For the last 6 months I served as a missionary at Good Shepherd’s Fold Children and Babies Home in Jinja, Uganda. I worked as a nurse at GSF, where approximately 85 kids call home. While I was titled nurse, every missionary there played many roles! I might be teaching sunday school class one hour, testing for malaria the next, join in toddler play time before dinner, and then help one of our teenagers decide what to do next in life! Read More…

The Paradox Church is a part of the Acts 29 Network—a network of churches committed to planting new churches all around the world. At The Paradox, we have committed to giving financially to help support new churches and have given $60,000 since we started a couple of years ago, we are committed to coaching and assessing church planters, and we are committed to sending out church planters from among our Body. We wanted to introduce you to some of the men God has called to our church and to church planting. Read More…

Below is a letter written to The Paradox Church from Pastor Mike Hanafee, Lead Pastor of Restore Church in Detroit, Michigan. Read More…

Dear Paradox Church,

About 4 years ago I set out with my wife to start a church in the heart of Denton, Texas. For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to do that in July when it was 137 degrees…and while wifey was great with child and running the children’s ministry. (For the record, don’t do this.) But we did it, and God somehow managed to bless it. To risk over extending a metaphor, and offending those dear souls who have been through the pain of actual childbirth: as my wife was giving birth to our 4th child, we were beginning the joyful yet painful process of giving birth to our first church. What popped out was Christ Community Church of Denton (C3). Read More…

The Paradox Church is not just about The Paradox Church. We know that we are caught up in a great movement of God to make His Name great to the city of Fort Worth and to all nations.

Our hope as a church is to proclaim and display the glory and grace of God as a “sent” people, and as a people that “sends”. Read More…

Julie Matthews is a partner of The Paradox who is currently serving in overseas medical missions at the Good Shepherd’s Fold Orphanage (GSF) in Jinja, Uganda. Below are stories of God’s faithfulness in her time overseas.

I’d like to share some of the stresses of life over the past few days here in Uganda. I’m sharing because I want to explain what I have been learning and how God is using it to grow me! Read More…

My wife and I have broken the rules a little bit when it comes to the By Name Initiative. She chose 5 people and I chose 4. Out of the 9 people we have chosen, 6 of them are family and one is a boyfriend of a family member. The other 2 people that we are praying for are my friends that I have had the opportunity to share the gospel with for about 6 months now.  Read More…

As God stirs us as a community to make a stronger commitment to consistent prayer, He has graciously shown me how I can grow in this area. Friends, after 17 years of walking with Him, our God is teaching me how to pray.  With much reluctance, I confess to you that my prayer life is often boring and unfocused, and if I may put it bluntly, well….it kind of stinks. Whatever unfavorable words I use to describe it, I know it is not the rich, passionate prayer life He intends. Read More…

Last Sunday at our Porterbrook Cohort meeting, we were supposed to choose an area of our lives that we wanted to see real gospel change in this trimester. I chose prayer. Read More…

Several weeks ago, when I heard that we as The Paradox Church were going to take part in the Prayer By Name Initiative I was terrified. Resulting from a number of different events, I have had the opportunity to form a new friendship with a non-christian, and I knew without a doubt this would be the friend I would be praying for during the next six weeks. Read More…

Prayer is warfare. When we pray, we are engaging in battle against the forces that would seek to hinder the advance of the gospel in individual lives and our city. Along with the declaration of the gospel and the display of mercy, prayer is a weapon that God has given to us with power to destroy the grip that the enemy has on people and places.  As you intercede for those whom you desire to encounter God’s grace, pray with confidence that you are wielding a weapon of love that can overcome all the deception, hardness and doubt that would keep others from embracing Jesus. I’m praying for you as you pray. Don’t grow weary in this good warfare. Read More…

A pastor friend of ours recently posted this video as an introduction to the By Name Initiative for his church. We want to share it with you guys to clarify the initiative and encourage you to participate with us by asking Jesus to save someone you know by name daily for six weeks. Read More…

Julie Matthews is a partner of The Paradox who is currently serving in overseas medical missions at the Good Shepherd’s Fold Orphanage (GSF) in Jinja, Uganda. Below are stories of God’s faithfulness in her time overseas. Read More…

We have been praying that Jesus would give us 12 City Groups by the beginning of 2013. It seems he is answering that request in the affirmative. We currently have 9 City Groups which gather weekly and live as families of disciples on mission throughout the week. Read More…

Several weekends ago we had the joy of sending off one of our own, Julie Matthews, as she heads off to Africa for six months to work in medical missions. Read below for information about her trip, and how you can be praying for her while she’s gone. Read More…

Once upon a time, in a land far far away, I had a job as a server in a restaurant. Truth be told, I’ve had several different jobs as a server (waiter). But, before I became a Christian my lifestyle was much different (big surprise, huh?!). Read More…

I am often overwhelmed with the idea of “mission”.

I am a self-admitted introvert.  I like people enough, but I also really enjoy the time I have to myself.  I think a lot, over-analyze everything, am hyper observant, and time around people leaves me exhausted.  In a conversation I am analyzing motives and reading body language.  I am attuned to people’s moods and their comfort within the situation at hand.  I am constantly running things over in my mind.  The only time my mind is not running a mile a minute is when I am alone; the sweet rest of solitude. Read More…

My wife and I have date night pretty much every Friday – have for years.  She’s really pretty and I like her a lot so I keep asking her on dates and she keeps saying, “yes”.

This past Friday we went downtown to take pictures (for fun) and eat at PF Chang’s.  As we were walking around downtown we came across a street preacher at the corner of Main and 3rd – complete with bible and soapbox. I’ve been thinking about it ever since. Read More…

by Matt Walker – member of The Paradox

a continuation of Part 1

Although it is common within the Christian culture to go door-to-door evangelizing or trackbombing people, the statistics show that that is not the most effective way. It is through relationships. You may ask, “Why is that?” The answer is that the people that you are around look at your life. As they see your authentic faith and your love for them they begin to trust what you have to say to them. This opens the door wide open for discussing Jesus. Read More…

by Matt Walker – member of The Paradox

Being a part of the Paradox Church has been a huge blessing in my life, and one of the things that I have enjoyed most is the fact that it is theologically sound while maintaining a missional mindset. In many churches you find one or the other, but here I’ve been witness to both. Though many of you might understand what it is to be theologically sound, it may not be the case when understanding what it is to be missional. Read More…

Acts 17 says that God has determined the times and places that we live in.  You are not in the neighborhood you are in, in the office you work in, around the people you are around by accident.  God has intentionally put you there on mission to find Him and tell others about Him. Read More…

:: by Matt Lewis

Since becoming a part of the beginnings of what will become The Paradox Church the Lord has been beating on my spirit about certain things.  The strongest conviction was my increasing awareness of what many of us our becoming: Monday morning quarterbacks.  We love home groups, we love bible studies and retreats and “doing life” together.  We can sit around and talk and reflect and eat cookies in each other’s living rooms twice a week and feel better.  Most of us don’t like to get out of our chairs though or go outside where it’s not safe to do such things.  I began to loathe this academia type of “all theory no practice” approach to following Christ.  It bubbled over at one home group a few weeks back and I got riled up over the topic.  I wasn’t mad at the guys in my group; I was pissed at myself for being what I loathed. The conviction the Lord had given me was not a grandiose indictment of a lazy Christian generation; it was an indictment of me. Read More…