Living the Dream Promo

I believe this is one of the best promos that our Video Team has ever produced! Check out this short, incredible video.

Living the Dream from People's Church on Vimeo.

Living The Dream

This Sunday, August 1, we’re kicking off a new series called Living the Dream. People today are pursuing money, cars, fame and trying to live the dream. Over the next 4 weeks, we’ll show you how to really live the dream. Start inviting your friends today!

Weekend Highlights

1. We had a pretty relaxing and laid back weekend at the Cooper home. I like laid back and relaxing.

2. On Friday, I went to lunch with Dino Rizzo, Senior Pastor of Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, LA.

3. I had a great time hanging out with Dino. He has a heart of gold. I felt like I've known Dino for years. I appreciated his investment into my life and ministry.

4. My wife and I have gotten pulled back into the TV series LOST. We almost stopped watching after season two, but I'm glad we didn't. We are enjoying season 3. I love summer nights in the Cooper home. The kids go to bed, and Tiffany and I party by eating snacks and watching a TV series. Last year we watched all the seasons of 24. This year is LOST.

5. We had another superb day at People's Church. Lives are being changed by the power of Christ.

6. Be sure to get your school supply bag(s) filled up with the supplies on the list and bring the bag(s) back this Sunday. 1000 kids and families are going to be blessed with a backpack and school supplies because of the People's Church family.

7. We still have 200 bags left. If you haven't got a bag, stop by the church this week or on this coming up Sunday, pick up 1, 2, 3 or 10 bags and let's impact the lives of kids.

8. This Sunday, we are kicking off a new series called Living The Dream. I am super pumped about this series. I mean super, super pumped!

9. The next Baptismal Bash is coming up on August 15. If you are a follower of Christ and haven't been baptized, this is for you! Go public for Jesus, and watch how God blesses your life. Get signed up today by emailing anita@peopleschurch.tv

10. You can LIVE THE DREAM! Learn how starting this Sunday!

Thursday's Download

1. Hurry up, football season! I'm ready for some football! I'm pumped for some fantasy football as well.

2. Oftentimes, it's not what you know or what you've done, it's who you know. Life is not fair. Just wanted to encourage somebody today. :)

3. This Sunday at PC, the Nutcracker Drumline, SNOW and the Beatles’ Eleanor Rigby (All the Lonely People) will be performed.

4. Start inviting everybody you know to church!

5. I'm super pumped for our new series kicking off on August 1st called Living The Dream. You can live the dream!

6. People's Church is providing backpacks and school supplies to 1000 kids. Pick up the bags in the lobby at church, buy the supplies on the list, bring the bag back to church and drop it in the box in the lobby.

7. 110 people signed up to serve in a ministry, especially the kids’ ministry, over the last two weeks so that we can launch the 4th experience with great momentum beginning August 29. Thank you for your passion to see more changed lives! YOU are key to what God wants to do this fall and in the future at People's Church.

8. Best Of The Best has been a great series.

9. We have been nailing down details and brainstorming heavily for our Christmas series. Folks, we have a great fall planned, and our Christmas series beginning Thanksgiving weekend will be the ICING on the cake. Be praying and fasting for God to do BIG things!

God-Size Vision

1. A God-size vision doesn't seem possible....without God.

2. Getting a God-size vision requires prayer and spending time with God.

3. Seeing a God-size vision come to pass requires following the leading of the Holy Spirit.

4. A God-size vision requires God's timing. Don't rush it.

5. A God-size vision will make you nervous. A big vision from God can mess with your mind.

6. A God-size vision requires a plan of action. Write your plan down on paper.

7. A God-size vision requires the right people. Surround yourself with godly people who can speak into your life.

8. A God-size vision requires resources. Trust God because where God guides He provides.

9. A God-size vision requires faith. Take a step of faith towards the vision every day.

10. A God-size vision requires commitment. It won't happen overnight, so stay focused and dedicated to what God showed you.

7 Keys To Building A Great Kids’ Ministry

1. The senior pastor needs to have a passion and vision to minister to kids. Very rarely will you see a church who has a great kids’ ministry where the senior pastor isn't passionate about the next generation.

