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.
We had an awesome weekend both at the church and with friends, here are the highlights:
1.Had a great, great Sunday at Foundations.Had many people raise their hands for salvation, an incredible time of worship, and just a great time being in church.
2.If you missed Sunday Night our One Night Worship, it was awesome.What an intimate time of taking communion as a church and just spending time worshiping.
3.Went to lake Skiatook with some good friends on Saturday.It was crazy crowded but it was a really fun time.
4.Hit the gym 5 times this past week.Trying to stay on it and hit it hard!
5.I love being the pastor of Foundations Church.I love our people and love seeing the lives that are being changed every week.
6.Looking forward to the series we are starting this coming Sunday.Punctuation is going to be an awesome series, so don’t miss it.
7.I was tired Sunday Night, it was a great day, but I was worn out.
8.I absolutely loved the new song the worship team did Sunday…We The Redeemed.Awesome!
9.Friday night went to birthday party at Bounce U! I was walking around with my socks on and ran right into a bench and my middle toe is black and blue, oh momma did it hurt.
Hope all of you have a great week, don’t survive the week thrive in it and make a difference in somebody’s life!I will see you Sunday.
Our mission trip to Haiti was an amazing and intense trip for all of us that went. If you have never gone on a missions trip you have got to go. It does and will do so much for your spiritual walk with God, and it is just an incredible experience. There are a lot of lessons I learned while spending some time there:
1. I am very blessed. So many times we forget just how much God has blessed us. We look at all we don't have instead of all we do. This week stop focusing on all you don't have and be thank-full for what you do have. Your perspective determines your thankfullness. (yes I know that thankfullness is spelled wrong)
2. Everyone can do something. You don't have to be talented, have abilities, have a great amount of education to do something that will impact and help others. It's not a matter of ability is a matter of want to, and most the time we aren't doing something because truthfully we don't want to! You can do something that will help reach, minister, and love on others.
3. Christ is all I need. Oh man hearing a congregation of 50 Haitians sing "All I need is you Lord, is you Lord. All I need is you." This was one of the most impacting moments of the trip for me. They all lived in a tent city, most of them hadn't eaten anything that day, and yet they came together lifted their voices, and more than that, their hearts towards heaven in worship. Really take the house, cars, food, and everything else away and all you really Need is Christ.
4. You can't buy happiness. The shocking thing to me was how happy all the kids and people were in Haiti. We went to several orphanages, and played with the kids and they were so happy. They had no one, many of them rescued from horrible and unimaginable situations, and yet they were so happy and thankful. What I learned stuff and things won't bring you happiness, but one thing is guaranteed to give you joy and happiness and that is doing what God has called you to do.
5. Some things are just unfair. I don't have any explanation for what I saw in Haiti, stories that were told to me, children I held that have nobody to hold them, situations with no hope. It is unfair. I sound a little confused, but this is the reality of holding children and loving on children who had nothing before I and our team came and will have nothing after we leave. Yet there are a lot of things, situations that we go through, and circumstances in life that are simply unfair. But just because something is unfair to us, just because we don't understand something, just because our situation has changed I understand God's character has not changed. Chronicles 16:34 is still true "Give thanks to the Lord, for (because) He is good, and His love endures forever."
Man Haiti has messed me up, in a very good way. I have been wrecked, in that I won't be the same, can't be the same. This is my second time to go, and it is just life-changing for me. I hope you have a great week! Bring someone with you to church, invite someone to come with you, because it is all about people's lives being changed.
It has been crazy busy here lately, so here is the weekend review and there will be more post soon...
1. Awesome Sunday! Simply a great day at Foundations Church, if you weren't there go watch the video or download the podcast you will be glad you did.
2. Had a great time reading the Guy's Rules. Once again download the podcast!
3. I had a great Father's Day. Casey made a homemade coconut pie and it was Uh-mazing...oh momma was it good! I watched the movie UP with my girls and then went swimming with them. It was a lot of fun.
4. There are a ton of babies being born at our church right now! Excited for all these new parents, very cool!
5. Our worship team did an incredible job on Sunday! I loved the last song "All I need is you Lord" great song and incredible time of worship. Very thankful for our worship team
6. You are either Thank-full or Thank-less; thank-full is constant, thank-less is temporary.
7. God's character doesn't change just because your situation does!
8. I hate black jelly beans, disgusting!
9. Thanks to all our volunteers in our Children's Ministry. You guys are amazing and we couldn't do it without you all. All of them do an incredible job loving on our kids, investing in our kids, and simply doing a great job with them.
