Category: Digging Deeper

 

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…

Matthew 28:19a (NIV)

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LIVING SENT WHERE YOU ARE

 

“Go.” It’s such a short, simple word—easy to understand and hard to ignore. It implies action. Movement. Response.

When someone says “go,” you don’t sit back and wait—you move. As kids, many of us heard that word while lined up at the top of a hill or the edge of a sidewalk, racing friends on bikes or on foot. On your mark. Get set. Go. It launched us into motion, filled with energy and anticipation.

That’s what Jesus was doing with the disciples in this passage. He wasn’t just offering them a good idea—He was giving them a mission. A purpose. A holy push forward.

At Northstar, we often use the phrase “Live Sent.” It’s a modern-day way of saying what Jesus said at the end of Matthew: Go. Make disciples. Live intentionally.

But here’s the thing—“going” looks different in every season of life.

When I first began walking with the Lord, my “go” looked like serving in the preschool ministry—reading Bible stories to toddlers and learning alongside them about who Jesus is. Later, I was called into vocational ministry. “Going” then meant leading Bible studies with coaches and athletes, sharing God’s truth in locker rooms, gyms, and on the sidelines.

Now, I find myself in a different kind of season. Chronic illness has changed what “going” can physically look like for me. There are days my feet can’t take me far—but my voice still can. I’ve learned that going isn’t always about crossing physical borders. Sometimes it’s about crossing internal ones—fear, fatigue, or the comfort of routine—and being willing to speak truth and encouragement even from a place of limitation.

The call to “go” can challenge us deeply—because let’s be honest, we’re busy. We’re tired. Our lives are full. And the idea of adding one more thing to the calendar can feel overwhelming.

But what if going isn’t about adding something?
What if it’s about reframing what’s already in front of us?

You don’t have to go overseas to live sent (though maybe one day God will call you to). You can “go” right into your office, your classroom, your gym, your neighborhood. It could look like showing up early once a week to lead a devotional with coworkers. Or choosing to show up to your regular life with an intentional posture—looking for ways to reflect Jesus in word and in deed.

Yes, that kind of “going” might feel uncomfortable at first. But that’s part of the beauty. Obedience rarely happens in comfort zones. It’s in the stretching that we grow—and in the going that others come to know Him.

Here’s the truth: every follower of Jesus is commissioned to go. Not necessarily to faraway places, but always to people. Our neighbors. Our coworkers. Our families. Our teammates. Our communities.

Wherever you are, there is your mission field.

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Prayer:
Jesus, help me not to miss the opportunities right in front of me to live sent. Show me what “go” looks like in my current season. Give me boldness when I feel timid and faithfulness when I feel tired. Use me—right where I am—for Your glory.

Reflect:

• Where has God already placed you that could become your mission field?

• What small, intentional step of “going” could you take this week?

 

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Minda Seagraves has been married to her best friend, Russell, for 17 years and is mom to Carson and Maddie. She is also a full-time missionary with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, serving as a chaplain to local female high school teams and supports 380 staff across four states in the U.S. and 20 countries in East Africa as the Regional Director of Talent Advancement with FCA. Minda and her family live in Acworth and have been attending NorthStar Church since 2020.

 

 

Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘”All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

Matthew 28:18 (NIV)

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ALL AUTHORITY — TRUSTING IN JESUS’ POWER

 

There’s something remarkable about the way God weaves moments together with such intention that it can’t possibly be coincidence. A certain message, a Scripture passage, a conversation—lined up so specifically that it feels like it was handpicked just for you.

For many, the phrase “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” might sound like a theological statement—true and powerful, but somehow distant. It’s one of those verses we’ve heard enough times to nod in agreement without really stopping to ask: What does that mean for my actual, everyday life?

But this verse from Matthew 28 hits differently when life feels out of your control.

For those walking through a difficult diagnosis, an extended season of caregiving, or the heavy grief of loss…
For those who have stepped away from a career they once loved or are living with limitations they never expected…
For anyone who has had to release the life they thought they’d be living—this verse becomes less of a concept and more of a lifeline.

