Weekend Highlights

1. Everything Christmas is unbelievable!

2. Our creative, video and production teams are knocking it out of the park for this series!

3. The choir rocked the house yesterday! Seriously, great job choir! Andre Daughty, you did a super great job getting the choir prepared for yesterday's experiences! Thank you, Andre!

4. I love seeing snow fall in the People's Church auditorium. It makes it feel more like Christmas time.

5. Yesterday we received a special Christmas offering to help 678 needy kids in the Oklahoma City area receive Christmas presents. Thank you People's Church for your generosity. If you weren't prepared to give yesterday, you can go online and give at www.peopleschurch.tv or be prepared this upcoming Sunday to give generously so we can bless needy kids. We need to give $50,000 so each kid can receive between $50 to $100 of Christmas presents. It's truly more blessed to give than to receive!

6. We started promoting our new series called Hungry. This series is going to have a profound spiritual impact on our church. Do whatever you can to be at church on December 26 when we kick off Hungry!

7. I finished with a winning record in all six of my fantasy football leagues. I won first place during the regular season in 3 of the leagues. Now it's time to bring home some championships in some, if not all of these leagues.

8. Everything Christmas FINALE is this Sunday! This is going to be one of the, if not the most incredible experience we've ever had at People's Church! Our team has worked so hard for this upcoming Sunday! Do whatever you can to bring as many people with you. Seriously, from the laser light show to the drum performance to (I'm not telling you everything)! Be there and INVITE, INVITE, INVITE! Lives will be changed by the power of Christ!

Helping Needy Kids At Christmas

People's Church has a huge heart for helping and ministering to the less fortunate of our community. This Sunday, and December 19, we are receiving a special Christmas offering to make a difference in the lives of almost 700 kids during this Christmas season. Check out this short video.

2010 Christmas Giving from People's Church on Vimeo.

3 Things That Raise My Stress Level

1. When I don't know where I'm headed with a series or a sermon: I'm a big planner, and I like to know where I'm going with a series or a message months out if possible. If I get a week or two out and don't know where I'm going with a message, that messes with me mentally.

2. Staff: Staff are my greatest asset and my greatest liability. One of the most difficult and most important jobs of any leader in a growing organization is building the right team. You have to get the right people on the bus and in the right seats, and when I have the wrong people on the bus or the right people in the wrong seats, this can mess with me mentally.

3. Building facilities: The most stressful times in my 8 years of being the senior pastor of People's Church was building our two buildings. The first building by far was the most stressful. I can see why many pastors resign and staff members leave after building a new facility. I'm thankful that my team members involved in building the facilities and I are still all in place. God has graced us, but it was stressful.

Weekend Highlights

1. We had great experiences yesterday at People's Church! Many lives were changed!

2. Yesterday we had the University of Central Oklahoma Orchestra perform Christmas music before services, and also they played during worship. AWESOME!

3. Sean Johnson, a local gospel R&B artist, and the UCO Orchestra performed Ray Charles’ song, The Spirit Of Christmas. AWESOME!

4. We served hot chocolate, and I taught on the love of God. Everything Christmas is going great.

5. On Thursday night my wife and I went to dinner and a movie. I love my alone time with my wife.

6. My father & mother in-law and my brother & sister-in-law and her family live in Nebraska. Two words for them: BOOMER SOONER! :)

7. Most of my family is fighting some kind of sickness. Please pray for all of us.

8. I thought I was going to lose my voice after 2nd service, but God helped me to make it through all four experiences.

9. Preaching four times on Sundays is grueling but rewarding.

10. This Sunday at People's Church we will be featuring the UCO Jazz Band, the People's Church Christmas Choir, live snow and hot apple cider. Also, Frosty the Snowman will be in the kid’s area again. It's going to be a great Sunday!

11. This is a great series to invite your friends and family who don't know Christ! Start inviting today!

Everything Christmas Started On FIRE (Literally)

Our Christmas series at People's Church is HUGE! Our Creative Team out did themselves on Sunday. The best part is we are just getting started! Every week for the next 3 weeks there will be creative and unique elements! This is a must series to invite all of your friends and family too! START INVITING NOW! If you missed Sunday, check out this short video of one of the creative elements! WOW!

Everything Christmas Movie Montage from People's Church on Vimeo.

Knowing What You’re Called To Do

It's so important that you know what you're called to do. This can be dictated by God's call, your season of life or by your God inspired priorities. Without knowing what you’re called to do, you will do a lot of good things but miss out on doing the best things. Here are some ways that this is playing out in my life:

1. My family and I get asked to do lunch, dinners and a host of other wonderful opportunities. We say no a lot of the time because our family is a top priority. I believe my greatest calling outside of being a follower of Christ and the best way that I lead People's Church, is to first pastor my own family.

