NorthStar Church Blog

Digging Deeper: Linger

Minda Seagraves on January 31, 2025

⁴Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

⁵“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:4-5 (NLT)

LINGER

If you haven’t already guessed, I’m a “word” person. I love digging into a word’s original meaning, tracing it back to how it was used in its original context, and discovering the richness behind what the writer was trying to convey.

Because of that, it might not surprise you that every year, instead of setting resolutions or goals, I choose a word. Well, actually, I don’t choose the word—I let the Lord do that. Around September or October each year, I start praying and listening, asking God to reveal what He wants me to focus on for the upcoming year.

For 2025, the word He gave me is linger.

At first, I thought, That’s an odd word. I even waited, thinking maybe something else would rise to the surface. But He kept pressing this idea into my heart: staying with Him, abiding in Him, and spending unrushed, intentional time at His feet.

It all clicked when this verse came up in our small group. It was one of those sacred moments where the world around you fades away, and it feels like God is speaking directly to your heart. I knew, without a doubt, that linger was my word for 2025.

So, naturally, I did what I always do—I dove into Scripture, searching for verses about lingering. I found plenty of cross-references about abiding, but nothing that used the word linger itself. That was a first for me. Usually, I have a handful of anchor verses to guide me, but this year felt different.

It’s almost as if, by giving me a word that’s not commonly found in Scripture, God is inviting me to lean in closer—to press into Him and His Word in a deeper, more personal way so He can reveal what linger truly means for my heart. It feels like He’s calling me into a season of tender submission, where I sit with Him longer and let Him shape me in the stillness.

Whether you’re a “word” person, a resolutions person, or a goals person, I believe God is calling all of us to linger with Him. And it’s not just important—it’s vital.

Lingering with the Lord is how we make it through the heavy, hard days. It’s how we find strength for tough conversations and challenging situations. It’s how we remember where our power comes from.

As we step into 2025, I pray for God’s blessings over you. But more than that, I pray you’ll take time to pause, to sit with Him, and to linger just a little longer.

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.

Digging Deeper: Serve Like Crazy

Minda Seagraves on January 30, 2025

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for
us to do.

Ephesians 2:10

SERVE LIKE CRAZY

I’ll admit it—I like to take credit for the good things I do. Maybe it’s because I naturally drift toward selfishness or pride, but when I go out of my way to help someone or do something kind, it feels pretty great.

And honestly, I think it’s supposed to feel that way. There’s joy in serving others because God’s Word tells us we reflect Him most clearly when we serve. When our actions align with Christ, there’s a deep, soul-level happiness that comes from knowing we’re walking in step with Him.

But here’s the humbling part: whenever I stop to think about it, any good I do has far less to do with me and everything to do with Him.

In Ephesians, Paul tells us we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works. But he doesn’t stop there—he adds that these good works were prepared in advance for us. Every time I want to pat myself on the back for helping someone, I’m reminded of this verse. Yes, I feel joy and pride because I’m aligned with Christ in serving His creation, but even that opportunity, that desire to serve, comes from God.

It’s a mind-bender, really—any good we do is something God gave us so we could give it back to Him. It’s all about Him. Period.

So when we serve, let’s serve with our whole hearts. When we give, let’s give abundantly, knowing that every effort we make, every gift we offer, comes from the wellspring of God’s love and grace. Whether it’s something small or something monumental, God doesn’t measure our service by size. He only asks that we do it.

And here’s the catch: He calls us to serve everyone. Not just those who look like us, talk like us, or believe like us—but everyone. He calls us to love and serve with the same lavish, reckless abandon that He loves us with.

We’ll never be able to match the degree to which Christ served and loved us, but what if that was our aim? What if we woke up every day determined to serve others so radically that people around us thought we were absolutely crazy?

You know what? I’ll take it. I’ll gladly be called crazy for the way I love and serve others because isn’t that what they said about Jesus? Didn’t people judge and criticize Him for the way He lavishly loved and served?

