I have been married to my best friend Casey for 10 years. We have two beautiful girls Charli and Chloe, and I love being a dad. We started Foundations Church Sept. 7, 2008, I love our church, I love our people, and am blessed to be the lead pastor. Believe, Belong, Become.
This week I am skipping my weekly post about our weekend review. We had a great service and our people were awesome yet again, serving in such a way that it always points to Christ. But today I find myself in one of the hardest places I have been. My best friend since high school, Cory Spurlock, called me early on Monday morning to tell me that he and his wife Jennifer had just had a miscarriage.
Instantly I went numb, didn't know what to say, what to do, what to feel. This child is something that Cory and Jennifer have been praying for, for years. It is also something Casey and I have joined them in prayer for, for years as well. I didn't know what to say, I didn't know what to do, all I knew was I was getting to Oklahoma City as fast as I could. I showed up and met Cory in the hallway and we hugged and wept together. It is by far one of the worst feelings I have ever felt. I felt so helpless, and useless and all I could do is hug him and cry with him and say I am sorry over and over again. What do you do when you don't know what to do? What do you say when you don't know what to say?
I may not know all the answers, but I think you have to learn to just be there for people. This is what Christ did when it came to Lazarus dying and his close friends Mary and Martha were there. He just showed up and wept, before he did anything else. So many times we can confuse doing for people being better than being there for people. I think this is because it makes us feel better to do than to be. I think sometimes the most Christ-like thing you can do is simply learn to be there for people to weep and feel with them.
I have cried way too much today. My heart and soul is truly broken and crushed for my best friend and his wife. I love these people, and I hurt and weep with them openly. Please pray for my friends that strength, peace, love, and comfort find them. They are an amazing couple and Casey and I love them so much.
Have you noticed excitement is highly contagious? When I was in mid-high or high school, everybody stopped and watched and cheered every time there was a fight. Something exciting was happening (even in a twisted way). Amusement parks all over the country have long lines to wait for the biggest and latest roller coaster. Why? Because there is excitement about it and everybody wants to be a part.
I think about all this and realize we have something so much more exciting. Each week there are decisions being made at Foundations Church that are literally changing people's lives. People every week are making life changing decisions, and are deciding to follow Christ again or for the very first time. Eternities are literally being changed and I really don't think it gets more exciting than that. People think that church planting is so grueling and hard, and yes, it has it moments, but more than anything it is the most exciting thing I have ever been a part of. This is why every week I can't wait for service. It isn't a job or a task for me, it is an opportunity to see what God is going to do yet again. I invite all of you to get excited about Christ; not just about Foundations Church, because we may do something (not on purpose, of course) that let's you down or disappoints you. But when you get excited, truly excited....almost giddy about God, it is highly contagious and it is going to spread to others. I invite you to invite someone with you to Foundations Church this week. It is going to be great, and lives will be changed once again. Hope you have a great weekend and if you aren't going to be there, we will miss you.
Work is a weird word to me. For many of us it is a place instead of a habit. We go to work and we leave work, this is what I mean by it being a place. However, if we work once we are at work is a whole other deal. I am fascinated by many Christians thinking that we just pray and then it should happen. We pray for a good marriage, we pray for happy children, we pray for our finances, our career, our future, and while we should pray over these things, it is not all up to just prayer.
If you want a great marriage you have to work at and on your marriage. You want great kids, you better be ready to work at your family, and ready to love, praise, discipline, mentor, and correct, a family takes work. If you want a great career, you better get to work early and be willing to stay late somedays and work when you are at work, great careers don't happen, they are built (work). Our finances being under control means you have to work to control your budget, you have to work to save, you constantly have to work. All this to say there are many of us that want a certain type of life, and to get that great life you have to work at it. I hope all of us develop a habit of not just praying (please make sure you are praying though, you need God's favor) but also you are developing a habit of working.
I hope all of you are having a great week. There have been a lot of you out of pocket the last few weeks and I hope you are having a relaxing summer and enjoying your vacations. But know you are missed when you aren't there. I promise I will post soon about Camp Destin and try to get some pictures up too. Make sure you invite someone to come with you this week, it's going to be great on Sunday.