2. I receive many wonderful opportunities to travel and speak. Because of my season of life (my kid’s ages are 6, 5, 4 & 2), I say no to many speaking engagements so that I can be a daddy to my kids. This is a season for me to invest in my little kids, and one day, Tiffany and I will be able to travel and speak out more.

3. I've been asked to write a book but now is not the time. I believe one day I will write a book, but I feel during this season of ministry that God has called me to focus my attention, leadership energy and time on investing into People's Church and its leaders.

I've learned that not every opportunity, even good opportunities are not God. Just because there is an open door doesn't mean you should step through it. It's about knowing God's calling on your life. It's about knowing your season of life. It's about knowing your God inspired priorities.

Everything Christmas

Our BIG Christmas series kicks off THIS Sunday! Everything Christmas is a Christmas series like you've never seen before at church. Check out the short video to see some of the cool things that will be happening throughout this series. There will also be some awesome surprises!

Everything Christmas from People's Church on Vimeo.

I'm Thankful For....

1. My God. I'm grateful that God has washed away my sin and has changed my heart and life. I don't know where I would be without Jesus. It's a scary thought to imagine what my life would be like without God.

2. My wife. God blessed me with the most amazing, godly woman to be my partner for life. My love for Tiffany grows day by day and year by year. I love her so much and am so grateful for our life together.

3. My kids. Wow, those little people make me so happy, mad, emotional, happy, blessed, upset, impatient, happy, irritated, happy. LOL! I love my kids so much. I'm so grateful that God has entrusted Tiffany and I to raise these four kids to be God fearing followers of Christ.

4. My and my family’s health. I don't take our health for granted. I'm grateful to God that my family and I are healthy. Thank you Jesus.

5. My kids already falling in love with Jesus at an early age. Watching and listening to my kids talk about God and sing about God brings such joy to my heart. Thankful!

6. My church family. I'm so blessed to be the Senior Pastor of People's Church. What God has done in eight years has been a God thing. God has graced us in amazing ways, and I am humbled and very thankful to get to be a part of what God is doing in these last days.

7. My staff. I am super blessed to work alongside of godly, hard working, loyal, passionate and gifted people. You are only as strong and as good as those closest to you. WOW, I'm blessed and grateful for the People's Church staff.

8. My family. God has blessed me with a wonderful family. I'm grateful for my dad, my brothers and sisters, my mother and father in-law, my uncles, aunts and cousins. I'm thankful that my family has played a huge role and has been very supportive in my life throughout the years.

9. My friends. I have some incredible friends. Some of my friends work with me. Some of my friends live in OKC. Some of my friends live out of state. I'm so blessed to have great friends to share life and ministry with.

10. My mentors. I'm grateful for the men of God who have and who continue to pour into my life. I would not be where I am today if it were not for my mentors. Thank you mentors for believing in me.

Weekend Highlights

1. It was a great weekend for the Cooper crew.

2. I took my bride on a date on Thursday night. We went to dinner and a movie. We saw Unstoppable. We liked the movie, and I felt like I could run through a brick wall without being injured after it was over!

3. My OKC Thunder basketball team won back to back games without Durant or Green. Pretty impressive, especially against Boston in the Garden.

4. My OU Sooners won. The stage is set for the big in state rivalry game against OSU in Stillwater. My Sooners will have to bring their A game to win this one.

5. The Dallas Cowboys have won two in a row. WHAT! LOL!

6. Church was great. I love being the pastor of People's Church and seeing more changed lives. God is at work.

7. I enjoyed taking communion with my church family yesterday. Jesus paid it all!

8. Mine and Tiffany’s assistant had her first baby on Saturday. Congrats Jimmy and Jessica on your new bundle of joy. God has blessed you with a precious gift.

9. I'm so pumped up for our Christmas series kicking off this Sunday called Everything Christmas!

10. If you are leaving OKC for Thanksgiving, be sure to get back in time for church on Sunday. It's going to be AWESOME!

11. Be sure to get all of your friends and family to church on Sunday. This series will be simply amazing! Start inviting today.

12. I won in all 6 of my fantasy football leagues! Yea! I am .500 in one league and have a winning record in the rest. I think I will make the playoffs in all 6 leagues. Go Stallions!

My Critics Help Me

1. Process why People's Church does what it does

2. Stay focused on the main thing

3. Become a better vision caster because they point out areas where I may not be communicating clearly

4. Get thicker skin while maintaining a tender heart

5. Walk in forgiveness

6. Stay broken and dependent on Jesus

7. Remember that God uses so many different ways and methods to advance His Kingdom

8. Stay passionate about reaching those far from God

9. Remember why I don't want a church full of religious people

10. Remember that I can learn from everybody

11. Be a better pastor and man of God. My critics help me in a positive way even though they mean it in a negative way.