Archive for category Thrive
3 Things I am Praying for…
Posted by tomelmore in Leadership, Philosophy, Thrive on November 23, 2010
I recently sat down with a bunch of pastors and the topic of prayer came up. It was refreshing to hear that I wasn’t the only one that struggled with this spiritual discipline. Over the last few weeks I’ve been attempting to be more focused on prayer. It’s helped me recognize and respond to God during my daily routine.
Here are the 3 things that I’m praying the most for.
1. My wife and kids!
I realize that the area that the enemy would love to destroy is my family. Right now more than ever, I’m asking God to protect, reveal and strengthen my family.
2. Our Church
As we build community my prayer is that we also build deeper connections to Jesus. A church that puts others first and cares about the lost world around them becomes a powerful church. My prayer is that our community at THRIVE becomes more powerful as a result of our prayerfulness
3. My Mom
As many of you know my Mom has ALS. Its a disease that I’m praying God supernaturally shows up in. My Mom is staying with us right now and every day we spend time talking and sharing stories but I am desperately asking God to heal my mom.
What are you praying about right now?
PS – this Sunday kicks off our new series at Thrive we are calling “Your Story…in six words or less” It’s going to be strong – see you there!
Tom
What I’m learning about MONEY!
- Image by Toban Black via Flickr
This Sunday was incredible……we talked about money!
I know what your thinking…..really….All I can say is stepping into the role of a lead pastor has pushed me to really dig into the scriptures and get a fresh understanding on this issue.
Last Sunday at THRIVE we were honest and real and about the topic of Money. It was fun to see the light bulb for people. We discovered together what God really says from the Bible. In addition talked through what the term “Blessing” really means. Monetary Blessings are the lowest form. God often has bigger plans for us that just giving us more cash.
The result? We have 15 families taking a 90 Day challenge to give God their first 10%. Their living out Mal 3:10 and putting God “to the test”
Oh by the way – Did you know that there are over 2,350 scriptures in the Bible that refer to wealth of finance’s. One more sign that this is a big deal to God….
here’s the outline from last Sundays message.
I God OWNS it all and ENTRUSTS you with SOME
Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath. Deut 8:18
II God gives me freedom to CHOOSE how I USE it
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! Malachi 3:10
“The Purpose of Tithing is to teach you to always put God first”
III God invites us to give in GRATITUDE and as a demonstration of our PRIORITIES and faith in his promises
Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first produce of your entire harvest; then your barns will be completely filled, and your vats will overflow with new wine. Proverbs 3:9-10 (HCSB)
Giving is a Spiritual INVESTMENT, not EXPENSE
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6 (NIV)
IV Only God can GIVE you financial SECURITY
The most important thing that God is doing in the world is through the local CHURCH – that is the center of all God’s activity and LIFE CHANGE.
So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Galatians 6:9
PS – We are kicking off a new series this week we are calling – “Your Story…in six words or less.” It’s about how your past, present are about the story that God is writing in your life!
See you soon – Tom
It’s a Thanksgiving Party!
This Sunday night we are meet up at the Villagio Town center in Katy for our first annual “THRIVE Thanksgiving Bash”. Knowing how our church likes to have fun…I think it’s going to be a WILD NIGHT. Now don’t worry it’s going to be family friendly everyone will get a chance to meet someone new. Here’s a few reasons I think you and your family should come…
1. Kirby Dean’s band rocking out some serious 80′s / 90′s hits
2. Kids can get their faces painted up by professional face painter ( Yes there is there such a thing)
3. You get a chance to talk to people at THRIVE that you don’t know and could hear some of the cool Growth Group stories that are out there…and I know they are out there
4. I will be guest singing on Sweet Home Alabama….just joking that could close the party REAL EARLY!
5. The Restaurants are awesome and the weather is supposed to be beautiful
See you there – this Sunday / 4-7pm / Villlagio Town Center / Westheimer Parkway / Katy TX
Tom
Shuffle Up and DEAL!
I am PUMPED! Our big CARDS for CLEAN water Texas Hold’em event happening on Nov. 19th at Westlake Prep. It could be one best nights we have had yet! We are going to find out what happens when you get a bunch of card players together to make a difference. I know it’s going to be fun hanging out and raising money for clean water in foreign countries. Lately as I have been looking at the epidemic of unsafe water around our world, here’s a statistic that hit me hard…every 15 seconds someone dies from unclean water illness. EVERY 15 SECONDS!
That’s a big deal!
If you know someone who plays Hold’em bring them with you. We are going to have some serious food, great raffle prizes and the winner of the night will be walking away with a new iPAD. The truth is I think we can all think of at least one person that loves playing cards and would never step foot in a church. Let’s make this night count and grab the opportunity to help people connect in community.
Sign ups are this Sunday. If you are like me and wait to sign up at the last minute – don’t – Space is limited.
PS – this Sunday is going to really STRONG. Its our third week of our series “Faith, Hope and Luck” – we are talking about what happens when you pray and God doesn’t answer . Going to be huge!
Tom
Full tank (part 1)
One of my prayers lately is “God help me to live with a full tank”. If you know me, you understand that I have a tendency to run “full throttle” all the time.
My mind is always spinning and I’m often find my self thinking 3 steps ahead of where I’m currently at. More now than ever I think God has been helping me see the value of margin and “taking a break”. Now to all of you that think that pastors only work one day a week, please feel free to follow me around for a week and you clearly how dumb that is.
Launching a church is hard work and often long hours. It’s because of that I am learning to slow down and look at my personal dash board. How am I doing spiritually, relationally and physically. I have come to grips that God has wired me uniquely with a type A personality. What that means is I need to pay attention to the warning signs of burnout…here’s what I’m looking out for.
