Three Weeks, Two Prospectives and A Question of the Week

Hello! It has been over three weeks since we last met and we have so much to catch up on! I don't have a lot of time so let me try to catch you up on the last twenty seven days of my life as quickly as possible.

• Avalon was incredible! Made some new friends through the process ( Cathy Freeman and Chris Kelly with Spirit 102.3, Greg Long with Avalon) and watched our church do a tremendous job in helping with the event.
• Mad Prop's to Cathy Killion for all her hard work on the Avalon show! She was my hostess and really went out of her way to take care of the group.
  
• Christmas services FREAKING ROCKED! Jana Gorham had almost thirty people in the orchestra this year and as usual they were incredible, the Choir was bigger and better than ever, Brittany Bolt sang her guts out and rocked our faces off and as always the band was awesome. This had to be the best Christmas service EVER in our church.
  
• Christmas Eve services were great as well. We did some things a little different but somehow throwing acoustic worship, Charlie Brown, a live nativity, the Christmas story read by grandpa Tom, communion and candle lighting in to one service worked!
  
• Mad Props to my boy Mitch who managed to focus his attention to leading worship on one of the hardest days in his life.
• Christmas at the Tibbles was awesome! I will always love Christmas morning with my kids more than any other day of the year! This year was awesome... there were nice lessons learned by my youngest. More on this later...
• In-laws came to our place for Christmas #2. It was nice...
• Spent more time with my grandparents in two days than all of 2008 combined. I love them so much. They are great examples to us in all aspects of their lives.
• Had a great Christmas with my small group. I am so appreciative of them and their love for us and each other. Its great to be a part of a group where we are "Tim and April".
• I somehow ended up catching a cold that turned into a fever and sore throat... I hate being sick. Then again, who doesn't?
• Our Church Basketball League starts up soon... I am uber excited about this. I'm not a great player but I love basketball to a fault.

So that's my life over the past three and a half weeks. Sorry we were not able to connect. What's that you ask? What are my feelings on Rick Warren praying for the inauguration? Funny you should ask! What amazes me is the two opposing views of this prayer.
1. The "Liberal Left" is ticked at Obama for inviting a "gay hating", "anti-abortion", "narrow-minded conservative" to be a part of his inauguration. It's funny to me because Obama is doing what he said he would do. Did these people think that he would unite only the Americans who agreed with them?
2. The "Conservative Right" is ticked at Warren because he has accepted the invitation to participate in Obama's inauguration. This is funny to me because Warren is doing exactly what he is supposed to do as a Christian. Does this group think that Warren should stand up and call Obama a "hypocritical", "gay loving", "baby-killing" heathen like a lot of other so called Christian leaders? Isn't Warren doing exactly what the rest of us should be doing... praying for Obama?

It was great to see you again! Lets meet up tomorrow. I would like to share my 2009 New Year's Resolutions. Before you go let me give you my question of the week:

What is your top resolution for 2009?

See you tomorrow!

Christmas With Avalon

When it comes to Avalon, the premier vocal group in Christian music, there is much
to know:
• Five successful studio projects, a remix album, two RIAA-certified gold records
• 19 No. 1 radio hits, 14 of which were featured on a single album, Testify to Love:
The Very Best of Avalon, a feat only an elite few artists have accomplished
• 20 Dove nominations; three Dove Awards
• Two Grammy nominations
• A 2002 American Music Award for Contemporary Inspirational Music

The "Christmas with Avalon" tour is coming to First Christian Church of Owasso on December 18th and 19th at 7:00 PM. You can get your tickets now at www.itickets.com or by calling the church office at 918.272.9551.



Tickets are only $12.00 in advance and $15.00 at the door. We have kept the ticket prices low becuase we are asking all who attend to bring a new or gently used coat to donate to Gyles Coates for Kids. Make your plans now to be a part of this incredible night and help bring warmth to someone in need this Christmas season. I hope to see you there!

Face of Jesus Manifests on Washburn Guitar

Oriinally Posted by Scott Thorn | MLive.com December 02, 2008 10:45AM

Okay, I've seen the face of Jesus appear on toast, crepes, window panes...but now a guitar?

Ludington music store employee Jeff Hoyer noticed it after others commented on it

November 28, 2008: Ludington Daily News: "The reason that I didn't discover it when I was setting the guitar up, is when you look at it from this angle (from the neck down) the face disappears, which is proof that it cannot have been faked, that it is actually in the grain, because if it were airbrushed in there, or somehow faked, no matter what angle you looked at it, it would still be there," Hoyer said.

Hoyer then explained the process of making such a guitar.

The guitar has spalta maple front, sides and back and was made was through a process called bookmatching, Hoyer said.

Bookmatching means a piece of wood was and cut down the middle and opened up like a book, so that the patterns in the wood grain are mirror images.

"So basically what happens is half of that face was in this half and when they open it up like a book it's a mirror image of the other side of the face," he said.

When asked if he had ever come across anything quite as mystical as this Jesus guitar in his life, Hoyer had this to say.

