Education
MacDonald received degrees from London Baptist Bible College (Bachelor in Theology, 1984), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Master of Arts in Religion, 1988) and Phoenix Seminary (Doctor of Ministry, 1996).
( Follow bestselling author, speaker, and pastor James Ma...)
Follow bestselling author, speaker, and pastor James MacDonald as he delivers the biblical hope of God’s promises in the midst of life’s storms. 2 Peter 1:3 refers to certain portions of God’s Word as exceedingly great and precious promises. Great promises are ones that don’t fall apart during difficult times; they reveal hope in the midst of the storm. Precious promises are ones that we find strong enough to hold us up and resilient enough to get us through. God’s promises become exceedingly great and precious to us when nothing else will do. By digging into the theology of God’s promises, Pastor James uncovers 5 major categories of promises in the Bible and the 5 areas God repeatedly makes promises concerning. From dealing with fear and doubt to God’s goodness, help, and victory, the Bible has much to say about God’s presence in our difficulty. Always True will point you to God’s promises, which are just that: always true.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802458696/?tag=2022091-20
( A new model for church is desperately needed, and Verti...)
A new model for church is desperately needed, and Vertical Church is fanning the flame. The Vertical Church: What Every Heart Longs For, What Every Church Can Be - Member Book provides a personal study experience to help pastors, teachers, leaders, and serious believers get beyond a human-centered horizontal church to focus on seeking God’s glory. Participants will examine four requirements for a church that is focused on God: • unashamed adoration • unapologetic preaching • unafraid witness • unceasing prayer The Member Book includes • learning activities • viewer guides • group experiences
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1415874301/?tag=2022091-20
( Is your family all that you want it to be? With the po...)
Is your family all that you want it to be? With the power of God your family can be totally transformed! For anyone who's serious about improving the quality of their family life, Seven Words to Change Your Family gives hard-hitting practical guidance on how to make it happen. In his captivating and contemporary style, Pastor James MacDonald will challenge readers to avoid devastating complacency and become proactive in loving their families. Whether it's learning to speak words of blessing, extend forgiveness, or be faithfully committed, families will be transformed by the step-by-step realistic plan laid out in this excellent resource.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802434401/?tag=2022091-20
( Change is hard. It’s even harder without practical guid...)
Change is hard. It’s even harder without practical guidance on how to do it. From author James MacDonald: “I have written this book to actually help people change. It's for people who desperately want to change, a practical ‘How-to’ manual… The truths in this book are stained with my own tears of trying and failing and trying again to be the man God wants me to be. So I have written this with the urgency of a loving heart for you and your situation… James MacDonald is serious about the business of change according to God's Word, and he walks you through it in three phases: • The Preparation for Change: choosing the right method and partnering with God to select the areas you need to see change • The Process of Change: exploring the biblical method of saying no to sinful patterns and yes to the things God desires for you • The Power to Change: knowing how to experience the power of God personally and continuously Includes study questions, exercises, and single sentence chapter summaries
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802405266/?tag=2022091-20
(This 30-Day devotional explores the timeless wisdom of Pr...)
This 30-Day devotional explores the timeless wisdom of Proverbs. The antiqued and embossed gift binding and deckled page edges make Ancient Wisdom perfect for graduations or other gift occasions.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0805444289/?tag=2022091-20
(Come Home is an invitation to all wanderers and to those ...)
Come Home is an invitation to all wanderers and to those who love them. It is a call to a greater awareness of the disconnected and hurting. And it is a challenge to believers to bring back those who are missing.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1415870764/?tag=2022091-20
( Hosea 6 declares, “Come, let us return to the LORD . . ...)
Hosea 6 declares, “Come, let us return to the LORD . . . let us press on to know the LORD . . . And He will come to us like the rain.”This verse is the essence of Downpour, a revival-ready book by Pastor James MacDonald.MacDonald writes with the desire to witness an absolute soaking of God's Spirit on the church in North America. He is grieved by statistics showing little or no difference between the lifestyles of professing Christians and their nonbelieving neighbors, and he counters that with a five-point outline that charts the pathway to personal revival.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0805441999/?tag=2022091-20
( "Life is hard right now, and I just don't know what to ...)