Well it was good to be back! Man anytime Casey and I are gone, we truly miss being at Foundations Church. I never thought I would love doing ministry this much, but I do. We had a very successful youth camp in Destin, Florida this past week. I will post about that later this week. But now for the weekend review:
Rewind- We started our rewind series with "How to Have an Affair." I love this message and I really think there were many marriages that were saved from an affair. I have to say that I love Fish! Thanks for letting me use you in my message, even if it was spur of the moment.
We are growing- Over the past few weeks we have really seen some great growth happening at Foundations Church! It is exciting that we are in the middle of summer, but we are seeing some of the best attendance yet. I love it..... let's keep inviting, inviting, inviting. I love seeing people bring their friends and their friends end up loving it. This is such an awesome church to be a part of!
Volunteers of the Day- Jody and Sara Whaley greeted for the first time yesterday. This couple just got married about a month ago, and I love that they are already jumping in and serving at Foundation Church. You guys did a wonderful job at making a great first impression.
Old friends- I had a few of my old friends drop in and check out the church yesterday. I love seeing people when you least expect it. The great thing is they are looking for a church home, and I think they found it this Sunday!
Community Group- Casey and I were very tired last night, but we still went to our community group. It was a blast! I have so much fun interacting with other couples, talking about parenting and our struggles with it. If you aren't involved in a community group, get plugged in, for your own good.
I love our church. It is so exciting to see what is happening in and through our church. Every Sunday I love to see what is going to happen: how many people are going to decide to make Jesus Christ their Savior, how many people are going to serve in ministry for the first time, how many people are going to make a new connection and get plugged in, what are our children learning for the very first time about Christ? It is truly awesome and hasn't lost it's amazement to me. Thank you to all you that attend Foundations Church, we are being a church that is truly just about people. I love it, keep it up. Invite someone to come with you this week. It will be great, and I promise you won't want to miss it! Have a great week.
This past Sunday's service was so good that I can't stop talking about it. In fact it is great because everyone I talk to from our church is still talking about what an incredible service it was too. I have to share this with all of you that read this blog. We had a gentleman come for just the 2nd time this week. Last week was his first time to come to church in 25 years! This week he came back to Foundations Church and raised his hand to receive Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. After service he talked to me about how much he didn't like coming to church so he stopped coming 25 years ago. But some of his friends told him that he had to check out Foundations Church so he did. He said everyone is just so nice, and I can't believe I am saying this but I actually can't wait for church every week.
This is what it is all about. This is why we started a church back in September. Because we know there are many people like this man, who stopped pursuing a relationship with Christ for one reason or another and they need to be reintroduced to the Savior of the World. The reason he loves our church isn't because of the amazing worship, or the incredible preaching, he said it is the people. So let me say to all you who attend Foundations Church, thank you for being Jesus with skin on this past Sunday. We are the extension of Christ, so let's be the church we should be, not the church we are use to seeing. I love all you and I am so pumped about what God is doing through all of us together. We truly are going to change Tulsa together. Have a great week.
Amazing! Our service this past week was simply amazing. There was such an intimate presence of God in our service. I loved how everyone in the church worshipped and entered in this Sunday, too. I say it all the time, but I am thrilled at the direction Foundations Church is headed. Here are some of the highlights:
Worship Team: Our worship team did a great job in leading us in the new song "Arms Wide Open" by Hillsong United. It is a great song, and I pray it stays the cry of our church. Great job Shannon and the worship team. Thank you for your heart, not just to play music, but to lead us in worship.
Baby Dedication- It was such an honor to dedicate little Karlyn Crisp. I love the heart that Adam and Nadia have for their kids. If you don't know them, get to know them. You will be glad you did. If you want to dedicate your child, email us and let us know.
Testimony- We had a second time visitor come this week again. I got the chance to talk to him for a little bit after service. His name is Glenn, and he hasn't been to church in 25 years. He is loving Foundations Church and plans to keep coming. The really cool thing isn't that he is just coming, but yesterday he asked Jesus Christ to be his Savior! Man God is doing awesome and incredible things.