December 2, 2008: MusicRadar: "I've been here for 27 years and I've never seen anything close to that... the face is so clear," shop employee Jeff Hoyer told the Ludington News. It reminded me, and a couple of other people, of the Shroud of Turin and we know who that was."

"It also reminds me of my brother, he's a biker."

Tuesday Question of the Week on Wednesday

I came across this cartoon on ragamuffinsoul.com.


It pretty much sums up how I feel about a lot of Christians and churches that I grew up around. One of the most important things we can do as Christians is to show Christ's love to others. You don't see Christ beating God's love into the people in the Bible. However, it is just as important that we defend our faith and stand up for what is right in the eyes of God even if it means disrupting society, just as Jesus did when He overturned the tables in the temple courts. This is why I get so conflicted over issues such as the one happening in California right now. I believe God intended marriage to be a union of one man and one woman for life. It is a sacred covenant and one that should be defended and respected. So here is my question of the week... brought to us by Carlos Whittaker at ragamuffinsoul.com

"How do we stand for what we belive in without standing in what we dont?

Make A Difference Monday: Thankful for my shoes

It's "Make a Difference Monday" and as usual I am always on the lookout for people who are trying to show the love of Christ to others in tangible ways. Here is an organization that started with a guy who just wanted to help after the Asian tsunami in 2004.



Right now Soles4Souls is trying to raise 50,000 shoes in 50 days. A one time donation of 5 dollars will purchase two pairs of shoes for kids in need. Please consider taking a moment like I did and help a child receive a gift that most of us take for granted. Just click the link below to participate.

Discipline

God has been working me over lately. One of the big lessons He has taught me over the past several weeks is that "discipline" is not just a form of punishment.

This idea was a new revelation to me. After all, "discipline" is a corrective action you take against a person who has done something wrong, or so I thought. I have always understood the premise of discipline as a habit in my mind but somewhere in the recesses of my brain the connection was never made between my mind and my character.

Discipline, I have discovered, is a habit of action that adds value to our character. Many of us lack discipline both spiritual and physical and the result tends to be disastrous. I have so much more to learn in this area, so much more to understand. I don't know how long it will take or what is yet to be learned but I do know that by the grace of God, He has surrounded me with people who are helping me little by little become more disciplined in both my personal and professional life. I thank God for the people God has placed in my life that constantly pour into my soul the value of discipline.

I also know God has both saved me and redeemed me and that through Him all things are possible. I am a new creation and everyday God blesses me with a new day to become better than I was the day before. Each day brings a new challenge and a new opportunity to add value to my character by becoming more disciplined. I hope one day I can become a person of substantial discipline and deeper character though I fear I it will be one of those things I struggle with for a while. Its hard to break 33 years of habit... but that's where discipline comes in.

Funky Fresh Sr. Choir

It's early Sunday morning and I am doing my usual routine of looking over the service orders, reading, watching the sunrise through my office window and spending some time with God. Not much was different about this morning, until I checked my email...



Is your Sr. Adult Choir this Funky Fresh?

Family Hang Out Night

A few weeks ago AP and I realized that our Thursday nights were out of control. Homework, basketball, football, dance, grocery shopping and about a half dozen other things all seemed to find their way in to our Thursday night schedule. We were running everywhere, trying to get everyone where they were supposed to be in a coordinated sequence of events that resembled a city wide game of musical chairs. We had become more fragmented as a family on Thursday nights than any other day of the week and for a family in full time ministry that means something.

We needed a way to rally Team Tibbles, so AP and I came up with the idea of a base camp. The concept was pretty simple, have a central location that we could set up and hang out while each of us accomplished our various activities and responsibilities. Usually, our shedules are so staggerd that I could run one of the kids to whatever thier commitment is for the evening while AP stays back at base camp. Then when I return AP is free to take the next child prodigy to the next event on our schedule. This process goes on until we run all of errands for the evening and all family members are back to base camp.

Not only has it worked out way better than expected, Thursdays have become one of my favorite nights of the week. For the past several weeks we have chosen Panera as our base camp. The kids get hot chocolate and I get wifi. We all look forward to it. Our night is still hectic but I get to spend quality time with each member of the fam.

Tonight I had a personal realization, there are a dozen places I am supposed to be and there are a million things I could be doing but there is only one place I want to be on Thursday nights...

Do you blame me?

My Glorious

I (like everyone at this point) am ready for the campaign rhetoric to stop. I didn't realize it until my wife told me that my 12 year old son was actually scared of Obama winning this election. I panicked! I did not realize until that moment, I got sucked in like everyone else. I was so consumed in election coverage of campagin rhetoric and electoral maps that I had somehow allowed my son to be convinced that a president could have such a dramatic impact on his life. That the fate of his future relied on the cumulaitve descision of the voters in our country. Honestly, I almost cried for my son.

The truth is that as Christians we should never be convinced either by others or by our own emotions that anyone can care for us the way God does. We should never find ourselves relying more on a president's promise than on God's faithfulness. God is ultimately in control (Romans 13) of our lives and by His word and power we are saved, not by a presidential candidate. No government program has ever saved our souls and no government program will bring us closer to the one who saved us. God is much bigger than any president or election (Colossians 1:6) regardless of the media hype or the promises of those running for office.

