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”.

sunday @ the well

pre-school comments

I got to do something yesterday morning I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.  I had nothing to do with our 10:30 gathering and was a kid’s volunteer for our pre-school team.  I appreciate the heart of Cassie our director and she has an incredible heart for kids.  It never surprises me what will come out of a pre-schooler’s mouth!  I know I made Camden’s day by having his Daddy in the room.  I encourage all parents to take a Sunday and volunteer to not only support your child, support our kid’s leaders, but also get a peek on what your child is learning.

private practice of fasting

Darryl brought us a great balance of theology, past experience, and practical suggestions on how to fast.  My favorite thing he said was, “when we fast it causes us to revert our thoughts back on God”.  It’s so true.  The delicious images in the background said it all!  Thanks Darryl for being an instrument and giving us some fresh bread.

better than before

I love it when the theater gets left better then before we got there.  I got to give it up for Nancy who was the last to leave and pulled out the vacuum cleaner in the lobby!  Only time will tell the seeds that have been planted with theater employees.  I was thankful for a few movie tickets tossed my way as well!

before noon

The simplistic set up and tear down drove us to be all done by noon.  I hope that we will forever wear out ourselves physically from our worship, our prayers, our hugs, far more than our lifting equipment and pushing cases.

lawn story

A few weeks ago we got an email from a lady that had heard about The Well from the community.  She had a sick child and was not in a position to mow her lawn that was in desperate need of attention.  A few of our guys went over and poured out a little crazy love on her.  She sent me an email over joyed with that action and came to The Well recently.  I love that her perception of church people might have changed because of this experience.

waitress tip

This past Sunday I put on my jeans and felt a piece of paper.  It was a $20 bill.  I knew after almost a month of not wearing them I had not missed the money that badly.  I decided then someone, whoever God laid on my heart, would receive the love gift.  I left church forgetting about it, but God knew.  The college-age waitress was bound to receive it that day.  I left her a note saying, “not all church people tip badly”.  Giving sacrificially is one of the greatest joys I have.

my worship songs list

I love the anticipation of a Sunday morning gathering!  The thought of coming together with my church family and celebrating the name of Jesus pumps me up!  I’ve gotten to know him so much more privately this week, now I get to celebrate Him in public.

I got a message earlier today from a friend needing help with marriage.  It brought back something another friend recently told me at lunch.  He said the only thing that saved his marriage a few years ago was God and God alone.  There’s something that happens when a man is at his end…. his soul longs for something that is unfulfilled….. in the depths of his searching and after breaking himself down into a thousand pieces and he’s nothing……. that’s when God can start something.  He rebuilds and puts a man back together again into a man worth living.  The Bible relates it to clay and God is the potter.  I’m thankful every time I enter into his presence through worship he shreds me of me….. and adds more of himself.

The Bible says, “if we will lift up his name that is higher than any other name, he will draw all men unto himself”.  I’m so glad I don’t have control over tomorrow’s outcome, all I’ve got to do is show up.  I continued my reading through Psalms tonight and here’s some incredible exerps:

“So we will not fear when earthquakes come, and the mountains crumble into the sea.  Let the oceans roar and foam.  Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!  God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.  As your name deserves, O God, you will be praised to the ends of the earth.”  Psalms 46-48

I love the last part of that… he will be praised because his name is deserving.  It doesn’t matter if someone denies him or if an entire nation denies Him, he will be praised!  One passage says, “even the rocks will cry out!”  Toward the end of Psalm 50 he reminds us all that he doesn’t need our praise, our offerings.  He owns all the cattle on a thousand hills, he knows every bird, and all the animals are his.  He doesn’t need our praise, but he loves it when we praise Him!  We need to praise Him more than he needs our praise!   That’s crazy to me.

One of my favorite refreshing things to do is worship rather in the car, on a run, or just in my private closet before Him.  There’s some songs that have really helped me focus in and have helped me draw closer to Him in the past few weeks.  Here’s a list of some of them from my Ipod:

What are some of your favorite worship songs that you listen to that help take you deeper in his presence?

