NEWSLETTERS

Throughout the year, John sends out newsletters about his recent thoughts and the ministry's recent history. 
September 29, 2021
The early stages of fall are upon us. Children (of all ages) are back to school, churches are gearing up for their fall programming, small groups are reconvening, work is getting busier, and summer vacations are in the rearview mirror. A season of... READ MORE
July 13, 2021
Dearest friends,
Well, how is your summer going? 
How is your recovery coming along?
I hope I don’t need at this point to convince you that we are in need of recovery. The world was absolutely mad and very draining before the pandemic. It was... READ MORE
June 28, 2021
Happy summer! Last time I wrote—in April—I put before you the idea of developing a “prescription” for your recovery after the year we’ve all been through. My premise was that we have all passed through global trauma, and it has affected us whether... READ MORE
May 05, 2021
If you’ve ever had to care for your body through some sort of recovery, you know how beautiful and vulnerable these vessels are. I’ve been through physical therapy a number of times over the years as various injuries have required, and every time I... READ MORE
March 03, 2021
IF YOU ARE READING THIS BEFORE MARCH 6 you still have time to join us for Fresh Hearts, Strong Hearts—Homecoming ‘21, a live online event.
2020 left us all a bit weary and beat up. Maybe more than a bit weary. We thought it was time for some renewal... READ MORE
February 03, 2021
I’ll cut straight to it; I have a word from God for you:
Be on your guard, so that your hearts will not be weighed down...pray that you will have strength to escape all these things.
(Luke 21:34)
Jesus was warning us about the many intense pressures... READ MORE
October 27, 2020
Dear Friends,
I’d like to remind everyone that Jesus is still the main story in the world.
If you’re taking in any news at all, you can feel like the world is unraveling into madness. Certainly here in America, on the eve of one of the most bitter... READ MORE
September 24, 2020
I've been thinking a lot about resilience. 
Who thrives during hard times, who doesn’t, and why.
Because I want my friends—including you!—to thrive, in spite of these days. I want to thrive myself. And this crazy year has me realizing that thriving... READ MORE
August 31, 2020
When I wrote in July, I asked you a question: What story are you living in? Is it the story God is telling, or a story given to you by man? Then Stasi shared with me this quote, attributed to A.W. Tozer: “Listen to no man who has not listened to God... READ MORE
July 23, 2020
Well, events in the world continue to swirl with uncertainty. Tensions rise. The pandemic resurges. A fresh round of lockdowns is upon many of us. People and governments are reaching for control. This could be a tough fall. 
Really rough times on... READ MORE
June 19, 2020
Dear Friends and Allies,
I am so aware as I write this, that by the time it reaches you mid-June the world may have changed again. 
Right as we were beginning to emerge from the total lock-down days of the quarantines, just beginning to let our... READ MORE
May 14, 2020
Though we are still in the midst of the pandemic, I think the healthiest thing we can do is not always talk about the pandemic! What I’d much rather do this month—what I am so excited to share with you—is an excerpt from our teammate Morgan Snyder’s... READ MORE
April 21, 2020
Well, the world has certainly been shaken.
And if we’re honest, we’ve all been shaken a bit, too.
Ever since the pandemic broke out (probably the most significant event of our era), the world has been reaching for solid ground—medically,... READ MORE
March 19, 2020
I’ve been thinking quite a bit lately on a question that seems critical to friends of Jesus in this hour: How does a person live—and thrive—at the end of the age?
Every dear follower of Jesus I know, including mature saints, is experiencing a “... READ MORE
February 14, 2020
Dear Friends,
January was such a whirlwind, and so much information is always rushing at us, I thought it would be kinder to send a “January/February” newsletter. (The world has grown absurdly complicated, most people's lives are jammed already, so... READ MORE
December 19, 2019
December 2019
Dear Friends and Allies,
A very Merry Christmastide to you all! This letter comes with love and blessings from our whole team! 
Now, I know this is a ridiculously busy time of year for most of us. We take our already hurried lives,... READ MORE
November 26, 2019
A very happy beginning of the holiday season to you! I pray it’s filled with love and goodness from your God who adores you. 
Hey guess what—Wild at Heart turns 20 in December! Holy Cow!
On the one hand, it’s hard to believe—where did the time go?... READ MORE
October 16, 2019
September/October 2019
Dear Friends,
You did not miss my September newsletter, in case you were wondering. Life remains insanely busy—for all of us—and I simply didn’t have the time to write something meaningful.
To tell the tale more accurately, I... READ MORE
August 29, 2019
Well, summer is nearly past, though I hate to admit it. The neighborhood kids are all back to school. Our team here has returned from their family vacations. The local pool closes on Labor Day. Our grocer no longer has watermelon. But I’m eating... READ MORE
July 24, 2019
Warm summer greetings to you! (Maybe a bit too warm in some places!) I hope this letter finds you well, enjoying some of the glories of summer. Evenings on the porch. A walk in the park or woods. Popsicles. Fireflies. Pool time. 
What’s on my heart... READ MORE

