Thankful

I will not be blogging the rest of the week due to the Thanksgiving holiday. I'm going to spend some quality and quantity time with my wife and kids. I want to end this week’s blog thoughts by sharing some things that I'm thankful for:

1. I'm thankful for a God who loves me unconditionally. He knows all of my faults and still loves me. He knows all of my faults and still saved me! I thank God for the blood of Jesus!

2. I'm thankful for my wife. She is the best. I fall more in love with her every day. She is my best friend. She makes me laugh. She takes care of me. Tiffany, I am so thankful for you. You are the wind beneath my wings!

3. I'm thankful for my kids. I have four healthy and vibrant kids. They have provided so much happiness and excitement for Tiffany and me. I love them so much. I'm so excited to raise my kids to be followers of Christ.

4. I'm thankful for my staff. My staff is like family to me. Thanks for all you do.

5. I'm thankful for my dad and mom. They invested so much time, energy, resources and love in me while they were raising me.

6. I'm thankful for my brother and sister who live in Rochester, New York. I have so many fond memories from growing up with them. I always enjoy seeing them on my annual trip to Rochester. Love you two!

7. I'm thankful for the People's Church family. I can't believe I get to be your pastor. I can't believe God has called me to lead such a wonderful group of people who are so passionate about impacting our city and world with the good news of Christ. People's Church, I'm so thankful, honored and humbled to be your pastor.

8. I'm thankful for my health. Being healthy is truly a blessing from God.

9. I'm thankful for my mentors. I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for key people believing in me and investing in me.

10. I'm thankful that I'm living my dreams. It's so amazing to wake up every day and do what I was created and love to do. It's priceless!

11. I'm thankful that I have a growing relationship with Christ. My relationship with Christ is the very source of my life.

Have a BLESSED THANKSGIVING!

Weekend Highlights

1. My Oklahoma Sooners stomped Texas Tech. I mean destroyed them!

2. Oklahoma Sooners closed the gap on the Texas Longhorns in the BCS.

3. With a strong win against Oklahoma State on Saturday, my Sooners should pass Texas, and that means we will play in the Big 12 championship. It also means we are in the National Championship hunt!

4. We had a heart-stirring day at People's Church. My friend Lynn Wheeler preached about how God can provide a miracle in the middle of a storm.

5. Lynn shared his testimony about the pain of his divorce, and how God brought him through. There were tears in every experience. Both men and women were crying because God was touching their heart through Lynn's testimony.

6. In the fourth experience, we had some kind of power surge in the building. The power went completely off and then came right back. It was weird. I was on the stage, and we were worshipping and bam the power went off and came right back on, and then, it did it again. That's right, two times in a row. WEIRD!

7. PC family, just a reminder to bring socks, undershirts and belts for our SeeWorth Academy Christmas drive. Thank you for your heart to make a difference during this holiday season.

8. It's amazing how I can still feel exhausted on Sunday even though I didn't preach.

9. I do feel much better on Monday mornings if I don't preach. I feel like I could run a marathon this morning.

10. Make it a super great Monday!

Friday's Download

1. Watching our new 44,000 square foot facility come up is so exciting for me. Our biggest hindrance will be removed very shortly. We will be able to reach so many more people with the good news of Christ.

2. The vision and future of PC is brighter than ever!

3. I went with Craig Groeschel and Bobby Gruenewald from Life Church to a one day Catalyst event in Granger, Indiana. The event was held at Granger Church. This is a great church that I have learned a great deal from.

4. Craig and Andy Stanley from North Point Church did some incredible leadership teachings.

5. I learned that to bust through barriers you have to change your thinking.

6. I learned so much insight about momentum. The greatest momentum comes from doing something new.

7. Momentum does not come from tweaking something that has already lost momentum.

8. To sustain momentum you have to constantly improve and keep on improving.

9. I enjoyed getting to meet and eating a couple of meals with Andy Stanley. He is one of my ministry heroes.

10. My favorite part of the trip was hanging out with Craig and Bobby.

11. Bobby is one of the sharpest and most innovative thinkers on the planet. He is a great guy.

12. Craig is a great friend. Tiffany and I have become close friends with the Groeschels and we cherish our friendship.

13. It is awesome to have ministry friends in the same city.

14. I didn't get back home from the trip until after 11 PM last night. I'm a little tired today.

15. Today is my off day and I'm going to enjoy my family.

16. The Oklahoma Sooners better whoop Texas Tech on Saturday! This will keep our Big 12 and National Championship hopes alive!