Volunteer of the Day- Mitch Williams and Dylan Troutman. Mitch and Dylan jumped right in and helped us tear down yesterday. They made tear down go so fast and easy. We love our college students and are so thankful that they are coming. Thank you guys for your help and your servant's heart.
Interruptions- We asked God to interrupt our assumptions of church yesterday. We will always be about people. I don't ever want to be a country club type church, but we will stay a municipal church. I don't ever want to be content with just us. Let's keep inviting God to interrupt us. If you missed this week download the podcast.... you will be glad you did.
I hope all of you have a great week. We had one of the biggest weeks yet at Foundations Church. Keep inviting your friends and coworkers, it is working and you are making a difference. Have a great week, and if you are traveling for July 4th, be safe and have fun.
This Sunday is going to be awesome! This isn't going to be a long post, but really make sure you are here this Sunday. It won't be the same on the podcast. Our worship team is doing a new song this weekend, it is by Hillsong United on their album Across The Earth and the song is Arms Open Wide! Go to Itunes download it, learn it, it is an incredible song. Our worship team will be doing a lot of songs of this CD so you might as well buy the whole thing. It is phenomenal.
Can I just say, I love the direction our church is going! I love the people that make up Foundations Church. The things that are happening and direction we are going is all due to God and His goodness and faithfulness. Make sure you are there this week, invite someone to come with you. This will be a great time to bring someone who has been burned by church, or think church is just a dead and religious place. I am praying big time for this Sunday, and can't wait for it to get here.
Also make sure you go and vote on our series coming up Rewind. I love you all, and hope you have a truly great week.
Father's Day- I hope all of you had a great Father's day weekend. Hopefully all you dad's and to be dad's had a relaxing weekend. I ate a whole coconut cream pie, my wife made it and it is oh sooooo good, in two days! Yeah that is right I actually believe I ate the whole pie in a 24 hour period. The great thing is this I went and weighed at the gym. I lost 2 pounds! The takeaway for me is that I need to eat a whole lot more pie, it aids in weight loss for me!
Either/ Or- We finished our series, and I have to say this was a very fun and impactful series to preach. Yesterday I preached on Tiger or Daly, focusing on living a life of self control. You either have self control or no control. If you have a teenager going to college make sure they download the podcast.
Mic problems- I don't know what the problem with my microphone is, but I promise we will have it fixed by this week. If the quality of the podcast is poor, I apologize. This is something that drives me crazy so trust me it will be fixed.
Volunteer of the Week- Ashley Jones. Ashley is our new nursery coordinator and we are so thankful that she is stepping up in a big time way. Ashley is a take charge person, and we are so very blessed to have her and her husband Dustin not just coming but volunteering. They brought all the things we needed for our nursery needs, all by themselves. You guys are amazing, thank you for your heart and attitude Ashley.
Interruptions- The next two weeks are going to be really good for our church. If you are new it is going to be great for you to hear what direction our church is headed and what we are all about. If you aren't new it is going to be good to be reminded. I really just pray that God interrupts the way we have done church in the past. Don't miss this week and start inviting others to come with you.
Well this morning I was awakened at 6:15 by a big smile. Behind this big smile was my daughter Charli and she had no fever and was ready to play. My girls have been sick this week, both getting the same thing but as Ace Ventura would say "I have exercised the demon, and this house is clean." The sickness is gone, and since we have had to do a small quarantine with the girls in the house this week, they are ready to go. So we are going to go the mall for Casey, since she has been trapped inside with them. She will shop and the girls will go play at the play area. Then we will come home, eat lunch, go swim at the pool, come back let Chloe nap, and then go to the splash park. We will do everything under the sun that they have been wanting to do all week.