I hope you have a great week. I love seeing all the new people coming to Foundations, it's awesome to see us grow in the middle of the summer. Keep going, keep inviting your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors, because God is changing lives. Have a great week and I will see you Sunday!
So much to say about this past weekend, here it is in a snapshot:
1. Got in from Haiti on Saturday Night at 8:45. I was so glad to be home but had an amazing trip, I will blog more about Haiti later this week.
2. Sunday we had an awesome service, had people raise their hand once again for life change. I love seeing people decide that they are going to surrender to Jesus Christ.
3. Played with my girls all day Sunday. I know this sounds pretty boring and unimportant but I missed them so much, and was glad to be able to play with them.
4. I was dead tired after service. Usually I am a little tired but I was completely spent after spending a week on a missions trip, going to bed late on Saturday night, and preaching on Sunday. I was tired.
5. We had our water baptism service, The Plunge this past Sunday and it was awesome! I love hearing and seeing people go public for Jesus, way to go!
6. I am just excited about where our church is going. Had a new family come up and just share some comments with me, that simply encouraged me and reenergized me. God is doing and is going to do awesome, incredible, and shocking things in and through Foundations Church!
7. Went swimming with my girls on Sunday it was fun. I was glad to be in a pool and not sweating!
8. What is up with the Big 12? Looks like my Sooners are going to go own the PAC 10!
9. Everyone can do something! Remember it and stop doing nothing and do something.
I have an extremely busy week this week, but it is going to be good. I hope all of you have a great week and can't wait to see you all Sunday. I will post about Haiti next, it was an incredible experience, can't wait to share with you.
So this morning I was awakened at 2:15. Now if you have been reading this blog for very long you know that this is nothing new. About once a week I wake up early in the morning and I can't fall back asleep, so I make the decision to get out of bed. I figure it is better to get out of bed and do something, rather than just lay there aggravated and disappointed with the fact that I can't fall back asleep! I could just stay in bed, could toss and turn and make Casey miserable, could get mad at my situation and circumstance; or I could get up and do something productive.
When these mornings happen, and yes it helps me to call them mornings and not evenings, I tell Casey I have been awakened for a reason. Whether it is to pray and read, work on my sermon, work on events, or church things, I have been awakened so I might as well do something productive rather than sit there and whine about losing sleep. And this is what hit me this morning, there are some of us things have happened in our life and we like to lay in our bed and just whine and feel sorry for ourself and bad and think that nobody else has problems like we do. We are in need of an awakening. There are some of us we get in a funk, and we need to be awakened and stirred. Some of us we are in a place that things have happened and we feel sorry for ourselves, bad for ourselves, upset that this happened, upset that we went through failure, upset we were disappointed, and we want to stay in our "bed" and make everyone else miserable around us. But what we need is to stop feeling bad for ourself, and be awakened to the fact that God hasn't left you or forsaken you and that Jeremiah 29:11 is more true today than ever. So I hope that you get out of bed, stop being aggravated with where you are in life, disappointed with life and let yourself be awakened and realize God has you where you are for a reason, and has awakened you for a reason.
1. Had a great time hanging with my family this weekend. We went swimming this weekend at the pool, grilled burgers and hotdogs, ate cookies, and just had a great time.
2. Got to play golf on Saturday with some great friends. It was great to get out and play, it has been a while!
3. Jonathan Samuels, our youth director, preached on Sunday at Foundations Church and did a great job! Our world needs you to be a hero, go be one!
4. Had some great friends up for the weekend, The Venables, great hanging out with them! We had a lot of fun.
5. Met a new couple who came to our church all the way from Okmulgee! We have quite a few people who are driving from Claremore, Okmulgee, and Muskogee, to be a part of Foundations Church. Very blessed to be a part of what God is doing in this church.
6. Volunteer of the Week: Harlan Fisher. Harlan is there every week greeting, bringing donuts, kissing little babies, and just making people feel welcome. Thank you Harlan for making Foundations Church, such a friendly and warm place.
7. I am ready to speak this week. I enjoy having a break from speaking, but I am ready to go! We are starting our new series Either/Or, you won't want to miss any of this series!
8. Jonathan brought a great challenge to us this week. Go out and make a difference in someone's life, and bring them with you on Sunday!
9. Our video for Sunday is hilarious! Don't be late this week.
I truly hope all of you have a great week this week. Praying for all of you, and praying that you have awkward moments and that you step up and become a 10!
