my 3rd place

The memories of staying up late during a summer when my older brother came home from college circles in my memory.  He was a huge “Cheers” fan and planted a seed in me for the show.  Being raised PK’s it probably was a little ironic that we would watch a show portrayed in a bar setting.  I’ve only really stepped in foot in one my whole life….. to be honest?  It was one of the most welcoming environments I’ve ever been and left thinking – wow what The Well could be that loving to a guest?  They didn’t pressure me to buy any alcohol and invited me to eat peanuts and play pool.

I think we all long for that place we can walk through the door and everyone yells out, “Norm!”.  One of those places for me is Java Dave’s.  I love the owner and manager Renee who is one of the most hospitable women in our entire community.  I’ve seen this place over the years with different management and she gets 5 stars!  Almost all the employees are college students from RSU and she attracts the most diverse customers you could ever see.  In front of me is a round table of business men in their 60’s, to my left is a Youth Pastor friend of mine, still further is a sales guy, still yet further friends of Renee that come in almost daily, and soon after classes it will be bombarded with the students.

A few days ago I walked in and 4 people greeted me from all across the place welcoming me with “Hey Ricky!”.  I get to hang out a theater on Sunday mornings, but M-TH I feel like a Pastor of Java Dave’s.  Last week I spent hours counseling with men, praying with others, and getting to know yet more.  I spend about 15 hours a week here with my eyes on the door for anyone that looks like they need a listening ear.  It has become a mission field.  I feel safe here to be completely myself and long for the theater to become more and more like this.  Toby Keith once wrote a song called “I love this bar” read the words:

“We got winners, we got losers.  Chain smokers and boozers.  And we got yuppies, we got bikers.  We got thirsty hitchhikers.  Broken hearted fools and suckers.  And we got hustlers, we got fighters.  Early birds and all nighters.  And the veterans talk about their battle scars.  I love this bar.  It’s my kind of place.  Just walkin through the front door.  Puts a big smile on my face, come as you are.  HMM I love this bar!”

My prayer is that as people go out into the “3rd places”, home away from home they would be themselves and find love and acceptance.  Our first place is our home, second place is our work, the other?  Not sure what it is for you, but I know where mine is and I’m enjoying be a “Norm” wherever almost everyone knows my name.

my week in a nutshell

Man this week has flown by and has been absolutely crazy, but….. one of those weeks I’d relive in a heart beat.  I truly feel like I lived this past week to the fullest!  Here’s a breakdown as I didn’t get a chance to blog anything.

01 We got to celebrate Camden’s 5th birthday party at Pizza Hutt with friends and family.  We set up a tent in the backyard that same night and got to listen to a train every 15 minutes as it passed through town and the neighbor’s dog bark

02 took Camden golfing for the first time & realized I have a new caddie!

03 went on a breakfast date with the most beautiful blonde in the world!

04 made up a nickname song for my boys on the way to school

05 got to clean the feet of our community with other Weller’s as we picked up trash after the Will Roger’s Day Parade.  I fulfilled my goal and picked up over 226 cigarette butts.

06 warmed up for my first softball game in over 5 years, only to not be able to play because they couldn’t turn the lights on grr!

07 got to eat breakfast and lunch with two Pastor friends

08 spent about 20 hours encouraging and praying for men in our community and church to go after Christ

09 lost nearly 5lbs as I continue to hook up with my running partner

10 was invited to wed a young couple on New Year’s Day

11 gave $60 to a random college student that I never met that is going on a missions trip

12 same day someone gave me a $200 check at lunch (God is so cool like that!)

13 told someone I met while jogging about the love of Christ

14 prayed over someone dealing with his divorce at Java Dave’s I didn’t know that well

15 met with my band of brothers

16 began drenching myself in the book of Proverbs & finished the book “11″

sunday @ the well

 

the bride

This morning was the nastiest illustration I think I’ve ever presented, but…… one that no one will ever forget and that was the goal.  We jammed home Christ love for his bride THE CHURCH and how every time we speak negatively of her it leaves a stain.  Thank you to Monique for being willing to endure a mess to prove such a valuable point!  We need to protect each other, protect our leadership, and protect other body of believers!