17. See you on Sunday!

Conference

I am at a conference today. I will update you on who I'm with and details of the conference tomorrow. I can't wait to fill you in on all that I glean from this experience!

SEE YA

Life Lessons From Fantasy Football pt. 2

You have to make constant adjustments

If you are going to be a successful fantasy football player, you have to make constant adjustments. The best fantasy football players make weekly adjustments to their starting lineup. Players get hurt, benched, have bye weeks, have tough match ups and don't perform up to expectations. If a fantasy player is not willing to evaluate where their team is weak and make the necessary adjustments, their team will be horrible.

In life, you have to be willing to make constant adjustments to be successful. You have to be willing to adjust to things like going to college, getting married, working a job, changing jobs, changing jobs again, having your first kid, finding a church home, buying a house, having a second kid, having a third kid, and the list goes on and on and on. People who aren't willing to make constant adjustments will wreck their lives, families and futures. Blessed are the flexible because they will not be broken! During this season of your life, are you making the necessary adjustments to be successful?

Life Lessons From Fantasy Football

If you have never played fantasy football, you may not appreciate my thoughts as much as other fantasy football geeks will. Although, I trust my thoughts will speak to your heart in some way.

You have to prepare for the big day before the big day arrives.

The big day in fantasy football is draft day. This is when you draft your football team. I always crack up at many first year fantasy football players because most of them never prepare for the draft. Most of them just show up to the draft with a magazine and have no clue of the league scoring or rules. The league scoring determines who you should draft and when you should draft them. They just start drafting a team with no prior preparation, and 90 percent of the time, that leads to a horrible team and, therefore, a horrible season.

In life, if you are going to capitalize on the BIG DAY, BIG PROMOTION, BIG PROJECT, BIG OPPORTUNITY that comes your way, you better be prepared for the big day before the big day arrives. Don't ever underestimate the power of preparation!

Weekend Update

1. It was a strong Sunday at People's Church.

2. I started to feel a little under the weather on Saturday night.

3. Sunday morning I felt a little under the weather as well.

4. I was able to speak during all four experiences with no problem.

5. I was a little more tired than usual by the fourth experience.

6. I spoke on how to receive a financial miracle. If you need a financial miracle or know someone who does, I want to encourage you to listen to the message at www.peopleschurch.tv. It should be online later today or tomorrow.

7. For the first time this year, I won in all six of my fantasy leagues. I'm pretty proud of that!

8. Last night, I took Cale, Cade & Caris to Starbucks. Cale and Caris wanted a Hot Chocolate, and Cade wanted a water. They all shared a chocolate cookie. I got a Grande Decaf Skinny Eggnog Latte extra hot. I am a HUGE Eggnog fan.

9. I ate a ham sandwich with Frito's and ranch dip for lunch yesterday. My wife cooked beans, cornbread and cumber salad for dinner on Saturday night. Those beans sit heavy on my stomach. I picked up weight by eating one bowl of beans. I have to stay away from those beans. They also make me pass gas BAD. Probably more than you wanted to know. :)

10. A lot of people gave their lives to Christ on Sunday. I NEVER GET TIRED of typing that every week. AMAZING GRACE HOW SWEET THE SOUND!

11. Make it a great Monday! Have a great attitude and be sure to smile!

Friday's Download

1. The Miraculous series continues on Sunday!

2. I'm excited to see God perform miracles on Sunday. He is a miracle worker!

3. Tiffany and I went to dinner with Clark and Robin Mitchell on Wednesday night. They are the Senior Pastors at www.journeychurch.tv. We had a great time with them. They are a super couple. Clark has been a huge blessing to me. It's great to have other senior pastor friends in the OKC metro area.

4. This was a very busy week. I had several meetings that I had to attend. Some were profitable and some were...you get the point.

5. I haven't slept very well this week. I've been kind of dragging a little bit.

6. My fantasy football teams went 5-1 this past week. I am still 10-0 in one league, and I'm 9-1 in another. I have a winning record in all of my leagues, and I'm headed to the playoffs (at least for now).