This past week at Foundations Church we handed out a book called "The Blessed Life". Everyone that came got a copy. If you weren't able to be there but still want your, copy we still have some for you this week. I have to admit, when I first got a copy of this book from some dear friends I was a little skeptical about reading it; but this book has absolutely changed my life. I hope all of you that got a copy read it, and re-read it. I am reading through it for the third time! The crazy thing is, God is still showing me things that are so applicable to my life.
I said this on Sunday and I really mean it. I believe God has called Christians to be the most generous people on the earth, not the stingiest. But the truth is that most Christians that go to church all across the nation are not generous at all! It is said that only 1.7% of all Christians tithe and give offering! That is crazy to me. What this says is that we trust God with our salvation, but not our money. Let me encourage all of you by saying that being generous is something you learn and something that God teaches you. Let me share one of my favorite quotes out of the book we are reading as a church. It is on page 84...
"God is looking for people He can entrust with much. He also knows that a person who is unjust with a little will be unjust with more as well. Christians who will cheat with a little won't suddenly become faithful if they are given a lot."
I want to be a person that God can entrust with much! I think all of us want to be this type of person; but if you are going to become this person, you better become faithful with what you have. Remember, God doesn't ask you for what you don't have. But He does expect you to be faithful with what you do have. I am so, so excited that Foundations Church is on it's way to being filled with generous people and becoming a generous church. It is one of our core beliefs and something we are going to be as a church.
Please read this book, it will absolutely change your life and your finances.
Proverbs 11:25- "The generous man will prosper, he who refreshes others will be refreshed himself."
Hope you have a great week, and we will see you Sunday!
Had a great weekend at the church and with my family, here are the highlights:
1. Finished our series on All About the Benjamins, had a great time talking about money!
2. We gave a copy of The Blessed Life to everyone at Foundations Church! I can't wait for our church to read this book. If you got a copy read it, it will challenge and change you! If you weren't there we still have copies so make sure you get yours this week.
3. I had an amazing Saturday at my house with my family. We didn't do anything but just hang out. Our girls did go play in the sprinklers and enjoyed the sunshine!
4. Had a great time Friday Night going out with my wife! We went out for her birthday, went shopping, and then met some friends for dinner. We had a great night out.
5. Went swimming Sunday at the Nussbaums' house. Had a blast, it was waaaayyy cold, but it was a ton of fun for our girls.
6. I took the girls to the zoo on Friday, just dad and the girls. We had a picnic, rode the carousel, and even the train! It went by so fast and we had a great time. I love taking my girls to the zoo, and just getting to be their dad.
7. I love and appreciate all our volunteers that help out every week at Foundations Church! We couldn't do it without all of you.
8. I am excited that Foundations Church is focused and intentional about being a generous church!
9. We have an awesome summer planned at Foundations Church! You won't want to miss one week. We are starting a series called Either/Or in 2 weeks, and I can't wait.
Hope all of you have a great week, and bring someone with you this week. I know it's Memorial Day Weekend, but bring someone with you this week.
So in case you don't live in Oklahoma, there has been a ton of storms lately. In fact as I type there is one blaring outside right now. I have to tell you I like a good storm every now and then. I like it when it rains every once in a while, it makes me want to watch movies, drink coffee at a coffee house, or go outside and watch the lightning with Casey and the girls. But there comes a time when you get tired of it raining and storming all the time. I am there right now, enough with the rain.
Yet I started thinking there are many of us that it seems our life is just like the weather in Oklahoma right now. It seems to always rain, always storm, and it never seems to let up. You are tired of all the trials, aggravation, disappointment, stress, and heart break. There are some of you that read this, that we haven't talked in years, months, maybe ever. I don't know your circumstance, nor do I know all the carnage that the storm has left behind. So I won't begin to say I know what everyone is going through; in fact, I won't even talk about the things I don't know. But here is what I do know, is that you serve a Savior Jesus Christ who can make your storm stop and vanish. He did it in the middle of the Sea of Galilee and He can do it in the middle of your life. Wherever your storm is occurring, whatever is happening all you have to do is stop looking at the storm and focus on the one who can stop your storm. Nothing is too big for Him, nothing can stop Him, and your storm can be done, with only one word from Him. So seek Christ today, stop trying to fix it yourself, and let the One who can make the whole storm cease take control.
It was a super busy weekend, but a great one! Here are the highlights:
1. We had a great Friend's Day. Thank you to all of you that invited and brought your friends to Foundations Church. We had a great service and a great response Sunday. Let's keep going and keep inviting.
