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 another great weekend at Foundations. God is moving in such awesome ways. 5 people made decisions to follow Christ which makes our total, since January, of over 130 people. That's exciting news and what it's all about here at FC. Pastor Justin continued our series, Dr. Love, with an awesome sermon "Mad Tongue Disease". If you weren't able to make it to service, check out the podcast or online video. What an awesomely gross yet relevant illustration (you'll have to check it out).
Thanks to everyone who serve every week as volunteers. From our set-up and tear-down team, children's workers, band, av team, etc; we couldn't do it without you. If you would like to help out in any of these areas, please contact info@fctulsa.tv. We would love to get you involved in some capacity and truly make this church your church.
Join us next week as we finish our "Dr. Love" series, and remember to invite your friends to join you. It's gonna be awesome!
If there is something that amazes me right now it is technology and social media. I am amazed that from texting, blogging, facebook, twitter, and all the other things that you can get a hold of and see how someone is doing. I just got done looking at facebook and read what a few of my friends put on their page and to summarize it is goes something like this..."I hope I can make it through this day" or "Hurry up Friday, just trying to survive!" What? Oh man I don't want to live my existence out like this, and I know we weren't created to do so either.
Call me crazy but I don't think Christ suffered the cross, a bloody, gruesome, and brutal death for us to live in misery. Maybe we would live our lives out like this, maybe we should have this kind of attitude if this is where the story ended. But the crazy cool thing is this Death in all it's finality and power couldn't touch Jesus! I have come to love this phrase, "Death couldn't hold you down!" Jesus was bigger, tougher, mighter, and just badder than death! Death couldn't touch him! Crazy to think about and I hope it sinks in today. And the truth is the bible says that all of us are Overcomers in Christ! I ask you what is trying to hold you down today? Maybe finances, a strained relationship, divorce, addiction, a kid out of control, stress about your job, school. Whatever it is, if you are a follower of Christ, it can't hold you down! You are bigger, and were created for more than simply to survive. You were created and put here to thrive! So don't survive the day, don't try to make it through, decide you aren't going to let anything hold you down, and go be victorious today! I am here to make a difference and it is the difference I choose to be today.
Can't wait till Sunday, it's going to be phenomenal, don't miss it and bring or drag someone with you!
We had an awesome weekend at Foundations Church. Here are the highlights:
1. We had 12 people ask Jesus Christ to be their Savior, that is what it is all about!
2. Shannon and the worship team did an amazing job yesterday. There was such a great presence of worship, and I am very thankful for our worship team.
3. We started week 2 of Dr. Love called The Waiting Room:
a.) Go beyond the otter
b.) No Standards = No Boundaries
I know this helped a bunch of our singles and our couples that are dating.
4. Had a great attendance despite the rain. But I do hate when it rains on Sundays!
5. Had a great time with my girls on Friday. I took Charli and Chloe to the zoo by myself and then frozen yogurt! We had a great time and Casey had a great time having some down time.
6. Casey and I got away on Friday night for a date. I love my wife, and am so lucky to have her. I love getting to go out with her and just stay connected as a couple.
7. My mom stayed with us on Saturday Night and came to church on Sunday. Always great to have my mom, and for my girls to get to see their Nanna.
8. Went to dinner with some of our college students Sunday Night. I love seeing the energy they have and getting their perspective of the church.
It is going to be an awesome week. We have Men's Basketball tonight in Broken Arrow, the ladies group The Mix tomorrow night at PF Changs, Youth on Wed. night, and just an awesome Sunday planned. If you have married friends or engaged friends get them to church on Sunday. The sermon is called Mad Tongue Disease, you won't want to miss it I promise you! Have a great week and start inviting now.
I just have to say a big "That a boy!" to our men at Foundations Church. Last Sunday I presented the need to have some of our men, especially our dads, to help us serve in Foundation's Kids Ministry. I told our men that our boys and girls need a great example of what it is to be a man of God. We need men to show our kids and not just tell them what a man of God looks like, talks like, and acts like. We as a society right now have a big need for men who passionately love Jesus to be the example to our kids attending on Sundays.
This week we have had a great response from some of our men stepping up and fulfilling a vital and crucial life in not just our kid's lives but in the our church. I want to give a huge shout out and props to the men of Foundation's Church, thank you for stepping up to the plate and serving in our kid's ministry. I am excited that our kids will get to see how men of God act, talk, and walk. Thank you men for not allowing someone else to influence and be the example to our kids, but for deciding to be the example to our kids. If you haven't volunteered but would like to, jump in, volunteer, and make a difference. We need help in our nursery, 2 year olds, preschool peak, and elementary age groups. If you want to help email Sammy Floyd our Children's Director, here is his email sammy@fctulsa.tv
Make sure you are at Foundations this week. We are continuing our series Dr. Love, the sermon is called The Waiting Room, all about dating. It is going to be a lot of fun, but also will be very helpful for all you who are dating and looking to date. Come learn how to do it God's way and not just your way. If you have teenager or college student this is one sermon I would make sure they hear! Hope you have a great week, and bring someone with you this week, go be a 10!
