NorthStar Church Blog

 

“Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

Philippians 3:8 (NLT)

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WHAT THE WORLD VALUES IS TEMPORARY

When Paul says, “everything else is worthless,” he’s not exaggerating. He’s putting life in perspective. The things we tend to chase, such as fame, money, influence, and image, are temporary. They don’t last. But knowing Jesus? That’s eternal. That’s the one pursuit that truly satisfies and endures.

There was once a man who built a beautiful sandcastle by the sea. He worked for hours, sculpting towers and walls, protecting the castle with moats and deep trenches. Finally, at the end of a weary day of building, the tide came in, and in a matter of minutes, the sandcastle washed away as if it had never been there. He stood by the shore empty-handed, amazed that such beauty could vanish so quickly.

Like this man’s story, we can spend our lives making earthly investments, like those sandcastles. But when the waves of time, loss, or change rise, they disappear. However, for those who invest in their relationship with Christ and in things that will matter for eternity, those investments will remain.

Consider the plight of a businessman who once devoted his life to building an empire. He spent years climbing the corporate ladder, amassing wealth and recognition. But when his health began to fail, he realized he had spent so much time investing in things that could not last. One day, sitting in a hospital room, he told his son, “I built towers of money but forgot to build a life with God. Don’t do what I did.”

What are you building your life upon: sand or rock? What “sandcastle” areas in your life need to be replaced with the solid foundation of Jesus?

 

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Steve Roach serves as the Pastor of Spiritual Growth at NorthStar Church. He and his wife, Amy, live in Acworth and have three girls, Olivia, Sydney, and Hayley and one son, Colton.  He enjoys watching sports and spending time with his family.

 

“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.”

Philippians 3:7-8 (NLT)

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SUCCESS WON’T SATISFY ME

Paul once lived for accomplishment, status, and the applause of others. But after surrendering his life to Christ, everything changed. Success wasn’t the goal anymore; knowing Jesus was. That’s still true today. You can reach the top and still feel empty. You can achieve more than anyone around you and still feel like something’s missing. Paul is reminding us: success is not the savior our hearts long for.

Hall of Fame NFL quarterback Tom Brady once said in an interview, “Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there’s something greater out there for me? There’s got to be more than this.” That statement could be echoed by many standing at the top of the ladder of success. It proves that even the world’s greatest achievements can’t fill the spiritual void in our hearts. Only Christ can fill that void.

Knowing Christ gives our lives a deeper meaning than success ever could. Paul isn’t saying your work doesn’t matter. He’s saying it can’t define you or satisfy the deepest longings of your soul, such as love, acceptance, and lasting purpose. Let Jesus define your worth, not your wins. Chasing achievement is exhausting, but walking with Jesus brings purpose and peace.

What area of your life are you trying to “prove” yourself in right now? What would it look like to lay that down and rest in the approval you already have in Christ?

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Steve Roach serves as the Pastor of Spiritual Growth at NorthStar Church. He and his wife, Amy, live in Acworth and have three girls, Olivia, Sydney, and Hayley and one son, Colton.  He enjoys watching sports and spending time with his family.

 

“We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort…”

Philippians 3:3-6 (NLT)

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RELIGION CAN’T CHANGE ME

Paul had an impeccable religious record. His résumé was spotless by the standards of his day. But it didn’t bring him peace, joy, or a real connection with God. That only happened when he met Jesus.

In our modern lives, it’s easy to believe that going to church, doing good things, and avoiding bad things will make us right with God. But religion without a relationship is powerless to transform our hearts.

Tim Keller once said, “Religion says, ‘I obey, therefore I’m accepted.’ But the gospel says, ‘I’m accepted, therefore I obey.’” That truth changes everything. Religion often keeps people stuck in fear or pride. But being a Christian is about a personal relationship with Christ, where the Holy Spirit makes His home in our hearts and works to make us look more like Jesus daily.

In this grace-filled relationship, we don’t obey to earn love; we obey because we are already loved as much as we will ever be loved.

Many people mistake proximity to church for intimacy with God. But going through religious motions can’t remove guilt or change the heart. Paul realized that even though he followed every rule, his heart was far from God. Only Jesus can deal with our sin, break our pride, and restore our right standing with God.

A man once visited a gym faithfully for months, checking in at the front desk every day. He wore the gear, drank the protein shakes, and posted about his workouts online. But here’s the catch: he never actually worked out. He never lifted a weight or ran a mile. He assumed that just being in the environment would be enough.