That’s our example. That’s our goal—not to serve when it’s convenient or easy, but to step into the good works God prepared for us, even when they stretch us beyond our limits. And when that happens, we can tap into the Holy Spirit’s power to do what God has called us to do.

When we serve and love others like that, we’ll find ourselves waking up the next day ready to do it all over again—and the day after that, and the day after that.

Digging Deeper: Fall and Get Back Up

Minda Seagraves on January 29, 2025

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 73:26

FALL AND GET BACK UP

I recently read John Mark Comer’s book Practicing the Way, and there’s a part that really stuck with me. He shares a conversation with some monks who were asked what they do all day in the monastery. Their reply? “Fall and get back up, fall and get back up, fall and get back up.”

What a beautiful picture of what it means to be apprentices of Jesus!

I love the mental image this creates—someone praying, serving, and seeking God daily, even though they don’t always get it right. It’s a reminder that even the most devoted people stumble. But here’s the thing: we tend to be so much harder on ourselves than God ever is. When we fail to measure up, we need to ask: who set the standard? Spoiler alert—it’s probably not God.

The Lord’s standard for us is simple: turn to Him daily and seek His will. He knows we’re going to mess up. He knows we’ll fall short. He knows we’ll fail—again and again—and yet, He loves us. He loved us before we messed up, and He loves us no matter how big or small the mess.

As Psalm 73:26 reminds us: “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” That’s not just a feel-good phrase or a motivational quote for a coffee mug. It’s a promise we can rely on. Yes, we’re going to fall, but our strength doesn’t come from us—it comes from God. He’s the one who gives us what we need to get back up, dust ourselves off, and keep going.

When failure happens (and it will), it’s not the time to throw in the towel. It’s the time to take a deep breath, learn from the mistake, and press forward. The scraped knees we get along the way? They’re not wasted. God uses even those to teach us, shape us, and remind us that He’s walking with us every step of the journey.

So, when you stumble, remember: fall and get back up, fall and get back up, fall and get back up. And keep moving forward with Him.

Digging Deeper: Great Passion

Minda Seagraves on January 28, 2025

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

Romans 12:11

GREAT PASSION

The Oxford Dictionary defines passion as a “strong and barely controllable emotion.” You don’t have to look far to see passionate people. Whether it’s a sports team, a political movement, or even strong opinions about how people should drive in a roundabout, passion is everywhere. If there’s one thing we’re not short on, it’s enthusiasm.

But here’s the kicker: while we can easily get fired up about all kinds of things, many of us struggle to channel that same level of passion into our faith—the kind of passion Paul describes in Romans 12. We know what passion looks like in everyday life, but what does it mean to be passionate in following Jesus? Let’s break it down using Paul’s words.

First, Paul tells us to “never be lacking in zeal.” What’s zeal, exactly? Back to the Oxford Dictionary: it’s “great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or objective.”
Next, he says to “keep your spiritual fervor.” Fervor? That’s defined as “an intense and passionate feeling.”
Finally, Paul connects these ideas to serving the Lord.

When you put it all together, it sounds a little like that guy at the football game in subzero weather, completely decked out in body paint and screaming at the top of his lungs. That’s a visual, right? But it’s actually a great picture of what passion in pursuit of a cause can look like.

Now, imagine if we, as believers, harnessed that same energy and enthusiasm—not to be the person on the street corner with a megaphone, but to live out our faith with that level of excitement and commitment. What if we approached being an apprentice of Jesus with the same intensity as body paint guy does for his team?

Too often, we make faith look like a list of rules: the do’s, the don’ts, and the have-nots. Sure, there are boundaries to follow, but we don’t spend enough time highlighting the good that comes from them—the freedom those guardrails provide and the joy we get to experience as followers of Christ.

What if we shared the full picture of faith? The passion. The joy. The freedom. The incredible adventure of following Jesus. Because when we do, faith becomes irresistible—not just for us, but for everyone around us.