Over the past several months, I’ve been walking through a season of chronic illness—a slow, exhausting wilderness that has stretched longer than I ever anticipated. It’s challenged everything I thought I understood about control, strength, and trust.

In the past, I could push through hard things. I could power my way out of discomfort with determination. But now, my days often begin and end with physical limitations I can’t “will” my way out of. I’ve grieved the version of myself who once operated with energy, ease, and independence—and I’ve had to ask: If You, Jesus, have all authority, why this? Why now? Why still?

And yet—this slow surrender is reshaping me. In the stripping away of what I once relied on, I’m being drawn closer to the One who truly holds my life in His hands. My grip is loosening. My dependency is growing. I’m learning—however reluctantly at times—that trusting His authority means trusting His timing, His pace, and even His silence.

There are seasons when trials come like waves—brief and forceful, but eventually passing. And then there are seasons when it feels like the waves never stop, when the storm isn’t just a moment but a new reality. In those places, trusting that Jesus holds all authority becomes more than a Sunday school answer—it becomes the foundation we cling to when nothing else feels stable.

Many of us know what it’s like to say we trust God’s authority while still quietly gripping tightly to our own plans and expectations. But prolonged struggle often reveals just how much we’ve been relying on ourselves. And in the unraveling, we’re invited into a deeper dependence—not a defeated one, but a holy one.

There’s beauty in that kind of surrender. Because when we’re no longer striving to manage everything, we’re finally free to sit at Jesus’ feet—open-handed, open-hearted, and ready to be filled. Sometimes, the most faithful thing we can do is simply show up in His presence—not with a to-do list, but with a quiet willingness to be led.

This isn’t the version of discipleship many of us imagined. It’s slower. It’s more dependent. It’s quieter. But it’s real. And it’s holy.

Because if we’re to be disciples who make disciples, we must first be people who know what it is to trust Jesus fully—not just with our salvation, but with our suffering. With our unknowns. With our today.

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Prayer:
Jesus, help me not just to believe You have all authority, but to trust You with the parts of my life I can’t control. In the places where I feel powerless, remind me of Your power. In the waiting, be my peace. In the letting go, be my guide.

Reflect:

• Where in your life are you being invited to trust Jesus’ authority more deeply?

• What might it look like to loosen your grip and lean into His?

 

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Minda Seagraves has been married to her best friend, Russell, for 17 years and is mom to Carson and Maddie. She is also a full-time missionary with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, serving as a chaplain to local female high school teams and supports 380 staff across four states in the U.S. and 20 countries in East Africa as the Regional Director of Talent Advancement with FCA. Minda and her family live in Acworth and have been attending NorthStar Church since 2020.

 

 

Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 

John 20:26

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GOOD GOD!

 

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Quite simply, Dave Griffith loves getting to know Jesus better by studying His Word daily and is passionate about teaching his siblings in Christ how to study His Word as well. He is passionately in love and like with his helpmate, Jackie; and is most fulfilled when he is hanging with his 10 kids (3 of his, 2 of Jackie’s, 3 are married, 2 more spiritually adopted) and 9 grandkids. He is a small group leader and a men’s group leader. He is a serial entrepreneur owning or having owned numerous businesses. He also enjoys naps!

 

²⁶ Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 

John 20:26

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WHERE IS GOD?

 

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Quite simply, Dave Griffith loves getting to know Jesus better by studying His Word daily and is passionate about teaching his siblings in Christ how to study His Word as well. He is passionately in love and like with his helpmate, Jackie; and is most fulfilled when he is hanging with his 10 kids (3 of his, 2 of Jackie’s, 3 are married, 2 more spiritually adopted) and 9 grandkids. He is a small group leader and a men’s group leader. He is a serial entrepreneur owning or having owned numerous businesses. He also enjoys naps!

 

²⁶ Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 

³⁰ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹ but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 20:26, 30-31

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TRUSTING GOD WHEN HE SAYS “NO”

 

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Quite simply, Dave Griffith loves getting to know Jesus better by studying His Word daily and is passionate about teaching his siblings in Christ how to study His Word as well. He is passionately in love and like with his helpmate, Jackie; and is most fulfilled when he is hanging with his 10 kids (3 of his, 2 of Jackie’s, 3 are married, 2 more spiritually adopted) and 9 grandkids. He is a small group leader and a men’s group leader. He is a serial entrepreneur owning or having owned numerous businesses. He also enjoys naps!