7. My Oklahoma Sooners have a bye this week. They are getting rested up and preparing for a huge game against Texas Tech next Saturday.

8. The Dallas Cowboys play this Sunday. Tony Romo is back, so hopefully, they play much better.

9. My little girl is a super wild child. She is so full of energy.

10. My fourth kid, Case, is the most smiley and happy baby out of the four. He is a very expressive little baby.

11. I feel so honored and blessed to be able to pastor People's Church.

12. Our new 44,000 square foot addition is coming along quickly!

13. Blogging family, thanks for praying for my family and me and for PC! I'm praying for you as I type!

14. Have a super blessed weekend!

IT will destroy you

1. IT hardens your heart

2. IT causes you to justify your actions and thoughts

3. IT affects your relationships with others

4. IT makes what is wrong appear to be right

5. IT looks so enticing

6. IT is so deceptive

7. IT can be passed down to future generations

8. IT will stop the blessings of God

9. IT can send you to hell

10. IT flourishes in darkness

11. IT is SIN! Beware!

Jerk, You Are Using Me

Before I started People's Church, I was a traveling speaker/evangelist. When I traveled full-time, I thought people really loved Herbert Cooper the man. It took me a while to figure out that most people didn't love Herbert Cooper the man, they loved Herbert Cooper the communicator/preacher. I had a gift that added value to their church, convention or organization. When my gift was no longer available to their organization, the love quickly stopped. This is not a negative thing - it's just reality. God gives us gifts and talents to be a blessing to others. I just had a hard time distinguishing between the fact that people can love my gift but not love and value me.

If you are going to lead a team of people effectively, you can't love people’s gifts and not love and value the people. As leaders, we must surround ourselves with gifted people, but we must love and value the people for who they are and not just for what they do.

Jerk, You Don't Care About Me

One of the greatest qualities a leader can possess is they have to care about people. Leaders who don't care about their people are jerks! I have grown in this area and want to continue to get better at caring for the people who work for me and with me. I'm not just talking about the token question of “How's your day,” or “How are you doing?” Their usual response to the token question is "Great." That's not good enough. Caring means taking time to get into the other person's world. It means taking time to ask them about their spouse and kids and really listening and caring. It means taking time to find out if the employee (volunteer) is happy and fulfilled with their role in the organization. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care!

Weekend Highlights

1. It was a super great day at People's Church.

2. Lots of people gave their hearts to Christ.

3. We were somewhere between 35 to 40 percent bigger than the same Sunday last year.

4. We continue to grow even though we don't have any space. It's CRAZY, but God is up to something! I can't wait for us to move into our 44,000 square foot addition. We are going to blow the roof off Oklahoma City for the glory of God!

5. Yesterday, we had an old fashion miracle service. It was awesome! We did half the worship set after I preached and then had our staff and Prayer Team come down to the front of the building to pray for people. Our church people responded in a tremendous way and received prayer for God to do miracles in their lives. It was a powerful time!

6. I can't wait to hear all of the testimonies of how God performed miracles in the lives of PC worshippers.

7. Oklahoma State got spanked by Texas Tech. I thought Texas Tech would win but not by blowing out the Pokes.

8. My Oklahoma Sooners whooped up on Texas A&M.

9. I had a fun time hanging out with my family this weekend. I love my family so much!!!!

10 I love the staff that I have the privilege of serving with. They are all so hungry to grow and be all that God wants them to be. Thanks team for praying like it depends on God and working like it depends on you.

11. Worship was off the hook great yesterday! I love the changes we are making to our worship experience.

12. God is up to something at PC! If I were you, I wouldn't miss this coming up Sunday. Something great is going to happen!!!

13. Make it a great Monday!

Friday's Download

1. I took my wife on a date last night. We ate at a place where I love the salad.

2. Tiffany went to school with Cale this morning. She is helping out in Cale's classroom. She is so excited to see Cale and the other kids in his class.

3. I am taking care of my other three kids why Tiff is gone. We are having some daddy bonding time moments.

4. I got Sunday's sermon done by 9:30AM on Thursday. I usually never have it done that early in the day.

5. We had a great turn out at the 6AM and 12PM prayer meetings on Thursday. If you can, be at the church for the 12PM prayer meeting today! We are praying for God to do the miraculous in the lives of many people.