 

phone call on the way

On the way to the theater this morning I got a random call from a friend that travels a lot and doesn’t hardly get to attend The Well.  He wanted to see if we could do more for the soldiers serving across seas.  I love his idea of sending gift cards during Christmas.  Looking forward to partnering with Blue Starr Mother’s!

 

the fast clap

We started something about a month ago that I absolutely have fallen in love with!  Several of our greeters when they see someone walking up to the doors begin the “fast clap”.  I got to be apart of it today as we began clapping and yelling some friends names as they entered the theater.  It was even better to do this 15 minutes later during worship for the name above all other names….

 

prayer over the church

I think one of my highlights of the whole morning was taking the newspaper and calling out church names and Pastor’s name in our community.  This morning was all about “Protecting the Church” and how The Well is just one body of many that is the church in Claremore.  It has become a ritual on the way to the theater to text 5 other Pastor friends of mine and pray over their services as we are having ours.  I long for the day to team up with others while doing servant projects around town!

 

“cheers” environment

The 3-4 minutes right smack in the middle of our gathering was highlighted with the theme song from Cheers.  It truly is our desire that as people become apart of our church family they would come knowing every one knows their name!

 

et celebrated award

Congratulations to Tara for receiving the volunteer of the month award.  She was given the baton of ET as most of our family stood, clapped, and yelled her name!  I love that we love each other so much and celebrate each other.  The Well has so many servant hearted people and I’m so thankful for all of them that put in sweat to make everything happen!

 

Next week we start a 5 week series on finances.  If you or others you know (pretty much all of us) need more help with our money.  This is going to be a very practical series, but will focus mainly on what the Bible says about it.  Invite a friend it’s going to be awesome stuff!

 

batman and a little lion

Batman and the little lion scored huge on Nemar’s trunk or treat last night!  I can already hear the cavities forming!  I will say that car seats and halloween costumes don’t tango for crying out loud!  Amy and I were invited to a special party with some friends, but I’m glad we put our boys first in making a memory for them – this night was all about them!

Yesterday I picked up Camden from school and we got to lay hands on a friend’s house as he led us in a prayer for it to sale.  We then went to the RSU nature reserve and literally went into hunter mode on some deer.  Camden saw one and busted through the trees yelling and running after a scared little doe!  It was awesome!  My boy is turning into a savage of a young man!  I love it!  Fridays are a highlight for me as it is all about my family.  Usually our tradition is to drop Camden off at pre-school and take Cale out for breakfast.  Good times!  I love my boys and love the traditions that are forming!

sunday @ the well

1st annual survey

This morning we threw out our first church-wide survey.  I believe it will be one of our greatest ways to keep a pulse on key vitals.  It’s going to allow us to know our people, who we’re reaching, and get great feedback on how to plan for next year.  We’re not a voting church, but will be a surveying church.  I’m looking forward to reading through them tomorrow, as well as getting some constructive criticism!

prayer pathway

the fish bowl

My favorite station where I knelt the longest was as I thought through all my worries and fears in life.  It felt good to drop a marble into the fish bowl of water.  I walked away leaving it drift to the bottom symbolizing that God was taking care of it.

 

communion

Every week we offer a time of personal communion and usually once a month take part corporately.  It’s always a sacred moment and hope we will never treat this as ritual or something on our list to do.

 

scripture reading

3 Bibles were open wide for anyone that chose to meditate on some fresh bread this morning.  We placed references on the wall to help people locate scriptures based on themes they might be dealing with.

 

rest

So many friends of mine, do to the economy, are working 70-80 hour work weeks.  One friend told me he put in 102 hours total, including driving time.  This station was ideal to just sit and let God wrap his arms around us and be loved.  These chairs to sit in defined, “be still and know that I am God”.