 

²⁴ Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe. ²⁶ Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”

John 20:24-27

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HE KNOWS EVERYTHING – AND STILL LIKES YOU

 

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Quite simply, Dave Griffith loves getting to know Jesus better by studying His Word daily and is passionate about teaching his siblings in Christ how to study His Word as well. He is passionately in love and like with his helpmate, Jackie; and is most fulfilled when he is hanging with his 10 kids (3 of his, 2 of Jackie’s, 3 are married, 2 more spiritually adopted) and 9 grandkids. He is a small group leader and a men’s group leader. He is a serial entrepreneur owning or having owned numerous businesses. He also enjoys naps!

 

²⁴ Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.

John 20:24-25

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MEET DOUBTING DAVE

 

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Quite simply, Dave Griffith loves getting to know Jesus better by studying His Word daily and is passionate about teaching his siblings in Christ how to study His Word as well. He is passionately in love and like with his helpmate, Jackie; and is most fulfilled when he is hanging with his 10 kids (3 of his, 2 of Jackie’s, 3 are married, 2 more spiritually adopted) and 9 grandkids. He is a small group leader and a men’s group leader. He is a serial entrepreneur owning or having owned numerous businesses. He also enjoys naps!

 

³⁹ One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him,^[a] saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” ⁴³ And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Luke 23:39-43 (NLT)

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GRACE ALONE

 

We started attending NorthStar in early 2011. Some good friends of ours, who have since moved away, recommended it to us after the pastor of our old church had moved on.

We gave it a shot one weekend and have belonged ever since, considering it our church home. In the 14 years since, we’ve been part of several small groups, attended and participated in various volunteer events, and tried to serve in a manner worthy of a churchgoing believer.

When we become believers, there are often many discussions about what should follow. Is it baptism? Church membership? Small groups? Counseling? Some combination of all of these? There’s no debate that belonging to a church and a community of believers is vital to a healthy understanding of Scripture—and also to navigating the ups and downs of life.

However, there is an important distinction to remember: none of these things are required for your salvation. Not a single one.

Paul says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not the result of works, so that no one may boast.” Grace alone gets you into heaven.

Pastor Alistair Begg once spoke about grace, imploring his congregation to “preach the cross to yourself daily” so that we don’t forget it is grace alone that saves us. In that message, he references the passage we studied this week in Luke, referring to the thief on the cross. Begg wonders aloud what it must have been like that day when the thief showed up in heaven. This is what follows:

“Think about the thief on the cross… I can’t wait to find that fellow one day to ask him, ‘How did that shake out for you? Because you were cussing the guy out with your friend. You’ve never been in a Bible study. You never got baptized… You didn’t know a thing about church membership, and yet… you made it. How did you make it?’ That’s what the angel must have said, you know:

‘What are you doing here?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘What do you mean, you don’t know?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Excuse me, let me get my supervisor.’ They go get their supervisor angel:

‘So, just a few questions for you. First of all, are you clear on the doctrine of justification by faith?’

The guy says, ‘I’ve never heard of it in my life.’

‘And what about the doctrine of Scripture?’

He just stares… and eventually, in frustration, [the supervisor] says, ‘On what basis are you here?’

And he says, ‘The Man on the middle cross said I can come.’”

This is one of my favorite pastoral musings of all time, and I don’t know if there’s a simpler or more beautiful way to express the hope we all have who trust in Jesus.

Nothing we do will ever be good enough to get us into heaven. It is by His grace alone that we can one day say the same thing:

“The Man on the middle cross said I could come.”

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Lee Wilson and his wife, Deanna, have been NorthStar Church members since 2010. They are parents to Everett, Henry and Roselyn. Lee is passionate about sports (Go Braves, Go Dawgs) and has the pleasure to serve on the worship team as a bassist.

 

 

³⁹ One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him,^[a] saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” ⁴³ And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Luke 23:39-43 (NLT)

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THE URGENCY OF SALVATION

 

I was watching a video of two pastors—who you may know—having a discussion with each other. They were talking about all aspects of being a pastor, from the boring logistics that only a church employee would find interesting to deep theological questions they posed to one another.

