About

Thanks for stopping by my personal blog, At The Garage. This blog is focused on providing value to those who work in ministry or just enjoy reading musings on God, life, books, ministry, and leadership. My goal is to write insightful, relevant content that will be helpful to you.

More than anything, I want you to know the theme of At The Garage is a work in progress. I truly believe that I am simply a work in progress — as a pastor, leader, writer, speaker, father, husband, and man of God. I don’t have it all figured out, but with the help of those I have learned from, work with, or lessons I have experienced personally, sometimes the hard way, I will try to pass along what has been valuable to my own life and ministry through blog posts.

Personal and Professional:

First and foremost, I am a husband and a father. Emily, my wife, (follow her on instagram or twitter @emilyjalex) is a devoted mother, my best friend, and a Spirit-filled worship leader at Eagle Brook. Our son Maddox is the raddest little dude on the planet and we welcomed a new little girl, Marley, in June 2015.

I am the Campus Pastor of Lino Lakes at Eagle Brook Church and occasionally preach on the weekend and in our student ministries. Previously I was the Director of Student Ministries (grades 6-12) where I oversaw the vision, direction, and ministry of student ministries at all six campuses at EBC. I get the amazing opportunity to work with an unbelievable team of pastors, some of the best in the country.

After a short collegiate and professional career in baseball, both as a player and a coach, I pursued the call to a life of ministry (although looking back over my life I’ve always been pursuing this call to ministry leadership as far back as middle school). I have worked at Hope Lutheran Church in Westminster, CA, Community Lutheran Church in Las Vegas, NV, and now Eagle Brook Church. I graduated with a Master’s of Theology in New Testament from Luther Seminary in May 2014.

There are 3 ways you can best engage with me through At The Garage:

1. Subscribe to either the RSS feed through any blog reader or by signing up to receive the blog posts through email.

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

2. Engage through conversations. We can chat through the comments section of blogs, through email (alexa108@gmail.com), or by sharing posts with others (simply click on the share links on the bottom of each post). You can follow me on twitter (@johnalex5), facebook.com/johnalex5, or instagram (johnalex5).

Future Opportunities:

3. Contact me for speaking opportunities, coaching, or guest writing, both for At The Garage or for your own blog. I am more than happy to entertain the option of any of these.

Here’s a sample of some recent teaching:

Here’s a few of my top blog posts:

Famous: https://atthegarage.wordpress.com/2013/12/09/famous/

Winning: https://atthegarage.wordpress.com/2013/10/23/winning/

Potential: https://atthegarage.wordpress.com/2011/08/18/potential

No matter how well we get to know each other through this blog, through coffee hangs, through social media or future opportunities of speaking, coaching, or writing, I want you to know that more than anything, I love Jesus Christ and want to do all I can to follow him, become more like him, and point others to develop a relationship with him as well. But remember, I’m just a work in progress.

In no way do these blog posts reflect the views of Eagle Brook Church.

7 thoughts on “About”

  1. John,

    Thanks for taking a look at The New Conspirators and for your encouraging words. I would welcome a converstion on topics in the book.

    I am convinced we are heading into turbullent times and we need to learn from young risk takers to create more missional lifstyles and congregations to address the growing needs of those at the margins.

    We in Mustard Seed Associates are actually creating a manual to help people reach out to those still being hammered by the recession and other waves that are likely to break on the beaches of our lives and communities 2010 to 2020. For those who are interested in learning more they can read about it on my blog http://www.msainfo.org and click on “conspiracy.” keep up the good work John.

    Thanks again,
    tom sine

    Reply

  3. Hey John,

    Thanks for the thoughtful review on MNF!

    Thankful that you were able to digest it!

    Would you mind posting your review on amazon? Think it’s very helpful for others.

    dave

    Reply

  4. John,
    Hey John this is blake with Home of Love Publications. I found you on Amazon and then visited your blog, which is sweet by the way. I completely agree with your thoughts on congregational leadership.
    In John 8:34, Jesus says, “I tell you the truth everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”
    We are all slaves to selfishness and a sinful nature, but like you said, Jesus can lead us to freedom. When we spend time with Him we will repent and enter into a process of sanctification.
    I would love for you to review my Dad’s book, 333 You Are Free!!! which is a fun-to-read, parable style book that offers a way to re-image our minds and renew our hearts through Christ daily. If you are interested, I would gladly send you a complimentary copy, either hardcopy or Ebook, whichever you prefer.
    Thanks so much for your blog! Seeing people living to glorify God, strengthens me.
    Blake

    Reply

  5. Your blog looks great.

    Our company has been representing authors for the past twenty years. We would love to add you to our database to receive press releases from them regarding religious books for review.

    Thank you in advance,

    Ken Eason
    Bostick Communications
    ops@bostickcommunications.com

    Reply

  6. John and Emily,
    I really enjoy your blog. I give you my most heartfelt thanks for your guidance, friendship, and the grace that you extended towards my son and family during your time at CLC in Vegas. You are both much missed.
    Diane Adams
    p.s. Your idea for a “missional coffeehouse” is fantastic.

    Reply

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