 

the cross

I was humbled and thankful to see the cross covered with sheets of paper of sins that our church family experienced.  We pounded them to the cross believing that his blood has covered them and walked away knowing we are forgiven.  My hope is that we don’t abuse his grace and continue sinning but walk in holiness.

 

 

play-doh

I’m glad some artists were at the theater today.  It felt like we were being little kids again as we sculpted dreams and goals and placed them in the hands of our father.  This heart with God in the middle caught my attention.

 

draw a prayer

We put out a challenge to draw something that you feel like you’ve been praying for and that you feel has gone unanswered.  We once again put our faith to the test and handed those request to God.  This was a beautiful picture of a home that someone obviously was giving to God.

 

light a candle

There’s so many people in our lives that need prayer.  We lit candles for people that we love that we want to come to know Christ.

 

 

prayer partners

It was a sweet moment to agree with people that needed prayer.  I believe one of the greatest ways we can express our love one to another is by praying for each other.

 

worship & meditation

Davey and Adam led us in some intimate worship as we sung our praises to God.  We placed a rotating slide show on the screen with pictures of nature as we worshipped our creator.  Some just sat in their seats, others bowed as they spent some time in private practice.

Faithful volunteers

Week in and week out faithful volunteers make The Well environment happen.  I love these precious girls as they love and smile making others feel welcome!  I told a visitor today they can go to tons of places and hear better worship or a better message, but….. not many where such authentic love is given away!  Thank you to all of our volunteers that helped set up the prayer pathway this morning!

Brotherhood in the Making

I laughed as some of these guys were hanging out before our gathering started this morning.  We had several visitors come because they saw our signage out front, glad this raw group of guys didn’t scare them away.  As I look back at 09 we nailed serving in the bullseye, but struggled in our relationships.  As a result we’ve had people come and go unfortunately.  However, a new brother/sisterhood is forming that I’m so excited about!

Next week we are starting a new teaching series on finances.  We’ve only talked about givings one time in our first 8 months as a church.  I’m so excited to get into debt, budgets, savings, and tithing.  So many in our community are struggling with money right now and can’t think of talking about this in a more timely fashion.

4 words of personal growth

This morning after dropping Cambo off at Pre-School I got home and decided to start venturing out of Psalms and spend time with David’s son Solomon.  Here’s my SOAP for this morning:

S – “But the Godly are as bold as lions” 28:1

“But wise & knowledgeable leaders bring stability” 28:2

“People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy” 28:13

“In the end, people appreciate honest criticism, far more than flattery” 28:13

O – Immediately these words jumped out and challenged me: BOLD / STABILITY / CONFESSION / HONEST CRITICISM

A – The hardest, but best part about studying the Bible is the application.  I’m still coming out of a “personal dip”  and learning the rhythms of my life and personal walk.  In order to have a true daily pursuit in walking closely to Christ I know I must challenge myself and grow, if not I’ll drift and stop maturing in my faith.  Thus, have nothing to offer anyone around me.  I mean “Ricky” is alright I guess, but…. “Ricky within a hot daily pursuit of Jesus Christ being transformed more in his image” well….. I would even want to be around myself that’s sounds funny, the other just “Ricky” is kind of boring and doesn’t have much.  I immediately thought of four things I’m going to apply with these words:

BOLD – I talk to an employee at Java Dave’s a few minutes ago and we talked about how dull life can be and how we wanted to be more adventuresome.  She told me during the Tulsa Fair she refused to just do the same old thing.  She rode every ride there, specifically those ones that scared her to death!  That’s stinken awesome!  How am I going to be bold?  I’m going after relationships in my life with tenacity.  I’m going after church planters that I can learn from.  I’m going after college students to mentor.  I’m going after men in our church that need discipled.  I’m going after friends of the past that need encouragement.

