Archive for the ‘family’ Category

Breakfast and Mad Props Friday

Posted: January 23, 2009 in change, Christ, church, family, FCC Owasso, friends, Jesus, Mad Prop's Friday
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BREAKFAST! It’s meaning is deeper than just the first meal in the morning. It actually signifies the end of a prolonged period without eating or fasting. It literally means to break your fast. Since fasting can be abstaining from more than just food I decided early this month to fast from blogging. Today is my blog breakfast! Twisted logic I know but you get the meaning I am sure.

Mad props this week goes out to my boy Wes Schaefer.

Since high school Wes has dealt with one addiction after another. Each new addiction would eventually leave him wanting more than the drugs had to offer. After searching for a “high” bigger and better than the last one, Wes eventually found himself addicted to Meth and ultimately close to destroying his own life. With the help of his family, friends and church, Wes entered a drug rehabilitation facility and one year later stood before those same people and proclaimed God’s victory in his life. You can see him in this video holding up a sign that says “Addicted to Meth” and then “Clean And Sober! & Forgiven”.

His sign was ginormous and rightfully so. God had done a major work in his life. Afterwards Wes sent me a text thanking me for asking him to participate in the event and wrote “That was a better high than any drug had ever given me”. Wes had experienced the life changing power of the Gospel and it was powerful to witness.

For most people this would be enough. Enough because their lives were changed by God and they were now free to go about living their lives, building their careers, raising families and going to church. This has not been the case for Wes. Wes recognizes the power of God to change his life. He understood the power of addiction that he was under was significant but that God’s power was greater and as a result, he wants everyone to experience that same saving power in their own lives. Now Wes is actively sharing the power of God with others. He recently hosted an event at the church building to help raise awareness about the destructive nature of Meth addiction and is constantly on the lookout for ways to share the Gospel with people who are far from God.

So Mad Prop’s to Wes. He is exhibiting the true nature of the Christ. He knows first hand the power of the Gospel and desires to share its life changing power with others. He is an inspiration to me and many others around him. I can’t wait to see what God does with him next…

Everyone join me in giving Mad Prop’s to Wes.

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Happy New Year!

Posted: January 1, 2009 in Bible, college, family, Goals, New Year, resolution
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2009 is all about discipline for me personally. I am not much on the traditional new year’s resolutions but I am big on setting goals. If you break a resolution you essentially let yourself (and those to whom you made your resolution) down. A goal however recognizes that its going to take some effort to achieve. I am a flawed man. The best I can do as an individual, a husband, a father and a minister is to set goals that will ultimately help me be the man God wants me to be.

Here are my goals for 2009

1. Spend more time with my Family and Friends.
This seems pretty generic but the truth is, I am a workaholic. It is not unusual for me to spend 60-70 hours per week working on worship services, rehearsals, learning music, editing video, creating graphics, designing sets, managing ministries and meeting with all of the people involved in the aforementioned list. One of my major personal goals is to cut back on the amount of hours I spend doing “church work” and increase the number of hours I spend with my family and friends. This one goal is going to require the most discipline.

2. Read through the Bible.
I haven’t read through the whole Bible in a while. I am actually participating in a daily reading that will take me through the entire Bible in one year and the New Testament twice. Another needed discipline.

3. Take a big risk.
I am not sure what this means right now but I have a few ideas. God is working on me in several areas that will require huge steps of faith. When I look back at 2008 I don’t see many places where I took any kind of risk. The hard part for me is that I am a risk taker. So much of my past has been about taking risks (it drives my boss and my wife crazy) and yet somewhere I stopped and began playing it safe. This year there will be some risks and they will be big.

4. Take two family vacations.
This is going to be the toughest. First of all, vacations cost money and not that we are poor but we don’t make the kind of money that will allow us to take a vacation for five very often. This will require financial discipline. Secondly, we are pushing it every year to get in one family vacation. In 2008 we didn’t even take one. This year I am committing to take two vacations. They may be to a hotel in OKC to visit the Zoo for three days but we will figure out a way to make it happen. See goal #1… needed discipline.

5. Complete Twelve Hours towards my degree.
I am still working towards that ever elusive college degree. I often joke that my goal is to graduate before my twelve year old son does. Little by little I am chipping away at my goal of graduating someday. This year I need twelve hours to feel good about my progress. You guessed it… discipline.

There they are. Now that it is out there, you are all invited to hold me accountable to these five goals. Of course there are other things I want to do this year but these are the priorities.

Have a great New Year!!

Family Hang Out Night

Posted: November 14, 2008 in children, dance, family, Kids, ministry, schedule
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A few weeks ago AP and I realized that our Thursday nights were out of control. Homework, basketball, football, dance, grocery shopping and about a half dozen other things all seemed to find their way in to our Thursday night schedule. We were running everywhere, trying to get everyone where they were supposed to be in a coordinated sequence of events that resembled a city wide game of musical chairs. We had become more fragmented as a family on Thursday nights than any other day of the week and for a family in full time ministry that means something.

We needed a way to rally Team Tibbles, so AP and I came up with the idea of a base camp. The concept was pretty simple, have a central location that we could set up and hang out while each of us accomplished our various activities and responsibilities. Usually, our shedules are so staggerd that I could run one of the kids to whatever thier commitment is for the evening while AP stays back at base camp. Then when I return AP is free to take the next child prodigy to the next event on our schedule. This process goes on until we run all of errands for the evening and all family members are back to base camp.