2. Fund the kids’ ministry: A church who is passionate about helping kids know and grow in Christ has to put their money where their mouth is. It's easy for a church to say they want to minister to kids, but then, turn around and spend all of the money on the adults. You have to spend money with staffing, decor, games, safety, supplies, curriculum, etc.

3. Staff the kids’ ministry: If kids’ ministry is a priority at your church, you want some of the sharpest people leading and serving in the kids’ department. You can't have a great kids’ ministry without sharp, loving and caring people leading and serving in the area. Recruit the best people to lead and serve with the next generation.

4. Do things with excellence: Excellence doesn't mean you have to spend a lot of money, but it does mean you do the very best with what you have. The kids’ environments should be clean. Paint isn't all that expensive, so be sure the walls are painted with a bright color that kids like. Make sure the carpet and toys are clean. The bottom line is do things with excellence in the kids’ area.

5. Have a secure and safe environment: You need to have policies and procedures to provide a safe environment. You need to make parents aware of the policies. You MUST do background checks on everybody leading and serving with the next generation. You need to have some type of check-in and pickup system that provides safety when parents drop off and pick up their kids. If possible, have all the bathrooms inside the classrooms so kids don't have to leave the room. Do whatever you can to provide a secure and safe environment for the kiddos.

6. Make sure kids have a blast: The last thing you want is for kids to dread coming to your church. Make it fun. Have games, moon bouncers, video games, candy, etc. Just make sure kids have a blast at church. Church shouldn't be boring for the kids. When kids are frequently bored at church, it's because adults aren't putting the time and energy into the kids’ area and services. Plan a great experience for kids each week. If kids have a blast at church, they will bring their parents back to church each week!

7. Teach kids to love Jesus: Teach the Bible to kids. Find some good age appropriate curriculum and teach kids to love Jesus. Challenge them to read their Bibles and memorize Scripture. Challenge them to bring their Bibles to church. Challenge them to live out the Bible lessons they are learning each week. Invest spiritually into the lives of kids!

Weekend Highlights

1. We had my mom, Sandra Cooper's, funeral on Saturday. It was a great service.

2. I shared for 5 minutes about my mom's life. I cried and laughed all at the same time. I had a great mom! She was such a sweet and caring person!

3. Shelby Johnson, the People's Church Care Pastor who handles most of our funerals, took care of my mom's funeral. He did a wonderful job with the eulogy. Shelby is so great at being there for people in their time of need. I'm so blessed to have him as our Care Pastor. Thanks for everything, Shelby!

4. It was great seeing and hanging out with family over the weekend. I had family in from all over the country.

5. It was especially good to see my younger sister and her precious family who live in Rochester, NY.

6. We had a great day at People's Church. Tons of people gave their lives to Christ.

7. Many people made a decision to stop having sex outside of marriage and many others made the decision to wait until marriage before having sex.

8. The Beyonce Single Ladies song was perfect before I taught God's Word. If you want it, put a ring on it!

9. The Worship Team did a great job. We sang Never Would Have Made It by Marvin Sapp and Always by Hillsong. I love the diversity at People's Church. Marvin Sapp and Hillsong on the same Sunday! That's what I'm talking about! Jamie did a great job on Never Would Have Made It!

10. Brian Rush is my good friend and one of my executive pastors at People's Church, and his dad went home to be with the Lord on Sunday morning. Jack Rush was a great man of God and raised an incredible son. Jack, I will miss your smile and hugs.

11. We had another great summer crowd at People's Church.

12. We announced that we are adding a 4th experience beginning August 29. New service times: 8:30AM, 10AM, 11:30AM & 1PM.

13. If you are not serving, we need you to get plugged into serving in a Sunday ministry at People's Church so that we can launch the 4th experience with great momentum. Email anita@peopleschurch.tv today and let her know. Thank you for serving so that we can see more changed lives.

14. We are providing 1000 students at Britton Elementary and Eisenhower Elementary with a backpack and a year's worth of school supplies. PC, we need your help. Be sure to pick up a bag or several bags in the church lobby, buy all the supplies on the list and bring the bag(s) back to church with you on Sunday. I'm so pumped to invest in our community and impact parents and kids with the love of Jesus.