STABILITY – I’m seeking out a personal counselor to help me with the emotions of starting a church and dealing with the roller coaster of highs and lows.  I want to understand myself better and how I tick.  I want someone to read my leadership ability and tell me my blind spots and personality defects.  Amy is more than happy to help with this one!

CONFESSION – I’m in the process of getting together with 4 other guys and establishing a band of brothers mentality.  We will meet weekly and one of the keys will be accountability and complete confession of temptations and “coming out of the closet” with sins that we’re slaved too.  It’s one thing to confess our sin to Christ to be forgiven, it is another to confess it to other men for the sake of accountability.

HONEST CRITICISM – In a few Sundays to come we are going to take 5-10 minutes during our gathering to do a church-wide survey.  We will find out demographics, how long people have know Christ, background, what people love and don’t love, and how we can go into 2010 with a better radar of how to streamline our focus.  We will probably do some strategic quitting and focus on less to do more.   Anyone that has ever attended The Well I’m hoping to get some sort of feedback.

How are you growing and maturing in your walk with Christ?  What’s keeping you back?  What are some hard realities of where you’re at in life in which you need to deal with?  How can you deal with these 4 words?

14 day reading plan

We’re asking everyone to simply read part of the Bible during this series.  Sounds funny doesn’t it?  Asking church people or Christians to read their Bibles?  But… most aren’t!  Here are some great starter verses to read through to finish out our Private Practice Series.

Feel free to email me and I’ll share where I’m at in my own personal reading plan.  I’ve spent the last month with my close friend David as I journey through the Psalms.  I would love to have you join me in my pursuit to become more intimate like David as he poured out his soul to his God.  Try the S.O.A.P. method and make it attempt to provide time to allow God to speak to you.  I started this method of approaching the Bible over a year ago and it has transformed my life in His Word.

I was humbled when a woman approached me following this morning’s gathering at the theater and told me something.  She said, “Ricky I’ve been reading in the Psalms lately and it has been changing my life.  Last week I started and it was the first time I’ve opened my Bible in over 12 years”.  Wow, I didn’t have a judgmental thought in my mind, I just thought praise Christ!  It’s never too late to start getting fresh bread from His Word!  Why don’t you give it a shot?  I’d love to hear what God is speaking to you about!

1.  Psalm 119:9-16, 105

2.  Philippians 3:7-10

3.  Psalm 63

4.  Ephesians 3:16-19

5. Psalm 139:13-18, Isaiah 64:8

6.  Hebrews 4:14-16, Isaiah 53

7.  Ephesians 6:10-17

8.  Matthew 20:20-28

9.  Philippians 2:1-11

10.  Philippians 2:12-18

11.  Romans 12:1-21

12.  Matthew 25:34-40

13.  Romans 12:9-13

14.  Galatians 5:1-15

sunday @ the well

Morsels or Fresh Bread

I got to teach on something this morning I’m very passionate about.  What would it be like if every Christian stopped eating on the morsels of others and got fresh bread for themselves by developing a private practice of studying God’s Word?  We tend to run around to hear a Sunday message, or subscribe to a Monday devotional blog, or listen to favorite preacher on the radio, or heaven for bend TBN (sorry couldn’t help it), or wait for a friend to text us a snippet of a scripture verse.  What if we were all hearing God’s voice through His Word and getting fresh bread straight from the oven of heaven?  Can you image what we would have to offer others?

Visitors from “The List”

Before The Well ever launched back in February we made lists of friends that we began praying for to come to know Christ, or perhaps get involved within our church family.  There’s certain friends we’ve never seen no matter how many invites have gone out.  Today several friends appeared for the first time…… patience and prayers of perseverance or so worth it!  I pray we all have far more tenacity and we never give up on people!

talking heads

I think one of my least favorite times in church growing up was the 15 second meaningless greet and shake.  You know right after prayer before you sit down out of obligation you shake someone’s hand.  One of my favorite times at The Well following offering is the 3-4 minutes we blast some music and challenge everyone to leave their seats and become talking heads.  This morning alone I got to talk to 7 different people there’s no way I would have been able to talk too because they arrive and leave as soon as we’re dismissed.  I got to meet a visitor that has been following The Well since we started and is newly coming.  I also made lunch plans with a couple after numerous attempts.  I think this is going to become one of the most vital windows of building relationships during our entire Sunday experience at the theater!