One mutual commonality between them was their experience meeting people in public and gauging their reactions when they explain their profession. The scenario they discussed was this: “How do you respond if you’re on an airplane and someone next to you—whom you do not know—asks what you do for a living?”

Both pastors shared similar stories about how most people tend to go quiet after finding out they are pastors, suddenly preferring to read Delta’s safety pamphlet rather than have a conversation about God. After that, both men spoke of an interesting conviction that arose as they reflected on these experiences.

If the Bible is true, shouldn’t we be diving headfirst into uncomfortable conversations? I mean, let’s say you’re sitting on a plane, and a stranger next to you asks a few questions. The subject of faith comes up, and you discern they are not a believer. Normal conversational norms would suggest being a polite, non-confrontational passenger—but what if the plane goes down? And what if that person wasn’t a believer?

You might be sitting in that very seat to talk about Jesus with a complete stranger just moments before their impending death. You could be their last hope. As the pastors wrestled with that thought, they acknowledged that if they truly believe the Bible, there should be a measure of desperation in their conversations. We believers should care so much about the person next to us that we want to make sure they have the opportunity to meet Jesus. Scripture is very clear on the consequences that await those who do not know Him, and that should propel us full speed into those moments of faithful discussion.

The thief on the cross was moments away from death, and—lo and behold—the Savior of humanity happened to be on the cross next to him. With a penitent heart, he asked for and received mercy from Jesus.

The thief knew his time was near, but many people don’t have that luxury. So be bold enough to get uncomfortable. Be brave enough to talk about your Savior and the glorious hope you have in Jesus. Someone’s eternity might just depend on it.

 

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Lee Wilson and his wife, Deanna, have been NorthStar Church members since 2010. They are parents to Everett, Henry and Roselyn. Lee is passionate about sports (Go Braves, Go Dawgs) and has the pleasure to serve on the worship team as a bassist.

 

 

³⁹ One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him,^[a] saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” ⁴³ And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Luke 23:39-43 (NLT)

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GETTING ANSWERS FROM THE RIGHT PERSON

 

Recently, my wife had a scary encounter at work. She was setting up a display at a retail store when one of the metal crossing bars on the display came loose and fell on her arm. She’s far tougher than me and despises any kind of pity or attention, so she initially tried to push through the mishap.

After a few minutes—and some immediate swelling—it became clear that pressing on wasn’t an option. She called me, and I left to go with her to urgent care. Since this was a workplace incident, there’s a specific protocol for treatment, including which doctor to visit and how to appropriately seek care.

My poor, injured wife was mistakenly given two incorrect addresses for care and was turned away both times! A frustrating experience, to say the least. After one more phone call, we were finally connected with someone who helped update us on the correct care options. Eventually, we found the right person who could help, and thankfully, what was initially feared to be a fracture turned out to be just a contusion.

It’s important to find the right person to ask for help. As we studied Luke 23 this week and focused on the thief on the cross, we see that the penitent thief asked for help from the right person. After acknowledging his guilt, he asked Jesus to remember him in His kingdom.

Sometimes, we can find the answers to life’s questions right in front of us. The nature of our daily problems may be solvable with our own intellect and resources. But this can breed an unhealthy sense of self-sufficiency that will falter when the problem grows beyond our ability to manage. Some problems are simply too big for us to solve.

So what do you do when you face life’s biggest problems? It is a universal truth that we will have trouble in this world (John 16:33), so are you trusting in the One who overcame the world to solve them?

The thief on the cross was saved—in part because he asked the right person for help. Jesus, battered and bloodied on the cross next to him, assured him that his faith had brought him to paradise.

Jesus says He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). We will always face problems bigger than ourselves, questions we can’t answer, and situations that don’t make sense. In those moments, it’s crucial that we seek help from the right person.

 

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Lee Wilson and his wife, Deanna, have been NorthStar Church members since 2010. They are parents to Everett, Henry and Roselyn. Lee is passionate about sports (Go Braves, Go Dawgs) and has the pleasure to serve on the worship team as a bassist.