Beyonce’s Single Ladies Performance

This Sunday, we will have an encore performance of Beyonce’s Single Ladies, and I’ll be teaching a message titled If You Want It. Don’t miss this and be sure to invite your friends!

Single Ladies from People's Church on Vimeo.

WEEDS

I don’t like weeds. Why? I am not a green thumb, and I have a hard time distinguishing the weeds from the plants. Although many weeds are obvious, others are not. They can be sneaky, little things disguising themselves as legitimate plants.

In ministry, we have to learn how to distinguish the real seeds from the weeds. The weed…

• …trying to be our best friend out of selfish ambition.
• …sucking the life out of us.
• …seeking power and influence for bad motives.
• …appearing to be supportive while sneaking around planting negative thoughts.
• …trying to control and manipulate the vision God has given you.

Pulling weeds isn’t fun, whether it’s in the flower bed or in ministry, BUT it is necessary. In The Parable of the Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30), Christ tells us to separate the harvest from the weeds. I don’t know about you, but I feel relief knowing that God doesn’t expect me to endure living with weeds. This post was by Tiffany Cooper.

Hurt versus Injured

One of the things that I've noticed about the best athletes who have risen to the top of their sports is they have learned the difference between being hurt and being injured. The best athletes know how much pain their bodies can take. They know if their body is just aching and hurting from the wear and tear of a long season or if they really have a serious injury. When an athlete is truly injured, they are forced not to play the game. They have to sit on the sidelines and watch and coach the other players until they heal up. The best athletes who lead their teams to championships learn how to play hurt. They don't miss games when it really matters because they are hurt. I think about the NBA Finals that just wrapped up a few weeks ago. Both the Lakers and the Celtics played a long season. Both teams had players that had to miss games toward the end of the regular season due to injuries. But when the playoffs started, the best athletes were on the floor and played through their hurts, bruises and pain.

As leaders, we have to know the difference between being hurt versus being injured. When a leader is injured, they need to take time off to get healed up, but when a leader is hurt, they need to learn to push through the pain and lead well. There are many leaders who stop leading well when they are hurt. They easily forget that there are people counting on them and their leadership during difficult times. They easily forget that during hurting times, they are setting the pace and culture of their organizations. They easily forget that if they don't play when they are hurt, their team won't play when they are hurt. Your team is watching how you lead and respond during hurting and difficult seasons. Teams that do great things over the long haul have leaders that learn to lead and lead well during hurting and difficult seasons.

My Weekend

1. My mom passed away on Saturday. She was a great woman! She taught me so much about life.

2. I love you, mom, and you will be greatly missed. I'll see you in heaven one day! Sandra Cooper 6/27/1954-7/10/2010.

3. People's Church had 150 to 200 people show up and work at Millwood schools from 8AM to 4PM on Saturday. We made a huge impact for this school and in the lives of kids, teenagers, parents and educators. We invested $10,000 into this school (paint, lights, tile, carpet, etc). With all of the labor our church provided, we invested somewhere around $20 to $25k into our community! Thank you, People's Church! I'm honored to pastor such great people!

4. I didn't announce my mom's death to the People's Church family on Sunday at church. I knew it would already be tough enough to preach, and it would have been even tougher if I had to talk about my mom's death to everyone at church with it being so close to her passing. People's Church, thank you for your prayers, love and support during this grieving season. God is so good and faithful!

5. God gave us a great day at PC! Over 3300 in the summer, and many people gave their lives to Christ. God changed lives! This Sunday is Beyonce's Single Ladies performance, and I will be teaching a message titled If You Want It, Put A Ring On It!

6. This will be a busy week with preparing the funeral, having family coming in from out of state, taking care of the details of all of my mom's business affairs, having the funeral and preparing to teach God's Word at PC on Sunday. Greatly appreciate your prayers.

Powerful Life Change Story

You will be inspired as you watch this short life change story! God changes lives! It's all about MORE changed lives!

Vanessa's Testimony from People's Church on Vimeo.

