Hello, I'm Don Putnam
Training believers to find their place in the body of Christ.
For more than 40 years I have served the Lord, and my focus has always been teaching. I help believers understand the doctrine of the Bible and grow into disciplined followers of Jesus Christ.
New book
Walking Through the Storm
Navigating Life's Challenges with Scripture and the Spirit
Life rarely goes the way we planned. Disappointment, loss, worry, and conflict can leave even a committed Christian feeling like the ground has gone out from under them. But God never promised us a life without storms. He promised we would not walk through them alone.
This is a practical book for believers living their faith in the middle of real problems. It shows how to bring the Word and the presence of the Holy Spirit into your decisions, your relationships, your emotions, your work, and the hard seasons. You will learn to hear God's voice in His Word, follow the Spirit's leading, and build simple habits that keep you standing.
You do not have to come through the storm as a victim of circumstances. You can come through it as a child of God who is led, strengthened, and changed.
“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee.”
Available in paperback and Kindle
Second book
Reflections from the Harbor
Quit trying. Start being.
For years a lot of us worked hard at being better Christians. We tried to fix our own mess and hang on until Jesus comes. But the new birth was never a self-improvement program. The day you were born again, you were changed: forgiven, made new, and filled with His very nature.
This book gathers seven messages I first preached at The Harbor, written up as short chapters you can read in one sitting. I kept them close to how they sounded from the pulpit, plain talk and a little humor included. They cover who you are in Christ, what God designed you for, and the power of the Word in your mouth.
Every chapter closes with questions for reflection, so it works for your own devotions or for a small group.
“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature.”
Available in paperback and Kindle
First book
Your Identity in Christ
What Happened to You the Day You Were Born Again
Most believers can quote 2 Corinthians 5:17. Far fewer live as if it is true of them. I was a sinner for thirty years before I came to faith, and a believer for years after that who still did not know who I was.
This book is about that gap, the distance between knowing the verse and knowing who you became the day you were born again. A new creature. Old things passed away. A righteousness you did not earn, and nothing left standing between you and the Father.
It is not a book about trying harder. It is about standing in what already happened.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Available in paperback and Kindle
This Sunday
The latest message from The Harbor.
Watch, and ask as you go. Whatever you ask stays anonymous, and the questions people ask here are the ones Don answers on the podcast.
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Answers come from Don's recorded teaching and link back to the moment. Your question may be answered on Docside, without your name.
About
Discipleship comes through teaching.
Most people come to know the church through a pastor. A pastor is a shepherd. He watches over the flock, protects them, cares for people, and helps with the problems of daily life. That work matters, and I have deep respect for it.
My calling is a little different. I am in the office of an apostle. My job is to make the doctrine of the Bible clear to the believer, and to show them how to make a disciple. A disciple is a disciplined follower of Jesus Christ.
That is what this site is for. It is the teaching and equipping side of the work, the place where believers can grow up in their faith and find their place in the body of Christ.
“A disciple is a disciplined follower of Jesus Christ.”
The Journey
Growing up in the faith.
Spiritual growth follows a path. Most believers move through five stages as they mature, much the same way we grow up in life.
- 1Newborn
Newborn in faith
Brand new to the spiritual life, taking the very first steps.
- 2Grade school
Learning who you are
Discovering your identity in Christ.
- 3High school
Growing in calling
Gaining confidence and a sense of what you are made for.
- 4College
Maturing
Settling into who God made you to be.
- 5Launch
Stepping into leadership
Starting a ministry or a church and serving in public by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Credentials
Four decades in the work.
- 40+ years
- Serving the Lord, 30 of them in full-time ministry
- Graduate degrees
- Theology and biblical studies
- Senior overseer
- Pastor of several churches
From an interview
“What do you most want people to take away from this?”
“I would prefer that people actually hear my heart.”
Don Putnam
Teaching
Four pillars of walking with the Lord.
All of my teaching comes back to four commands. As the sermon library comes online, each message will be grouped under one of these four pillars so you can study by theme.
Love the Lord your God
With all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. Everything else grows out of this.
Love your neighbor as yourself
Faith that shows up in how you treat the people around you.
Go into all the world
Preach the gospel to all creation, well past our own four walls.
Make disciples of all men
Not just converts. Disciplined followers of Jesus Christ.
Teaching library coming soon.
Three threads run through it all
Every time you are in the presence of another believer, there is an opportunity, even a design by the Creator, to share these truths and encourage them to follow Christ.
Biblical faith
What it really means to believe God and take Him at His word.
Knowing the Holy Spirit
A deep, personal, day-to-day relationship with the person of the Holy Spirit.
New creation realities
Learning to see yourself the way God sees you once you belong to Him.
Have a question? Ask it.
Answering questions is one of the main ways Don teaches. It is how he communicates best. Send him what is on your mind.
These answers are generated by AI from Don's recorded teaching, and they link back to the source. For a personal reply, you can still email Don.
Connect
Where to go from here.
Don is specific about this. Before a big teaching environment, find a small place where faith gets real.
Find a lighthouse group
Join a small group of about 3 to 12 people, alongside a local church that teaches the scriptures accurately. It is the best place to start.
Reach Don directly
- Ask a question in the Q&A on his live stream, his preferred way to connect
- Arrange to meet him through the Harbor office
“A place where you can experience authentic Christianity and community.”