One of my all-time favorite worship tunes is My Glorious by Martin Smith.

God is bigger than the air I breathe
The world we'll leave
God will save the day
And all will say
My Glorious

The Chorus really sums up exactly how I feel about this presidential election.

Make A Difference Monday: "IT" Matters

I remember, several weeks ago, sitting in our weekly Creative Planning meeting and going over our upcoming services about community. One of our team members mentioned how tough it was for some people to feel comfortable committing to a small group. He began to describe it like a personal tug-of-war, constantly pulling against the demands of life in order to grow spiritually as a christian. Suddenly an idea was born. The team came up with a drama about a guy pulling on a rope that continually refused help because of his own pride.

The idea was great but there was a big problem, we do not have a drama team at FCC. That may have seemed like a deal breaker for most but we have an axiom we use a lot in our planning meetings, "Don't let logistics get in the way of a good idea." The team began to jot down names of people who might be able to pull this off and began the process of convincing them that they were the right people to make this happen. Here is the result.




I know there are a lot of Worship Leaders and Creative Arts people that read this so I want to take this opportunity to tell you, no matter what the obstacles you face, "IT" matters.
The time you spend in creative and planning meetings matter.
The evenings you give up to rehearse with your band matters.
The mornings you drive into the office before the sun even comes up matters.
The countless hours you spend investing into the lives of your volunteers matter.
The tech meetings matter.
Your hard work matters.
The lives you touch matter.
"IT" Matters... to God
God is so incredible. He has a way of taking the little things we do and turning them into major life changing moments. Thanks Mike for your amazing testimony!

Perspective

"Can you believe gas is $1.95"
This phrase has a completely opposite meaning than it did twelve months ago.

Set Design

This week we took down our set to prepare for Christmas stage. I really liked the direction this set took. We were pretty limited on budget so we had to put our creative brains to work. This is definitely not the design we initially planned but I loved the result.





We have some big ideas for our upcoming series...

Question of The Week

Its Tuesday which means its time for our Q of the week. This one needs no introduction.

Tuesday Question of the Week:

Did you know McCain was Obama's new running mate?

My Top Five Worship Songs

I always get questions and e-mails about my favorite worship songs so I thought I would put a list of favs together. Obviously these change from time to time but for now here are the songs that speak to me the most.

1. We Shine- Steve Fee. I didn't really like this song when I first heard it but it quickly became my favorite.


2. From The Inside Out- Hillsong United.


3. My Savior My God- Aaron Shust


4. Revelation Song- Gateway Worship, Kari Jobe


5. Jesus Paid It All- Kristian Stanfill


Your turn! What are your favorite worship songs?

Oklahoma City Thunder

AP and I went to watch the Oklahoma City Thunder, the NBA's newest franchise, at the BOK Center this evening. We hung out with some FCC friends. It was a great game and we had a great time. The Thunder even got the W with a "come from behind" victory over the Houston Rockets. Tracy McGrady was playing it safe and sat on the bench the whole game. Probably pretty smart given his history of back problems. We did get to see Yao and Ron Artest although neither played that well. The best player for the Rockets was Aaron Brooks. He was ON FIRE tonight, even getting a nice alley-oop in the 2nd quarter. Kevin Durant, however, was the player of the game. He was pretty quiet most of the night but down the stretch put on a show on both the offensive and defensive sides of the floor. It was a rare treat to watch NBA basketball in Tulsa. I am really looking forward to catching a couple of games in OKC this season!



For those of you who dont like sports sorry... its almost NBA season. I Love This Game!

Catalyst 08 Roadtrip #8

I am officially home from my Catalyst 08 road trip. I found this awesome shirt at the event

It was a perfect addition to an amazing event! From the worship time to the immense amount of information provided by some of the great church minds of our time, Catalyst 08 will be a week that I will look back on as a "catalyst" for growth in my own personal leadership.

I'm already making plans to attend next year. Thanks for everyone who prayed for us while we were gone. Here are a few more pics... Enjoy!

Catalyst 08 Road Trip #7

Great morning so far. There were tons of unexpected moments. Lonnie brought a live elephant and a donkey in to the arena, Jeff Foxworthy showed up to introduce an African Children's choir and these chicks actually made clogging (yeah you read that right- clogging) cool again!

Tim Sanders a former executive from "Yahoo!" kicked off the morning and spoke about the importance of businesses doing the right thing to help its consumers. He put an emphaisis on giving and the importance of giving to those in need and not taking advantage of them.

Dave Ramsey was up next. I was expecting a financial discussion however he spent the majority of his time speaking about leadership and unity. He gave us "5 enemies of unity"
1. Poor communication
2. Gossip
3. Unresolved disagreements
4. Lack of shared purpose
5. Sanctioned incompetence
Very solid stuff. He took some time at the end to remind us that God's financial ways are perfect. He is in control and this econmic crisis is only temporary and should not be approached with a spirit of fear.

Franklin Graham accepted the Catalyst Lifetime Acheivment Award on behalf of his father. Billy Graham was scheduled to be here but could not make it due to health issues. It was a pretty incredible moment.