1. When people I deeply care about become problems I wish I could avoid.
2. When my favorite parts of ministry turn simply into due dates and tasks to finish.
3. When I’m being productive and my soul aches for God’s voice.
4. When thinking about God’s vision for my family and church no longer fires me up.
I am thankful that God is so loving. He’s helping inwardly understand that ministry is more like a marathon than the 100 yard dash. It’s in the marathon that we begin to understand who God really is. We laugh and enjoy His people and grow into our potential.
Tom
Full Tank (part 2)
It’s becoming increasingly clearer that I have to keep my Tank FULL. Now I don’t know about you but I love to push my gas tank to the limit. When my light comes on telling me that the tank is almost empty, I like to think “how many more miles can I get”. This little game has nearly made me the guy that “pushes his car down the road” many times. It also drives my wife crazy when she gets in my car and has to rush to the gas station. I try to explain my little “man game”. I explain it involves risk, incredible skills of estimation and great courage. She doesn’t buy any of it. I am sure she will go her death bed trying to understand it.
My little game can at times be exciting and exhilarating. It often seems fun to keep pushing the limit- see how far you can go and how much ground you can cover before you break down. I’m convinced after counseling 100′s of people that this kind of thinking doesn’t work with your heart. As a husband , Dad and pastor I remind myself daily that I need a full tank to THRIVE (yes I’m using that word). I want to go for the long haul in ministry and with my family. There are three areas that I need stop and fill up daily and weekly.
1. My Time with my Wife and kids
2. My Connection to God
3. My Clarity of where I’m going!
“God is not cruel, but he is not lenient, He is true! He is not safe. He is unchanging;therefore we must change. We must learn in order to succeed. Our failures do not influence our grades but our unwillingness to learn from them does” -Leading on Empty
Tom
My Mom is coming to TX
As many of you know, my mom has ALS disease. I found out about 4 months ago and ever since then I have been trying to find a way for her to come spend time with us here in TX. Well – good news on Nov 13th my Mom will be coming to visit us. I thank God that our kids will be get the opportunity to spend quality time with their Grandma.
Looking back – I know that a major reason that I am a Christ Follower and in ministry today is because of my mom’s faithfulness to God. She showed me what faith looked like in good and bad times. She’s an amazing women. Looking forward to bringing her to THRIVE soon.
Sunday Recap
Posted by tomelmore in Everything Else, General, Thrive, Wrapup on November 3, 2010
WOW – what a day at Thrive Church….So in awe about what God is doing! Here are a couple thoughts….
* Sunday we kicked off our new series “Faith, Hope and Luck”….I feel like we are headed into a “right now” series for our church. I am pumped for this Sunday.
* Just became Jesus can or we think he should does not mean that he will – not our job to put our expectations on God but to learn how to follow Him fully.
* We learned together that circumstantial faith is fragile and can be easily derailed by life’s pressures and pleasures.
* Jez Barbacy, Jessica Caldwell our band did a great job leading everyone into worship – Let me say it – our band ROCKS!
* Brought the winner of the Kidz costume contest on stage for the closing of the 11 am service. She was Dorthy from the Wizard of OZ..love it!
* Our Road Crew Team reported that they set up our entire facility in 53 minutes flat!
* Had dozens of people ask me “what happened to my head” – all I can say is that I am learning the price tag of laying on the beach without sunscreen – lesson learned (hopefully)
* Our ONE youth team had it’s first annual “Pumpkin Smash” night. Imagine….100′s of Pumpkins – baseball bats , food and teenagers – It was a Big messy WIN for everyone.
Three more things… Read the rest of this entry »
7 reasons your church plant won’t make it
Posted by tomelmore in Everything Else, Family, General, Leadership, Philosophy, Thoughts from the Week, Thrive, Wrapup on October 27, 2010
Just came across this blog and thought you would enjoy it. By the way – all the reasons are 100% true….
Tom
Here are seven reasons your church plant won’t make it.
1. You imported your vision, mission and strategy from another church because you really don’t have a vision, mission or strategy.
2. You’re drunk with vision but haven’t developed healthy systems.
3. You sacrifice your family in the name of ministry.
4. You don’t talk about money.
5. You’re a cheap church planter who won’t spend money on leadership development for you or your staff.
6. You download all your sermons from the Internet because you don’t study, pray or read your Bible.
7. You started a church because, deep down, you have a problem with authority and don’t want a boss.
Michael Lukaszewski is the lead planter of Oak Leaf Church in Cartersville, Georgia.
Seven things that made me smile (this week)
Posted by tomelmore in Everything Else, Family, Next Right Step, Philosophy, Thoughts from the Week, Thrive on October 16, 2010
I thought I would give you a recap of some of the beset moments of my week.
1. Last Sunday and our worship night at Thrive Church – Baptizing the 12 people that said “YES -I’m going public for Christ”….amazing stuff!
2. Slipping out mid day to see the movie ” Secretariat” with my wife…the movie was good – spending time with my wife was better!
3 Sitting in our Parenting 101 Growth group and learning that real parenting should happen between the conflicts – not during them.
4. Talking to my Mom on the phone about her coming down as soon as she gets her new “wheel chair friendly” van – so excited, love her so much.
5. Having the privilege of praying with Tina Martin as she continues to battle with cancer on the brain. You never know how much faith you have until you need it…she has TONS!
6. Seeing my in-laws arrive on Wednesday. It’s a gift to have family in our house (and help with the kids)
7. Thinking about our vacation that starts this Sunday after church, come this Sunday it could be the shortest message yet – Going to be on a boat in the ocean….ready to relax and refresh.
Smiling right now
Tom