Whisper His Name (Live) 6:18 Deluge Bethany Presents Deluge (Live) Inspirational 41 9/7/09 2:48 AM

I Enter In 8:48 Christ for the Nations Music We Cry Out Christian & Gospel 25 10/14/09 4:48 PM

Oh Lord You’re Beautiful 4:00 Klaus One Thing Christian & Gospel 10 8/22/09 11:48 AM

Jesus, What a Savior 5:41 Christ for the Nations Music We Lavish Christian & Gospel 23 10/14/09 4:53 PM

Come Save 4:03 Sarah Reeves 10 7/25/09 12:10 PM

Dove’s Eyes 4:35 Rick Pino The Undiscovered Christian & Gospel 20 10/2/09 10:28 AM

Your Love Is Like 6:47 Rick Pino Angel of Awakening Inspirational 44 9/26/09 9:15 AM

Take All of Me 8:02 Hillsong United The I Heart Revolution: With Hearts as One Inspirational 34 9/5/09 11:35 AM

Beautiful 5:31 Gateway Worship Wake Up the World (Bonus Track Version) Inspirational 79 10/3/09 7:52 PM

Healer 7:05 Hillsong This Is Our God Inspirational 46 10/3/09 8:03 PM

top 10 for the flu

Going on day #8 of the flu.  After sitting in the doctor’s office on Tuesday morning, wearing “the mask” for several hours – I’m thankful I was a negative for the pig epidemic.  I’m not sure what was worse leaning my dizzied head against a sheetrock wall for 2 hours or having a dozen people and their small kids stare at me as though I was a monster ha!

O.K. here’s my top ten positives for the flu:

1.  Have an excuse to sleep in (but I know later I’ll have to make them up)

2.  Catch up any new release movies (that aren’t disney – Brother’s Bloom was actually pretty good!)

3.  Read 3 books I’ve been wanting to knock out (Ravenhill is a stud!)

4.  Watch every inning, every pitch, every out of every playoff baseball game (even though it’s the Spankees!)

5.  Lose 10lbs (literally believe my 2 year old ate more yesterday than I’ve had all week!)

6.  I get to grow a beard and it’s OK because no one sees it

7.  I get to be home with my family and not miss my boys destroying anything or each other!

8.  Reminded that the world gets along fine without me for a week

9.  Allows me to trust in my heavenly father that this all has a big picture purpose and I needed rest after a month of high stress

10.  Extended periods of time alone with Him just can’t be beat

So for half of the rest of you that have had the flu what would be your top 10?

sunday @ the well

waiting quietly

David encourages us in Psalm 62 to “wait quietly”.  These two words for the most part aren’t in our vocabulary when it comes to seeking God.  During our 9am we got quiet and waited.  We thanked our heavenly father and praised Him for whatever came to mind.  So many times we are asking and we never stop to thank or praise Him.  This was by far one of my favorite highlights of the day!

fresh bread

In seven months I’ve never missed a Sunday, and for the first time I was confronted with it.  I’ve had the flu for the past several days but nothing was going to keep me from delivering the fresh bread.  I knew God had put a message on my heart that came from Him not myself.  There’s nothing like the fresh bread of His Word.

mormon & jewish perspectives

We have pretty much every denomination represented at The Well.  I’ve stopped caring what a churched person will think, an unchurched person will think, or anyone else – but what the Holy Spirit thinks.  I’m following His leading and what happens…. well it happens.  I had a jewish friend come up to me and say, “I hold strongly to my beliefs, but you must keep spreading this message” or a new mormon friend that’s been raised his whole life says, “Dude I’ve always been taught that anything but a Mormon church is sacrilegious.  But….. I want others to hear this and I’m going to tell all my friends about this.”  Praise the name of Christ!

email says it all

A friend emailed me after church saying this, “People are fearful of falling into a church that is just more man made, empty promises…no power, no purpose, just fluff church.  They want real”.  This is the cry of The Well, that when we all leave we knew God showed up.  The only way that is going to happen is if we are desperate for Him and we are close to Him.  What would it be like if everyone of us were hearing from Him everyday through prayer and His Word?

