NorthStar Church Blog

Developing Character

Kevin Burrell on May 28, 2025

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit [character] in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Galatians 5:22-23

DEVELOPING CHARACTER

It was a typical Monday morning commute. Traffic was dense, brake lights flickering like Christmas lights ahead. The driver, appearing to be running late and already frustrated, found himself boxed in. Another car abruptly swerved into his lane without signaling. That’s all it took. His temper erupted.

He laid on the horn, rolled down the window, shouted words he’d never say in church, gave the middle finger “good luck sign,” and tailgated the car in front of him just to “teach them a lesson.” His blood was boiling. His heart was pounding. And in that moment, he was consumed—not by traffic, but by his own lack of self-control.

Listen closely: Here is the reality—life is not about you. Life isn’t about our comfort, our convenience, or even our schedule. We weren’t created for our own agenda but for God’s purposes. And those purposes often involve transformation—turning reactive, impatient hearts into ones that mirror Christ’s love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. All nine of these characteristics are better known as the “fruit of the Spirit.”

Galatians 5:22–23 tells us that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. It’s not something you manufacture by sheer willpower. God’s character is the fruit of the Spirit. His character grows in you more and more when you lock eyes with Jesus daily and surrender to His shaping hand on your life. Every aggravation on the road—or in life—is a chance to build, develop, and grow Christlike character.

So the next time you’re tempted to lose it—on the highway, on the field of competition, in a conversation, or in a moment of frustration—remember this: your response is shaping eternity. Your attitude and your words carry weight. Spend your time on earth preparing for heaven by developing Christlike character. You’re not just avoiding road rage; you’re preparing for heaven.

Love God. Love People. Live Sent.

Be Worth Being.

Kevin

Kevin Burrell has worked in professional baseball as both a player and MLB scout for the past 44 years, and currently serves as an area scouting supervisor. Kevin was drafted in the 1st round of the 1981 free agent amateur draft (25th selection overall), and played ten years of professional baseball with four different organizations. He and his wife, Valerie, live in Sharpsburg, Ga.

Digging Deeper: Holy Habits

Lee Wilson on May 28, 2025

Daniel 6:10-11 (NLT)

HOLY HABITS

Scripture is filled with examples of people facing hardship and responding with prayer. We see Jesus in Gethsemane the night before He went to the cross; there’s David’s numerous prayers during times of affliction, or others like Nehemiah, Paul, and Job.

In those instances, there is a very relatable sense of desperation, fear, or even sadness that accompanies the prayer. It is a good thing to be faced with suffering or difficulty and to run to the pages of God’s Word for inspiration and hope.

In studying Daniel, we see that his prayer in chapter six led directly to his punishment and condemnation, resulting in his being sent to the lion’s den for the night. We don’t get a direct portrayal of what Daniel said or what his prayer might have been, but we do get confirmation that his prayer was a direct response to the command not to pray to God (verse 10).

Based on everything we’ve learned about Daniel, it is reasonable to assume he was an educated and discerning man. He likely understood that once the edict came down from Darius forbidding prayer, dissenters would be punished harshly. Yet he did not run from the punishment in the slightest. He prayed. That was his response.

Daniel’s prayer wasn’t just a desperate plea in the face of danger—it was what he did every day, three times a day. We are repeatedly commanded in the Bible to pray. Jesus gives us direct instruction on how to pray (Matthew 6:9–13), Paul tells us how often to pray—hint: all the time (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18)—and we are reminded to pray when we feel anxious (Philippians 4:6–7; 1 Peter 5:7; Matthew 6:25–34).

Prayer is meant to be a habitual activity for believers, a way of refocusing our attention on our relationship with God. Dietary habits, sleep habits, and workout regimens all matter to our physical health—but habitual prayer serves a deeper, eternal need. Daniel is an example of that.

Pastor and author Alistair Begg discussed Daniel and his prayer life, highlighting it for other believers:

“Daniel is, I think, in passing, an illustration of the priority of forming holy habits. It was his unswerving witness which made it possible for him to be caught. And as loyal as he’d been to these various empires in serving them, nobody could be in any doubt about his loyalty to the Kingdom of God. He looked towards Jerusalem, where he believed the truth was found and where he believed men and women from every nation would look for their salvation.”