"Life is hard right now, and I just don't know what to do." When life is hard—really hard—we often spend all our time pleading, begging, yelling, refusing, and questioning. While none of these things are necessarily unusual, they are missing the ultimate point. When life is hard, when things get ugly, when all hope seems to be lost… that is when we are able to display the superiority of God by leaning on His promises and truths. Working his way through five questions we've all had run through our heads, trusted pastor James MacDonald helps us understand what we should do in the midst of trial: • What kind of trial am I dealing with, and is God involved in it? • Why am I experiencing trial? • What should I do in the midst of trial? • Are God’s purposes really being fulfilled in this? • Why won't this trial go away? God told us to expect trials, so don’t be surprised when they come. Grow when they come. Find hope when they come.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/080245870X/?tag=2022091-20
( Are you truly serious about allowing the power of God t...)
Are you truly serious about allowing the power of God to transform your life? If you are, then prepare yourself for an incredible, life-changing experience. Change is difficult, but it's made even harder without practical guidance on how to do it. You will find that guidance in Lord, Change Me. James MacDonald is serious about the business of change according to God's Word. While many tell us that we should change and be more like Christ, MacDonald actually teaches us how to do it. Lord, Change Me is split into three sections as the model for approaching change: • The Preparation for Change: choosing the right method and partnering with God to select the areas in need of change in your life. • The Process of Change: exploring the biblical method of saying 'no' to sinful patterns and 'yes' to the things God desires for you. • The Power to Change: explaining how to experience the power of God personally and continuously. This is a book about a different you. There are no warm fuzzies within these pages. Rather, MacDonald is a direct, to-the-point pastor with a heart for seeing lives completely transformed by the truth of the Gospel. If you're serious about changing your life, this book is just what you need.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802434231/?tag=2022091-20
( The prodigal. The wanderer. The skeptic. The rebel. Ea...)
The prodigal. The wanderer. The skeptic. The rebel. Each of us knows someone who has walked away from God, and it is heartbreaking and bewildering. We wonder how to reach out to them and bring them back, but often it seems impossible. Maybe you yourself are the one who has walked away and sees little reason to return to faith and the church. This book's invitation is this: Come home. It invites the departed to return and offers the promise of the gospel—that all wrongs and sins can be forgiven through Jesus. There is no expiration on the promise of forgiveness and the open arms of Christ, so no matter how long the wanderer has wandered, he or she is still welcome. All hurts can be healed, all brokenness mended. Just come home. Whether you are a family member or friend of the prodigal, or whether you are that person, this book offers hope and an open invitation to return the safety of forgiveness and restoration in Jesus.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802457185/?tag=2022091-20
( When was the last time you were truly gripped by God's ...)
When was the last time you were truly gripped by God's greatness? Most Christians recall heartfelt resolutions around a fire at bible camp as children or a revival meeting. But what causes the fervor of those experiences to translate into a consistent life pattern? Pastor and author James MacDonald believes that the better we understand God, the better we understand ourselves, and the less likely we are to favor our own will over God's. He writes, "God is not safe and He will not be squeezed into some neat, respectable Sunday discussion... No. To know God at all is to watch Him explode any box we put Him in with His terror, majesty, and indescribable wonder.'" Expounding upon Isaiah's encounters with God, MacDonald prods snoozing saints to rediscover the wonder of God's attributes. He also shares candidly from his experiences in life and ministry where God proved Himself to be the Great I AM. This book will spur new and seasoned believers alike to detest mediocrity in their spiritual walks. Ideal for individual or small group study.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802447783/?tag=2022091-20
(What we really want for our families is change; more of G...)
What we really want for our families is change; more of God's agenda and less of ours. Real love and peace and health in our families, the question is how? In this series we roll up our sleeves and get to work examining seven biblical words that, when understood and applied, will transform your family.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007P9YRO4/?tag=2022091-20
( An emergency call, and I rush from my coziness into the...)