3 take the plunge

Our first baptism we had was one of the coldest days of the year, and Sunday wasn’t exactly warm either.  I’m thankful for Atwood’s for supplying us a feed trough once again.  The water was freezing, but one of the girls during our first baptism once said, “If Jesus died on the cross for me and for all my sins, the least I can do for Him is get into the cold water!”.  The 3 guys that got baptized weren’t about to follow that up with a no go.  The tear on Jared’s face penetrated my heart as he continues to be transformed by Christ.  I still remember Skyler coming up to me at 6 years old during our church picnic this summer wanting to give his heart to Christ… what an honor to baptize Him today!

kids going to another level

I can’t be more thankful for some of the most talented Kid’s leaders we could possibly ask for!  They are seeking excellence, safety, and are truly going to the next level.  My desire is that we would never lean on our talent, but lean on our desperation for Him!  It’s so easy to stand before a crowd and teach something…. it’s another thing to stand before them with something God want’s to teach them.

what’s on my prayer list

As the day broke this morning I continued in the deep waters of the Psalms.  I am drawn to the authenticity of David and his transparency before our heavenly father.  I love what he sings out in Psalm 62, “I wait quietly before God, for victory comes from him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.  Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.  O my people, trust in Him at all times.  Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.”

One of my dead mentors, Andrew Murray, wrote in his book “With Christ in the School of Prayer” wrote the following:

“To be alone in the secret with the Father should be your highest joy.  To be assured that the Father will openly reward your secret prayer so that it cannot remain unblessed should be your strength day by day.  Go to the inner chamber often.  Close the door so that you are shut off from people and shut up with God.  There the Father waits for you.”

I long to be in his presence now more than ever.  The days of the longing being pleased by another book, or a movie, or a song, or an email, or the latest attraction in town, doesn’t hold a candle to time with my father.  This morning I committed the following things in prayer.  Will you commit to pray with me?  What are things you are believing for?

1.  My marriage, my boys, extended family, and friends

2.  Area Pastors and churches in our community, along with fellow church planters

3.  The vision & health of The Well, Sunday’s message would bring life change, hunger for his Word & worship

4.  The Well volunteers and leadership team – over their jobs, their families, their finances

5.  Praying for the holy spirit to break loose in the theater on Sundays

6.  Missionaries Kent Anderson & Nick Stuva

7.  Specific needs within our church of healings, jobs, $, marriages

8.  Over my community, our leadership, our city workers, non-profits, those unemployed, in bondage – for a spiritual awakening to unravel

9.  Praying for a new anointing upon our messages, to hear his voice every day through his God’s word, purity of sin, victory over discouragement, fear, ego, false motives, and comparing

10.  Praying for a fresh brokenness and hunger for God’s presence in my own life

11.  Praying for our President, for the nation of Israel, soldiers serving faithfully, the economic depression, the salvation of souls, and the unchurched in our community

12.  Praying for wisdom to make the right decisions, favor in our community to have influence, patience in prayers yet to be answered, passion for the name of Jesus and passion for those yet to have a personal relationship with Him