We had a great weekend this past week. Here are some of the highlights:
1. Had an amazing service this week at Foundations! I love that we see life change happen every week, this is what it is all about.
2. We started our new series Dr. Love...getting your love life off life support. Talked about Singleites, we had a blast yesterday and laughed a ton. I love that church can be fun and life changing at the same time.
3. Our setup went crazy fast this week. Thank you to all our volunteers that help us setup and tear down each week.
4. Men make sure you contact Sammy our children's director and help out volunteering in our Children's Ministry. We need your help fellas.
5. Spent a ton of time outside with the family this week. My wife got the flower beds all ready and they look great. I washed the cars and you know what that means. (See number 6)
6. The tahoe nazi is back baby!
7. My littlest daughter Chloe was sick all weekend! Not fun at all and I felt horrible for her, but she is doing better today!
8. Remember: 1. If you aren't happy with yourself, you won't be happy because of somebody else.
2. Learn to be perfectly lonely, and not fearfully alone.
We had a great weekend. Looking forward to this week and can't wait to see all that God does. Make sure you go out and intervene in somebody's life and go be a 10! Have a great week.
Well this past Sunday was an incredible and amazing Sunday for us at Foundations Church. It seems to me that I always learn something from each Sunday. But today I wanted to blog about a realization I have come to and a promise that I will make:
The realization: Last year we spent over 20,000 dollars on advertising! Now for many big churches that is not much, and for a lot of companies that is nothing. However, for a new church with (at that time) 3 staff members not on full time that was a ton of money for us. We did a ton of direct mail outs, we did billboards, magazine ads, and more mail outs. Yet we have done none of that this year and we are having our best attendance we have had yet, we are having more visitors than ever! Here is the fact, the realization I have come to...money used for advertising, slick advertisements, and tons of mail outs, can't come close to passion. When people get passionate about something, or about church and Christ to be specific, there is nothing like it. We could spend 100's of thousands in advertising but if our people aren't passionate about reaching people, not much is going to happen. So stay passionate Foundations Church, it's all about reaching people. Luke 10:19- "For the Son of Man came to find lost people, and save them." Continue to be a 10 and stay passionate.
The Promise- We (the staff) will do our best each and every week. I promise to preach and study to the best of my ability. I promise that if you get a lost person there, I will give them the opportunity to be found by Christ. And it isn't going to be any lame or weak junk either, I promise we will bring (as Eric Burns would say) our A game every week. You bring them and we will bring it! I am praying for an amazing service this week, and that people can sense and feel the presence of God. Make sure you invite someone with you and call the people that came with you this past week and make sure they come back with you.
Easter Weekend is always a great weekend, there is so much to celebrate so here are some of the highlights from Foundations Church:
- Had 353 people, this is our biggest yet! Awesome to see so many new people, some return from a while back, and of course our regulars.
- 15 total salvations yesterday. Way awesome and this is what we are all about.
- Thank you to all or our nursery workers. We had a lot of babies and our nursery workers did an incredible job, thank you.
- We had a ton of eggs for the kids to hunt after service! It was awesome to see all our TU Basketball players setting them out and hiding the eggs. Fun to watch so many kids have a great time.
- Our A/V team did a great job with the lights, video, sound. Awesome job guys.
- Our video's yesterday were amazing! Loved the way they tied in to the sermon.
- Mitch Hull did a great job on the guitar and solo during the video. Very impacting and meaningful.
- I love our staff. God has given us an incredible team, and we are so blessed to have them with us.
- Had the whole staff over to our house for lunch after service. I ate way too much! I ate so much I was full this morning when I woke up!
- I can't wait for our relationship series to start Dr. Love. It is going to be funny, helpful, practical, and will help your relationships. Make sure you don't miss a week and bring someone with you it's going to be awesome.
Thank you Foundations Church for intervening in people's lives this past week. I love that we are making a difference in people's lives as a church, continue to be a 10! And remember everything is washable. Have an awesome week.
Easter Sunday is one of the biggest Sundays for churches around the country. Many people who never would go to church will roll out of bed, and make sure they go to church for Easter Sunday. But this week I want to challenge you to Go Big with us at Foundations Church. What does that mean? And what does it look like? There are 2 areas that we want to go big at Foundations Church this weekend:
1. Being a 10! I can't challenge you, dare you even, to invite people to Foundations this Sunday. When you boil it all down, we are about reaching and loving people. We talked the last 2 weeks about intervening in people's lives. Don't stop at praying for people to come to the Lord, (Matthew 9 very end of the chapter) go out and bring people in and go reach them (Matthew 10: 1 - read the Message translation it's awesome!) God didn't call us to stop at 9..... go out and be a 10 and intervene in someone's life. Stop praying for the light and be the light! Remember God isn't going to send people to you, but He will send you to people. GO BIG!
