Random Thoughts

1. Friend’s Day is this Sunday. God is going to change lives this Sunday. INVITE EVERYBODY YOU KNOW!

2. New service times beginning this Sunday: 8:30AM, 9:45AM, 11:00AM, 12:15PM.

3. This week I had the honor of speaking at a National Church Planters Conference in Phoenix, AZ. I spoke at two sessions. I love hanging out with and investing in church planters.

4. OU Sooners against Missouri Tigers. GO SOONERS!

5. Tis The Season To Forgive. I'm excited about how God is going to use this message this Sunday.

6. I can't believe December 1^st is tomorrow. THE YEAR IS FLYING BY!

7. I can't wait to see you this SUNDAY! Have a Super weekend!

Friend's Day

Church family, the Christmas holiday season is a great time to invite a friend, family member or co-worker to church. Many people are more receptive to attend church during the holiday season. Think about it, this could be the Sunday that your loved one, friend, neighbor or co-worker gives their heart to Christ just because you invited them to church. Statistics say that most people would attend a church service if they were ONLY invited. ASK SOMEONE TO ATTEND CHURCH WITH YOU THIS SUNDAY ON OUR FRIEND’S DAY WEEKEND! Here's my promise to you. I am praying for God to radically change lives (that includes the person you are inviting) this Sunday. We will work super hard to make the person you invite feel welcomed and loved. I will present the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a relevant way as we do EVERY single Sunday.

Remember the new service times beginning this weekend: Sundays @ 8:30AM, 9:45AM, 11:00AM & 12:15PM.

THIS SUNDAY GOD IS GOING TO DO SOMETHING AWESOME! COME EXPECTING!

Staying Healthy Pt. 2

4. Go see a doctor for an annual physical. If you ever have a physical problem, it's best to catch it on the front end or beginning stages.

5. Don't eat fast food all the time. Fast food may be good but most of it is full of fat and grease. You're not going to stay healthy if you eat 4 cheeseburgers and fries every week. STOP IT!

6. Quit making excuses about your bad habits that are causing you to have bad health (or you are on your way to having bad health if you keep it up). You have to be proactive. Making excuses never solves the problem. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT NOW! Change your eating habits. YOU can do it. Start exercising. You don't have to have a gym membership to exercise. Go walking or running outside three to four times a week. Go walk in the mall. Buy a treadmill for your home. Do something!

7. Whatever you do take care of your body, the temple of the Holy Spirit. You only have one body and one life, and if you're going to live to the fullest, you must take care of it. START TODAY!

Staying Healthy

So many people neglect their health and suffer for it. Our health matters to God. That's why the Bible says gluttony is a sin because it destroys our body (I did have to repent from gluttony during the Thanksgiving holiday). Let me give you some keys to having and maintaining good health.

1. Exercise 3 to 5 times a week. I go to the gym and lift weights and do cardio work 4 or 5 times a week. Exercise is a major key to getting into shape and maintaining your health.

2. Quit eating so much. You have to limit your portions. You have to quit eating so late at night. You have to quit eating ice cream, cake, pies, cookies and other junk food every single day. Too much of that stuff will kill you.

3. If you are disciplined, you can eat almost anything you want if you will do it in moderation. The problem is most people don't do anything in moderation. You have to learn to eat in moderation.

More tomorrow on this very important subject!

Weekend Update

1. Our Student Ministries Director spoke this weekend. He did a great job speaking on the subject Tis The Season To Be Thankful.

2. 18 people surrendered their lives to Christ this weekend. YEA, GOD!

3. I had a great Thanksgiving with my family. MY WIFE THREW DOWN ON SOME FOOD! Man she can cook!

4. OU Sooners won but only moved up one spot in the polls. BUMMER.

5. The Dallas Cowboys won, and my fantasy football teams are on FIRE! My records are 10-2, 8-4, 6-6.

6. I'm excited to speak on the subject Tis The Season To Forgive this coming weekend. Walking in forgiveness is a vital part of living for Christ.

7. This weekend is Friend’s Day, so be sure to INVITE EVERYONE YOU KNOW! So many of your friends and family need this series so get them to church this weekend!

8. I hope you had a terrific Thanksgiving!

Thankful

Before I get started with my list of what I'm thankful for, I wanted to let my blogging audience know that I will not be blogging on Thursday and Friday. I'm taking a holiday blogging break.