An emergency call, and I rush from my coziness into the dark community where the police have requested a chaplain. Arriving in minutes, I find the family imploding with grief having just discovered their son hanging in the garage. In a moment of unshakable pain, he jumped off the ladder and into eternity. And I will never shake the look in their eyes when I asked why he hadn't called a church. "Why would he do that?" Across town, a pool of tears on my kitchen table as an out of town guest feels the weight of his infidelity, despairing that his famished soul finds no refuge and that he has to board a plane to feel fellowship. "Has your church tried to help you?" And the Christian leader confesses he hasn't been to church in years. Infighting, backbiting, heartbreaking, frustrating ... church. Though exceptions do exist, the reality is that church in America is failing one life at a time. Somewhere between pathetically predictable and shamefully entertaining, sadly sentimental and rarely authentic, church has become worst of all ... godless. Vertical Church points to a new day where God is the seeker, and we are the ones found. In Vertical Church God shows up, and that changes everything. If you want to experience God as you never have before and witness His hand at work, if you want to wake up to the first thought, "Thank God it's Sunday," if you're ready to feel your heart beat faster as you drive to your place of worship ... then devour and digest the lessons of Vertical Church.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1434709167/?tag=2022091-20
( Always True: God's Promises When Life Is Hard - Member ...)
Always True: God's Promises When Life Is Hard - Member Book provides a personal guide for this adult Bible study by James MacDonald. that leads individuals and churches to understand the nature of God’s promises, which are always true whether in good times or trials in the believer’s life. During an extended season of personal crises in his life James discovered that God’s promises are always true and that we can trust God to be faithful to His word no matter what we face. These universal promises are based on biblical truths and principles that will provide hope to all believers who face hardship. (6 sessions) Sessions: • The Theology of Promise • I Will Not Fear: God Is Always with Me • I Will Not Doubt; God Is Always in Control • I Will Not Despair; God Is Always Good • I Will Not Falter; God Is Always Watching • I Will Not Fail; God Is Always Victorious
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1415869898/?tag=2022091-20
( Man up; it’s the best thing you can do for others—and y...)
Man up; it’s the best thing you can do for others—and yourself Men are so busy doing so many different things; when not working, their free time is often full of the trivial or sinful. But what society and church so desperately need are men who embrace all that God created them to be, who long to follow God without limits and meet the needs of those around them without hesitation. To get there, we need what Pastor James MacDonald calls “radical surgery”—a deep, probing exploration and reparation of all that it means to be a man. In his definitive, bold voice, MacDonald calls men to be watchful, firm in their faith, strong, and loving. This isn’t a call for bravado and bluster. It’s a call for men to mix tender and tough, to be humble, to follow Jesus. It is a call to be leaders, men of God, husbands who are present and caring and strong. It is straight talk—no posturing or posing or beating around the bush—inviting men to redemption and restoration in their manhood. Read Act Like Men and take bold steps toward being all that God designed you to be.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802457193/?tag=2022091-20
( "God wrote a book." There is something very powerful in...)
"God wrote a book." There is something very powerful in that simple statement. The book, of course, is the Bible, and because God is its author, it's the most important work ever written. Millions across the world agree with that, yet many believe it only conceptually, doubting that the words of the Bible are in fact the very words of God. Pastor James MacDonald addresses today's disturbing trend away from taking God's Word seriously. He clarifies the misconceptions that surround the infallibility, reliability, and historicity of the Bible and explains why he believes it is the inspired Word of God, how it originated, what the Bible is good for, and its benefits to us. Written to believers and non-believers who have questions, this book on the Good Book has the answers.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1581346220/?tag=2022091-20
(Mark it down-when your problems seem big, your God is too...)
Mark it down-when your problems seem big, your God is too small. To gaze up on the greatness of God-to see Him as He truly is and then comprehend that in spite of God's awesome transcendence He truly loves us-that is the place of victory. In these six messages from Isaiah, explore the highest theological peaks in all of Scripture that describe God's character and works. If you dare to ascend those heights and be gripped by God's greatness, you will never be the same again!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008EK2YC0/?tag=2022091-20
( Has hypocrisy crept into your life? It doesn’t just ha...)