We have no big plans for this weekend, just chilling with my family. Of course I do plan on watching the US Open. There is no way it is going to beat last year's with Tiger winning with a messed up knee, but it will still be grandiose. My wife is also going to make me a homemade coconut pie for Father's Day! Oh watch out, it is my mom's recipe and it is just down right phenomenal. Also I have decided that I am going to start putting up pictures on my blog, because let's face it, it jut makes the blog that much more fun. Some things you need to know:
1. We are ending our Either/Or series, make sure you invite your dad, bring your kids and invite your friends this week. It is going to be a great service so make sure you come and bring someone with you.
2. The Man Trip video has been on the website for a while. You can download it from the podcast page, so go get you some man trip.
3. We are taking up a special offering for our teenagers to go to youth camp this week. I am glad we can invest in our youth and truly impact the next generation.
4. I hope you have a great weekend, celebrate with your husband and dad. Have a great, great rest of the week.
So I admit it I have no problems being a person that is driven. I hang out with people who are driven, talk to people who are driven, and as a result it makes me more driven. Being a person who is driven is a good thing, but there is a problem. Usually those of us who are driven aren't real patient. I find myself these days need a lot more patience. As a dad who has a 4 year old and a 2 year old, patience is not an option. I will either develop patience or I will eat one of my kids.
But here is the real problem I truly have a dream that I think is totally going to become a reality for Foundations Church, for my life, my kids, and my marriage. This is not a bad thing, but I get so focused that once again I lose patience. I can get consumed with the destination that I focus on nothing else. I am reading a great book by Mark Batterson titled The Wild Goose Chase, and he say this on page 137 ( he also has a drive problem)
"I've come to realize that getting where God wants me to go isn't nearly as important as becoming who God wants me to be in the process. And God seems to be far less concerned with where I'm going than with who I'm becoming. You can't do the will of God if you don't have the heart of God."
That hurts even though this is the 5th time I've read that today. I need to be concerned with who I am becoming more than where I am going. I hope that is personal for you today, it is for me. I am going to focus more on the process, than just the destination. Take that in today and may that challenge you. I need a little less drive and lot more heart.
Either/ Or- This past week we talked about you either trust or doubt. I think the highlight for me was wearing the life jacket, floaties, pool noodle, and right in the middle of preaching pictures being taken. I love our church, I love that everyone is so laid back and that we can have fun in church but at the same time life change happens every week. This has been a great series for me and I know has effected many others too.
Outreach - We had a group from Foundations this past week help run a fund raiser for a community center in North Tulsa. Their purpose was to raise funds to keep the center open to help keep kids off the street. They did a phenomenal job, and I am so proud of all of you that went to volunteer and spend time making a difference. Way to go!
Volunteer of the Day- Joe Millspaugh. Joe showed up early and helped us get everything set up for the children's department. Joe showed up and was a maniac this week on set up. Thank you Joe for coming early and helping set up go so quick! I know our kid's and parent's appreciate it, and so do I.
Man Trip Video- We will have the man trip video on the website soon. We had such a great time, and it was fun to watch all of the guys bite it and fall hard. My face plant while wake boarding was especially painful! Just in case you didn't get a chance to see it, take time to watch it. We are talking of doing a Man Day in August and once again going out to the lake for a day, we will keep you informed.
Traveling- Last night I went and spoke at a church in Mustang. They took up an offering for Foundations Church, because they want to sow into our ministry. Thank you Pastor McNabb for the opportunity and privilege to speak to your church. I had a great time and it is a great church.
I have a busy week this week, but a good week too. Make sure you invite someone to come with you to church this week. It is going to be Father's Day this Sunday, so invite your dad to come with you. We have a great Sunday planned, so don't miss it. Have a great week.
On Friday evening Casey, Charli, and myself will be going to a wedding for one of the couples in our church. Chloe is not going because Chloe wouldn't stay still for 5 minutes in a movie theater, much less a wedding. Anyways, Charli was asking me if she could dress up like a princess, and I said oh yeah. She smiles really big and then ask me "Are you going to dress handsome?" I respond "Yes, do you like it when I dress handsome." She crinkles her nose and says in a really high pitch voice "Nooooo, cause it makes you look like a icky boy." I laughed really hard and she laughed too.