1. I'm thankful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Christ has completely changed my life. The Lord has blessed me in so many wonderful ways. His grace, mercy and forgiveness are beyond comprehension.

2. I'm thankful for my wife. I have such a great wife. I'm thankful that I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend. She's the love of my life.

3. I'm thankful for my kids. Having kids has given me a whole new perspective on life. I just adore all three of my kids. They mean the world to me.

4. I'm thankful for my health. I'm also thankful that my family is healthy. Health is a precious gift that I don't take for granted.

5. I'm thankful that I live in a free country where I can worship, work & enjoy so many other privileges.

6. I'm thankful for my friends. I have some wonderful friends; Tommy Sparger, Lynn Wheeler, Brian Rush and Matt Rustin just to name a few. I laugh, cry, vent and scream with my friends.

7. I'm thankful for my staff. I have a wonderful group of people that I get to work with everyday. They all add so much value to People's Church. I couldn't do what I do without this great team around me. To my team, thank you for all you do. I appreciate your hard work, loyalty, love for God and love for people.

8. I'm thankful for my church family. I love being your pastor. I love teaching God's Word to you each week. I love watching God change your lives. I love being a part of something bigger than myself. Church family, thanks for serving, giving and sacrificing for the cause of Christ.

THANKFUL

1. Being thankful is an attitude of the heart more than it's a set of circumstances.

2. How thankful you are is generally a direct reflection of how much time you're spending with God.

3. Being thankful has a lot to do with being content with where you are and what you have. OUCH!

4. Being thankful has a lot to do with reflecting on how good GOD is!

5. Being thankful is a habit that you practice or you don't................

WHY ARE YOU NOT BEING THANKFUL? IT'S YOUR CHOICE!

Weekend Update

1. Be sure to apply this weekend’s message to your life. RECKLESSLY SERVE OTHERS!

2. We had around 200 people sign up to get involved in one of the ministries at People's Church. I'm not sure of the final count but I'm totally excited that so many people are going to live beyond themselves.

3. I WANT TO SAY A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEERS! YOU ARE INCREDIBLE! You are such a vital part to seeing the vision come to pass. It's all about CHANGED LIVES! THANKS AGAIN!

4. 20 people made Jesus the Lord of their lives this weekend. I'm thrilled that the Holy Spirit is working in our services and drawing people to Jesus.

5. What happened to my OU SOONERS? BOY, WAS I UPSET!

6. The Dallas Cowboys won again! The New England Patriots look UNSTOPPABLE!

7. Remember that this coming up weekend is our last weekend for Saturday night services. Beginning December 2nd, our new services times will be Sundays at 8:30AM, 9:45AM, 11:00AM & 12:15PM.

8. This weekend we are beginning a new series called Tis The Season. This is going to be a great series. Begin inviting your friends and family to these holiday geared services.

Random Thoughts

1. $10,000 Holiday Giveaway: Click here to nominate a needy family. Don't delay another day!

2. I'm really really excited about this weekend. We are going to be giving you an opportunity to sign up for a ministry. Serving others will transform your life and enhance your walk with Christ. Don't miss this weekend folks!

3. Oregon lost last night! OU SOONERS hold their destiny in their own hands. If my Sooner win the rest of their games, they will play for the national championship. GO SOONERS!

4. My fantasy football teams are going in different directions. My records are 8-2, 6-4, 4-6. Every week one of my star players gets hurt. This week it was Marshawn Lynch. I have him on two of my teams!

5. It's been a very busy week. I had two night meetings this week. All in all, it was a very PRODUCTIVE week.

6. I'm excited about our new series beginning next weekend called Tis The Season. This is a must series to invite your friends and family too. We are going to be covering topics like Tis The Season to be thankful...to forgive.....to stop being mad at God....to dream. It's going to be a series where God does a lot of healing in people's lives.

7. My family day is today, and I'm always thrilled to spend the day with my family!

8. Folks, I love being your pastor! I'm praying for you as I type!

Advice To Emerging Leaders

1. Be very teachable. When I first graduated college, I thought I knew a lot about ministry and being an effective minister. Boy was I wrong! Over the years I have learned the more I know the more I realize I don't know. I don't have all the answers and neither do you; SO QUIT ACTING LIKE YOU DO!