That’s how religion without relationship works. It gives the appearance of transformation, but the change never reaches the heart.

Ask yourself: Am I trusting my religious performance, or my relationship with Jesus? What spiritual habits are helping me grow closer to Him?

 

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Steve Roach serves as the Pastor of Spiritual Growth at NorthStar Church. He and his wife, Amy, live in Acworth and have three girls, Olivia, Sydney, and Hayley and one son, Colton.  He enjoys watching sports and spending time with his family.

 

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 

Philippians 2:3-4 (ESV)

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COUNT OTHERS MORE SIGNIFICANT

 

As we pulled into the shell parking lot for one of our last church services, there was a clear difference from other Sundays. Cars filled the lot, the grass, and even lined the road. Men in pressed suits and women in bright Sunday dresses mingled near rows of tables laden with many of the same dishes Pastor Kirk and his wife had prepared for us — plus many more. There was a cooler filled with bottled water and sodas, most notably Goombay Punch, a fruit soda native to the Bahamas that I wish they sold at Publix.

It was Pastor Kirk’s ordination day — the culmination of years of God’s calling. From his beginnings in Nassau as a young, partying rebel (his words, not mine) with a full head of hair (his pastor’s words, not mine), to being saved, and finally to being called to an island so sparsely populated it makes Paulding County look like a metropolis. He had traveled to the United States to attend seminary and returned to the island with a clean, bald look — one that, I’ll admit, gives the full-head-of-hair style a run for its money.

People from Eleuthera, Nassau, and other neighboring islands had flown in for the day. There was just one problem: Pastor Kirk was not there. Well — not there yet. A few minutes fashionably late, he showed up in his car with Mama June and many of the other regulars. Most people in JC do not own a car, and many are too old to walk to the church. So Pastor Kirk spends each Sunday morning driving to pick up those he can, while also inviting those walking along the pothole-filled Queen’s Highway to join.

I don’t know about you, but I often look to my own self-interest. If a day were being held in my honor — with a display of food, Goombay Punch, and friends — it would be all about me. And there’s a warning in a message like this. Pastor Kirk often reminded me that he was once a hard-drinking sinner who, by the grace of God, found salvation. In the deepest sense, it isn’t about glorifying the person, but about glorifying the One the person follows. “Follow me as I follow Christ,” as Paul says (1 Cor. 11:1).

As you approach this weekend, remember what we’ve learned:

• God is everywhere.

• He is all good.

• His Word is true.

• And we’re called to imitate Jesus — in humility, unity, obedience, and service.

And that is truly good.

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Curt Bowen is a husband, father, and group leader who loves engaging in apologetics, theology, and good BBQ. A thrill-seeker at heart, he enjoys roller coasters and has an appreciation for snakes—just not the conversational type.

 

 

⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

Philippians 2:6-7 (ESV)

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THE DUAL NATURE OF CHRIST

 

We had just finished the hymns, and Kirk had given updates about the happenings of the church for the week. I remember him looking around and asking if anyone in the congregation had anything special occurring, or anything we could pray for. My sons elbowed me.

“It’s his birthday.”

And there, in a tiny church in James Cistern (JC), Eleuthera, I turned forty — serenaded by a congregation that nearly doubled when we arrived. I’m not quite sure how I’ll top that when I turn fifty.

Services at Liberty Baptist were lively. Pastor Kirk would interact with the crowd and, at times, even asked me my opinion on the scripture we were reading.

And one day, he said something familiar — something I’d heard Mike say many times before:

“Jesus is both God and man. He is a man, but not just a man — He is also God.”

Have you ever wondered how that could be? How can a human, limited by time and space, also be the transcendent God described in Genesis 1:1? If you have wondered, you’re not the first! It was such an important topic that the early church called all of the church fathers together to discuss it.

What they came up with is what orthodox Christianity believes today — and it’s why what Mike preaches in Kennesaw is the same thing Pastor Kirk preaches in James Cistern: Jesus is both God and man. He is one person with two natures — a divine nature and a human nature.

There’s an analogy from the movie Avatar by James Cameron. The protagonist, a crippled man named Jake Sully, enters the giant blue body of one of the Na’vi. Suddenly, he can walk and jump. He now has two natures — a human nature and a Na’vi nature.

In the same way, the second person of the Trinity — what theologians call the Logos — took on a human nature by being born to Mary in Bethlehem. He is a divine person who added a human nature, much in the same way Jake Sully is a human person who added a Na’vi nature.