13.  Our kids that they would fall more in love with Jesus and love church!

14.  That those that attend The Well would crave the Word of God and hunger for their own closet of prayer

a confession of desperation

This is going to be one of those confessional blogs.  If you’ve been subscribed for long, you know by well that I’m far from perfect.  Well, here’s another fact to back that up.  I’ve not read my Bible and have not prayed nearly as much as my soul needs or wants.  Notice I didn’t say that I’ve not ready my Bible and have not prayed nearly as much as I should or what’s expected of a Pastor or of a Christ-follower.  Earlier this week I cracked open a few small books that I’ve been wanting to read for quite some time.  I engulfed the journal writings of a man named George Mueller, who initiated an orphanage to over 1000 orphans during the 1800’s.  His story blew me away… his daily pursuit to drench everything in prayer and was completely desperate for God’s hand to move.  Last night I started digesting “Heroes of the Faith on D.L. Moody.  I love one of his mottos “Do all you can to make the world better than you found it.  Do all you can for Christ and then you will make others happy.”  But….. as a young minister, he fell into a trap of measuring godliness in terms of ceaseless activity, not according to the time spent with God alone.

You see at the beginning of The Well endeavor I was completely desperate.  I was hungry.  Then…… a church was birthed.  A church full of people needing Jesus.  How beautiful is this?  However, with that comes problems, messes, sin, and issues.  With this comes providing opportunities for them to get into relationships with others.  With this comes the need for hospital visitation and counseling calls.  All of these things are needed, but somewhere in the mix they got the best part of me…. God got the scraps.

Our gatherings were more focused on being non-threatening so we couldn’t be the thought of opening the door for the Holy Spirit to enter in, thus the craziness and weirdness of the images of our past, would take hold.  We were more focused on getting a trailer unloaded than making sure the Holy Spirit was unloaded on hearts.  We were more focused on setting up lights, then the light.  I’m reminded of what C.S. Lewis once said, “the perfect church service would be one we were almost unaware of.  Our attention would have been on God”.  I started thinking of the song by Matt Redman where he sang the words, “Coming back to the heart of worship, it’s all about you Jesus”.  He literally wrote that song during a season in which his church eliminated all musical instruments because their focus had drifted.

What if put all of our focus on worshipping God and expected the message to put us into a place of having to make a change right then and there to become more like Jesus?  What if it wasn’t about a video or a structured format that became predictable?  What if… I mean what if we truly let the Holy Spirit have his way?  I think none of us desire a man-made church gathering, but in the process of being non-threatening we quench the Holy Spirit, and it does become just that.  Amy and I layed in our beds Sunday night with tears in our eyes realizing that this has occurred.  We realized what attracts someone to a church gathering is various reasons, but what keeps them more than relationships is the power of the Holy Spirit.  We’ve concentrated far more on encouraging people to get involved in a group or serve with their gifts, then get involved in the Bible and serve Jesus.

That’s left me broken.  It’s left me humbled.  It’s left me desiring a passion for his presence more than ever before.  It’s left me with a deep craving for the unchurched.  It’s left me wanting to drown out every other distraction in my personal life and church life.  I’ve recently taken the following steps to hear the voice of God, allow him to mess me up, and once again put me on fire for Him.  Perhaps you’re at this place and change needs to occur.  As I’ve read through Psalms and been reading about these great men of God that lived in the 1800’s I’ve noticed something.  They didn’t have all the distractions we have.  Instead of checking their facebook or looking for a new app on their phone, or watching yet another movie, they were seeking the heart of God!  They were on their knees praying and begging God over and over.  We say a 10 second prayer or call someone else to pray for us because we don’t want to actually attempt to speak to God.  We want someone else to find a scripture for us.  We give it a day or so and we throw up our entire faith in God!  What is wrong with this?  George Mueller prayed for over 7 years for an orphanage to be built everyday!

