Richard Sims

How's It Going? part 2

How's it going at Tapestry?  Here's another story to answer that question...

A couple of weeks ago, a mom and her two children (middle school and high school age) were having dinner with some friends on a Sunday night. The subject of that morning's message at Tapestry came up in the conversation, with the mom explaining parts of the message. She was interrupted by her son, who, along with her daughter, told the rest of the message.

The mom e-mailed me to say "I cannot tell you what it meant to hear my children sharing what they learned with us and just the fact that they actually listened and learned from the sermon and were excited to share it. As far back as I can remember, that has never happened!!  It was more confirmation for me that Tapestry is where we are supposed to be!"

God is doing some great things at Tapestry Church. And for you volunteers, thanks for creating environments that allow this to happen!

Say Hello to Ryan

I want to introduce you to someone who is an enormous help to Tapestry and who most of you have never met. Ryan Fitzgerald helps us in service planning, set design, quips (those slides you see on the screens before the service begins), and much more - all "behind the scenes" stuff that most people don't even think about but are so important. And you haven't seen him because Ryan's work for Tapestry takes place during the week, not on Sundays. But he's making a huge impact. (Ryan is also leading theAmp, which will equip the next generation of worship leaders. Great ministry!) So head on over to Ryan's blog and let him know you appreciate all the hard work he's doing for Tapestry!

Sunday Recap

In week 2 of Mythbusters, we learned a few things.

First, you can break an egg with one hand! Great job Ashley and Jay - you rock!

Second, the gray cylinders on the top of power poles are not water coolers. They are transformers.

Third, it is not true that "the better I am, the more God loves me." Here's the truth: My behavior doesn't determine or shape God's love for me. God's love for me determines and shapes my behavior. The bottom line - God loves you!

Brad Long did a tremendous job leading worship at Tapestry for the first time. And for the first time, we had a 3-piece band with Brad on guitar, Richard Meeder on bass and Guy Strauss on drums. Great job guys!

Set list:
You Are
All We Need
From the Inside Out
Came to My Rescue
How He Loves - closer (Eddie Kirkland version)

Community Groups Update

As we move forward together as a church, one thing that will become more and more obvious is the importance we place on community. We really, really want to see people moving forward in their walk with God.  And we believe that, ultimately, the best environment for that is in community with other believers.  That's why from day one we've offered small group opportunities for preschoolers and children. 

We believe that accountability, care and a sense of belonging are crucial to our spiritual growth. These three things are best achieved within the context of a small group of like-minded, relationally-connected believers. Tapestry’s goal will be for every attender, from preschool through adulthood, to be connected in a small group.

We are stubborn in our belief that a small group is the best place for sustained life change to occur.  For adults, Community Groups (groups of 6-12 people that meet in a group member’s home for relational connection, Bible study and prayer) are where they will study God’s Word together and discuss the issues and challenges of life.  At Tapestry, small groups will not be just a nice addition to our ministry; they will be the heartbeat of our ministry.

The first step in beginning our adult Community Group ministry is to develop group leaders. You may think you don't have the gift of teaching. Great! Because we're not looking for teachers. We're looking for people who can lead and shepherd and love a small group of people. 

Our next Community Group Leader Orientation will be held this Sunday, 4-6pm at the church. Come on up and check it out, ask some questions, give it a try. You'll love it!

Fun in Rome

So we had to take Anslee to soccer camp tonight in Rome, which lasted until about 9:30. Kim and Tori had a little shopping to do, so us guys had the opportunity to take in a double-header with the Rome Braves. Well, almost a double-header; we had to leave after the third inning of game 2. Cool thing is, the Braves won game 1 in their last at-bat. Ah, one of those good, father-son times you just can't get enough of...

Sunday Recap

Mythbusters certainly started with a bang! For starters, we welcomed Josh Watson to Tapestry on his very first Sunday here! Welcome Josh!

Then we learned something about wint-o-green lifesavers: even if you couldn't see it this morning, there really is a blue light that flashes when you bite into one. You have to be in total darkness and be looking right in the person's mouth as they bite down with their back teeth, but it happens. Myth, confirmed!

Then we busted a couple of myths about God and his people. First, believers will not spend eternity floating around on clouds playing a harp; we'll be in the new heaven and new earth. Second, eternity will not be the same for every believer. Our works will be judged, and that will determine what heaven is like for us. How you live your life matters!

As always, Neil Tankersley did a great job leading worship, even with the video console crashing and having no lyrics on the screens. What an adventure!

Set list:
Where the Streets Have No Name - opener
Not To Us
Your Grace is Enough
Glorious One
From the Inside Out

Huge News!!

This is a major, major announcement! 

I am pumped to announce that Josh Watson is our new Director of Family Ministries at Tapestry Church! Josh is a graduate of Woodland High School and an '06 graduate of the University of Georgia. He has most recently been director of media and students at New Covenant Church here in Cartersville, and before that he was at Athens Church, a strategic partner of North Point Ministries, where he served in Family Ministry with an emphasis in UpStreet.

Josh is passionate about family ministry – and believes that the greatest impact in a child’s life is when there is a combined influence of the church and the family.

Josh's job description at Tapestry will primarily involve administrative oversight of Waumba Land and UpStreet, and he'll be hands-on in developing environments for our teenagers.

He'll be here at Tapestry this Sunday, so introduce yourself to him, and even better, ask him how you can serve in Family Ministry!

Looking Ahead...

There are all kinds of myths and urban legends out there. Some myths are perfectly harmless, while others can be very dangerous. For example, if you respond to an e-mail sent from a wealthy person in another country who wants to deposit his money into your account (all you have to do is give him your account information), you might be in trouble.

At the same time, there are all kinds of myths about God. Some are harmless, but some can be very dangerous. This Sunday we begin a 3-part series called Mythbusters.  We're going to have a blast and at the same time tackle some of the really big myths about God and his people.  And it all starts this Sunday!

Indiana Jones Eat Your Heart Out

Andy gave me a gift in this box he made. We had just watched Raiders of the Lost Ark, and then Andy got his Bible out and I helped him investigate a little more about the Ark of the Covenant. Lo and behold, he makes this box for me with my present in it. Check out the poles used to carry the ark (paper towel rolls). Cool, huh?

Sunday Recap

Today we wrapped up two weeks of The Deity Formerly Known as God by looking at the flip side of last week's message. Last week we said that instead of sitting back and watching us, just waiting for us to mess up so He can zap us, God is a God of love and ridiculous generosity.

This morning we balanced that out, because neither is God a sweet old man who wouldn't hurt a fly and who let's anyone into heaven. The truth is God is perfectly just, and we are separated from Him by our sin.  How we live matters!

But God loves us too much to leave us separated from Him, so He provided the way through the death of His Son for us to have a relationship with Him. But that isn't the end of the story, because even after we become Christians, how we live matters! Believers will have to stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ one day and account for our lives. And that will determine what heaven will be like for us. We'll look a little closer at that next week, in week 1 of Mythbusters.

Moxie and the guys brought it today! Great job as always. Here's the set list:

Marvelous Light
Here is Our King
From the Inside Out
You Never Let Go