Extra Takes

Extra Takes Welcome to 2025 | Josh Laxton, Matt Shiles

In this special episode of Extra Takes, Pastor Josh and Matt Shiles welcome you to 2025. They look back at the sermon series that were preached in 2024, and do some character study into how Pastor Josh approaches his preparation. Then they look forward to 2025's upcoming preaching series. Further, Pastor Josh shares some of his goals and vision for Northland's future! 

Breaking the Silence: Week 3 | The Gift of Redemption | Josh Laxton

This week's Extra Takes is quite the delight,Pastor Josh and Matt Shiles, they're ready to ignite!They'll chat about sermons with wisdom so grand,"God speaks redemption, a Savior's at hand!"Now, what's this about a Grinch, you might say?Well, Pastor Josh has a favorite—hurray!Then Matt shifts the talk to the here and the now,Where are the people, and what’s God’s vow?How does He save them, and why does He care?Why redeem us all? Well, they’re here to share!

Breaking the Silence | Part 2 | The Gift of Purpose

In this episode of Extra Takes, Matt Shiles returns to his regular post to guide Pastor Josh through a discussion of the second sermon in the series “Breaking the Silence”. After a brief discussion of wardrobe choices, they get down to discussing how important your purpose in life is and how that becomes your mission. Pastor Josh goes on to explain how lost humans can become when they lose their sense of purpose, as has become common after the Enlightenment. Finally, Matt and Pastor Josh discuss how difficult it is to experience Godly flourishing.

Breaking the Silence: The Gift of Shalom | Week 1 | Josh Laxton and Tom Horvath

Join Pastor Josh with Tom Horvath, while Matt Shiles is on vacation. Tom leads Pastor Josh through a discussion including some Santa Claus talk, and how hard it is to preach every year on the birth of our savior, then moving into this weekend's sermon on Shalom. Pastor Josh provides lots of details about Genesis and how important each element is. Finally, Tom leads Pastor Josh into a discussion of the Shalom of the Sabbath.

Word to the Wanna Be Wise | Week 4 | Pastors Josh and Gus

In this unique episode of Extra Takes, join Pastor Josh from Tennessee, as he welcomes Pastor Gus to the podcast. Pastor Josh guides Pastor Gus through a discussion first of some African proverbs, then how we are to make decisions according to the bible, and finishes up with a time of thanks to mark the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

Word to the Wanna Be Wise | Week 3 | Josh Laxton

Pastor Josh is remote in this edition of Extra Takes, from Tennessee. Matt Shiles guides the discussion from the regular studio at Northland as they look into some of the details regarding this week's sermon on biblical friendship. After Pastor Josh takes a brief walk down memory lane, he digs into the differences in the different levels of friendship and what it takes for a "Biblical Friendship", and what the real benefits of such a relationship are. 

Word to the Wanna Be Wise | Week 2 | Josh Laxton

Matt Shiles leads Pastor Josh through a discussion of this week's message, titled "A WEALTH of WISDOM makes you WISE towards WEALTH".  Pastor Josh talks about how difficult it is to preach on this subject, and how careful he was crafting the sermon. Matt takes Pastor Josh into more tricky areas regarding wealth and its uses, leading to some interesting discussion, revealing some of Pastor Josh's insights into this tricky subject. 

Word to the Wanna Be Wise | Week 1

Proverbs 1:1-7
Join a rather punchy Pastor Josh and a regular Matt Shiles as they discuss the first in this new sermon series, "Word to the Wanna Be Wise", from the book of Proverbs. Alon with a discussion about this book of the bible, Matt leads Pastor Josh to discuss questions like: Where does wisdom come from, Why do we need wisdom, how do we get wisdom, what happens when we get wisdom, and, do you have His wisdom. 

Extra Takes Election Edition!

Join Matt Shiles as he hosts Pastor Josh and Chris Storms to explore the complexities of political engagement from a faith-based perspective. They discuss why we consume political news, whether engagement is an opportunity or a trap for believers, and how to navigate the messy middle without falling into divisive tactics. They'll also cover the differences between church leaders and congregants in political involvement, the importance of guarding our hearts against negative influences, and offer practical advice for moving forward after the election. 
LINKS-
Josh Laxton—Leveraging the Rights of our Earthly Citizenship: Why We Should Vote
https://joshlaxton.com/2022/01/19/appealing-to-caesar-leveraging-the-rights-of-our-earthly-citizenship
Josh Laxton—6 Questions to Ask Before Voting for Someone
https://joshlaxton.com/2020/11/01/6-questions-4-exhortations-and-a-prophetic-whistle-a-christians-guide-for-the-coming-election
Josh Laxton—Four Things I’m Praying for During this Political Season
https://joshlaxton.com/2016/02/29/prayer-and-politics-four-things-im-praying-for-during-this-political-season
• List of Voter Guides
https://www.christianvoterguide.com/.../southeast.../florida
Voting Guides for Amendments:
• Amendment 4
https://justfacts.votesmart.org/elections/ballot-measure/2877/florida-amendment-4-right-to-abortion-initiative
• Other Ballot Measures — (This link gives you a list of all the amendments throughout the years. Find the Amendments that are up for voting for November 5, 2024)
https://justfacts.votesmart.org/elections/ballot-measures/FL
https://www.christianvoterguide.com/states/southeast-region/florida
 

Letters to His Church | Week 9 | Final Week.

Pastor Josh and Matt Shiles bring the series to a close (after a quick promotional discussion of the Northland Cafe). Pastor Josh discusses the overall ideas from Revelation about what the Church's calling is, the societal pressures She experiences, and how to evaluate the condition of the Church. The discussion wraps up discussing Pastor Josh's hypothetical letter to Northland.