I’m not saying you need to go to this extreme, but for me I am desperate for Him and only Him.  Here’s what I’m doing for a season:

• deleted all my podcasts from my i-tunes & all my blog subscriptions
• took all twitter junk off my phone, face book, and email
• put almost all books & magazines laying around in a closet
• cleared my daily morning schedule for extended periods of prayer & studying God’s Word
• turning my phone off at 6pm & check emails 1 or 2 times a day

Why?  Am I trying to go legalistic?  No just fasting all this stuff.  I know the pull some of these things have on me.  I’m not insecure enough to admit that I’ve had trouble comparing myself to others that I hear speak.  I’ve compared our church to where another church might be.  So no more subscriptions.   I think putting out a twitter update or face book status started becoming more about what I wanted others to see in me, an artificial way for me to have some relationships, and pride and ego crept in.  So no more.  Why did I check my email a thousand times a day?  Perhaps for my need to feel needed.  So no more.  Why all the books and magazines in the closet?  It caused me to avoid reading the Bible more so no more because I want the Bible more.  Why turn off my phone?  So my family can enjoy all of me not just the part of me that isn’t completely distracted by my all might need to feel important in the world.  You see I’ve tried everything I personally can to see The Well ignite.  God has brought me back to a place where he’s longed I would stay.  The story of my life has been this: desperate need = desperation for God / no desperate need and things are OK = no desperation for God.  So…… what does God do?  He reminds me if what it takes for me to be completely reliant on him and not anything else, including anyone else, he will make sure that he puts any kind of favor, or blessing, or anything else on hold.

I’m learning complete brokenness in Him.  I’m learning he doesn’t want us to experience so called success or favor, until he knows he can trusts us with everything that comes with that.  He doesn’t want to be left behind, he wants to walk in front.  Our mouths speak forth that desire, but our actions and hearts tell him otherwise.  He just wants us!  He just wants us to crave him, not for his benefits, but for who he is!  He doesn’t want to be an accessory, but he wants us to give all of ourselves to Him.

I long to be in communion with Him, but it takes my focus.  We like to add him to our list, or include him in our multitask of a drive.  We like to talk to him when we need him, but he wants us to talk to him because we want him.  What if we didn’t need anything from him?  What if we just wanted to praise & adore Him?  I love reading through the Psalms right now and listening to David’s plea of desperation.

I’ve been completely honest.  Will you?  Do you have a hard time trusting Him?  Do you feel distant?  Is there a secret sin that plagues you and sends you further away from Him?  When was the last time you cracked open your Bible apart from a church gathering?  When was the last time you set aside time to pray to your creator, and it became just as much concrete as the next game?

“get out of dodge”

I remember as a little boy my Dad making it a priority to have Family Days.  He was the master at this and you could tell it was highlight of his week.  We would do anything from going tubing down the river, eating brats at the fair, fish, go golfing, or celebrate birthdays by raising the little flag at Pancho’s.  It has stuck with me now that I’m a Dad.  On his days off as a Pastor he would say it’s time to “get out of dodge”.  He would leave all the worries, all the stress, and go do something that filled his cup.  Last week I grabbed Camden and we took off to K.C. for a few days to watch the Red Sox.  We wrestled on the bed, we went to the Hallmark Center, ate at the Fritz, and played at the Penguin Park.  Camden made me forget about everything back in Claremore for a few days and taught me so much about the simplicity of life.

We also recently spent a day in OKC for a college reunion with two of my best friends from SAGU.  It is so awesome that we all had boys at the same time and are now all 4 years old.  They are a bunch of mini versions of their Dad’s!  I loved catching up with these guys and would lay my life down for any of them.  It’s so important to get out of our day to day surroundings and go have fun!  Before The Well launched I had an older guy tell me, “Ricky you’re going to work so hard starting this church, just make sure you take time to play just as hard!”.  I wish I would have taken his advice earlier, but after 6 months I’m starting to get there!

So what do you do to “get out of dodge”?  What fills you up?  What allows you to have fun and just be a little kid again? Schedule a day where you can do it and go for it!

sunday @ the well

the story

About a month ago a friend sent me her story of marriage restoration.  She literally walked into a hotel room catching her husband in the act of an affair.  To me…. there was no greater reason, with all loss of trust, for her to have an excuse to end it.  But…. she didn’t.  Amy read snippets of the story as tears rolled down the cheeks of many faces in the auditorium.  I believe it made many of our own marriage problems seem so much smaller in perspective.  We ended our “One Side of the Bed” series discussing full commitment.  Feel free to download the podcast to hear part of the story, or if you want (with my friend’s permission) I’ll send you her full written story.  If you are in a mess she even is allowing me to give out her email address so don’t hesitate to ask me for it!

