TimHowey.Com

E-vites!

I'm up at the office now.

I limped in on my day off (Friday) b/c my house is empty.  Cathy, Jacob, & Karina are all up at Grace's Elementary Camp this week.  And from the looks of things, they are having a blast

Why did I "limp" in?  Because of this crazy marathon training program my friend Kevin has me on (he, of Endurance Planet).  We are supposed to put in an 18-mile training run this weekend...for a marathon in mid-October!

Anyway, the reason I wanted to write today is that our Grace web team is flat out "UH-MAZE-ING."  Their attention to our website & its design is awesome.  (Here's a special "shout out" to Steve & Jeremiah who we can all thank for it!)

They recently added the ability for us to "E-vite" our friends to upcoming weekend series.  So check out the new Grace E-vite link here & try it out on your friends for God.  :-)

Mark Your Calendar

Mark your calendars now!

  - Sunday, September 20
  - Sunday, September 27

You are NOT going to want to miss these 2 weekend services at Grace.

I'm just tellin' you...

Seriously...

Wake the family & call your neighbors...

Cancel trips...

Plan to be there...

OnePrayer Series

In 11 days, our church is kicking off our "OnePrayer" campaign.  We -- like 1000's of churches around the world -- are setting aside 4-weeks at some point this summer to partner together...and to pray.  We are going to come together, pray together, learn together, & love others together.

There are really 3 phases to "OnePrayer":

(Phase #1)  Shared Prayer -- During this 4-week series, we will pray together with churches.  For 26 straight days, we'll follow a daily prayer guide, reflect on the same Bible verses, and lift up the same prayers.  We'll even fast together on Tuesdays (skipping 1-3 meals...using that time to pray instead).

(Phase #2)  Shared Study -- We'll be studying a series called "God Is..." together.  A boatload of pastors preached a message earlier this year on the topic "God Is..."  Each participating church gets to choose which of those messages to study in their church.  We picked out these:

• July 19 –- “God is Love” (Craig Groeschel)
• July 26 –- “God is Faithful” (Andy Stanley)
• Aug 2 –- “God is Great” (Steven Furtick)
• Aug 9 -– “God is Here” (Perry Noble)

(Phase #3)  Shared Service -- Every participating church adopted a service project to love people beyond their wall together.  Grace Church will be supporting Freedom Fire Urban Ministries in downtown KCMO.  We already partner with their ministry on a regular basis (see the bottom of this web page).  We’re asking our church to purchase backpack & school supplies for the kids ministered to by Freedom Fire.  We'll be looking for 100-150 backpacks.

Guys, this will be a FANTASTIC opportunity to see how God moves as we pray together –- learn about God together –- and serve others together.

Sunset at Grace

A picture from Steve & Isabelle.

Wow.

A Cry for Brainstorming

I need your help again.  Next weekend I'm talking about "Dealing with Wounds" from Genesis 50.  Here's what I need from you:

Think about the biggest wounds/offenses/betrayals/mistakes in people's pasts.

• What does it mean to be "totally free" from a wound/offense/betrayal/mistake?
• What does it mean to be "not totally free" from it?
  
• How do people find that freedom?

Can you put your thoughts in the comment section of this blog entry?

Thanks!

Web Bonus - Our Very Best Days

Wow.  I can't believe we're almost done walking through the life of Joseph together.  1 week to go.

Yesterday we dove into a topic that's on EVERYONE'S heart these days...something people ask me about ALL the time: "Tell me more about 'Goshen', Tim!"  :-)

Actually, we called yesterday's topic "Our Very Best Days."  We saw how Goshen -- this fertile area on the northeastern side of the Nile River Delta -- was far more than just the place Israel emigrated to during a famine.  Goshen foreshadowed OUR relationship with Jesus -- that place where we "draw near" to Jesus in our hearts ("Goshen" literally means "drawing near").

Here are a few "thots"...

• Revelation Song -- This was the song right before I spoke.  I do love Revelation Song.  Our band does an INCREDIBLE job with it!  But every time Ben schedules it, I break out into the most ridiculous made-up version of this song.  It's sounds like some horrible camp-song gone bad.  (And every time Ben schedules Sing Sing Sing, I break out into Yoko Ono's horrible song Kiss Kiss Kiss...replacing the lyrics with "Sing Sing Sing.")
• The Threat -- The staff keeps threatening to record the audio or video of me breaking out into these horrible songs in the office, but they haven't caught me yet.  Too few and far between.  :-)
• Cutting Room Floor -- A good chunk of my study on "Goshen" this week had to hit the "cutting room floor." I only referenced about 1/3 of the verses "Goshen" is mentioned.  But if anyone wants to read through the other references to "Goshen" & take their best guess as to their meanings, I'll shed some extra light on it in the comment section of this blog.
• Multiplied...not Added -- My friend Dave pointed out to me after 3rd service that Israel "grew and MULTIPLIED" in Goshen...NOT "ADDED."  He's absolutely right.  God wants you to "multiply"...not "add."
  • When you "ADD", you're the only one reproducing.  When you "MULTIPLY", your spiritual children reproduce.
  • When you "ADD", you're limited to what you can do.  When you "MULTIPLY", you open it up to what everyone can do.
  • When you "ADD", you experience growth.  When you "MULTIPLY", you experience exponential growth.
  • When you "ADD", your impact ends with your lifetime.  When you "MULTIPLY", your impact goes on long after your lifetime.
• Pray for Chris & Mauritania -- I mentioned the story of Chris Leggett's murder & burial.  Be praying for his wife, kids, and for protection for people of faith in Mauritania.
  