Top that off with worship led by Aaron Keys and this morning has been amazing. Aaron has so much depth as a worship leader. I can only hope to have that kind of depth one day.

We're in the home stretch...

Catalyst 08 Raod Trip # 6

Friday morning and I'm still trying to process all the information from yesterday. It was like drinking from a fire hose. Today promises to be another great day capped off by another message from Andy Stanley. Stay tuned!

Catalyst 08 Road Trip #5

Catalyst 08 has been awesome so far. We had a rough start this morning. Matt T. was in charge of making sure we were all up on time. Unfortunately there was some confusion about which time zone we were in and needless to say PC and Mike were knocking on our door before we were even out of bed.

Everything you have heard about he traffic in ATL is absolutely true; "GRIDLOCK". It was a challenge getting to the convention center. We were about 3/4 of the way there when we realized AA left my ticket at the hotel on the desk in our room. Not a good morning for the young guys... Im sure PC was wondering what kind of responsible staff members he was working with.

Once we arrived at the convention the morning got way better. So far we have listened to Andy Stanley speak about earning the moral authority of those we lead. GREAT STUFF! We also listened to Jim Collins author of the book Good to Great. He had some excellent perspective on leadership. The highlight of my morning though was actually participating in a worship service that I was not leading. This is a rare treat for me, especially since it was lead by Steve Fee.

I have tons more to share but not a lot of time. Here are some pics from this morning.

Catalyst 08 Road Trip #4

We have arrived! Made it in to ATL about 2:30. We were able to pick up PC and Raburn at the airport so they didnt have to catch a train to North ATL. After checking in to our Hotel we all hung out at Jason's Deli for about an hour. Looking forward to tomorrow! Registration for Catalyst 08 begins at 7:00 AM. Ugh... I thought this was a conference for young leaders!

Catalyst 08 Road Trip #3

Stayed at the Comfort Inn just outside of Memphis last night.
I'm still wondering why it is called Comfort Inn...
We got a good deal though after negotiating with the night help.
After breakfast we are off to the ATL to meet up with PC and Raburn at 3:00.
Catalyst 08, here we come!!!

Catalyst 08 Road Trip #2

ATL here we come!
Our departure time was 2:00 PM
This was when actually got in the van


We soon realized we were out of gas so after stopping to fill up and then going back to pick up some various items left behind

This is when we actually left.


AA maned the GPS

We made it to Little Rock and stopped at The whole Hog Bar-B-Q joint for Dinner with my good friends Rob and Rachel


So far we have seen 33 McDonald's and 15 Wal-Mart’s

Yep we are in Arkansas!

Next Stop Memphis…

Catalyst 08 Roadtrip #1

14 hours in this!?!?
We are leaving around 2:00 for the ATL.
We have until 3:00 Wednesday to arrive.
That's more than 14 hours....
Stay tuned!

Catalyst Week

I have officially dubed October 5th through October 12th:
Catalyst Week.

I (along with Matt T., AA, P.C. and Raburn) will be headed to Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon to join of 12,000 ministers and church leaders for the Catalyst '08 Leadership Conference .
P.C. and Raburn are flying but Matt, AA and I thought it would be way more fun to do a road trip. So tomorrow afternoon we will be heading out on a 14 hour drive to the ATL to see and hear from some of the most influential church leaders of our time. And of course, I will be sharing the event with you right here. I plan to blog about the trip every day this week so check in periodically to catch up on our adventure to Catalyst. I know will be an incredible trip.

Mad Prop's Friday

Friday is Mad Prop's Day! This is the day I give my "Prop's" to someone who has done something outstanding during the week. Feel free to leave your own "prop's", "atta boy's", or whatever it is you happen say to let someone know they are friggin awesome.

For months I have watched our congregation go through various transition for various reasons. We literally re-located from a building we had worshiped in for over 30 years, We have had to re-think major ministries like VBS, we've even had to make some really difficult decisions like ending long term ministries such as our preschool program of twenty-seven years. 2008 has been the year of change for First Christian Church Owasso. There have been literally hundreds of changes to our growing church and all indications point to more on the horizon.

One of the biggest moves we have made was due in large part to the rapid growth of our congregation. Our leadership made the conscious decision to shepherd through small groups. This has been a major transition because we have always used our Sunday School program to care for the majority of church members. There were several problems with this model but the biggest was that it didn't cover the large majority of our membership. At one point there were over six hundred members who were not involved in anything other than our Sunday morning services. As a result, the leadership determined there was a better way to shepherd our congregation and they tasked our Associate Minister, Matt Thomason, with developing a small group program.

After months of hard work and planning we launched our small group program on September 7th. In just five short weeks we have seen a radical change in our church. We are hearing stories every week about small groups engaging in the lives of people who are going through divorces, people who have lost loved ones, providing financial assistance to people who have lost their jobs and people who need to know Christ on a deeper level. There are now less than two hundred people that have yet to plug in to a group of some sort and as a result, the life change that we have witnessed has been extraordinary.