“everything i do”

I can still remember Amy singing to me the day of our wedding.  I was a bag of tears!  We ended the series having all of our married couples stand looking at each other in the eyes, and renewing their vows out loud.  Amy ended it out by singing “everything i do”…. what incredible lyrics of commitment.

resurrected marriage

My prayer from the beginning of this series was that marriages would stop in their tracks and go back to the beginning to their first love.  I believe one marriage is experiencing a miracle.  When I talked to a friend six months ago I can honestly say there wasn’t much hope at all.  However, it is being resurrected….. Why?  I think it’s a miracle and he has gone about being resurrected and seeking self-transformation!  Here’s a message he wrote me yesterday:

“Hey Ricky, I think today was really great.  I’ve been growing spiritually and taking steps toward being the man that God wants me to be.  The journey hasn’t been entirely easy, but God is with me through it all.  God is healing me and my marriage.  My wife and I have decided to not divorce, but take small steps back toward each other.  We want to do it right this time.  The resurrection means that nothing is ever irreversible again, that even death must bow.  And I am a living testament to that. I was once dead.  My marriage was once dead.  But the power of resurrection has raised me back to life, and I find hope that the rest of my life will be better than it ever has been.  Thank you for your prayers.”

baby dedications

At The Well we don’t believe in infant baptisms, but we do believe in soaking an infant in a prayer of dedication.  I love that even though these two little girls were no longer infants, it didn’t stop a family that hasn’t been in church for years to think it was too late!  It is always an honor to stand behind a family in commitment to support their efforts in raising their children.

volunteer check-in

We initiated something that really needed to be in place six months ago.  The table was set up, d-nuts ready to be handed out, mints, gum, and name lanyards to all of our volunteers.  In the past we would experience crisis-mode when volunteers didn’t show up, now we’ll know and it gives us time to call an audible.

9am volunteer gathering

I think one of my favorite highlights of the morning was looking into the eyes of some of the most servant-hearted people I know!  We decided about a month ago to initiate an early morning time specifically for all of our volunteers to have an opportunity to drink in, before they pour out.  It’s very loose and non-structured, interactive, and I loved huddling together in groups as we prayed over each other!  It was a beautiful display of love for each other as we reminded one another to BE long before we DO!

That is why we have Sundays!  That is why we gather together at a theater weekly!  On any given Sunday through a word of encouragement, a hug, lyrics from a worship song, and the challenge of a message…… we can take another step toward transformation through Jesus Christ!  I’m looking forward to starting a new series called, “Private Practice” next week.  It is within this series I will share my utmost struggles in my own personal relationship with Christ and some dark moments that I’ve had recently.  You don’t want to miss the transparency of these messages.  I think you just might relate a little bit, especially in the season many of us are in right now.

two options

Anyone want to sleep in 30 more minutes on a Sunday morning at The Well?  I’ll answer for you – YES!!!  We are quite excited about going more simplistic and focusing almost entirely on worship and the message every Sunday!  This is a gathering specifically taylor-made for the skeptic at heart and those that are recently back into church.  We will be focusing on the basics of the basics when it comes to loving Christ and loving others.

If you are looking for something a little deeper and have known Christ for awhile or have spent any length of time in church we would love to invite you to the 9AM.  This is for those that are looking for a more organic, less structured, interactive gathering.  We would love for you to meet our volunteer team and perhaps let you slide in earlier for you early birds!  I will be basically opening up my journal and sharing my personal walk and letting others interact as we grow deeper in our relationship with Christ!

Come this Sunday as we end our marriage series and share an incredible true story of a couple that endured one of the worse case scenarios in their marriage but stayed together!  See you Sunday and make sure you invite a friend!