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 • power • time • 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 • power • time • god • times • jesus
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“Then Saul took 3,000 of the best-trained men from all Israel and went to search for David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats.” 1 Samuel 24:2

There were three things we see in this verse that David encountered as a young leader in his quest to obey God. Rocks, wild goats and a king named Saul. Each has application to the building of a new work for God.

The walls are now up on our new facility at Northstar Church. It won’t be long now before…

Categories: Building •Church •Church Growth •General •Leadership
Tags: northstar • church • life • mission • time • grace • building • courage • god • times
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So, I’m sitting here in my un-tucked dress shirt, sipping a latte, reading “Good to Great” for the 5th time, twittering to all my “peeps” while I write my latest blog…. ugghhhhh…..Lord, please deliver us from “cool.”

Here’s what’s hard though.  Cool is such a desirable commodity is our world.  In fact, many, many of my best friends are cool. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.  Cool is the word that never goes out of style.  It is our verbal stamp of approval when we like anything.  “Cool.”  It’s blessing, approval, validation and pure goodness all wrapped up…

Categories: Church •Church Growth •Leadership •Thoughts
Tags: mission • god • hip • coffee • cool • uber • lost
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