Has hypocrisy crept into your life? It doesn’t just happen overnight. Drifting into hypocrisy is a long, drawn-out journey away from God’s will for your life and toward a two-faced existence. How do you know when your inner self has deteriorated, when you've become an expert at presenting a faithful-looking facade? Hold up the mirror of God's Word and take a good look. Acting like a Christian and saying all the right words sometimes leads to nothing more than empty piety. If you want to live that vibrant life, if you want to be truly blessed, you must get after the disciplines of genuine faith. Follow along with Pastor James MacDonald on the road toward Truth and explore the disciplines of personal Bible study, personal prayer, fasting, fellowship, and service for Christ. Become the real deal. Be authentic.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802457177/?tag=2022091-20
(He Will Come to Us like the Rain. If you hate the thought...)
He Will Come to Us like the Rain. If you hate the thought that your best days with God are in the rear view mirror, believe James MacDonald when he tells you, "They don't have to be! Come let us return to the Lord." God longs to pour water into every dry place-refreshing, reviving, drenching you with all that He is-if only you will return to Him. If you are ready to come on God's terms, nothing can stand in the way of a downpour. He will come to us like the rain. Life has been dry long enough. Come and drink deeply from the fountain of God's mercy. These messages from Pastor James will take you to the place where God can bring a downpour. Will you come?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008EJBCLU/?tag=2022091-20
(Come Home is an invitation to all wanderers and to those ...)
Come Home is an invitation to all wanderers and to those who love them. It is a call to a greater awareness of the disconnected and hurting. And it is a challenge to believers to bring back those who are missing.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1430035188/?tag=2022091-20
MacDonald received degrees from London Baptist Bible College (Bachelor in Theology, 1984), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Master of Arts in Religion, 1988) and Phoenix Seminary (Doctor of Ministry, 1996).
He is a non-denominational teacher and author Education and ministry
MacDonald was ordained at Riverside Baptist Church in Windsor, Ontario in 1985. Since 1997, MacDonald’s Bible-teaching ministry has been extended through Walk in the Word, a television and radio broadcast ministry.
Further extension of MacDonald"s ministry includes a church planting arm of the church called Harvest Bible Fellowship with a training center for pastors.
The church moved into a converted warehouse in Rolling Meadows, Illinois in 1995. Two campuses (Elgin and Niles) were added in 2004.
Crystal Lake was added in 2007. Additional campuses include Chicago North in 2010 which became Chicago Cathedral in 2012, Aurora in 2011, and North Shore in 2012.
Thousands of people currently attend the church.
Walk in the Word
lieutenant was the 2012 recipient of the Billy Graham Award for Excellence in Christian Communication. Harvest Bible Fellowship
Harvest Bible Fellowship was born in 2002 and has planted many churches across North America and around the world. Vertical Church Band
They have released three live worship albums: "Church Songs" (2015), The Rock Won"t Move" (2014), and "Live Worship from Vertical Church Band" (2013).
( Is your family all that you want it to be? With the po...)
( Man up; it’s the best thing you can do for others—and y...)
( When was the last time you were truly gripped by God's ...)
( Are you truly serious about allowing the power of God t...)
( Follow bestselling author, speaker, and pastor James Ma...)
( Always True: God's Promises When Life Is Hard - Member ...)
( An emergency call, and I rush from my coziness into the...)
( A new model for church is desperately needed, and Verti...)
(What we really want for our families is change; more of G...)
(Come Home is an invitation to all wanderers and to those ...)
(Come Home is an invitation to all wanderers and to those ...)
( Has hypocrisy crept into your life? It doesn’t just ha...)
(This 30-Day devotional explores the timeless wisdom of Pr...)
(Mark it down-when your problems seem big, your God is too...)
( "Life is hard right now, and I just don't know what to ...)
( Hosea 6 declares, “Come, let us return to the LORD . . ...)
(He Will Come to Us like the Rain. If you hate the thought...)
( "God wrote a book." There is something very powerful in...)
( Change is hard. It’s even harder without practical guid...)
( The prodigal. The wanderer. The skeptic. The rebel. Ea...)