Digging Deeper: When Plans Change

Minda Seagraves on January 27, 2025

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans
to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

WHEN PLANS CHANGE

According to Google’s AI overview, Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most well-known scriptures about God’s plans for us—and honestly, I have to agree. But let’s be real: when life feels hard, disappointing, or just far from what we imagined it should be, it can be tough to hold on to the promise in these words. And yet, those moments are precisely when we need to cling to them—not because it feels easy, logical, or even natural, but because we know deep down they are true.

Looking back on my own life, I can think of plenty of times when my plans didn’t pan out. One that stands out, for whatever reason, is my early college experience. I was certain I was going to pharmacy school. I thought, This is the plan. All I need to do is work hard, and it’ll happen. In high school, I didn’t have to try too hard to get good grades, so I assumed college would be the same. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.

College required more than just showing up and glancing over my notes. Before the drop/add period ended in my first semester, I found myself sitting in the registrar’s office, withdrawing from every single class. With that decision, my dreams, hopes, and vision for the future seemed to evaporate. It felt like failure on every level.

Peter’s story reminds me that I’m not alone in this. From what we know of his life, he had more than a few plans that didn’t go the way he expected. As a boy, he probably dreamed of becoming a rabbi but ended up taking on the family fishing business instead. Later, he followed Jesus, believing Him to be the Messiah, only to have that hope seemingly shattered at the crucifixion. And then, just as his world had turned upside down, the resurrected Jesus appeared to him, changing everything once again.

I imagine Peter often felt like he couldn’t figure out which way was up. He had plans—good plans, noble plans, exciting plans—but that’s the thing about plans: they rarely turn out how we expect.

There’s a saying I’ve always liked: Plan like it depends on you, and pray like it depends on God. It’s good advice because we’re not called to sit idly by, waiting for things to fall into place. God invites us to dream, plan, and act. The key, though, is making sure our plans align with His will—and being willing to let Him take the lead, even if it means abandoning our carefully laid-out path.

Like He did for Peter—and like He’s done for me—God often gives us a new course to follow. What feels like a detour or a derailment to us is never a surprise to Him. And in the way only He can, He takes those moments and turns them into something more beautiful and amazing than we could have ever imagined.

Digging Deeper: Forgiveness

Bridget Turner on January 24, 2025

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

1 John 1:9 (NLT)

FORGIVENESS

I am a fan of Peter’s. My small group has heard me say that Peter is my Bible boyfriend! My favorite thing about him is that he has done something no one else but Jesus has—Peter walked on water! (Matthew 14:28-30) That is amazing, but as we heard in our message this week, Peter also denied knowing Jesus—not just once, but three times. After the third time, Peter hears a rooster crow and remembers that Jesus had told him this would happen (Matthew 26:31-35). It is hard to imagine how disillusioned and discouraged Peter must have felt at that moment. Matthew 26 closes with Peter leaving the courtyard, weeping bitterly. He was devastated.

Thankfully, scripture gives us more of Peter’s story. In Acts 2, we find Peter preaching and sharing the Gospel. Verse 41 says, “So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them.” In Acts 3, Peter and John are going to the temple to pray. A lame man stops them and asks for money. Peter responds, “I don’t have silver or gold, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” They help the man get up, and he enters the temple with them, praising God. Peter performs a miracle—the first one recorded in scripture after Jesus’ ascension.

Yes, Peter sinned and denied Christ, but God still used him mightily. Like Peter, whatever has you disillusioned has not disqualified you from God’s kingdom. Ask God to give you the strength to stand firm in your faith and the courage to embrace His forgiveness and transform your life for His glory.

Praying scripture is one of the most powerful ways we can ask God to help us. David, another Bible hero, wrote Psalm 51 after he was caught in sin and disillusioned with himself. Take a little time today and pray these verses over yourself:

“Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.”
—Psalm 51:10-13

Bridget Turner serves as the Director of Women’s Groups at NorthStar Church. She and her husband, Steve, live in Powder Springs and have two young adult children, Hannah and Joshua. She enjoys watching football, traveling and reading.