This week I want to give my Mad Prop's to Matt Thomason. This was probably the biggest and most difficult transition we have had to make in the life of our congregation. Matt and his team have done an outstanding job of helping our church better shepherd and care for each other through small groups. The task has not been an easy one and Matt would tell you there is still a lot to be done, never the less "Mad Prop's" to Matt T. and his leadership in our new groups initiative!

Leave "Mad Prop's" for Matt T. and comment about your small group experience over the past five weeks.

Tuesday Question Of The Week

I have watched it on youtube least 50 times. The first time was moving, the second time I noticed some things I missed the first time and so on. So when my production team talked about the Cardboard Testimony video and possibly using it in one of our services, I wasn't sure it would work. We talked around it for several minutes. We discussed several ways to keep it fresh and unique to our congregation. Once we landed on an idea we sold out to it. I honestly wasn't sure what to expect. I hoped it would be a good thing for our people and really felt it would have some amount of success. But what we experienced Sunday far surpassed anything I could have ever imagined. What we witnessed was one of the most powerful events in the 100 year history of our congregation. God showed up in a way that had our church completely in awe of His saving grace and power.

It happened because people were courageous enough to bear their souls to their church family. It is truly amazing when we see God's power change someone from the inside out. This leads me to my question of the week:

In a few simple words, how has God changed you?

Healing Rain

We got this idea from Hillside Christian Church in Amarillo, TX. This ended up being a powerful way of communicating how far God is willing to go to change lives.



I was moved to tears... made it very difficult to sing. God is incredible!

If you were a part of this group of people, what would you have written on your cardboard?

Your Pet Will Not Be In Heaven

This may come as a surprise to some of you but, just in case you don't know, your pet has no soul. This of course leaves millions of people wondering "What will happen to my pet after the rapture?"
Unfortunately millions of pets will suddenly find themselves without owners, unattended and left to starve within their own homes and backyards. Assuming you believe in the rapture of all Christians will happen, how should a pet owner then plan for the care of their pets after the rapture?

Check out this guy I found on Craigslist>Kansas City

Pet Rapture Insurance



Who knew Jesus was a pet hater?

State Fair

Every year its the same sequence of events.
State Fair commercials come on TV.
April reminisces about her family going to the fair.
Kids get excited.
Someone shouts out "Dad can we pleeeeaaaaaase go to the fair this year?"
I say "No, fairs are a waste of money..."
They all say in unison "But DAAAD!"
I say "NO!"

I seriously don't like the whole State Fair scene.

This year the annual sequence began to play out but this time with a new ending.
GRANDMA!

So somehow I ended up with the kiddos, AP's Grandma and her mom at the Tulsa State Fair.
I can't say I had a lot of fun but these guys sure did


While I may never enjoy the State Fair

I will always enjoy this.

Tuesday Question of the Week

I have been a part of four funeral/ memorial services this past week. In each case I have heard people say things like "I'm sure going to miss him" or "I miss her already." I have even found myself suddenly desiring to spend time with my friend Donn after I found out about his death this past Friday. I really miss him now but why didn't I miss him before? Its a strange feeling.

This leads me to my question of the week:

What does is really mean to miss someone?

Make A Difference Monday

Here at romanstwelveone we are always looking for ways to be "Living Sacrifices". As a part of that effort Mondays are "Make a Difference Day". This is an effort that goes beyond giving our used items to Goodwill or dropping money in the plate each week. While those things are important it is equally important that we allow God to use us to impact the lives of those around us in real and tangible ways. This is your day to share and brainstorm ideas on how we can live out our worship in a way that is "holy and pleasing to God".

Sunday, my small group was informed of a woman who is going through an incredibly difficult divorce. Not only does she need your prayer and spiritual help she has now found herself in desperate need of physical help. While I cannot print her name here, I can tell you she has just a few days left to move out of her house and has literally no where to go. This week a few of the ladies in our group are helping find a place for her (and her kids) to live and this weekend several of us are getting together to help her pack and move her stuff into wherever that may be. All of us have been effected (either directly or indirectly) by broken marriages. We can all relate to the difficulties this woman and her family are facing at this very moment. The needs here are great and if you feel that God is leading you to help please let me know and I can fill you in. This is where the church shines and where lives are impacted. Please pray about how you can join us and help this family in their time of need.

Let us know how you are impacting your community, school or share an idea you may have that could make a real difference in somone's life. Your turn...

Donn T. Moore

Have you ever had a person in your life that supported you whether you deserved it or not? Donn Moore was that guy for me. He was an elder for a small church in Skiatook OK and was the one guy who was willing to go through the fire with me as I learned what it meant to lead in a church ministry. It was a really big task. Not only was I immature as a minister but I also thought I knew everything about leading a church... dangerous combination. I think Donn was able to see what no one else was willing to see and he was able to do what no one else was willing to to at that time in my life. He stood by me through every descision I made, big or small, right or wrong. I will always remember him for the long phone conversations and the after- elder- meeting counseling sessions that would last until all hours of the night. He invested in me and if it were not for him I would likely not be who I am today. It's a shame that I lost touch with him after my wife and I left Skiatook. Every once in a while I would run into him and his wife (Darlene) at the store or at a restaurant but we never got around to that dinner we kept promising each other. Today I regret that more than ever. About 12:00 today I found out that Donn Moore lost his battle to cancer, won his war against Satan and is now cancer free at his new home with Jesus.