May we all be as committed to the forming of holy habits so that similar words can be written about us!

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.

Digging Deeper: Standing Out for the Right Reasons

Lee Wilson on May 27, 2025

³Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire.

⁴Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy.

Daniel 6:3-4 (NLT)

STANDING OUT FOR THE RIGHT REASONS

I have played the bass guitar since I was 15 years old. After getting my first bass—a Washburn that still holds a sentimental place in my heart—my dad signed me up for lessons, and I was off and running.

Those lessons, and my awesome teacher named Eddie (who is still playing live music), had a huge influence on me as a player. I had an interest in playing in a garage band with my friends, and I wanted to learn how to do all the flashy stuff—yes, like slapping the bass, which is the number one question bass players everywhere get asked (thanks a lot, Paul Rudd).

What I learned from my teacher was that none of those things matter if you don’t have a foundation in the fundamentals of music, the instrument, and technique as a whole. He taught me to keep it simple and focus on the basics.

Playing in the pocket—having a sense of how to play in a way that adds to the song or makes the other musicians sound better—that is what matters. You might be able to wear sunglasses like Joe Dart, but if you don’t actually know how to play, then you’re standing out for the wrong reasons.

As we discussed Daniel chapter six this past week, we learned a lot about who Daniel was as a man even before he had to survive a night in the lion’s den. He had earned the favor of Darius and was placed in an administrative leadership role over the 120 satraps governing the area (v. 3).

When jealousy took hold among his colleagues and they began to plot and scheme against him, they kept coming up short. Verse four says, “…they could find no charge or corruption, for he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him.”

Everything we can glean from Daniel suggests that he was a great leader (v. 3), a man of integrity (v. 4), and a man loyal to God above all else (v. 10). We have a very clear picture of someone who set a godly standard for us to follow.

I’m brought back to my bass lessons with Eddie—perhaps it’s best to focus on the basics. If we can be people of integrity who place God above all else, then we can stand out for the right reasons, like Daniel.

Digging Deeper: Defiant Prayer

Lee Wilson on May 26, 2025

¹⁰But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. ¹¹Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help. ¹²So they went straight to the king and reminded him about his law. “Did you not sign a law that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions?”

“Yes,” the king replied, “that decision stands; it is an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.”

¹³Then they told the king, “That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is ignoring you and your law. He still prays to his God three times a day.”

Daniel 6:10-13 (NLT)

DEFIANT PRAYER

Jealousy is a dangerous influencer of behavior. It can lead to poor choices and regret, and it can bring harm to others. As we studied Daniel chapter six this week, we read the remarkable story of Daniel being sent to the lion’s den and his incredible protection from the Lord in that moment.

Daniel was an established leader, held in high regard within the kingdom—even among his peers. A faithful man, Daniel prayed three times a day—every day. His performance, along with the praise and attention it garnered, drew the jealous ire of the administrators and satraps (which, by the way, means “a provincial governor who oversaw administration, security, and tax collection within their assigned territory”).

They schemed to trap Daniel by convincing Darius to sign an edict limiting prayer and praise to be directed only to Darius himself. In response, Daniel “got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, as he had done before” (verse 10). This led to his apparent condemnation—yet Daniel didn’t seem worried.

Interestingly, the name Daniel has a very relevant meaning: “God is my judge.” Daniel lived up to his name, fearing only the judgment of God—not the judgment of his fellow men. He was not going to stop praying to his God because of an edict or any form of earthly authority. He understood to which judge he ultimately had to answer.

Pastor and author John Piper described Daniel’s prayer life as “daring, disciplined, and defiant.” He goes on to say, “If what God thinks matters most, then you consult him most. If what God does matters most, then you ask him to act first. In other words, you live your life by prayer.”

Consulting God the most should be the default reflex of any believer, but I have a feeling I’m not alone in saying it’s not always mine. Daniel’s example is simple to see but hard to follow. When we have decisions to make or fears that begin to creep in, what should we do? We should PRAY!