2. Our Giving- So many times we operate with God in how much are we required to give, instead of seeing how much can we give. Easter Weekend is the week we celebrate what God has done for us, and I can't think of any better way to worship God than through our giving. Offering is a time of worship. So this week I want us to Go Big in our giving. Don't just tithe, but bring in your offering and Go Big in your giving. For some of you, that maybe $50, $100, $500, $1,000, or tens of thousands! But I know God is worthy of our worship in the giving of our finances. There is something about worshiping God with our finances because our finances mean something to all us. So come in this week and let's give God our best, and Go Big in our giving.
All I am saying is that our Easter Sunday service is going to be uhmazing, so don't you miss it, and let's Go Big in these 2 areas! Going to be an awesome day!
It was great being back at Foundations Church this Sunday. I missed being there, but man we had a great service on Sunday. Here are some of the highlights from the weekend:
1. Had an awesome service on Sunday. We concluded our series Intervention, remember be a 10 not a 9.
2. It was great to hear about all the life change that has happened in just the last 3 months! God is doing some awesome things in Foundations Church.
3. Loved taking communion this weekend as a church family.
4. Did a wedding for Jeremy and Shannon Joiner on Saturday Night. So happy for this couple and glad they took the big step of marriage.
5. We had 2 birthday party's on Saturday to go to! It was a very busy Saturday, but fun.
6. Had a great time at our community group on Sunday Night at the Kunkel's. I love the friends that God has blessed us with.
7. Our nursery is looking a ton better! Thank you Sandy and Ashley for all your hard work on the nursery, from the new sheets that look awesome to coordinating all the workers. You both are doing an awesome job!
8. Next week don't forget to Go Big in Your Giving. Let's worship God with our finances, join me and go Big!
9. I can't tell you how great our Easter Service is going to be! Don't you dare miss it, and invite, invite, invite. It is going to be crazy amazing, I'm just saying.
Going to be a great week! Already making some great head way on my sermon. I know I keep saying it but man Sunday is going to be an incredible experience. Have a great week and be a 10!
There is so much happening and getting ready to happen at Foundations that I just have to share some of the things I am excited about:
1. Easter! Oh man, we have some great things planned for Easter Sunday. All I can say is invite, invite, invite. You are going to love it and so are your friends. I can't wait for this day, it's going to be awesome.
2. This week's service. We are switching up some things and I can't wait. It is one of those Sunday's I think is going to transform who we are as a church. Can't wait, be there.
3. Love that we were able to put Sammy Floyd on full time. He and his wife, Alissa, moved here from Oregon and they are doing a phenomenal job with your children's ministry. God is doing great things through them and I can't wait to see all that happens in our children's ministry.
4. Our live streaming video. Got to watch it last week and it was really awesome to be able to be a part of Foundations Church even though I was away. Love that this is enabling us to reach more people. We have around 20 people watching right now, and this is just the beginning.
5. Life Change- it happens every week at our church. Love what God is doing, and we are building a church that is about God reaching lost people. His mission is our mission.
6. Not just having a vision, but aggressively chasing it down and trying to accomplish it.
7. Becoming a 10 and not staying a 9, you will hear about this more on Sunday! Can't wait.
8. Our people. I love seeing them on facebook, twitter, and just hearing our people talk. They say it's their favorite part of the week. I am glad Foundations is a place people want to go to and don't feel required to go to. Love the excitement that our people have for Foundations.
9. No more snow!
10. Dr. Love series starting the week after Easter. It's going to be a very fun and impacting series no matter what stage you are in life. Single, married, or dating, it's going to be uh....mazing!
I love, love, love what I do. Really invite people to come with you to Foundations especially over the next few months. People are looking for a place to belong. Let's do it, we are going to be bringing it every week as a staff. Can't wait to see everyone this Sunday. Have an awesome rest of the week.
This past weekend my family and I were gone this past week, to get away, relax, and catch our breath. So as a result I was not at Foundations Church on Sunday. However, I will still give you the run down of my weekend, here it is:
1. Casey and I left the children overnight with their Bob Bob and Nanna, and went out to eat and got a hotel in Dallas. It was awesome and really nice to eat without having to worry about making sure the kids didn't make messes or get bored. Great night.
2. I played golf with my father in law! I haven't played in a while but had a blast and the weather was perfect. It was a rough front 9 but the back nine I was 3 over! Yeah buddy.
3. Casey and I went to Houston's Restaurant to eat and it was awesome, love that place.
4. Took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese to play games. ADVICE: Never, ever take your kids to Chuck E. Cheese when it is spring break. The amount of people and BO is way overwhelming!