2. We started our new series All About the Benjamin's this Sunday. I have really learned to love talking about money and personal finances. One of the reasons I like it so much is because it is so applicable to everyone. We had a lot of fun this Sunday and this next week is going to change your whole financial life, really don't miss it.
3. Sunday afternoon Casey and I played with the girls all day. I have a new favorite game called Pirate... it is awesome! And I am not going to tell you because you aren't a Pirate!
4. Charli (my 5 year old) had her ballet recital this past Saturday night. She did awesome, and I loved, loved, loved watching her get up and perform. I will try to put a picture up of her sometime this week.
5. I am ready for college football to come back soon!
6. I went to Jonathan Samuels graduation party! So proud of our youth director the job he his doing, and finishing up wiht college. Way to go Johnny!
7. We had a ton of new people this week! I can't wait to follow up with them. I love that we have a church that is all about bringing and inviting people to experience Christ.
This week I am praying and fasting for our service. This message this week is so huge for me, you, and our church. It is literally going to change people's lives, so pray with me. It's going to be an awesome week.
Go be a 10 and have some awkward moments!
This week we are having Friend's Day at Foundations Church! This is going to be an awesome week and I can't wait to see all our people get involved and bring and invite their friends. We will be providing lunch after service, have inflatables for the kids, and just an awesome time to hang out with your friends. I really think this can be a huge day and we can see a lot of people experience life change if all of us will do our part and invite and bring our friends. Even those of you that watch the live streaming video, invite some of your friends to come over and watch with you or watch from their house.
However, someone asked me why are we doing a Friend's Day? And here is my response; this is our chance to become an Andrew! Go right now and read John 1: 35-42. Okay, so maybe you didn't know it but Andrew met Jesus before his brother and friend Simon Peter did. Peter was the disciple that Jesus said the church would be built upon, Peter was an all star of a disciple. But, Andrew is the one responsible for Peter meeting Jesus. Verse 42 says, "And he (Andrew) brought him (Peter) to Jesus." Oh man that is it! This is the whole point of Friend's Day, to position you to be an Andrew in someone's life, and to bring someone to Jesus. You never know all that Christ is going to do in your friend's life, and who they are going to become in Christ. This is why we are here, this is our mission as a church, and should be as Christians, to bring others to Christ! So go be an Andrew this week! Go be a 10! Go reach someone and bring them to Jesus this week! I can't wait, it's going to be an awesome week.
What a great but busy weekend her are some of the highlights:
1. Casey, my wife, did an amazing job speaking on Sunday! She did a great job just being herself and it was a fun to get to hear from her. Love my wife and am very thankful for her.
2. My youngest daughter Chloe, turned 3 this Sunday! We had her party on Saturday, and she had a great time and got way too many presents. I am glad she has so many great friends.
3. Chloe also had her ballet recital on Saturday afternoon! Very, very cute and she did fantastic at ballet. In fact she was the best in the place by a long shot! (that was in no way bias or favoritism speaking!)
4. Did I say Casey did a great job speaking, because she did awesome!
5. Casey's parents were with us for the weekend. Glad they came up and stayed with us, and that the girl's got to play with them alot.
6. We had a great turnout on Sunday for Mother's Day! So glad to see everyone and glad the weather was nice!
7. Carrie Carter is the volunteer of week! Carrie serves in our children's department and has been serving like crazy back there. Thank you Carrie for your heart and energy, and for teaching our 18 preschoolers yesterday for the first time too!
8. We took Casey out to PF Changs for dinner on Sunday Night. We had a great time eating and just being a family together.
9. It was weird for me to be at church but not preach. I am ready to go thisnext week, it's going to be good!
I have a full week scheduled this week, but it is doing things that I love. Don't forget about Friend's Day this Sunday. Invite, invite, invite, somebody's life could be changed because you invited them and brought them to church. Hope you have a great week, I am!
Just wanted to give you some things that I am crazy over the top excited about, that are getting ready to happen at Foundations Church:
1. Mother's Day- it is going to be an awesome day! My wife Casey will be speaking, we will be giving some of her favorite things away, and it is just going to be an incredible day. Don't miss this, drag your momma to Foundations Church, my wife is going to do good...just saying!
2. Friend's Day- this is happening May 16th! We will have food after service, inflatables, all we need is for you to be a friend and bring a friend. Really make sure you bring one of your many friends to this event. Start now and invite, invite, invite!
3. All about the Benjamin's - We are starting this series on the 16th as well. It's going to be an awesome series. I know God is wanting to bless people and their finances, come learn how to make your Benjamin's serve your life, instead of you serving them! I am praying and fasting about this series already and know it is going to be a huge help to a lot of people. It is already helping me as I prepare for it.
