Richard Sims

Family Matters

This Sunday at Tapestry I'll be talking about "Family Matters," because, well, family matters at TC.

I think that when it comes to ministry to children and teenagers, we have a philosophy that's different from most other churches. We do not offer a babysitting service. This generation of children and teenagers matters to us way too much for that to happen.

But we can't do it alone.

So if you're a parent, join us this Sunday morning for "Family Matters." And if you're not a parent, here's a chance to learn even more about the vision of Tapestry Church.

Here's What's Happening...

Two days this week with the kids out of school, and I'm way behind on blog posts. But we had an absolute blast during our Fall Break.

Sunday we closed out the LO$T series with a most practical message. If you weren't at Tap last Sunday and would like the fill-in-the-blank points, just shoot me an e-mail. And if I say that Danny Dukes led worship, do I even need to tell you that worship was incredible? I will anyway...it was incredible!

On Monday the fam drove to north Georgia for some apples, a petting zoo, our Halloween 2008 pumpkin, and a picnic at Amicalola Falls. Like I said, we had a blast!

Yesterday, well, I now have two lawnmowers that aren't working. Not much else I can say about that.

And here's a heads-up for this Sunday...I'll be sharing Tapestry's philosophy about our ministry to children and teenagers, which I believe is different from most churches around. More on that later in the week...

Fight Club and Parents

We're just two days away from Fight Club at Tapestry! This entire 4-week video series is about family relationships, which sometimes can be tough but are always worth fighting for. This Sunday Holly Delich tells the story of her relationship with her dad and about her battle for that relationship. I am pumped! You can go here to send an e-vite out to your friends.

Speaking of families, Josh has started a brand new site, and if you're a parent go check it out right now. Seriously, stop reading this blog and click here now!  At Tapestry, we want to partner with parents, and as part of that we want you to always know what your child is being taught in Waumba Land, UpStreet and InsideOut. This site is part of that, as are handouts your child is given when they leave church on Sundays. Check out the link, and then tell us what you think. Hey, that even rhymes!

Summer Vacation is Over; UpStreet is Back!

Today each year is like the worst day for me. After spending the last 10 weeks with the kids at home, today they went back to school. It's so strange not seeing them for 7 hours. But they all have good teachers, and even Anslee is excited about high school. So...I'll get used to it again.

School starting back means something else, too: UpStreet will be back this Sunday! UpStreet is our environment for children in Kindergarten through 5th grade, and it takes place each week at 10:00am. This is where children learn from the Bible, they learn to worship through singing, and they build quality friendships with other kids and adult leaders. UpStreet has both a large group energetic worship experience and small group time. By the time a child transitions to the sixth grade, we want them to have made the following 3 decisions:

I need to make the WISE choice.
I can TRUST GOD no matter what.
I should treat OTHERS the way I want to be treated.

If you have a child UpStreet age, bring them this Sunday! And if you have any questions at all about UpStreet, please e-mail upstreet@tapestrychurchonline.com.

Things are Cranking Up

Summer vacation is slowly winding down, and that means things at Tapestry are gearing up. UpStreet returns on August 10, along with a great video series called Fight Club, a 4-week series with 3 different speakers discussing the importance of family. Invite everyone you know to this series! Plus, we're working hard to get our Community Groups going this fall.

I had a great meeting with this guy the other day, and I am so pumped about what we're going to be doing in family ministry. Waumba Land is going strong, UpStreet is coming back, and you'll also be hearing more about our ministry to students in grades 6-12.

This Sunday, we close out Mythbusters with the messiest myth of all.  Great things are on the way!  I am pumped!

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!

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...

Baseball Fever

I'm certainly not the baseball expert, but I have been to my share of professional baseball games. I've been to minor league games in Chattanooga and Huntsville, and to the majors at Turner Field, old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Royals Stadium in KC (where I saw Bo Jackson play), and old Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

But I don't think I've ever seen a stadium so electric as last Saturday night at State Mutual Stadium in Rome with the Single A Rome Braves! The whole family went, but of course it was a treat for Andy, because John Smoltz was planning to pitch one inning. When John came walking in from the bullpen in the 8th inning, the crowd went crazy. When he started jogging to the mound, the crowd went wild. When he got the third out on a K, I thought the place would explode. All this in a stadium small enough that you feel like you can reach out and touch the players.

Andy looked at me while Smoltz was pitching and said, "Dad, he's gonna be in the Hall of Fame!" Just one of those moments as a dad when you know all is right in the world.

Friday Thoughts

• It's hard to believe, but today is the last day of school! Summer vacation is here!  But I'm always a little sad, too, because I see my children growing up so fast. It seems like just the other day we were taking Anslee to her first day of Pre-K. Time flies!

• David Cook! Yes!!!  Finally, a rocker wins AI!

• This Sunday we'll continue the Destinations series, and we'll look at a really small but really important verse of Scripture. We learned last week that it's our direction, not our intentions, that determines our destination. But how do you know where your current path will lead? How do you know if you're on the wrong road? We'll look at a prayer that can go a long way in helping us see where we're headed and when we need to change course. This is so important - if you were thinking about sleeping in since it's a holiday weekend, don't do it this Sunday!

Quick Thoughts

Here are some quick thoughts on a Friday:

• No, you weren't experiencing technical difficulties: I just haven't had time to post the last two days.
• I'm really excited about this Sunday.  I'm looking forward to the worship time, with two songs brand new to Tapestry. Word of warning: this isn't going to be a typical Mother's Day message. We're closing out the On Location series by talking about a handful of practices that will help us be the light of the world.
• Now that the Hawks are done, is there anyone who reads this blog watching the NBA playoffs?
• Major Tapestry events coming up: May 16, 17 we'll put out signs for the Duck Derby; May 18 Tapestry picnic; June 7 Barbecue Classic.
• Anslee leaves early Saturday morning on the Cartersville Middle School "tour of Georgia," and she won't be back until next Thursday night. Not looking forward to being away from her for that long!
• Thank goodness for the rain that washed out some of the pollen. May is my worst month (grass pollen). By the middle of the month, I'll be able to tell whether the over-the-counter Zyrtec is working.
• Lost is rocking my world!  For every answer I get, they give me 3 new questions! Any other Lost junkies out there?