the caution cone

Over the past several months the surge of spiritual warfare for our toddler church has reached its some of its highest limits.  We’ve had text messages, phone calls, and this morning a caution cone.  I was leaving out early to head to the theater and someone had put a caution cone on my door step.  Why?  Perhaps a joke or perhaps a mean prank or warning that they don’t want the church to continue.  It made me laugh and we’ve decided to let one of our graphic designers do some work on it.  We’ve decided to use it at the theater entrance and place the words “CAUTION: potential life change can occur”.  What Satan means for harm we are redeeming it for the good!  We had a friend of mine rededicate his life to Christ this morning!  Warning!  Life change yeah!

Restroom Wall Defines Us

After talking about “fresh bread” this morning and actually using some object lessons it was hilarious to see 4 different families head over to Napoli’s Italian for lunch following the morning gathering!  As I finished up in the restroom I snagged this photo on the wall.  It defines our church!  We’ve experienced setbacks, adversity, and you name it….. but we’ve continued to have persistence.  We might have gotten knocked around in the last few rounds, but sometimes all you got to do is keep getting up!

The Garage Door of Strategy

Tonight our core team huddled together as a band, a team, and more like a family to celebrate, pray, evaluate, and strategize where we’re at as a church.  It is one of my favorite times each month.  I love these dedicated volunteers!  We came to a realization that for several months The Well has been in “the dip”.  We couldn’t put our finger on it, but knew something was off.  We came to the conclusion that the first step to getting out of “the dip” is to recognize you’re in it.  The second thing is make a plan to get out of it.  In the days to come I’m going to blog more about what “the dip” is and how it relates to our church.  I think you’ll find it interesting as it relates to your own personal life and if you might be in “the dip”.

I’m already looking forward to this coming Sunday doing something completely different than anything we’ve ever done on a Sunday.  We are providing a prayer pathway which will involve 10 different stations to move through as an interactive experience to truly connect with God.  More details to come!

halloween tradition

Several years ago we started a halloween Van Pay tradition called “Pumpkin Man”.  It usually involves heading out to one of the nearby pumpkin patches.  The best part is from year to year you never know what he’s going to look like!  What can I say we just can’t wait for winter to get here to get into creating some sort of man out of something.  2 minutes into his completion one of his arms got amputated.

I love family traditions what are some of yours?

titleist 2nd anniversary

Recently I was driving back from Owasso and couldn’t help but take a quick snapshot of the variety of colors in the trees.  I just wanted to pull over and get lost in the beauty of God’s creation.  Something about the moment as I was driving with my family reminded me that two years ago to this day I had a life-changing surgery that the nurses nicknamed “the titleist”.  I had a benigned tumor that was the size of a golf ball that got removed.  It was a 2 hour surgery that went 5 hours and I’m more than grateful that it wasn’t more serious.  Do you ever stop and celebrate your life?  I’ve made this an anniversary in my life so I won’t take it for granted…..

It was one of the defining experiences in my life that led to me taking a risk and answering the call to start The Well.  It hasn’t been an easy journey with its shares of ups and downs, but I’d rather have taken a huge risk than not taken one at all.  I think so many people in life wait around for something to drop out of the sky, or catch their lucky break, or cast aside a dream because of fear of failure.  I’m just glad regardless of where this leads, at the end of the day I can say I took a chance without any guarantees.

When was the last time you took a chance?  A risk without guarantees?  A step into the unknown?  I think at the end of our lives it will be those things that made life worth living.  Life was never meant to live in safety and comfort, but we are here to throw ourselves out into the sea.  I once heard someone say, “Our lives were meant for open sea living, not sitting in a harbor”.