Leadership

Hello! I'm a simple guy. My passions are my family, friends, and Jesus! Having three kids (5, 8, 11 years old), I don't have a ton of free time. But when I do, I enjoy the outdoors and sports. I love taking my son surfing and doing my best to catch fish.

If you know of any good spots for either of those, we should be friends! Also, I am a die-hard UCF fan and Jaguar fan. Next year is going to be our year! Its also really easy to engage me in a conversation about Lord of the Rings or anything history related. I am unashamed of my nerd side.

I stand firmly on the undisputed truth that Classic Rock is THE BEST music made. If you want to see me slowly die a little bit inside, invite me to watch a romantic comedy. I'd much rather watch Gladiator, Braveheart, or pretty much anything with Will Ferrell. Find me on Facebook and let's connect! https://www.facebook.com/paul.bush.731

I love Jesus, my family and my "work" - in that order. Growing up in the United Methodist Church (in Jacksonville, FL), I was blessed to have parents who "took" me to church. They did not send me. I made my decision to follow Jesus at youth camp as a Junior Higher even though I had no idea what that meant. Ironically, with the exception of "Dedicate Your Life To Full-Time Christian Service" I checked every box on the official camp commitment card! Years later, on April 15, 1981, to be precise, God would call me into full-time Christian Ministry.
I would serve as a youth pastor for the next 25 years at 3 churches: Neptune Beach, FL; Tucson, AZ; then back to Orange Park, FL, before launching HighPoint Community Church on October 1, 2006. It has been an amazing ride! God has been good and faithful. As the old confederate soldier's prayer goes, "I am, among all men, most richly blessed."
Everyone who knows me knows that one of those primary "blessings" in my life is my family. I met Becky when I served in Tucson and we have been married 31 years. She is a professor at FSCJ, where she has taught chemistry for 25 years. Together we have 2 children: Joshua and Grace. I adore my family!
When folks think "PMike" (my rapper name), they usually think coffee (Starbucks specifically), movies and/or the outdoors. That makes my heart smile because they all involve people, and seeing people come alive to Jesus Christ has been one of the greatest blessings of my life!
I have hiked the Grand Canyon twice, caught a gator off the shore of Neptune Beach and shuttled Elvis Presley from the airport at 2 AM in the morning. However, nothing compares to the front row seat I have been blessed to occupy for almost 40 years in full-time ministry: watching God work in the lives of His people.
All Glory to God for all that He has done, is doing and has yet to do in the lives of all those who desire to know Him and to make Him known.mailto:mhailey@highpointccop.com?subject=

I love the sense of purpose that I have when I come to work at our church every day. I love serving God by teaching others from God’s infallible, inerrant Word. As I have often shared with our Grumpy’s Bible Study and our Sunday school classes, once we become born-again Christ followers, Jesus does not immediately call us to heaven, because he has a mission for us all. We are commanded to fulfill the Great Commission, to do our part to bring other disciples into the Kingdom of God and we should strive daily to bring glory to our Father through how we live our lives.
I love my beautiful, gracious, generous, and loving wife, Wendy, who has been my life-partner for over 30 years. God has blessed us with four remarkable children: Jesse, Justin, Megan and Michael, each uniquely gifted and talented children of God, who are a constant source of joy in our lives. 
After serving in the US Navy for 20 years and as an attorney for the railroad corporation CSX for nearly 14 years, I am humbled to be part of the staff of HighPoint Community Church, serving along-side our lead Pastor Mike Hailey, with whom I have had the honor to be in ministry with for over 20 years.

Before introducing myself, I feel that it is important to begin with what I believe praise and worship should be in the church. At its core, it is selfless; For all involved. Worship is not about us; It is about God. We worship God because He is Lord and He is worthy of our praise and worship. Technically, worship does not even require music at all. We can encounter God and worship Him in many ways; From reading His word, to serving those around us. Praise, however, is not silent; And in the church, it is meant to be done TOGETHER. It is not a performance. At Highpoint, we strive to incorporate the two concepts in their full design and beauty.

We are in an interesting time for the global church regarding worship. I have been a part of many worship teams; From "mega churches" to very small churches. With growing technology, I have witnessed first-hand what backing-tracks, fog, stage lighting, and lasers can do to a worship team and subsequently the congregation. I have seen it change the environment to more of a show vs. collective praise. To be clear, some of those enhancements are very cool and can be appreciated for what they are. Sound quality/equipment can aid in leading a fun praise environment. But it doesn't have to; And more often than not, I have seen some of those things slowly begin to change the heart of worship. The congregation can become very passive.

So what is it, exactly, that creates an unhealthy worship environment? I believe it is "emotional-driven" worship. Basically, the idea that one must be "feeling it" in order to worship God. Which, in turn, endorses a performance/show environment. The sole goal becomes invoking an emotional response from the listener. Not only does this environment shift the focus from God to self; But someone next to you, who is not as charismatic or emotional, might even feel like they are worshipping incorrectly. Friends, you do not have to have "goosebumps" in order to worship God. Faith comes before feelings. Emotions are not bad; God designed us to have emotions/feelings. Worship may or may not produce certain emotions. It's just important not to put "feelings" and "faith" in the wrong order. Faith (and our worship) needs to be the constant driving factor; Because our God is constant and He is worthy of every ounce of praise we can offer. Some Sundays it may just be "God, I'm here. I'm not feeling it today. I showed up in faith. I showed up because you are worthy. I showed up to sing thanks to you for Jesus and for all the blessings I may be taking for granted." I'm the Worship Pastor and I have prayed that very prayer at times. God can do some amazing things with that vulnerability and faith.

We have a great worship team here. We have a lot of fun (and our laughter makes rehearsals run too long sometimes); But we take the heart of worship very seriously. I love the delicate balance that is praise and worship; And I continue to pray and ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and guidance in leading our praise and worship environment. Ok, that completes my rant on praise and worship. 😊

My amazing wife, Lekell, and I have one son, Roman.  I was self-taught on piano (so I believe God taught me) and I've had a passion for playing/composing music since about 6 years old. I recently retired from the Navy and we decided to move back to Jacksonville purely because of this church. The move certainly presented more challenge and hardship on us but we knew deeply that it was where God was calling us to serve. We have no family in Jacksonville. However, my wife and I decided that it was more important to have our son grow up connected to such an amazing church. Highpoint is family for us.

Due to frequent relocations throughout my military career, I have been involved with many churches and worship teams. I am so grateful that we have returned to, what we have always considered, our church home. Highpoint really is a "community"; Young and old coming together, loving Jesus and everyone around them; A community that "walks the talk" in my opinion and experience.

I hope you become part of our wonderful Highpoint family. God loves you and we love you. Come praise our great God with us!

If you are new to the church, please please PLEASE contact me! I want to meet you!!

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Questions? Email Kids@highpoint.family

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