Pages

 
 
  2016 December Merry Christmas
  2016 November We need you
  2016 October Hope
  2016 September Soul Care
  2016 August We Live Forever
  2016 July Spirit of the age
  2016 May Disappointment in Prayer
  2016 March Story
  2016 February Consecration
  2016 January Attention to Prayer
     
  2015 December Renewal of Creation
  2015 November Give the Message Away
  2015 October Transformation
  2015 September We are Branches
  2015 July Invitation Only
  2015 June What am I Doing with the Void?
  2015 May Thank you
  2015 April Healing for the Soul
  2015 Feb/March What are you looking at?
  2015 January Will you come with me?
     
  2014 December The Availability of the Kingdom
  2014 November Taking This Message Throughout the World
  2014 October Free to Be Me
  2014 September Killing Lions... Marriage
  2014 August Identity
  2014 July Is the Bible important?
  2014 June Share Your Discovery
  2014 May Enforcing the Kingdom
  2014 April Pursuing Wholeness
  2014 March What You Do with Disappointment
  2014 February It Would Transfom Your Daily Life...
  2014 January  Find Me
     
  2013 December Restoring Hope
  2013 November Pressing in
  2013 October Connect, Pray, Give
  2013 September Embracing Ourselves
  2013 August Beauty Forged Through Suffering
  2013 July Becoming Myself
  2013 June This Beautiful Mission
  2013 May Deeper Refuge in Christ
  2013 March/April We Need Love
  2013 February Strengthen Your Heart
  2013 January An Absolute Utter Relief
  2012 December Eagerly Awaiting
  2012 November Radical Generosity
  2012 October Hope
  2012 September Church
  2012 August Shaping Your Perception
  2012 July Trust the Larger Story
  2012 June Apart from Me You Can Do Nothing
  2012 May Hope
  2012 April Look at Me
  2012 March The Rush to New
 

2012 January

 Thoughts and Questions for a New Year
     
  2011 December Advent
  2011 November OutlawCast
  2011 October Finally, Jesus
  2011 September Beautiful Outlaw
  2011 August The Son of God Becomes a Son of Man
  2011 July We Are Desperate for Jesus
  2011 June Cunning
  2011 May What Are You Doing for Groundedness?
  2011 April Fierce Intentionality
  2011 March Suffering
  2011 February Jesus Offers...
  2011 January The Playfulness of Jesus
     
  2010 December Let's Stop, and Find Jesus
  2010 November And So We Give Thanks
  2010 October How Do You Relate?
  2010 September Joy Is Opposed
  2010 August Union with Me
  2010 July The Sabbath
  2010 May My Heart
  2010 April Do What Makes You Strong in Christ
  2010 March Knowing the True Jesus
  2010 February Romance Requires Freedom
     
  2009 December The End of the Great Battle
  2009 November Love and War—Agreements
  2009 October Love and War... and Sex
  2009 September Love and War
  2009 August Epic and Intimate
  2009 June Hard Work and Sabbath
  2009 April Fathered by God
  2009 March The Personality of Jesus
  2009 February Church
     
  2008 December God Is with Us
  2008 November Economy, Politics, and Walking with God
  2008 September Sonship and Following
  2008 August Desire
  2008 June Build a Bigger Fire
  2008 March Walking with God
  2008 February Feedback Request and Mission
     
  2007 December My Love
  2007 November Make a Right Judgment
  2007 October The Battle for Joy
  2007 September Happy Little Life
  2007 August Looking Under the Hood
  2007 July The Utter Relief of Holiness
  2007 June We Need You
  2007 May What He IS Giving
  2007 April Learning to Hear God's Voice
  2007 March Forgetting
     
  2006 December Advent
  2006 October Disrupted
  2006 July Stepping out of the Battle
  2006 May Renewal
  2006 March New Directions
     
  2005 December Christmas
  2005 September The Kingdom of God
  2005 June Desperately Wicked?
  2005 March Suffering and Breakthrough
     
  2004 December Thanks
  2004 September All That I Have Spoken to You Remains True
  2004 June Beauty
  2004 April Need for Life
  2004 February Know Who He Is
     
  2003 December Remember
  2003 October The Path of Life and the Wild Goose
  2003 August Major and Minor Themes
  2003 May Fellowship
  2003 February The Thief
     
  2002 December The Mighty One
  2002 September Things Are Not as They Seem
  2002 June Your Heart Is Good
  2002 March Impact on Lives