Donn Townsend Moore, 66, of Skiatook, Okla., died Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008, at Hospice of Wichita Falls.

Graveside services will be Saturday in Vanderpool, Texas. A celebration of life will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at First United Methodist Church in Skiatook, Okla., with the Rev. P. J. Stewart and the Rev. David Stephenson, presiding. A reception and visitation will be held immediately following the Skiatook service.

Mr. Moore was employed in the petroleum industry, where he worked until retiring in 1991.

Survivors include wife, Darlene Adair Moore; daughter, Amy Kingston of Mesquite, Texas; sons, David of Wichita, Kan., and Brandon; stepsons, Lee Maxwell of Los Angeles and John Maxwell of Tahlequah, Okla.; father, Oscar Moore of Vanderpool; brothers, Doug of Bedford, Texas, and Dennis of Utopia, Texas; and eight grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Hospice of Wichita Falls, 4909 Johnson Rd., Wichita Falls, Texas, 76310; the American Cancer Society or the charity of the donor’s choice.

See you when I get home Donn... lets do dinner.

I Didn't Scream and I Didn't Cry... and I Need Too! AAAAAHHHH!!

ummmm... comments?

Mad Props Friday

Friday is Mad Prop's Day! This is the day I give my "Prop's" to someone who has done something outstanding during the week. Feel free to leave your own "prop's", "atta boy's", or whatever it is you happen say to let someone know they are friggin awesome.

One of the goals I have for my blog is that it can be a safe community of discussion for everyone who chooses to participate. It is important to me to have a place where we can discuss God's will for our lives and our world without damaging our spiritual well being or compromising our authenticity as Christians. That being said I want to hand out today's "Mad Prop's" to a prominent political figure.

I have to admit I love politics. I enjoy engaging other world views and challenging those to see a better vision for our country. However, this year's presidential campaign has been one of the most humiliating and embarrassing campaigns I can remember. I understand the angst that is present in our country right now. We are still trying to wrap up an unpopular war in Iraq, we still have not caught the man responsible for the attacks on 9/11, the economy is as volatile as its ever been and everyone is tired of being lied to by politicians. What I don't get is why people are so angry that they would stoop so low as to launch personal and vile attacks against another political opponent. I'm not talking about attacks on a person's record or on beliefs that would effect the way that person would govern. I'm talking about personal attacks like the attacks being launched by the Hollywood crowd against Governor Palin. The attacks by media journalists comparing her to a "toned down porn actress" or when the workers for the DNC hack in to her personal e-mail account to try and dig up dirt so they can intentionally tarnish her image. It's shameful and wrong.
No matter what you feel about her beliefs or political affiliations you have to admire a person who is so convicted she is willing to take all the attacks and stand up for what she believes in. So my Mad Prop's this week go out to Governor Palin. I know you probably don't read my blog but you have a lot of fortitude to take it on the chin a still put up a good fight.

Who gets your "Mad Prop's" this week?

New Social Network

Yes... I'm a nerd. This whole social network thing is fascinating! I am having a blast blogging and connecting to childhood friends and new communities of people everyday. My newest adventure is the new social network "twitter". I just signed up tonight so I will let you know how it goes. Come be a part of my twitter network at http://twitter.com/romanstwelveone

Make A Difference Monday

I have been thinking about doing something like this for a long time now. Im not sure how well this will work or if any of you would even consider participating. However, I want to use Mondays to challenge, discuss or create ways that we can help make a difference in people's lives beyond our normal daily routines. So here is your assignment. Explain one tangible way you are helping make a difference in people's lives and why. You may not be doing this on a weekly basis but your ideas may be helpful to someone who is looking for a way to show Christ's love to others. If you are not involved in something but have an idea let us know what you are thinking. The idea here is that we can create somewhat of a "think-tank" that will help generate ideas about ways we can impact our community in a real and tangible way. Here is what one community from Atlanta is doing...



Your turn! Let the impact begin...

Out of My Box

Even though I have spent most of my life in Oklahoma, I'm not much of a country boy. So there is only one reason I would borrow this

a pair of these

This:

make my self look like this
and attend an event like this

What reason you ask?

For this
Anything for my Ap

P.S. For the record
I thought the set was freaking awesome

but most of all I enjoyed being with her

Hope you had a great time Ap!

Tuesday Question Of the Week

One of the big buzz words in many churches these days is "Community". It's always interesting to me that we find new and creative ways to package what God intended for the church to be. When I was growing up it was CARE groups then later it was LIFE groups. It wasn't much longer we threw away the acronyms and called it Small Groups and of course now its just Groups with an emphasis on "community". I guess the most surprising part of this is the concept of repackaging is that we have to do it at all. Its almost as if we have to "sell" God's word to the believers to claim to follow His word.