You and I may not be faced with a literal lion’s den—at least, I sure hope not—but we are undoubtedly faced with new troubles every single day. Let’s respond by following Daniel’s example and falling to our knees in prayer.

Digging Deeper – The Way Back to God

C.A. Phillips on May 23, 2025

17 Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

Jonah 1:17 (NLT)

THE WAY BACK TO GOD

I can guarantee that when Jonah bought his one-way ticket on the ship to Tarshish, he had no clue he would be swallowed by a huge fish and spend three days and nights there. To my knowledge, no one before Jonah—or since—has ever endured this experience and lived to talk about it. As we know, God works in miraculous—and mysterious—ways.

I can only imagine how foul it must have been inside that fish. After all, fish already smell a bit “fishy” when they’re expertly cleaned and prepared for my dinner plate at Red Lobster. But can you imagine living inside a fish for three days? As my dad would say, “Peeee-shew!”

For Jonah, this fish wasn’t just a smelly, slimy form of punishment. It was a means of transportation—an unforgettable one—to get Jonah back where God wanted to use him. It isn’t likely to appear in the form of an aquatic beast, but the Lord does the same for you and me when we have disobeyed Him: He provides a way back—to Him and to our divine assignment.

Typically, our response to the Lord’s correction is one of two extremes: we wallow in shame, or, in further defiance, we sever our relationship with Him. The Lord does not want us to pursue either of those options. Instead, He wants us to do three things:

Confess – Honestly share where we missed the mark.
Repent – A “churchy” word for simply going in the opposite direction of our sinful actions.
Walk with Him!

The next time you find yourself as an outcast, bobbing up and down among the waves of your disobedience, know that God has provided a way back to Him! And be thankful it’s not in the belly of a whale!

C.A. Phillips serves as Communications Pastor and Director of Men’s Groups at NorthStar Church. He is a graduate of the Henry W. Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia, and he loves the Dawgs and the Atlanta Braves. He has two (grown) boys and lives in Kennesaw with his wife, Amy, and their German Shepherd, Abby.

Digging Deeper – God Uses Our Storms to Save Others

C.A. Phillips on May 22, 2025

15 Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! 16 The sailors were awestruck by the LORD’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.

Jonah 1:15-16 (NLT)

GOD USES OUR STORMS TO SAVE OTHERS

This is an often-overlooked part of the story: the sailors on the ship headed to Tarshish came to know the Lord! These men believed in “little g gods.” But despite Jonah’s selfishness and blatant disregard for their safety, God still showed up—not just to claim Jonah, but to reveal Himself to them!

You’ve heard the phrase, “God doesn’t waste anything.” This is proof! In the middle of Jonah’s disobedience, we find a ship full of pagan sailors—men who didn’t know God but were so absolutely amazed by His might that they abandoned their gods and turned to Him.

This should be a sobering wake-up call for us. There are people everywhere—all around us, every day—who don’t believe in God. Or if they do believe there is a God, they certainly don’t have a relationship with Jesus. And get this: He loves them too! So much so that He will reveal Himself to them through someone else’s trials—perhaps even yours!

Let’s be mindful of this! When you are disobedient, you put others in harm’s way. But that also opens the door for the Lord to do His masterful, saving work! And as we see in Jonah’s story, that might just mean you’re thrown overboard in the process.

Digging Deeper – The Unseen Cost of Sin

C.A. Phillips on May 21, 2025

5 Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship. But all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold. 6 So the captain went down after him. “How can you sleep at a time like this?” he shouted. “Get up and pray to your god! Maybe he will pay attention to us and spare our lives.” 7 Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit. 8 “Why has this awful storm come down on us?” they demanded. “Who are you? What is your line of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?” 9 Jonah answered, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.” 10 The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the LORD. “Oh, why did you do it?” they groaned. 11 And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, “What should we do to you to stop this storm?” 12 “Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.” 13 Instead, the sailors rowed even harder to get the ship to the land. But the stormy sea was too violent for them, and they couldn’t make it. 14 Then they cried out to the LORD, Jonah’s God. “O LORD,” they pleaded, “don’t make us die for this man’s sin. And don’t hold us responsible for his death. O LORD, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons.” 15 Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once!

