His church? How do we interpret the cultural and spiritual skies that are overhead?

Allow me to take you back for a moment to the turn of the last century when God was pouring out His Spirit in Topeka, Kansas and Azusa Street in Los Angeles. The two most influential men in this fresh visitation of God that began in about 1903 were Charles Parham and William Seymour. Both were mightily used by the Lord to re-introduce the baptism in the Holy Spirit, along with His gifts, to the church in America. Thousands and thousands of people came to Christ, were healed, set free from sin and filled with the power of the Spirit. This revival absolutely changed the spiritual landscape of America and beyond.

Categories: Church •General •Holy Spirit •Spiritual Formation •Thoughts
Tags: church • america • life • mission • time • power • grace • land • god • jesus
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I am currently teaching on the ministry of the Holy Spirit at Northstar Church. We are a Spirit filled church and do not try to hide it.  We actively contend for spiritual gifts that will help the hurting people of our community. Each week, people walk through our doors that need healing, direction, deliverance from addictions and the list goes on. We believe gifts like prophesy are crucial for both edification and guidance in the local church. I scratch my head when churches that once valued the ministry of the Holy Spirit and exercised His gifts have now shut Him out of their worship. The very person that directed their steps in the early days, caused them to grow and help so many people has now been benched on the sidelines…

Categories: Church •Church Growth •General •Holy Spirit •Spiritual Formation •Thoughts
Tags: northstar • church • america • gospel • life • time • power • god • times • jesus
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Many of you know I have been speaking about Joshua at Northstar.  He is one of my favorite Old Testament characters.

Joshua was given a monumental task by the Lord. Move an entire nation of people into a new land occupied by huge armies and even bigger giants who would rather kill them than welcome them for a cup of tea. That’s why God told Joshua at the beginning of this monster relocation assignment to “be strong and very courageous” or he would never get the job done…

Categories: Church •General
Tags: america • strategy • honor • financial • opportunities • faith • increase • giants • joshua
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So I hope you like our new blog site… because you know, that’s what this world needed was one more blogger, right?  Hey, I enjoy writing and if some of you enjoy reading my thoughts, along with those of our Northstar “staffers,” then that makes it all worthwhile.

I must admit I was more than a little happy to see a few comments on my first blog… wow… people came, they read, they commented and they left.  That’s nice. 

On to my observation today.  I like David Letterman.  Yea, he’s pretty darn funny.  Love the top ten list, which has become an American staple…

Categories: Church •Church Planting •Leadership •Personal
Tags: northstar • church • america • leaders • socks • dave letterman • pastors • funny
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