fbpx
Picture of Jon Opgenorth

Jon Opgenorth

Rev. Jon Opgenorth serves as president of Words of Hope. Previously, he served for 18 years as senior pastor at Trinity Reformed Church in Orange City, Iowa. In preparation for ministry, he received a BA in Religion from Northwestern College, and an MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary.
passport on wood surface
Devotionals

No Ordinary People

Read: Luke 10:5-7 Peace be to this house! (v. 5) I don’t begin most conversations among new people with “peace.” To me, it sounds a bit like humans greeting aliens in

Read More »
passport on wood surface
Devotionals

Travel Light

Read: Luke 10:4, Acts 13:3-5 Carry no moneybag, no knapsack . . . (v. 4) On my first mission experience in Uganda, I packed a digital camera but forgot the charging

Read More »
passport on wood surface
Devotionals

Lamb-like but Not Sheepish

Read: Luke 10:3, Psalm 23 Behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. (v. 3) As a little boy, I loved singing “Onward, Christian Soldiers” in

Read More »
passport on wood surface
Devotionals

The First Activity of Mission

Read: Luke 10:2; Acts 13:1-2 The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. (Luke 10:2) One Tuesday last November, I was setting out with our Ugandan team for a

Read More »
passport on wood surface
Devotionals

The First Rule of Mission

Read: Luke 10:1; Acts 1:6-8 The Lord appointed seventy-two. (Luke 10:1) The first rule of mission is that it’s Christ’s mission, not ours. Luke 10:1 plainly says “the Lord” appoints

Read More »
passport on wood surface
Devotionals

What (Not) to Expect

Read: Luke 9:57-62 I will follow you wherever you go. (v. 57) Most of us can find ourselves among these would-be followers that Jesus encounters on his way to Jerusalem. The

Read More »
passport on wood surface
Devotionals

A Face like Flint

Read: Luke 9:51-56 His face was set toward Jerusalem. (v. 53) With the arrival of summer, many churches send teams on short-term missions. Maybe you’re getting ready to go or are

Read More »
Devotionals

The Main Event

Read: Matthew 28:1-15 Dead people don’t rise. Jesus’ resurrection is the most consequential event in history. How you respond to it is the most consequential decision of your life. At

Read More »
Devotionals

When God is Silent

Read: Matthew 27:57-66 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. (v. 61) Sometimes God seems silent. A dream is crushed. A loved one dies. A diagnosis

Read More »