Jonah 1:5-15 (NLT)

THE UNSEEN COST OF SIN

It’s one thing to face the consequences of your sin; it’s far worse when others in your wake must endure hardship as a result of your decisions. This is where we find Jonah at this point in the story. Interestingly, he doesn’t seem distressed at all—he’s sleeping like a baby while the sailors aboard the ship are fighting for their lives!

This is, unfortunately, something we all tend to overlook when we choose the path of sinful disobedience. We may rationalize our actions and behaviors, even planning ahead for the time when it catches up with us. However, we don’t have a contingency plan for the havoc we cause in others’ lives. This is nearly always the most painful repercussion we face—seeing others suffer for our wrongdoing.

Amazingly, these sailors—despite knowing Jonah’s defiance is causing their immediate peril—try to find a way to avoid having to throw Jonah overboard! They put themselves in further danger by attempting to row toward land. “But the stormy sea was too violent for them, and they couldn’t make it.” (v. 13)

Realizing the futility of their efforts to row ashore, they begin to plead with the Lord for their lives! Not only that, but they also ask God not to hold it against them if Jonah dies when they toss him off the boat.

When Jonah high-tailed it as far west as he could get from Nineveh, he was only thinking of himself. He never, for a moment, thought that he would put dozens of innocent people at death’s door because of his disobedience. But that’s what sin does. It only shows us the part of the outcome that appeals to us in the moment. We don’t get a glimpse of the wreckage it causes.

The greatest deterrent to sin is the realization that we create separation from God; we break community with Him. Perhaps the next-best preventative measure is to consider the pain we will cause others when we don’t choose God’s best.

Ultimately, if we live in such a way that we are putting God and others first (the two Greatest Commandments), we win—and we have peace of mind knowing God’s hand will be on us along the way.

Distracted by Busyness

Kevin Burrell on May 21, 2025

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, Satan. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8

DISTRACTED BY BUSYNESS

As college baseball teams prepare for their conference tournaments this week, the intensity rises. Coaches and players study game film, analyze statistics and data, and pour over scouting reports. They know their opponents’ tendencies: the pitcher’s put-away pitch, the batter’s hot and cold zones, and the team’s defensive deficiencies. Every strength and every weakness is mapped out—all with the purpose of exploiting any vulnerabilities.

Just as these teams prepare to face their competition, we too have an opponent who knows our tendencies and weaknesses. The Bible describes Satan as a “roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He studies us—not with game film or stat sheets, but with millennia of experience in human behavior. He knows where we are strong, but more importantly, he is well-acquainted with our weaknesses. He strategizes his attacks where we are most vulnerable, when our guard is down, and where temptation can find its mark. Two of his greatest tools in his arsenal are distraction and busyness.

If Satan were holding a conference with his demonic forces, here is a list of distractions and temptations he would likely communicate for them to use against us. Don’t overlook these!

Keep them busy with non-essentials.
Tempt them to overspend and go into debt.
Keep them and their children from going to church by scheduling travel sports tournaments and competitions every weekend.
Make them work long hours to maintain empty lifestyles.
Discourage them from spending time with family so the home disintegrates.
Overstimulate their minds with television, computers, and social media so they can’t hear God speaking to them through His Word, the Bible.
Keep them chasing after material things in order to appear successful in the eyes of the world.
Stimulate their minds with models and TV personalities so they focus only on outward appearance and become dissatisfied with themselves and their spouses.
Make sure married couples are too exhausted for physical intimacy; that way, they’ll be tempted to look elsewhere.
Make them self-sufficient. Keep them busy working in their own strength so they’ll never rely on God’s strength and power in their lives.

Listen closely: It’s been said, “If Satan can’t make you bad, he’ll just make you busy.” I would add distraction to that quote as well. Sometimes, being “busy” simply means “Being Under Satan’s Yoke.” Don’t allow Satan to distract you and make you so busy that you have no time for God in your life.