2. Be very humble. For whatever reason, the Lord blessed Tiffany’s and my ministry from the very beginning. We had what many would call immediate success on the evangelistic field. Our calendar stayed booked up; we had doors open that were unbelievable. We saw the power of God move in wonderful ways. I found myself in my early 20's standing on platforms ministering to thousands of people at a time. I THOUGHT I WAS A BIG SHOT! BOY WAS I STUPID! I've grown up a lot since those days. I totally measure success differently today than I did in those early days of ministry. Emerging leaders, BE HUMBLE. You may be gifted, but it's not so you can walk around being arrogant and thinking more highly of yourself than you ought. Don't fall into the trap of thinking YOU'RE ALL THAT AND A BAG OF CHIPS!

3. Listen to mentors. A pet peeve of mine is when an emerging leader schedules an appointment with me because they want to pick my brain about how to start a church or launch an evangelistic ministry and all they do is talk about themselves to try and impress me. Emerging leaders, don't try to impress your mentor, listen and learn from them. Whenever I meet with one of my mentors, I always take a list of questions so that I can maximize my time with them. I realize they have a busy schedule like I do, so I ALWAYS come prepared to meet with them. I don't spend time trying to impress them; I SPEND TIME TRYING TO LEARN ALL I CAN FROM THEM! The greatest leaders are the greatest learners!

Leading Through Change

1. Pray and get clear direction from God.

2. Consider the needs of the people you are leading.

3. Find out what is best for the organization.

4. Get input and wisdom from your key leaders.

5. Make sure your key leaders are unified and understand why the change is occurring.

6. Get wisdom and counsel from mentors and friends.

7. Communicate the vision and direction clearly at all phases of the organization.

8. Be confident and positive about the new direction.

9. Lead strong. Don't be a wishy washy leader. LEAD WITH BOLDNESS AND HUMILITY, MY FRIEND!

Early Christmas Advice

1. Don't go into debt because of Christmas. When January rolls around, you will regret it.

2. Forgive family members of past hurts so that you can enjoy Christmas together.

3. Be generous to others. Click here right now to nominate a needy family for our $10,000 Holiday Giveaway.

4. Don't envy other people's blessings.

5. Be truly thankful for what you have.

6. Establish a budget of what you can afford to spend on Christmas gifts and don't go over it.

7. Have your kids give away some toys to kids who are less fortunate than them.

8. Remember the reason for the season; the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!!!

Weekend Update

1. Our Student Ministries Director spoke this weekend. He did a great job. I was inspired to be a difference maker in somebody's life. It is great having a team around me that can communicate God's Word.

2. I am already praying for next weekend. I'm believing for many of you to get plugged into ministry at People's Church. It's going to be an exciting weekend.

3. 20 people gave their hearts to the Lord this weekend. I'm sure glad that there is still power in the blood!

4. OU Sooners won again! We have a chance to win the National Title!

5. The Dallas Cowboys are 8-1. They looked really good yesterday.

6. We only have two more weeks of Saturday night services. Don't forget beginning December 2^nd, our new services times are 8:30AM, 9:45AM, 11:00AM & 12:15PM.

7. Click here RIGHT NOW to nominate a needy family for our $10,000 Holiday Giveaway. We already have 17 entries. Your procrastination means some family misses out on a Christmas blessing. Don't delay, click here NOW!

Random Thoughts

1. The weather is unbelievable right now. I really love fall.

2. We are shooting some family pictures today.

3. The starter is going out on my wife's vehicle. I think we are going to take it to the shop today.

4. We are going to have a great family day today. I love hanging with my family.

5. I won in all three fantasy leagues this past weekend. My records are 7-2, 5-4, 4-5. My 4-5 team really does have some great potential. I have a good shot at making the playoffs in all three leagues.

6. Go OU and the Dallas Cowboys.

7. Don't miss this weekend. The title is The Difference Maker.

8. I have a great team around me. I really appreciate and value my team.

9. God is always working on me. Thank you Lord for working in my life!

10. I can't believe Thanksgiving is just a couple weeks away. I'm excited!

Things That Get On My Nerves

1. People who drive too slow. I'm always in a rush when I'm in the car :).

2. Having to wait in a long line, short line or any line. As you can tell, I struggle with being patient :).

3. Church hoppers. Some people have been looking for a church for 5 years. Whatever!

4. People who think church is all about them and what they want. Very selfish mentality.

5. When people are disloyal.

6. When leaders won't lead.

7. When people are uncommitted. You just can't count on some people.

8. When people are negative. Life is too short to hang out with negative people.

9. Luke warm coffee. I like my coffee hot. By the way, Starbucks is serving Egg Nog Lattes starting today!!!

10. People who think going deeper with God is just knowing more information. Deeper is doing.

Be Generous Because

1. Your heavenly Father is generous

2. It's more blessed to give than receive

3. You could be the answer to somebody's prayer

4. God will bless you

5. It's the biblical thing to do

6. It advances the Kingdom of God

7. It provides for those who are less fortunate

8. It destroys greed and materialism

9. $10,000 Holiday Giveaway: Click here to nominate a needy family.

