"The Doxology" (Jude 24-25)

In Jude's closing two verses, the tone shifts from correction to praise. After six weeks of warning his audience about the danger of trusting their own wisdom, their own strength, and their own version of faith, Jude ends with a doxology: a word of glory directed at the only God who is actually able. [SPEAKER NAME] walks through what that word "able" really means, and why it is the most stabilizing truth a believer can hold.

The teaching covers God's sovereignty as the foundation of every promise He makes, the specific Greek word Jude uses for "keep" in verse 24 (a word that implies being guarded from the inside, not just from external threat), and what it means that Christ will present us blameless before His Father with joy. Not reluctantly. Not barely. With joy. That Christ endured the cross with joy because of who He was purchasing is not a small thing, and this teaching does not let it pass quickly.

Whether you have been walking through Jude from week one or are joining the series here at the close, this episode is for anyone who knows that their greatest spiritual threat is not what comes at them from the outside, but what rises up from within.

Presented by McGregor Podcast 2026 Visit Our Website at McGregorPodcast.com New to McGregor? Plan a visit at mcgregor.net/plan-a-visit

Psalms - Songs of the King

"A Psalm For The Journey"

(Psalm 84)

What does it mean to stand before God and give an account?

In this Beyond the Notes episode, Pastor Russell Howard opens in Psalm 84:7 and brings that ancient pilgrim language into conversation with 2 Corinthians 5:6-11. He walks through five affirmations Paul makes to believers, covering the source of Christian courage, the reality of death and what comes immediately after, the aim to please Christ in daily life, and the nature of the judgment seat of Christ. He also addresses a common translation question about the word rendered "evil" in 2 Corinthians 5:10, explaining why "worthless" or "empty" more accurately reflects what Paul intended.

The judgment seat of Christ is not a courtroom for heaven and hell. It is a stewardship review. This episode helps listeners understand what that means, why it matters, and how to live with more focus and faithfulness because of it.

April 12, 2026 Russell Howard • Lead Pastor

Presented by McGregor Podcast 2026

Visit Our Website at McGregorPodcast.com

Psalms - Songs of the King

"A Psalm For The Journey"

(Psalm 84)

In this episode of the McGregor Podcast, Russell Howard unpacks Psalm 84, exploring Jesus as the Chosen Servant who embodies gentle grace and brings global glory. Discover how Jesus navigated conflict, extended compassion to the hurting, and sought to fulfill the Father’s will above all. Russell Howard challenges listeners to reflect Christ’s patience, faithfulness, and gentleness in their own lives. Tune in for practical applications and encouragement to trust God’s sovereign and gracious purposes, even in the midst of life’s trials.

Sermon Notes

April 12, 2026 Russell Howard • Lead Pastor

Presented by McGregor Podcast 2026

Visit Our Website at McGregorPodcast.com

Easter Sunday afternoon, the worship center transformation began. By Monday morning, the construction crews were already inside.

On the April 12 episode of Around McGregor, hosts Mark Bricker, Tamar Miller, and Christian Miller record from inside the construction zone on McGregor's first Sunday in Fellowship Hall. They walk through the full logistics of the transition: where to park, how the new valet entrance works, which nine life groups relocated and where, and how the Fellowship Hall projector setup (upgraded with equipment from the worship center) is making a difference for ministries already. They also talk through the Renew Phase 2 social media coverage, including the renovation Reel that became one of the most viewed in McGregor's history.

Beyond the renovation, this episode covers VBS 2026 Rainforest Falls volunteer recruitment at the Main Street table, the Arizona family mission trip informational meeting happening today after the last service in F130, the South Asia mission trip informational meeting next Sunday April 19 in F153, a prospective member class today in the Joy Annex library, and spring adult discipleship courses starting April 22 including a women's study through Colossians, a men's study through Micah, a midweek doctrinal study on the holiness of God, and an elective on revival in American church history. If you are navigating your first Sunday in the new space or just getting your bearings on everything McGregor has going this spring, this episode covers the ground.

Presented by McGregor Podcast 2026 Visit Our Website at McGregorPodcast.com

New to McGregor? Plan a visit at mcgregor.net/plan-a-visit

How do we fight for the faith when the world pushes back — and false teaching is everywhere? In this week's Midweek Bible Study from the Book of Jude, we work through Jude 17–23 and find a clear game plan for contending for the faith right where God has placed you.

Whether you're a business owner, a teacher, a plumber, or a retiree — you have a platform, and you have a testimony. This passage gives every believer four practical ways to stand firm, finish strong, and show mercy to those around them.

Journey Together, from our Midweek Bible Study: "Book of Jude" - 4.8.26

Taught by Mike Hess.

Presented by McGregor Podcast 2026

Visit Our Website at McGregorPodcast.com

What does hope actually look like when nothing is going your way?

In this Beyond the Notes episode, Pastor Russell Howard walks through three Old Testament figures, Job, Abraham, and Habakkuk, to draw a clear line between situational optimism and biblical hope. He traces Job 19 as one of the most precisely articulated resurrection hope passages in all of Scripture, written from the depth of Job's suffering rather than after his circumstances improved. He also unpacks how Job's friends, though theologically informed, held a graceless theology of retribution that left them confident but completely wrong, and why the missing ingredient may have been pain itself.

The listener walks away with a working definition of biblical hope: a theological conviction that God can be trusted, not because the circumstances cooperate, but because the Redeemer lives. This episode is for anyone whose hope has felt thin in a hard season and wants to know what Scripture actually says about why that forge matters.

Presented by McGregor Podcast 2026 Visit Our Website at McGregorPodcast.com New to McGregor? Plan a visit at mcgregor.net/plan-a-visit

In this episode of the McGregor Podcast, Russell Howard unpacks Job 19:23–29 — exploring the hope of a living Redeemer in the midst of suffering and loss. Discover how Job's ancient declaration of faith points forward to Jesus and forward to lasting, resurrection hope. Russell Howard challenges listeners to trust God's sovereign and gracious purposes, even in the midst of life's trials.

Sermon Notes | April 5, 2026 Russell Howard • Lead Pastor

Presented by McGregor Podcast 2026 Visit Our Website at McGregorPodcast.com

He is risen, and McGregor is moving. This Easter episode lands at the intersection of resurrection joy and real-life change.

Mark, Tamar, and Christian celebrate Resurrection Sunday and walk through everything listeners need to know as McGregor transitions from the Worship Center to Fellowship Hall beginning next Sunday, April 12. They cover practical details including updated parking recommendations, valet drop-off locations, new handicap spots on the east side of campus, and what to expect from signage and entry points. They also talk honestly about what it feels like to leave a space that has meant something, and why the timing, right after Easter, is not lost on them.

The episode closes with a full spring calendar preview: the Perspective Member Class deadline (April 5), new adult midweek courses launching April 22 covering the holiness of God, the prophet Micah, the book of Colossians, and revival in American history; the preschool and children's choir spring concert on April 26 in the Fellowship Hall; and the church golf tournament on Saturday, May 16 at The Forest Golf Course. If you want to know what is happening at McGregor this season, this is the episode.

Presented by McGregor Podcast 2026 Visit Our Website at McGregorPodcast.com New to McGregor? Plan a visit at mcgregor.net/plan-a-visit