John Markum

4 Things I want to say to The Awakening

  1. You are a great church! Seeing your openness to what God wants to do in your lives, your willingness to take bold steps, your influence on your relationships for Christ, your passion in worship every week all make me feel like a very blessed Pastor. Thank you for following me as I follow Christ. We’re in this together!
  2. The summer time is always a very relaxed time of year. But it is also just as important to us as a church as other times in the year. While we are having some fun this summer, we are also preparing ourselves for what God wants to do in our church in the fall. Expect to hear a lot of vision as summer winds down, and be ready to follow where God leads us!
  3. This Saturday we begin a new series, “You Asked For It!” based on the several questions that YOU submitted to us. We hope to see everyone there at 6 with friends! For more info click here.
  4. Baptism Time! We are excited to see people take their next step of faith in Christ. July 16th you have the opportunity to take that step. I am personally available to anyone who wants to ask questions or might be ready to take the plunge!

See you soon!

Blessings,

John

My kids say, “Yes sir”

I’ve heard it all…

  • That’s old fashioned.
  • You were raised in the South, weren’t you?
  • Were you in the military or something?
  • etc…

Recently, Tiffany and I have been cracking down on our girls answering us with a “yes sir” or “yes ma’am” when we call them to come to us or when we tell them to do something. Some think that is kind of outdated, but there has definitely been a notable change. Emilee’s attitude has improved 200% in the last 3 weeks. Kali has been playing nicer with everyone. And the two of them have taken initiative with cleaning their rooms, helping set the table, and much more.

Here’s what we’ve noticed: There is a direct connection between honor and obedience. So when I teach my kids how to honor their parents, somehow they simultaneous learn that honor is more than just giving the right answer when told to do something.

And just in case you were wondering, yes, I do say “yes ma’am” to Tiffany and to our girls. And I say “yes sir” to my 2 year old son. I want my girls to know how to be treated by a boy, and I want my little man to one day be a man of honor. So I speak life into them now.

It’s not a southern culture or a military culture. It’s a culture of honor. And the benefits of teaching our kids about honor are multi-dimensional.

Create a culture of honor and respect in your home. You won’t regret it.

“Give to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.” Romans 13:7

Blessings,

John

The phrase no pain, no gain has been a mantra for athletes and fitness junkies for years. And what they understand about physical pain needs to be broadened to a much more general use in all of our lives. Pain hurts. That's the whole problem. No one enjoys it, and if someone does, we rightfully

The Premium of Pain