This matters because it means Jesus wasn’t just a wise man — He was (and is) the morally perfect God in human form. So when He calls us to humility, love, and service, it isn’t advice from a teacher — it’s truth from the Creator Himself.

Know that through the wonderful words and example of Jesus, and by applying them through lovingly serving those around you, you are anchored to the truth.

 

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Curt Bowen is a husband, father, and group leader who loves engaging in apologetics, theology, and good BBQ. A thrill-seeker at heart, he enjoys roller coasters and has an appreciation for snakes—just not the conversational type.

 

 

⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 

Philippians 2:8 (ESV)

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TO THE POINT OF DEATH

 

We sat in the parking lot at the end of a crushed-shell driveway. I felt nervous — like my first time at NorthStar. Two cars sat in front of a tiny cinderblock building. The sign had blown away in a previous hurricane.

As we went in, two things became apparent. First, we were the only white people there — not a surprise, given that the church was there to serve the local Bahamian population. But more surprising was how tiny it was. I mean, it was about the size of our small group. Our family of four almost doubled the congregation. There were a few fishermen, a doctor, and Mama June, who was the oldest woman in the town.

Later that day, Pastor Kirk and his wife invited us to their home. The entire house was a single room — for the two of them and their daughter — with no AC. Yet they had cooked us an enormous meal: barbecue chicken, peas and rice, mac and cheese, potato salad. They even sent us home with enough leftovers to last a week.

Kirk wanted to show my sons a large boa he had killed that morning. As we walked down the street, he told me that he was aware of how small the church was, but that as long as he was doing the will of God and being obedient, nothing else mattered. He asked me what my church was like back in Atlanta.

“Oh, well, it’s large. There’s a band with drums, and the pastor likes to talk about baseball a lot. I think we have around three thousand members.”

He stopped walking. “Three thousand?”

I stopped as well, worried I had offended him. But he smiled as my boys found the snake and said, “Praise God.”

As we work for the Lord, Christ Himself instructs us to stay humble. When I think of humility, the first person who comes to mind is Pastor Kirk. The size of your mission does not matter. Your reward in heaven does not have a per-person multiplier. The real question is this: Are you being obedient to the unique call Jesus has placed on your life?

And as you follow in obedience, I’d like to add one more thought: you follow an all-good God. If God calls you to the stands before the masses or to the trenches in the remote, His plan for you is good. Not easy. Not convenient. But when we follow our God, we’re following the anchor of goodness — and obedience to a good God is worth it every single time.

 

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Curt Bowen is a husband, father, and group leader who loves engaging in apologetics, theology, and good BBQ. A thrill-seeker at heart, he enjoys roller coasters and has an appreciation for snakes—just not the conversational type.

 

 

2 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, ² complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 

Philippians 2:2 (ESV)

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BEING OF ONE MIND

 

“Help!!”

The distinctive shriek of a twelve-year-old stopped me mid-sentence with my wife. I ran to the kitchen as my son desperately tried to open the glass door, but the doorknob wouldn’t turn. When I finally got it open, two fists came in — dripping with blood. My mind raced.

“I tried to open a coconut with a knife.”

I knew he needed stitches — and the only hospital was three hours away, on the opposite end of the island.

Eventually, he was bandaged up, and we were making the long drive home. My mind went back to those people in suits from yesterday. I had only packed T-shirts — not even a collared shirt — and one of our desires was to attend a church during our summer in Eleuthera. That was when I saw the bluest, prettiest water I had ever seen, and I pulled over.

We stood at the top of a cliff, marveling at the ocean, when I saw a man in a wide-brimmed fishing hat standing above a pool of water. I asked if he had caught anything, to which he raised a hand indicating “five.” My son and I scrambled down the rocks to the pool with five fish.

I began to talk to him — mostly about bait and fish species. And then I felt an uncomfortable question I knew I had to ask.

“Maybe you can help me. My family and I are here for the summer and wanted to attend a church. We forgot to pack nice clothes. Do you know somewhere we could go dressed like this?”

He looked at me curiously, as if I had said something strange.

“Yes, I know a place. Liberty Baptist Church.”

“Liberty Baptist Church? And I can go there dressed just like this?”

“Yes… in fact, I’ll invite you as my personal guest.”

“Wow. That would be fantastic. Thank you.”

He grinned and shook my hand. “My pleasure. By the way, I’m the pastor.”

You can show up to NorthStar wearing just about anything — I’ve even worn a UGA shirt and felt welcomed! But we could just as easily be wearing suits, and I think we’d get along much the same. What God seems to care about in His church isn’t necessarily what we wear but how we think and act. There isn’t one standard in Kennesaw and another when you’re away. It’s about “being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” On the same page, with the same love.