Finishing Matters

In football, you can have a 15-play drive and march the ball 99 yards down the field, but if you don't get any points out of the drive, the big drive was a total letdown. The last yard matters in football. In baseball, you can hit the ball on the ground deep into the outfield, run to first, second and third bases and then sprint to home plate, but if you get tagged out right at home plate, the hit and all of the running around the bases were a letdown. Crossing home plate matters. Finishing matters! In life and ministry, finishing matters. We can't run 99 yards in life and ministry and not score the touchdown. We can't drive the baseball deep into the outfield in life and ministry and not cross home plate. Finishing matters!

1. Living for Jesus ALL of your days is crucial. Finishing matters!

2. Staying in love and committed to your spouse until death do you part is crucial. Finishing matters!

3. Raising and investing in your kids until they are ready to fly on their own is crucial to parenting. Finishing matters!

4. Staying committed to the church God has called you to pastor, attend, serve or worship at during good and bad days is crucial. Finishing matters!

5. Working hard and with integrity every day until your career comes to an end is crucial. Finishing matters!

6. Being a godly role model every day for others to follow is crucial. Finishing matters!

7. You need to ____________________________________ (fill in the blank) because FINISHING MATTERS!

Why Northpointnow.org Is A Great Church

I had a great time teaching God's Word in all 5 weekend experiences for my good friend, Tommy Sparger, at North Point Church in Springfield, MO. I’ve preached 4 or 5 years in a row at North Point Church and have seen God work in an incredible way throughout the years. I want to share with you why I think North Point is a great church.

1. They are passionate about reaching people far from God. They don't just talk about it, but they actually have systems and spend dollars to make this happen.

2. They have great and passionate worship.

3. They have volunteers/lay leaders who love people and serve passionately in the church.

4. They make it clear how people can grow in their relationship with Christ.

5. They have an environment where everyone is welcome.

6. They are teaching the Bible in a way that people can apply it to their daily lives.

7. Lives are being changed on a weekly basis.

8. They have authentic leadership.

9. They have visionary leaders. Tommy is a visionary leader. He is always thinking about where the church is going.

10. They are more excited about their future than they are their past (This church could live in the past because it's pretty awesome. Running over 4000 in 7 years...WOW)

11. They invest heavily into the next generation. A huge part of North Point's focus is on kids and students.

12. They invest heavily into the community and missions around the world. Once a month, the church does a community project. This church is constantly making a difference in their community.

13. They are a staff-led church, so when God is speaking to them about change they can make decisions quickly.

14. They have a leadership culture.

15. They are lifting the name of JESUS high! The focus of North Point is Jesus, not religion, denomination, rules or politics.

Weekend Highlights

1. Tiffany and I drove to Springfield, MO on Friday without the kids. We had a great time having three nights away from our precious kids.

2. We got to eat a meal with our good friends, Ralph & Gail Irwin. God is doing some really cool things in their lives. I was blessed listening to how God is working in their lives.

3. We got to hang out with our good friends, Tommy & Rachel Sparger. They are the Senior Pastors of North Point Church. Tommy is one of my closest friends on the entire planet.

4. I taught God's Word in all 5 weekend services at www.northpointnow.org (2 Saturday & 3 Sunday).

5. North Point is a GREAT church. They baptized 402 people during the 5 services. Unbelievable!

6. Tiffany and I ate at Andy's Frozen Custard all three days. We love that place.

7. People's Church had an amazing day. We had a much better attendance than I expected for July 4.

8. The Pyrotechnic Spectacular Explosion and the guitar solo of the Star Spangled Banner by Daniel were awesome. We will for sure have to do something like this next year.

9. Troy, our Executive Director of Ministries, did a great job teaching God's Word. I'm blessed with a great team.

10. North Point runs over 4000 people. Every week people give their lives to Christ.

11. This coming up Sunday, we are doing a repeat performance of Michael Jackson's Thriller, and I'm teaching a message called Dancin’ With The Devil. Start inviting now!

12. North Point was the 9th fastest-growing church in America last year, and I can see why. Tomorrow, I'm going to share with you why North Point is a fast-growing church!