4. Church Offices- We are getting a church office at City Plex Towers! Woo Hoo! I can't wait for our staff and team to have an office to work out of. Say goodbye to Starbucks, Panera, and McAllisters being our offices all week, because we have a new home!
5. Foundations Church- I love what is happening in the lives and hearts of our people. It is incredible to see and watch, God is starting a movement and I love that we are involved and a part of it.
6. Haiti Mission Trip- Very excited for all of those going on our trip to Haiti. This is going to be a great and amazing trip. I can't wait to hear all the stories and testimonies of all that God is going to do in them and through them.
7. Camp Destin- I love, love, love camp. Now it doesn't hurt that camp is in Destin, Florida either! But I love seeing what God does in the hearts of young people at camp. Parents make sure you get your kids to Camp Destin this summer.
Life in general! I am so thankful for what God is doing in my life, I really am. I am so blessed to have an amazing wife and kids, blessed to love what I do and be a part of a great congregation, and blessed that I love the team that is around me. I can't wait to see all that is going to happen in the month of May at Foundations Church, be praying and believing with me this month that God grows us, uses us, and stretches us! Have a great rest of the week.
A day late getting this out, but I will include some of Monday's highlights as well:
1. Our worship team did a great job with Shannon being out. Thank you guys for leading us in worship, awesome job!
2. We ended our series Dr. Love, and I have already heard some great stories of how this is already helping a lot of the marriages at Foundations Church. I love that marriages are being built to last.
3. Casey and I went on a date this past Friday Night and went to a new place called Bonefish Grill. Their bang bang shrimp is uhmazing!
4. I love how friendly our church is! People constantly tell me how welcome they feel from the moment they get out of their car.
5. Had a church planter come to our service this past week to check out what we are doing. I pray that his church explodes and does great things.
6. Had a game night with Shannon and Cassandra Harris on Saturday Night! Played a game called Murder, both the guys and girls won 2 games a piece. But the first one was just practice, so girls looks like me and Shannon did beat you...once again!
7. Very excited about my wife Casey speaking this week on Mother's Day! Make sure you bring your mom and friends to service this weekend. We will have quite a few giveaways and it's going to be a great service.
8. This past week was really busy for me, but it was a great week. Even more excited about this week.
9. Last night we had over 25 guys at our basketball community group! Awesome turn out and even better time playing, or in my case trying to play, basketball.
I really am excited, pumped, psyched, and just humbled by what God is doing in our church. May 16th is Friend's Day, and I am praying and fasting that we have an amazing day at Foundations Church! Praying we have one of our biggest days, but also that we see a ton of lost people come back home. God is doing great things at Foundations Church , and using this church to reach people. So make sure you don't miss this Sunday and bring someone with you! Have a great week.
All of us are going to face times where we have difficult situations. There are going to be difficult times in our marriages, with our kids, our finances, relationships, work, school, let downs in general. And these can be times where we feel like everything is coming against us, that God has abandoned us, and we end up sitting at home or work asking why. All we can see is opposition, because we are consumed with the problem.
I was reading the classic story of David and Goliath, and as I was reading something hit me. Goliath was out in front of all of Israel's army for days talking junk about God, and all of these trained soldiers on Israel side just stood there fearful, shaking in their boots, and all they could see was opposition. Then a teenager named David comes along sees Goliath, listens to him, and then instead of seeing opposition, he sees an opportunity. David sees Goliath the opposition but sees even more an opportunity for God to do a miracle. David sees an opportunity for God to move and do the impossible and take down a giant! And it says that David got his stones and sling shot and took off running at Goliath! Instead of putting his tail between his legs like everyone else and thinking why has God got him into this position, David takes off running at the problem knowing this is an opportunity for God.
Are you running from your problems or running at them? Here is what I know is that if we don't have any problems there will never be any miracles! If there was never a blind man, a deaf man, demon possessed child, and woman with an issue of blood, and storm on a sea there never would have been an opportunity for Jesus to do any miracles. I have found that God has done the greatest and most incredible things in my life when I was facing my biggest times of opposition. So today run at your problem, run at the giant, even if you feel like all you have is some rocks and a sling shot, that is all God needs! Give God the opportunity to do something huge in, through, and for you. I've said it before if God calls you to it, He will bring you through it!
Don't miss this Sunday! I say it every week, but I am just stinking pumped and excited about this week, so be there and bring your peeps with you. Have a week full of awkward moments and be a 10!