You don't have to look very hard to find God's intention in establishing smaller communities in which to do ministry. When Moses was leading the Israelite people God recognized that it was next to impossible for any one man to lead such a massive amount of people. He had Moses divide his people into smaller groups down to ten per group just so he could lead them effectively. Jesus had a small group who later established small communities around the region and eventually started the greatest small group movement in the history of mankind.
Most of the New Testament was written to small groups of people.

I find it a bit ironic that the larger we get as a congregation the smaller we have to become to shepherd people and do ministry effectively. So here is my question of the week:

Tuesday Question of the Week

Are you in a small group? Why?/Why not?

Mad Prop's Friday Week #5

Its been a few weeks since I've posted one of these. Mostly 'cause when I am mad at the world its hard for me to give mad props to anyone. I have to admit when I first watched this I was pissed! However, the more I watched and listened the more I thought... "this guy has some serious guts." I've always liked Donald Miller. While I don't agree with his political views, I have enjoyed his books tremendously and my respect for him has only increased as I have come to grips with what he just did.



So "Mad Props" to Donald Miller who had the guts to walk into a room full of Anti-Christians and petition God to do the things we have not been able to do on our own in the name of Jesus Christ. That takes stones! MAD PROPS Don...

Emotions

BLAAAAAHHHH!
I hate them! And yet at the same time... I love them! I feel like this very thing God blessed me with, in order to do His good works, is the very thing Satan uses against me as his weapon of choice. I probably owe big apologies to my coworkers, friends and family for being so emotional the past week or so. I'm sure I've left people wondering if "the man" has changed my medication.

Growing up I was a part of the youth group at Memorial Drive Church of Christ in Tulsa. My youth minister, Danny Sidders, had this one phrase he would often make us repeat to open up our youth meetings. "I can choose my attitude and I choose to feel great!" he would say. We would all repeat the axiom back and he would say it again only to have us repeat it back again. This would go on until he felt as though everyone was participating. He probably knew that everyone of us were showing up that night dealing with the pressures of school, broken families, addictions and just living a teenage life in a world that was changing before our eyes. At least for me it was unsolicited training for days and weeks like these.

Now when I am overwhelmed with emotion and biting peoples heads off or secluded to the back corner of my desk, I read 2 Timothy 1:6-7 and I repeat the phrase I learned from my youth minister... "I can choose my attitude and I choose to feel great!" when I want to of course.

Bonus Question of the Week!

We all know they are out there. All of us have at least one that comes to mind almost immediately. Some of us can think of several right off the top of our heads. It's the "celebrity" ministers that just go to far in order to be heard. Most of the criticism is justified. There are those guys out there who cause us to shake our heads and wince because we all know at the end of the day it will have a major impact on Christianity as a whole. They go way to far in their antics and justify it as "spreading the word."

I'm not talking about leaders that have differing doctrinal beliefs. I think God can sort all that out when we get to heaven. Neither am I talking about pastors who are innovative and creative in the way they bring the message to non-believers. I think there is value in new methods of evangelism. I am referring specifically to people like Michael Guglielmucci.

A FORMER Adelaide pastor who inspired hundreds of thousands of young Christians with his terminal cancer "battle" has been exposed as a fraud.
Read the full article here.

I know this isn't Tuesday and maybe I should have saved this for next week but I have a question:

How do we as a church respond to people like this?

Tuesday Question Of the Week

I came across this article today.

McChurch: I'm Lovin' It

One pastor believes franchising congregations is the model of the future.

"Church plants," "sister churches," and "satellite congregations" may be a thing of the past. In 2008, the language of missiology is changing, so look for "church franchises" in your town.
click here to read the full article

So here's the Q'

Tuesday Question of the Week #7

Would you attend a church where the teaching/preaching is done through video broadcast? Have you ever? Why/Why not?

Tuesday Question Of the Week

This pic is from a blog I have been reading lately.


Here's the Q

Tuesday Question(s) of The Week #6

Does your church communicate well? How could it be better/worse?

My Daughter

No need for words...

Weekend Schedule

Friday
9:00 AM - 12:30 PM Willow Creek Leadership Summit
12:30 PM- Lunch with Staff Ministers
2:30 PM- Stage prep for Sunday
4:30 PM- guitar student
5:00 PM- guitar student
6:00 PM- Dinner
7:00 PM- Sermon Prep for Sunday (Dad's Ordination Service)

Saturday
10:00 AM- ReWrite Sermon (Dad's Ordination Services)
2:00 PM- Cousin Gina's Wedding
3:30 PM- Reception
6:00 PM- Review Sunday Services
9:00 PM- Rewrite Sermon (Dad's Ordination Service)

Sunday
5:30 AM- Wake Up
6:30 AM- Arrive at office for service review
7:00 AM- Tech Meeting
7:15 AM- Service Rehearsal
8:30 AM- First Service
9:45 AM- Leave for Inola OK
10:30 AM- Dad's Ordination Service
11:00 AM- Second Service (I was not at this one... Jared led in my place)
12:30 PM- Lunch with the Tibbles Family
2:00 PM- Tibbles Family at my place (at one time there were 29 people in my house)
5:00 PM- Dinner with Rob and Rachel (A pleasant surprise as they stopped by on their way through town)
6:30 PM- Meet with Greg and Shawna about wedding music and other Wedding stuff
9:00 PM- Get kiddos in bed
9:30 PM- Post blog
10:00 PM- BED TIME!!!