Now I don't know what to think of her comments. I hope I don't look like a girl when I wear shorts and a t-shirt. But I love, love, love the fact that she thinks boys are icky and gross. Stay that way till about 18 Charli and I will be one happy dad. Hope you have a great weekend, and really make sure you are there Sunday it is going to be great.
Since Sunday I have been praying for God to interrupt me. There are so many times I think I have God figured out, I have quite honestly tried to tame God and done quite well at keeping Him in a box. I have a prayer time with the staff and God is allowed to roam, but then it is back in the box. I have a time each day I read and pray God is allowed out, but then he has to get back in his cage. I need His influence and voice to speak to me when I prepare the sermon for Sunday, but then back in the box for Him. I have unintentionally down sized God, made Him fit in my mold, made The Creator of the Universe fit in my time slot, fit in my schedule, without interruption. My prayer is interrupt me, interrupt us. On Sundays interrupt us God, and do truly what you want to do, interrupt our schedule, and time frame, barge in on us and interrupt us. I am praying God runs wild on you, I am praying God runs wild on me. And that just when we have everything lined up, He interrupts you. While you are driving to work, that He interrupts you. While you are sleeping (now I am really messing with you), He interrupts you. I hope this rings true for you.
I can't wait to Sunday. Please make sure you invite and bring someone with you this week. Our service is going to be great, so don't you miss it. And have a great interrupted week.
What a weekend it was! Man this was such a fun and tiring weekend, here are the highlights:
Man Trip 09- The men from Foundations Church went to Beaver Lake on Friday and Saturday. It was a beautiful lake, beautiful house we stayed in, and we had a great time. Thanks again to Cory, Kevin, Stan, and Steve for bringing out the boats and jet skis. There was so much to do that you really never did get bored. It was great seeing all the guys getting to know one another and make relationships. This will be a must do event for us every year!
Either/Or- We continued our series this Sunday on you are either going to pace yourself, or exhaust yourself. We are very busy and fast paced society, and we need to make sure we allow ourselves time to catch our breath. If you weren't there download the podcast.
Volunteer of the Day- Jonathan Samuels. Johnny is going to be interning with us this summer, and we plan on using the dog out of him. He is a senior at Southwestern University and plans on going into ministry. Thanks for all your help Johnny and we are excited to have you part of the team this summer.
Community Group Leaders- Shannon lead our community group leaders meeting Sunday afternoon. If you are interested in starting up or leading a community group, make sure you contact Shannon. Thank you Shannon for all you are doing.
Cory and Jennifer- My family had my best friend in town this week. Cory was in town for the Man Trip and his wife Jennifer came with him. It was so great to get to hang out with them this weekend. Jennifer is pregnant with their first child and I couldn't be more happy for them. It has been a long wait for them, and I am happy that their prayers have been answered. Thanks for coming up guys.
This is going to be a great week. I am very excited to speak on Either/ Or this week, I know it is going to help a lot of people. We had one of our engaged couples get married this past weekend Daniel and Rachel and have another engaged couple Jody and Sara getting married this weekend. It is so exciting to see the growth that is happening. Invite someone with you this week, and have a great week. See you Sunday!
This Friday, I embark on an adventure with about 20 other men to Beaver Lake. Some might call it a retreat, other a get a way. Not here it is Man Trip, and it is going to be an absolute blast of a time and an adventure.
The blast part- We have 2 really kicking boats coming that could pull a 500 pound man out of the water like he is a 7th grade cheerleader! We also have 5 jet-skis, what!!!!! We are going to be like a lake gang. I am also thinking about pulling an Arthur Fonzerelli (The Fonz for all you Happy Day fans), in the fact I am going to ski in a leather jacket, go on jump, and jump over a cage full of sharks! Okay maybe not, but it could happen, it could Casey! Don't kill my buzz.
The adventure part- 20 men sleeping in one lake house. I know of 2 that snore louder than Darth Vader with a megaphone. This is going to be so much fun.
Please make sure and bring someone with you this Sunday. The series Either/Or has been a great series so make sure you invite and bring someone with you. Have an awesome week, and I will see you Sunday.