Digging Deeper: Understanding Sin’s Deception

Bridget Turner on January 23, 2025

Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. ¹⁵These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

James 1:14-15 (NLT)

UNDERSTANDING SIN’S DECEPTION

A couple of months ago, I attended a conference where one of the speakers talked about Jonah’s story in the Bible. My mind immediately rattled off these few bullet points:

God asked Jonah to go to Nineveh and share the gospel.
Jonah got on a boat headed in the opposite direction.
A storm came up, and Jonah was thrown overboard.
A big fish swallowed Jonah for three days and then spit him out.
Jonah went to Nineveh, and the people believed God.

The speaker outlined many of the same points, and we all laughed at how we had probably remembered the same Sunday School lesson! However, there were two parts to Jonah’s story that we had not recalled.

First, Jonah 1:3 says, “Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from the Lord’s presence.” The Lord had barely finished speaking, and Jonah decided to disobey. Secondly, the Lord sent a storm, and while everyone else panicked, Jonah slept. The scripture says, “Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel and had stretched out and fallen into a deep sleep” (Jonah 1:5).

When we underestimate the deception of sin, we can forget who we know God to be. Jonah was a prophet and knew that God is omnipresent—everywhere, all the time. Yet Jonah tried to flee from Him. Further, no matter how comfortable we become in our sin, God’s desire for our redemption does not change: “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in His grace, freely makes us right in His sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins” (Romans 3:23-24).

In our focus verses today, James reminds us that sin’s deception is a spiral that leads to death. If you find yourself caught up in sin that has disillusioned you, I pray that you would ask God for strength to pursue godliness and righteousness. And may you remember that He is a good Father, ever present, watching over you.

The Making of a Dead Leader Running

Kevin Burrell on January 22, 2025

Moses said to the Lord, “Why are You treating me, your servant, so harshly? Have mercy on me! What did I do to deserve the burden of all these people? I can’t carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy! If this is how You intend to treat me, just go ahead and kill me. Do me a favor and spare me this misery!

Numbers 11:11, 14-15

THE MAKING OF A DEAD LEADER RUNNING

Leadership is not for the faint of heart. Whether you’re leading an organization, a nation, a church, a company, a program, a team, a staff, a department, or even your family—the journey is often marked by burdens that seem impossible to bear.
Don’t believe me? Ask Moses!

Moses, the great leader of Israel, experienced this firsthand. After delivering God’s people from slavery, he found himself surrounded by constant complaining, grumbling, resistance to change, and ungratefulness. Despite leading with a heart aligned with God’s, Moses was worn down and worn out by the sheer weight of it all. His honesty before God shows the exhaustion of a leader who feels like they are running on empty. The reality is that Moses was a “Dead Leader Running.”

The people Moses led were not short on complaints. They whined about their food, lamented their past, and resisted the very freedom they had begged God for. Sound familiar? People often resist change, even when it’s for their good. A leader’s vision can be precise and clear, but followers can be reluctant to embrace it. The leader becomes the target of frustration and blame, leaving them questioning their own calling to their role or position.

For leaders, this resistance can lead to burnout. You pour your heart into your work, serving those you lead and striving to honor God, only to face criticism and complaints. It’s easy to feel like Moses, crying out to God and asking, “Why me?”

Jesus Himself set the ultimate example of leadership. Though He bore the greatest burden—our sin—He consistently retreated to seek the will and strength of His Father. As leaders, we must learn from Him. The weight is too heavy to carry alone.

Listen closely: If you’re a leader feeling frustrated or burned out, remember: you are not alone. God hears your cries, just as He heard Moses’ cries. In response to Moses, God provided seventy elders to share the burden (Numbers 11:16–17). God doesn’t intend for you to shoulder the load by yourself. Lean on Him and ask Him to provide people to help and support you.

If you feel like a “Dead Leader Running,” consider the following action steps:

Be honest with God: Like Moses, pour out your frustrations to God. He is big enough to handle your honesty, and He’s waiting to hear from you.
Seek God’s strength: Remember that your strength is not enough, but God’s grace is sufficient. Lean into His strength. Stop trying to carry the load alone.
Delegate wisely: You were never meant to lead alone. Don’t try to be the hero. Delegate and rely on trusted, developing leaders.
Take time to rest: Take time to rest and renew your soul. Even Jesus got away to pray, recharge, and rest from the grind of leadership.