Some Blogs I Read

joshuasingleton.blogspot.com
davidcrosby.blogspot.com
swerve.lifechurch.tv
bigisthenewsmall.com
clarkmitchell.typepad.com
bilcornelius.typepad.com
garylamb.com
perrynoble.com
stevenfurtick.com
evotional.com

$10,000 Holiday Giveaway: Click here to nominate a needy family.

Weekend Update

1. I made another huge announcement to our church family this weekend. I told them that we are going to buy $10,000 of Christmas gifts for 20 needy families ($500 per family). If you know of a needy family who has kids, please go to www.peopleschurch.tv and click on the graphic $10,000 Holiday Giveaway and READ THE RULES and nominate a family. You don't have to attend People's Church to nominate a family or to win the holiday giveaway.

2. Our church family is so generous. We had $5000 donated this weekend from several people to buy more Christmas gifts for needy families, so now our giveaway is actually $15,000. God has a heart for the poor and needy, and as his followers, we SHOULD have a heart to help those in need. I'M SO EXCITED! GO TO www.peopleschurch.tv RIGHT NOW. You could be the answer to some needy person's prayer!!

3. We had 39 people give their hearts to the Lord this weekend! I knew one of the people who gave their life to Christ. This person has been checking out Christ and the church for several months and decided to become a follower of Christ yesterday. I was so excited when this person raised their hand. GOD YOU AMAZE ME!

4. I taught an entire message this weekend on helping the poor. I was moved by the message. The Bible has a lot to say about Christians helping the poor. I want to encourage you to listen to this message. It should be on our website today or tomorrow.

5. This coming up weekend is The Difference Maker. I know God is going to do a great work in all of our hearts through this message. I CAN'T WAIT!

Random Thoughts

1. I'm feeling much better than I was last week at this time. THANK GOD!

2. My in-laws are staying with us until tomorrow. Our kids are having a lot of fun seeing their grandparents. I have great in-laws!

3. My fantasy football team’s records are 6-2, 4-4 and 3-5. I need to get things turned around in the 3-5 league very quickly, or I might not make the playoffs. COME ON TEAM!

4. This weekend's message is titled $10,000 Holiday Giveaway. I'm excited to giveaway $10,000! Church family, don't miss this weekend. Trust me, you are going to be so blessed by what we have planned!

5. Tonight is our Volunteer Banquet, and we are going to party hard with all of our volunteers. I want to say a BIG, BIG THANK YOU to all of you who serve in ministry. You are the real heroes! Thanks for giving your life to advance the Kingdom of God.

6. Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour on Saturday night. I would hate for you to show up one hour early to church. I'm EXCITED to get an extra hour of sleep on Saturday night!

7. Go OU Sooners, and Go Dallas Cowboys.

8. If you're new to People's Church, don't miss our Newcomers’ Luncheon this Sunday at 1:30PM (after the third service). You will eat a free lunch, meet our staff and learn a lot about how to get plugged in to People's Church. If you haven't RSVPed, call the church office RIGHT NOW at 775-9991.

9. I'm excited to see the Colts play the Patriots on Sunday afternoon. Manning versus Brady. It ought to be a great one.

10. I'm so excited about the direction and future of People's Church! THE BEST IS YET TO COME!

Things To Remember About Vision

1. Many people will forget the vision 1 hour after you share it, so share it again and again and again. Did I say share it again?

2. People are attracted and motivated by a God-size vision.

3. A God-size vision helps unify a church.

4. A God-size vision attracts God-size resources.

5. A God-size vision attracts strong leaders.

6. A God-size vision keeps volunteers fired up.

7. Sharing the God size-vision is one of the most important jobs of the pastor.

8. Listen and learn from other pastors who do a great job at casting vision.

9. People need to see the vision coming to pass.

10. You can't ever share the vision enough.