5. Watched Foundations Church service on the Live Streaming Video. It was cool but way weird seeing it but not being there.
6. Thankful that we have such an awesome staff! Our team is the best, and I mean it.
7. Got the chance to get some great ideas for this spring, and really get creative on some of my sermons coming up.
8. Even though I needed to get away, I missed coming and being at Foundations Church.
9. Casey and I did some shopping while we were gone. I had an awesome time with my wife and I am lucky that she married me. She is the best wife I could have asked for, and I am still crazy in love with her.
Hope everyone has a great week. I can't wait for Sunday, really I am ready for it. Make sure you bring someone with you this week, it is going to be awesome!
1. We lost an hour! A whole hour! But we had donuts and coffee there to make up for it.
2. We were down a little as far as attendance goes, but better than I thought with having spring break and the time change happening on the same week.
3. Had 16 people make a commitment to Christ this week! It was crazy awesome.
4. Got to dedicate Cory and Jennifer Spurlock's son Andrew this week. It was awesome and they are going to be great parents.
5. Shannon and the worship team were on fire this Sunday. Great job worship team.
6. I love seeing all the life change that is happening in our church!
7. We had a house full of people this week, but it was very fun.
I hope all of you are having a great start to your week, if you are traveling be safe and enjoy your time away. Looking forward to this week, hope you have a great one.
There are a ton of great things happening lately that I am learning from. When people say they are learning from "things" most think that those things are bad things. My things are not bad things at all. In fact, most of them are great things, and I am gaining great insights into life. So here are some of the things I am learning and also some things for this weekend:
Passion is contagious! Passion rubs of on people. It excites and energizes people.
True passion is consistent! This is so true. People who are up and down about things aren't passionate. They are just infatuated about things.
Nobody will ever be as vested to or invested in your dream, or your WHAT, as you are!
Nothing that is great comes easy. You better be ready to fight if you want something great, or to accomplish great things.
Service this week is going to be awesome! The title of my sermon is, Golden Calves and Roller Blades, and don't miss it. Also, this is the last week of The Big Mo.
Don't forget to set your clock an hour earlier Saturday Night. It is time to Spring Forward.
We will have donuts for everyone on Sunday for all you who don't have time to go get breakfast. We want you to set your clocks up and make it to service. Still come to church, and we will supply the donuts this week.
Bring somebody with you this week. Really bring someone with you. You know someone who needs God, and needs Foundations Church.
Hope you have a great weekend. My week has been crazy, but a good week. Can't wait to see you Sunday, and I can't wait to speak!
Oh wow this was a very unexpectedly busy weekend for me and my family. It was kind of crazy, a great weekend, but just fast and furious. Here are some of the highlights:
1. Friday Casey and I took the girls to the zoo. It was an awesome day out and we had a blast.
2. Had dinner with the Whaley's Friday night. Great couple who live just down the road from us and love that they are coming to Foundations!
3. Saturday had Gavin Dalrymple (Shannon and Sandy our Executive Director's child) 3rd birthday. Great party and a ton of fun. Those brownies were straight up dangerous.
4. My mom and dad were in town this weekend, happy birthday to my mom yesterday!
5. Sunday was awesome. Talked about M&M joy, if you missed it watch it online or download the podcast!
6. Never knew so many people liked Peanut M&M's.
7. Got to baptize Leslie, Ridge, and Saylor Hampton last night at their house. Their children wanted to get baptized and wanted to do it asap. So Bill and Leslie heated up their pool and we baptized this mom and two kids. It was totally awesome! Love this family and love that they are coming and becoming a part of Foundations Church.
8. Had our live streaming video up and it worked really well. Just need to get our audio for worship sounding better now.
Have a busy but great week planned. Can't wait to see all that God does in people's lives this week. Hope you have a great week and go be a part of changing somebody's life this week.
Man oh man, are we as a church so stinking blessed to have the team that makes up our staff?! I am spending a lot of time with each one of our staff members this week, and just getting a pulse of our team....things that we need to work on, things they are doing just great, and learning ways that I can help them to become better. Through all of these meetings, I realizing more and more that we have a stinking amazing team.
We have 3 guys that are part-time but work like they are full-time. They don't make excuses. They don't do ministry half way. They straight up get it done, and get it done with greatness. I love these guys! Shannon, Sammy, Jonathan, and Fish, you all are amazing and you are making our church into a great church that is ready to accomplish great things. I have heard a quote that says, "You are only as good as the team you have around you." If this is the case, man I am in great shape. Thank you guys for all the sacrifice, the long hours, the energy, excellence, and passion you have for reaching people, for finding lost people and showing them Jesus, and building a church that is changing the community. I love what I do. Remember, be there this Sunday. Its going to be awesome, and bring someone with you. Invite, invite, invite. Have a great rest of the week.