I am rarely an outsider when it comes to church. NorthStar has been home for me since 2008. But if I were back seeking — back as an unbeliever — the way I was treated on that rocky cliff would have gone a long way toward me choosing to enter any church’s doors. May we never forget what it feels like to be lost, so that others may one day never have to be.

 

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Curt Bowen is a husband, father, and group leader who loves engaging in apologetics, theology, and good BBQ. A thrill-seeker at heart, he enjoys roller coasters and has an appreciation for snakes—just not the conversational type.

 

 

⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:9-11 (ESV)

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EVERY KNEE WILL BOW

 

“We are lost.”

I struggled to maintain my lane on the Queen’s Highway — a right-handed vehicle on a left-handed road full of potholes. There was no internet, much to our surprise, to guide us to our rental on an island that stretched five hours from tip to tip.

“I found a map!”
“Great, what does it say?”
“Well… it’s plastic, and has a bunch of red flags with white stripes.”

I slowed down as we entered another small town. Local Bahamians, dressed in pressed suits and Sunday dresses, crossed from the turquoise Gulf to the deep-blue Atlantic side of the island. As I stopped to let them pass, I realized I didn’t just lack directions to our house — I lacked directions for much of anything here.

Before the trip, I had checked Google Maps. There were pins but no details — stores with no names, churches with no photos, reviews, or websites. It was different here.

We eventually found our way with nothing more than inaccurate VRBO directions and a plastic snorkel map — and we got a flavor of the island. Honking means “hello,” not what it means in Atlanta. Gas is almost always pumped for you, and $7.49 a gallon is a deal. There are two sides to the island: the Gulf side is white, warm, and shallow — think small yellowtail snapper. The Atlantic side is deep, cold, and dark blue — think huge blue marlin. And the dialect has certain unique features, like “three,” which I always heard as “tree.”

But one thing was the same: there were people at many churches, worshiping the same God I knew back home. Not everyone, but there were knees bowed to the name of Jesus.

As you embark on this new week, remember that all over the Earth, people are worshiping the same awesome God that you do. And more importantly, He is everywhere you go. No matter the cell service, God is always “full bars” wherever you are — and one day, every knee will bow to Him.

 

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Curt Bowen is a husband, father, and group leader who loves engaging in apologetics, theology, and good BBQ. A thrill-seeker at heart, he enjoys roller coasters and has an appreciation for snakes—just not the conversational type.

 

 

“I thank my God in all my remeberance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of you partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ…And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,”

Philippians 1:3-6, 9 (NLT)

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THANKFUL FOR WHAT’S TO COME

 

As I began to grow more deeply curious about the things of faith and sought a deeper understanding of Scripture and its meaning in my life, I turned to pastors of note who could help simplify the complex things of God and make them digestible for my mind.

Recently, two of the men I grew to admire deeply have gone home to be with the Lord: John MacArthur and Voddie Baucham. My heart ached each time I read the news of their passing, but I immediately thought of how neither would want lament at such news—for they have gone to the very place we all seek to be!

Baucham even said exactly how he wanted people to respond to the news of his death in a message he once delivered:
“You are going to hear a rumor one day that Voddie Baucham is no more. Don’t you believe it! Don’t you believe it! Don’t you believe it—because though I die, I will rise with Christ. It will not be the end of me, because Christ is raised, and I too will be raised with Christ.”

I am thankful for the ministry and lives of these men. I am also thankful for NorthStar. For while men like Baucham and MacArthur helped guide a curious mind, it has been people like Mike Linch who have walked with me in other ways.

This past Friday, October 3, would’ve been my daughter Roselyn’s 12th birthday. Our firstborn, she was diagnosed late in the pregnancy with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia and lived for 22 days, all under the care of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The night she passed was the hardest day of my life. As Deanna and I left the hospital, my phone rang—it was Mike Linch. We spoke briefly, but the phrase he said that I will never forget was: “You aren’t going to go through this alone.”

Those words proved true. As a grateful member of this congregation, I can say they have helped shape the last 12 years in so many positive ways for us. Today we have two healthy boys, and both are so excited about the future opportunities that await with the changes on our church campus.

So let us give thanks for all the new and exciting opportunities ahead, and pray for our church leaders as they aim to grow our influence in the community. We are thankful for all God has done, and we wait in eager anticipation for all He will do!

 

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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.