Not only has it worked out way better than expected, Thursdays have become one of my favorite nights of the week. For the past several weeks we have chosen Panera as our base camp. The kids get hot chocolate and I get wifi. We all look forward to it. Our night is still hectic but I get to spend quality time with each member of the fam.

Tonight I had a personal realization, there are a dozen places I am supposed to be and there are a million things I could be doing but there is only one place I want to be on Thursday nights…

Do you blame me?

State Fair

Posted: September 26, 2008 in children, family, Kids
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Every year its the same sequence of events.
State Fair commercials come on TV.
April reminisces about her family going to the fair.
Kids get excited.
Someone shouts out “Dad can we pleeeeaaaaaase go to the fair this year?”
I say “No, fairs are a waste of money…”
They all say in unison “But DAAAD!”
I say “NO!”

I seriously don’t like the whole State Fair scene.

This year the annual sequence began to play out but this time with a new ending.
GRANDMA!

So somehow I ended up with the kiddos, AP’s Grandma and her mom at the Tulsa State Fair.
I can’t say I had a lot of fun but these guys sure did

While I may never enjoy the State Fair

I will always enjoy this.

Out of My Box

Posted: September 11, 2008 in dating, family
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Even though I have spent most of my life in Oklahoma, I’m not much of a country boy. So there is only one reason I would borrow this

a pair of these
This:

make my self look like this
and attend an event like this

What reason you ask?

For this
Anything for my Ap

P.S. For the record
I thought the set was freaking awesome

but most of all I enjoyed being with her

Hope you had a great time Ap!

Weekend Schedule

Posted: August 11, 2008 in children, church, conference, family, ordination, schedule, sunday morning, wedding, Willow Creek, worship
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Friday
9:00 AM – 12:30 PM Willow Creek Leadership Summit
12:30 PM- Lunch with Staff Ministers
2:30 PM- Stage prep for Sunday
4:30 PM- guitar student
5:00 PM- guitar student
6:00 PM- Dinner
7:00 PM- Sermon Prep for Sunday (Dad’s Ordination Service)

Saturday
10:00 AM- ReWrite Sermon (Dad’s Ordination Services)
2:00 PM- Cousin Gina’s Wedding
3:30 PM- Reception
6:00 PM- Review Sunday Services
9:00 PM- Rewrite Sermon (Dad’s Ordination Service)

Sunday
5:30 AM- Wake Up
6:30 AM- Arrive at office for service review
7:00 AM- Tech Meeting
7:15 AM- Service Rehearsal
8:30 AM- First Service
9:45 AM- Leave for Inola OK
10:30 AM- Dad’s Ordination Service
11:00 AM- Second Service (I was not at this one… Jared led in my place)
12:30 PM- Lunch with the Tibbles Family
2:00 PM- Tibbles Family at my place (at one time there were 29 people in my house)
5:00 PM- Dinner with Rob and Rachel (A pleasant surprise as they stopped by on their way through town)
6:30 PM- Meet with Greg and Shawna about wedding music and other Wedding stuff
9:00 PM- Get kiddos in bed
9:30 PM- Post blog
10:00 PM- BED TIME!!!

In the words of Charlie Brown
“Good grief”

Mad Prop’s Friday Week #4

Posted: August 1, 2008 in camp, children, family, Mad Prop's Friday, summer, worship
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It’s Friday and which means… Mad Prop’s! This is the day I give my “Prop’s” to someone who has done something outstanding during the week. Feel free to leave your own “prop’s”, “atta boy’s”, or whatever it is you happen say to let someone know they are friggin awesome.

Mad Prop’s Friday Week #4

This week I have to go back to the crib to give my prop’s. Summer is such a busy time for me and my family. It usually involves church camps for the kiddos, VBS, summer sports, basketball camps and every once in a while we’ll throw in a family trip to some place where people don’t recognize us. Thrown in that I am usually gone for several weeks leaving my AP to manage the home front on her own. When I am home during the summer months it’s only for a few days at a time and it usually involves recovery and catch up work at the church leaving little time for extra things with the fam. Summer months in the Tibbles’ home require extra grace and prayer.

So this week I want to give Mad Prop’s to AP and the Kiddos

MAD PROP’S TO TEAM TIBBLES! THANKS FOR BEING SO AWESOME!!

Not only do you deserve Mad Prop’s for living with me as your husband and dad but you continually go above and beyond to support me in the crazy adventures God puts me in. I thank God for each of you everyday. You are all more than I could have ever hoped for.

Give it up ya’ll!

Stacy’s Back!!

Posted: July 16, 2008 in family, summer, worship, Worship Leaders
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Jarad and I had to lead FIGHT Night worship without Stacy last night… It was less than perfect but we managed to get through without destroying the program. So needless to say it was good to have her back tonight. I am totally diggin‘ working with Jarad and Stacy. They are totally gifted worship leaders and their love for God comes through not just on stage but in every area of life, the true definition of living sacrifices.

FIGHT Night Worship Team

Posted: July 15, 2008 in children, family, summer, worship, worship team
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Here are some of the amazing kids I get to work with at FIGHT Night. They have put in hours of rehearsals and the event itself has been awesome! Great job… two more nights to go!!!

Two Weeks To Go!

Posted: July 13, 2008 in children, dance, family, summer, worship
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I’m down to may last two weeks of summer worship events. Tonight our family production begins. I along with Stacey and Jared and a team of really cool pre-teen dancers will be leading the worship for over 100 families. It’s going to be incredible.

If you have kids under the age of 12 you need to bring them.
Click the pic or here for more info.

Hope to see you all there!!

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