Be aware! Stay alert! Your enemy, Satan, seeks only to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10).

Remember: If Satan can’t make you bad, he’ll just make you busy and distracted.

Keep your dukes up!

Be Worth Being.

Love God. Love People. Live Sent.

Kevin

Digging Deeper – You Can’t Outrun the Storm of Disobedience

C.A. Phillips on May 20, 2025

But the LORD hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart.

Jonah 1:4 (NLT)

YOU CAN’T OUTRUN THE STORM OF DISOBEDIENCE

So, Jonah hops on a boat headed in the opposite direction from where God had instructed him to go. Instead of taking a camel to Nineveh, he purchases a one-way ticket to Tarshish. Honestly, we don’t know for sure where Tarshish was located—many historians believe it was in the western Mediterranean. But we do know he was “moving away from the Lord” (or at least he thought he was). And a powerful storm was brewing.

Let’s pause for a moment here. You know, there’s always that interlude between the disobedient act and the punishment being doled out. Many times, we don’t realize we are in for a hurting—we’re just enjoying sowing our wild oats, as they used to say.

I remember one day as a nine- or ten-year-old kid doing something really stupid. My friend and I found a couple of old gallons of paint lying around his house. We had nothing better to do, so we decided to take the paint with us into the wooded lot next door—an area where we would often ride our bikes and hike. But on this day, we decided to add some color to the landscape. We began to paint the trunks of the trees—orange and blue. We didn’t just do one or two; we did dozens of them!

When his mom came home, she didn’t take kindly to this. And she felt obliged to share this with my mom (tattletale).

When I got home, my mom had some choice words for me. She then said she would discuss it with my dad. When he got home from work, she informed him of my artwork and asked what my punishment should be. He said he would have a talk with me and hand down the sentence. So, my dad came into my room to have a chat. He made sure I understood that what I had done was unacceptable. Then he said, “Your mom wants me to punish you. So, you have to stop smoking for a month.”

While the Lord was ultimately loving and compassionate with Jonah, he wasn’t getting away that easily. He sent a violent storm—one so intense that it seemed as though the ship was going to break apart! And as we’ll discuss tomorrow, he wasn’t just bringing these circumstances on himself—others’ lives were now at risk!

Jonah was about to learn an important lesson: when it comes to obedience, God means business!

Digging Deeper – The Painful Consequences of Ignoring Instructions

C.A. Phillips on May 19, 2025

The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: ²“Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.”

³But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.

Jonah 1:1-3 (NLT)

THE PAINFUL CONSEQUENCES OF IGNORING INSTRUCTIONS

Exasperation and frustration—that is what I felt, and that is what I caused my wife early in our marriage. Long before IKEA, other retail establishments offered the good old DIY furniture assembly. I can recall purchasing desks, side tables, and chairs from a variety of stores—the kind that also happened to sell groceries, household cleaners, and school supplies.

I’d get home from the store, tear open the box, and begin tackling the project. But no matter what the item was or where it was purchased, it always seemed to end the same way: me, angry and sweaty, with extra washers or bolts in my hand that hadn’t been used. “Why?” you ask. Because I failed to read the instructions!

It’s one thing to ignore the instructions included in a box filled with particleboard, hex screws, and wing nuts. It’s altogether different when God Himself tells you to do something, and you defiantly go in the opposite direction. This is precisely what Jonah did after God told him to go to Nineveh.

Jonah served as “God’s man”—His messenger. As a prophet, he certainly would have known the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament). He also would have known that you can’t hide from God (remember Adam and Eve?). But fear and uncertainty drive us to do some outrageous things, clouding our ability to see and think clearly.

Sometimes I think to myself, They had it much easier back in the Old Testament. God spoke directly to them, and He was present with them much of the time. But clearly, it wasn’t easy. Time and again, we see God’s chosen leaders making grave errors in judgment—or completely disregarding His instructions.

Because we all have doubts. We all get a bit anxious over the unknown. We all like to be comfortable. But, as we’ll see throughout the week, God’s plan will come to fruition. And we’ll have to face the painful consequences of our decisions when we defy Him.