Leadership is a sacred calling, but it comes with challenges that can wear you down. If you’re facing resistance, burnout, or overwhelming burdens, don’t give up! God has called you, He is equipping you, and He will sustain you. But you must trust Him to provide the strength, wisdom, courage, and support you need to lead well—and to finish the race well.

Don’t be a “Dead Leader Running.”

Be Worth Being.

Love God. Love People. Live Sent.

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: Humility and Self-Awareness

Bridget Turner on January 22, 2025

Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.

Romans 12:3 (NLT)

HUMILITY AND SELF-AWARENESS

In a recent conversation with a young adult, they talked about taking a break from social media and setting boundaries for how they would return. When I asked why, their response surprised me. They admitted to mindlessly scrolling, wasting tons of time, and “losing brain cells.” The most surprising part was that they realized how much they had been buying products based on influencers’ recommendations—things they neither needed nor wanted, which are now being donated. As we parted, they shared some good news: they now have time to focus on the spiritual disciplines they have been learning about in their small group! The self-awareness and humility in their story are both refreshing and convicting.

My young friend was practicing what Paul encourages all of us to do in Romans. Being honest and using sober judgment to see ourselves as God sees us is key to avoiding disillusionment. Paul urges us not to be arrogant and to recognize our worth and abilities in light of God’s grace. He practices this humility and self-awareness in writing to Timothy, declaring himself the worst among sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). Paul understood that any ability he had was a result of God’s grace, not his own merit.

Charles Spurgeon says of Paul’s declaration: “This godly sensitivity toward sin was associated in the apostle’s mind with an equally vivid sense of the freeness and richness of divine grace.” He adds, “The people who are most clear in their witness that salvation is by grace are also the people for whom sin is exceedingly sinful.”

Living with self-awareness and humility helps create a right view of who we are in Christ. Like my young friend, we will stop the mindless scrolling and empty purchases, making space for time with God, prayer, and serving others. Disillusionment with ourselves over sin will turn to repentance and living in the power of the cross and Christ’s forgiveness.

Digging Deeper: Remember Who God Is

Bridget Turner on January 21, 2025

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

Psalm 136:1 (NLT)

REMEMBER WHO GOD IS

Yesterday, I mentioned that I am following The Bible Recap plan to read through the Bible chronologically this year. So far, the reading has included the story of creation, the Fall, and Job’s story. Already, I am noticing how humanity becomes disillusioned with itself.

In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve sin and hide from God. God comes to find them in the evening and asks, “Where are you?” Adam replies, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” (Genesis 3:10). Adam is disillusioned with himself because of his disobedience. Now, he fears God, his Creator, and feels shame over his physical body.

Job’s story spans 42 chapters, with the Lord describing Job to Satan as “…the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.” (Job 1:8). Satan argues that Job only fears God because he is blessed. God then allows Satan to have authority over Job’s possessions and, eventually, his body—but not his life. Job experiences immeasurable loss and suffering, and his body becomes covered with boils to the point of being barely recognizable. Throughout all of Satan’s attacks, we read that Job does not sin (Job 1:22, 2:10).

In Chapter 3, Job’s disillusionment begins as he curses the day he was born and engages in a long discourse with three friends. Eventually, they grow tired of the back-and-forth and leave Job. A younger man, Elihu, arrives and becomes angry because Job justified himself rather than God. Elihu delivers another lengthy speech, after which the Lord Himself replies and reminds Job of who He is. Job responds to God, “I know you can do anything, and no one can stop you.” (Job 42:2).

Job forgot who God is and assumed his life was not valuable. God reminds him that He is the Creator, Sovereign, and Omnipotent. That truth did not change just because Job’s life was in turmoil. In the end, God restores Job’s life, family, and possessions—greater than before.

My prayer for us today is that, whether our disillusionment stems from disobedience or God’s allowance, we remember who God is and that His love endures forever.