In the words of Charlie Brown
"Good grief"

Conferences

Every year I look at the list of conferences I'd like to attend and every year I find some reason not to go. The thought of attending a conference is not at that appealing to me. I, quite frankly, just have too much going on... or at least thats what I tell myself. I liken conferences to morning workouts. There are so many things that I would rather be doing, eating breakfast, reading my bible, watching the morning news show, SLEEPING! But there is nothing like the feeling you get after working out for a good hour in the morning. You feel refreshed, exhilarated and ready to go take on the world and whatever may come at you. Conferences are that way for me. There are about two million things I would rather do instead but there is nothing like the feeling I am left with after spending two full days listening to the experience and Godly wisdom of people who I admire and respect. Most of the time God uses them to give me a spiritual workout that I will never forget and in the end I feel refreshed and ready to take on the task God has put in front of me.

Today I listened to Craig Groeschel Teaching Pastor at of Life Church. He is an INCREDIBLE communicator. Best quote from Craig

"In order to reach those that no one else is reaching, we have to do things that no one else is doing."

I cant get enough of his stuff!

Up next Chuck Colson. Gotta go!

Quote Of The Day

Session two was with Gary Haugen. Gary is the founder of IJM (International Justice Mission) If you want to know how to live out Biblical justice in our world you need to read this guys stuff. The best quote of the day came from Gary when he said,

"If you want your leadership to matter, you must lead in the things that matter to God"

Great stuff!

Willow Creek Leadership Summit

I am attending the Willow Creek Leadership Summit with PC, Matt T. and some of the other ministers from FCC. Just completed session one with Bill Hybles... it was AMAZING. I am truly in awe of his humble spirit and his leadership perspective. I believe that God has set him apart as one of the great leaders of our time. One of my favorite blogs asked the question this week "If you could spend 24 hours with a leader, who would it be?" My answer to that question would be Bill Hybles.

Tuesday Question Of the Week

My wife and I are starting a new workout program together. Unfortunately with the new program comes a new way of eating healthy which in turn means most of my favorite restaurants are now banned. I guess thats the price you pay for being healthy. The one I will miss the most is my favorite Mexican establishment Compadre's. They have the best Chips and Salsa this side of the Red River. I usually eat there two or three times a week so this will be a major adjustment for me. So in memory of all my old eating habits here is the Question of the Week.

Tuesday Question Of the Week # 5

Where is your favorite place to eat out?

Peace,

Mad Prop's Friday Week #4

It's Friday and which means... Mad Prop's! This is the day I give my "Prop's" to someone who has done something outstanding during the week. Feel free to leave your own "prop's", "atta boy's", or whatever it is you happen say to let someone know they are friggin awesome.

Mad Prop's Friday Week #4

This week I have to go back to the crib to give my prop's. Summer is such a busy time for me and my family. It usually involves church camps for the kiddos, VBS, summer sports, basketball camps and every once in a while we'll throw in a family trip to some place where people don't recognize us. Thrown in that I am usually gone for several weeks leaving my AP to manage the home front on her own. When I am home during the summer months it's only for a few days at a time and it usually involves recovery and catch up work at the church leaving little time for extra things with the fam. Summer months in the Tibbles' home require extra grace and prayer.

So this week I want to give Mad Prop's to AP and the Kiddos

MAD PROP'S TO TEAM TIBBLES! THANKS FOR BEING SO AWESOME!!

Not only do you deserve Mad Prop's for living with me as your husband and dad but you continually go above and beyond to support me in the crazy adventures God puts me in. I thank God for each of you everyday. You are all more than I could have ever hoped for.

Give it up ya'll!

High Tech Flannel Board

I've been getting a lot of e-mails on how we plan out our services. To be real honest we are still trying to figure it out. FCC has doubled in size since I started working here about eight years ago. It seems like every time we find something that works, we have to change it all over again to accommodate the new growth in our services.

So far this has been the tool that has worked best. I actually stole this from a friend who leads worship for a church in a nearby town. I think he stole it from a church in KY... Its a flannel graph!



We print a title page for each week. It includes who is preaching, the date, the sermon title (which becomes the theme of the week) and the scripture reference for the sermon. PC usually has those done a few months in advance.



We set up the song order and any "special elements" in the service underneath the title page on little tabs with Velcro backing. We also include any regular service pieces that would be in every service such as communion and the message.

We color code everything. This helps us make sure we are considering not only how much we are trying to cram into one hour but also who is in our services. Part of worshiping in a church that has been around for 100+ years means there is a diverse group of ages participating in the AM services each week.
The green tabs represent fast songs, yellow for medium paced songs, red (obviously) for slow songs and the blue for hymns. The orange tabs are parts of the service that happen every week and pink (I was running out of colored paper)are for special elements such as drama, video or special music. Everything is laminated so we can write on the tabs with dry erase markers. we even have some blank (white) tabs to we can write in new things.

There it is...

How do you plan?