• What's in a Name? -- As I was speaking, I tried to think of the female version of the name "Paul."  The best I could come up with on the fly was "Paulette."  (Who names their child "Paulette", anyway???)  Anyway, after 3rd service, Addy says to me, "What about the name Paula?  Or Pauline?"  (Doh!)

Next week, we'll look at "How to Deal with Deep & Painful Wounds."  There's no better person to study this topic than Joseph.  You've GOT to check out Genesis 50, then 45, then 41 before next weekend.  It is UNBELIEVABLE what God can do in our hearts...to COMPLETELY free us from our deepest, most painful wounds.

Turkish Faith Reality Show

Turkish TV is producing a "Competitive Evangelism(?)" type of series for TV, locking a bunch of avowed & verified atheists up with evangelists from various faiths.  You've got to read the full story here.

A "Hat Tip" to Tom for the link.

Average Joe - Extras

Here are a couple more thoughts on our "Average Joe" series.

• Nebraska Shout Out -- On Sunday, I was walking to the car after Karina's softball game, and a woman in our church told me about her father (a longtime church elder) & her father's church who have been following the series from Nebraska.  I guess they might have been passing around our Easter message as well.  Nice to hear what God's doing in the Cornhusker-state!
• Joseph's Resume -- Yup.  Last week, I drafted a resume for the Patriarch Joseph, as if he was applying for a job in today's marketplace.  If you want to read the details, just click the image.  (I had fun with it.)
• Book Recommendation -- Jeff, a man from my small group, has recommended people read the book Anointed for Business by Ed Silvoso.  He told me how the book RADICALLY transformed the way he thought about business -- how God can use Christians, and their successes in the corporate sector, to honor Him.  So, if you're a Christian in the marketplace, check out this book.
• Goshen??? -- This weekend, I'm building the ENTIRE message around 1 word that impacted Joseph's life: "Goshen."  (Huh????)  Yup.  It's a location in Egypt...the place Joseph set up for his family when they emmigrated from Palestine.  And it is an INCREDIBLE picture of "Our Very Best Days" with God.  Want to spend 30 minutes with God & have some fun?  Do a quick word study on "Goshen" & try to figure out how Goshen represents "Our Very Best Days."

P.S. On Sunday, July 19, we start a 4-week journey together called "OnePrayer."  I'm VERY excited what God can do in our hearts as we think beyond our church walls...beyond our (local) church to THE (global) Church!

"Blamestorming"

Alright.  This word was CRACKING me up today.  I had someone use it in a meeting.

It's the word "Blamestorming"...used for a "Brainstorming Session" where the goal is to place the blame on someone.

• You can find the definition here.
• You can find a funny commercial on YouTube here.

:-)

Web Bonus - God in the Corporate Sector

Yesterday, we stormed slammed moved ahead with our series on the life of Joseph called "Average Joe." We talked about how we can see the MIGHTY hand of God -- at work -- in OUR lives -- in "The Corporate Sector."  We hit the highlights of Genesis 39-41.

Here are a few "thots" from this week...

• Take 10 -- Take 10 minutes right now, and read the rest of Genesis 39-41.  It's a GREAT story.
• SBO Week -- It was SBO week...we had all the kids lead us in singing.  They were too cute.  And I was cracking up at my kids.  I remember laughing, "WHAT is my son doing?"  (Apparently my son was inventing moves up there!)
• SBO Story -- I got this email from someone in my small group about their daughter after Tuesday's SBO day:
  • "On Tuesday, [my daughter] says to me, 'Mom, it's only the second day of SBO and I already have my verse memorized.  Wanna hear it?'  'Sure!' I reply. Then she starts: 'Let no one despise your youth, but be an example of the believers in word, in a condo, in love, in spirit, in faith, and period.' After I quit laughing (in my head), we went over those words [in 1 Timothy 4:12] and what each one meant. :-)"
• Web Bonus -- I didn't have the chance to get to my FAVORITE sections on "How to Be a Success in the Workplace."  So here they are:  Ephesians 6:5-10 & Colossians 3:22-4:2.
  
• Salvations -- I don't know if I saw everyone's hand (I probably missed some, in fact), but we probably had a couple people receive Christ in the 1st Service, 12-14 in the 2nd, & a couple in the 3rd.  Got some stories too...
  
  • A young man named Brian had been attending Grace for a few month.  Yesterday, he left the building, but "felt compelled" to come back & talk to me.  I got the chance to sit with him & his girlfriend as he gave his life to Jesus!
  • Someone else emailed saying their relative had prayed to receive Christ with me yesterday & happened to mention it to them in passing later that day!
• New Worship Leader??? -- Did you guys in the 3rd Service like the new worship leader who started singing at the end of service?  SHOCKINGLY, It was me!  :-)  What happened?  I was introducing the offering & glanced around...no band.  I kept delaying talking...no band.  I prayed for the offering...no band.  So, I jokingly started the MOST PITIFUL rendition of "Just As I Am"...then everyone started praying for DELIVERANCE (from me)...then the band appeared.  (Whew!)
  

Next week, we are going to talk about "Our Very Best Days" with God.  If you want to read ahead, check out Genesis 42-47.