6. Remember that on Sunday I will be preaching very early in the experience. We will have more worship after I preach, and we will be praying for God to do miracles in your life. Come EXPECTING a miracle!

7. Bring someone with you on Sunday who needs a miracle. I'm believing God to do some BIG things! It's going to be a super, electrifying Sunday!

8. The Texas Tech and Oklahoma State game ought to be a good one. I usually pull for OSU if they aren't playing my Sooners, but this time I have to pull for Tech because if they win it gives the Sooners a chance to win the Big 12.

9. My fantasy teams didn't do as bad as I thought they were going to do. I had a huge Monday night from my defense. I ended the week 4-2 in my six leagues. I'm still undefeated in one league and am headed to the playoffs in all the leagues so far. In all my years of playing fantasy football, it's the first time I've ever started 9-0.

10. I'm so excited for the holidays.

11. Be praying and fasting for a GREAT SUNDAY! ARE YOU READY FOR A MIRACLE?

I Want A Racially Diverse Church pt. 4

16. Marry someone from another race. OK, this is not a requirement! :) I did not marry my wife for any other reason except for the fact that God brought us together, but God has used our interracial marriage to minister to many people and to help us build a diverse church.

17. Build relationships with other pastors who lead a diverse church. These relationships can be instrumental in helping you overcome barriers and division in your church and community.

18. Be intentional about having people of other races on your Parking Lot Team, Greeter Team and Usher Team. Once again, it's like the platform, people need to see themselves represented in places of influence.

19. Don't try to build a diverse church if your community or city is not diverse. It may be a desire in your heart, but if your community is not diverse, your church will not be diverse. I know this sounds elementary, but I have seen pastors struggle with this.

20. Focus on Jesus. Don't make it all about diversity; instead make it all about Jesus! Don't become so consumed with being diverse that you miss what it's all about, JESUS! Focus on loving Jesus, obeying Jesus and following Jesus and let God build his church!

I Want A Racially Diverse Church pt. 3

11. Build relationships in the community with people of another race. Be proactive about it.

12. Ask some people of another race to attend your church and tell them to give you feedback about what you need to change to attract them to your worship experience.

13. Your music is a very important key to who you attract to your church. If you want a diverse church, your music will have to reflect it.

14. Develop a relationship with another pastor or preacher and invite them to speak at your church a couple of times a year.

15. Be sensitive to the words you choose while speaking to your church. I have heard many preachers unintentionally say, show and do stupid stuff that degrades another race.

I Want A Racially Diverse Church pt. 2

If you missed my first post on this subject, check out Thursday's blog from last week.

6. Preach regularly on unity and loving people who are different from you.

7. Preach regularly about how we are stronger together than we are separate.

8. Develop a passion for what God loves: Unity, Love, Togetherness.

9. Let God rip hidden areas of racism out of your own heart.

10. When you decide to build a diverse church, get ready to fight the devil, religious people, status quo Christians and people who have hidden areas of racism in their hearts. You will be surprised at those who say they are committed followers of Christ who will give you major push back if you try to reach people who are different from them.

Weekend Highlights

1. It was a fun day preaching at church. I did some teaching and preaching today. It was fun!

2. We had great attendance, but the fourth experience was down. My theory is everybody got an extra hour of sleep and decided to come to church at the three earlier experiences.

3. Texas Tech beat the Texas Longhorns. YEAAAA!

4. My Oklahoma Sooners won! We dropped in the rankings, but that's no big deal. The big thing is that we have to win some big, big games against Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. It's an exciting college football season.

5. Lots and lots of people gave their lives to Christ yesterday. It thrills my heart watching people say yes to God!

6. My fantasy teams didn't do well yesterday. This was my worse week so far.

7. Once again, great weather. I love watching the leaves turn colors.

8. God is doing some awesome things at PC!

9. We had a good solid Newcomer’s/Membership luncheon on Sunday after the 4th experience.

10. Great job Worship Team. I appreciate your passion to lead us into God's presence every week.

11. Volunteers, you are PHENOMENAL! Thanks for serving with such fervency. You are making a huge impact!

12. Today is a study day for me. I'm hoping to get Sunday's message 40 to 50 percent done.

13. Have a super Monday!