21 Random Thoughts

1. I love the holidays! They remind me that tradition means something and that new traditions are essential for creating new memories.

2. Basketball provides lots of life lessons for me.

3. I may be addicted to social media. Determining boundaries has proven to be difficult.

4. Emotion can be your worst enemy or your best friend and sometimes it's one disguised as the other.

5. Learning and Mentoring go hand in hand. Keeping what you learn to yourself is arrogant and self serving.

6. I haven't written a song in 15+ years. Disappointing

7. "If you build it, they will come" is not a biblical concept, neither is "God helps those who help themselves". Both are quotes, one from a movie the other from a founding father.

8.The Matrix was a revolutionary Movie... to bad the sequels were not. A lesson we could all learn from.

9. The experiences God used to change our lives will not be the same experiences He uses to change the lives of those around us. We are not called to recreate for others what God created for us.

10. My life is a musical.

11. Only God can change your life. No church, religion, government or person can change your existence, no matter what they promise. No they can't.

12. I have many pet peeves... most of which are things I hate about myself.

13. Exaggeration is just a rationalization for lying.

14. I need Jesus as much as anyone.

15. To ignore any one part of the Gospel is to ignore the whole.

16. You cannot claim to follow Christ and reject His body. Quit pretending that you can. If you are not a part of a church body find one or finally admit you just hate the fact that Christ died for all the people you can't stand.

17. When we are in the worst economic crises since the great depression, discourage your wife from wearing the dress made with real sterling silver.

18. When God invests in you, make sure you provide a good return on His investment.

19. I love my job but it can be very hard at times.

20. Love God more than you love your spouse, love your spouse more than you love your kids and love your kids more than you love anything left in life. Not the other way around.

21. Creativity is.

Breakfast and Mad Props Friday

BREAKFAST! It's meaning is deeper than just the first meal in the morning. It actually signifies the end of a prolonged period without eating or fasting. It literally means to break your fast. Since fasting can be abstaining from more than just food I decided early this month to fast from blogging. Today is my blog breakfast! Twisted logic I know but you get the meaning I am sure.

Mad props this week goes out to my boy Wes Schaefer.

Since high school Wes has dealt with one addiction after another. Each new addiction would eventually leave him wanting more than the drugs had to offer. After searching for a "high" bigger and better than the last one, Wes eventually found himself addicted to Meth and ultimately close to destroying his own life. With the help of his family, friends and church, Wes entered a drug rehabilitation facility and one year later stood before those same people and proclaimed God's victory in his life. You can see him in this video holding up a sign that says "Addicted to Meth" and then "Clean And Sober! & Forgiven".



His sign was ginormous and rightfully so. God had done a major work in his life. Afterwards Wes sent me a text thanking me for asking him to participate in the event and wrote "That was a better high than any drug had ever given me". Wes had experienced the life changing power of the Gospel and it was powerful to witness.

For most people this would be enough. Enough because their lives were changed by God and they were now free to go about living their lives, building their careers, raising families and going to church. This has not been the case for Wes. Wes recognizes the power of God to change his life. He understood the power of addiction that he was under was significant but that God's power was greater and as a result, he wants everyone to experience that same saving power in their own lives. Now Wes is actively sharing the power of God with others. He recently hosted an event at the church building to help raise awareness about the destructive nature of Meth addiction and is constantly on the lookout for ways to share the Gospel with people who are far from God.

So Mad Prop's to Wes. He is exhibiting the true nature of the Christ. He knows first hand the power of the Gospel and desires to share its life changing power with others. He is an inspiration to me and many others around him. I can't wait to see what God does with him next...

Everyone join me in giving Mad Prop's to Wes.

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!

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!

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.