Thursday, September 08, 2005
20th Anniversary
I wish to thank those original families who helped us begin this journey 20 years ago: Bob and Jo Arthur, Robert and Nancy Berman, Steve and Pam Brewer, Rick and Charlene Colorado, Ray and Audrey Higgins, Jerri Hill, Randall and Judy Mayne, Ronnie Morgan, Dorothy Payne, Charlie and Carla Perry, Phyllis Richardson, Jerry and Sally Smith, Elaine Weaver and Juan Wright. There were so many of you that came and are here today to celebrate – I see Phyllis Richardson and Elaine Weaver, Steve & Pam Brewer, the Grants, Sally & Jerry Smith, Dorothy Payne, Ronnie Morgan--we’ve come a long way
At the first location on Willis so many of you--Gene and Barbara Hollingsworth, Bill and Suzanne Gardner.
I could go on and on. it’s interesting to see all of you here today in this room filled to capacity. You’re not a small church are you! At least not in attendance. You see us in that 600-700 worship center in four services and now it’s hard to believe this is who we have grown to--let’s get that new worship center built!
No church is what it is because of a person--but because of many people. And staff, you are exceptional.
I want to say to you that I am so proud of you NorthWood. You are an exceptional place. You have impacted your city, your community, your state and your world. It’s only fitting that today our biggest concern is how do we help the Hurricane victims--this isn’t new for us. You have made NorthWood 20 years of exceptional ministry. Churches like NorthWood are what they are because of the people, the vision, the passion, the commitment.
People ask me all the time did it turn out like you thought? My answer is always the same, “No, I figured we’d have 10,000 people by now! But I never dreamed we’d have planted close to a hundred churches with nearly 30,000 in attendance, have one of the strongest community development ministries around, and work in Vietnam and the world at the level we have. Or that my network would be what it is. Last week I met with the Queen of Uganda. Next week I’ll be with Ambassadors and diplomats at the UN.”
I remember when asked if I’d be open to starting a church vs going to pastor a very large church. My heart was drawn to the new church instead of the large church. What if we could do it right from day one?
I remember when we moved to our duplex--the Perry’s and the Colorado’s were there to greet us.
I remember when we started the theme was “Build the Walls.” Now it’s “Open the Gates.”
I remember when we started our church we did everything by the Baptist book.
I remember when we burned the Baptist book! I remember when we discovered the Kingdom Sermon on the Mount and everything became about Kingdom, journey, transformation, glocal, and multiplication. The question, “When will Jesus be enough drove everything.”
I remember the school, the worship, the set-up, the prayer, the enthusiasm, the ignorance, the passion--they seem to go together.
I remember Randy Miller in his office crying over a girl who jilted him--and me telling him God would bring someone else--and He did--Jennifer. He also brought Kara and Allison. Then our Teams ministry emerged!
I remember in our first building a baby we prayed for was healed in a family of Atheist, and they put a banner on their house that said God still works miracles. We etched it on our baptistery glass as well.
I remember in our first building baptizing the first person with AIDS--David Ozebek--and his dad and I baptizing him in the baptistery and us 3 singing
Amazing Grace only to have the whole church stand up and sing the last verse while we baptized him.
I remember selling our old facility, moving to the shopping center, and buying the 45 acres we have now.
I remember meeting Rick Warren and arguing with him most of the time only to become one of the first contemporary churches in Texas.
I remember moving after 2 years to our first location. I remember going to two services--then the shopping center back to one, then back to two, then moving to our current location in one, then two--now four and a fifth on the way in a few months. I can’t remember having just one service--make a note and picture this may be the last!!!
I remember finding out that just because you have 900 chairs in a room didn’t mean 900 people could sit there--some people’s backsides were wider than 18”! Two cheeks per seat became our motto.
I remember David and Mary Jo Small coming to NorthWood after Dave’s mom had her pastor call me. I remember this man and his wife who had worked behind the iron curtain in Eastern Europe coming to our church--Mark and Valinda Kimmel.
I remember baptizing my son Ben at our first location and my daughter Jill in the shopping center. I remember them loving God. I see them today following hard after God. I’m grateful they love God, their parents, and want to make a difference. They have been exemplary. I remember Ti coming, and bringing 4 Bhudda’s, one for each family member.
I remember when we helped start our first church--Bear Valley with Sam Carmack, then our second with Doug Walker at Fellowship of the Parks. Now we’ve started close to 90 with close to 30,000 in church every Sunday all over the US. I remember when Brian Lightsey was our first intern and then started his church in Austin. We have 5 new interns today! GlocalNet has emerged and last year alone 62 churches were planted by our network.
I remember when we adopted Vietnam as a nation for us to work in long term. It was the place our church would be the missionary. 60 exchange students now have been in our homes, some have accepted Christ--all have gone to college. We now have built schools, clinics, a children’s clinic, water purification, worked at orphanages, and right now are expanding into a factory, a University, dental clinics, and micro-enterprise. I never would have dreamed that so much of my life would be given to businessmen, educators, and diplomats or that a church or a pastor from deep East Texas could have moved in the circles and done the things that God has allowed both me and NorthWood to be a part of.
We didn’t wait until we were “big” enough or had enough “resources” to do all this. Instead we did it from the moment we discovered it. I’m so often asked by other pastors who have grown their churches large and fast, “How do I get this in my church.” I’m not sure, we put it in as a part of who we are, now as we grow larger--it’s just a matter of scale. I commend you NorthWood.
I remember when our ground breaking at our new location and did this 9 years ago.
I remember seeing people come to faith in Christ and getting on their feet fast. I remember Mike Wherle calling me on my cell phone when Dave Small and I were in San Francisco telling me he’d given his heart to Christ. This is where T-Life came from--Interactive Relationship with God--Transparent Connections--Glocal Impact.
I remember Dennis and Daneille leaving for Nepal, then Afghanistan, me going there for the first time wondering if it would be the last time only to wind up getting involved in hard places and hurting places in the world and now loving it. It led to T-World--Church Multiplication-- Community Development --Nation Building.
I remember Ben leaving home for NYU and this summer with Jill visiting University of Colorado knowing that I had a couple of winners on my hands.
NorthWood--Today
Community base for transformation
National Base for church planting
Global Base for kingdom development
Model – last year you were in 6 books alone and many articles
I remember proposing to you Nikki but telling you if you couldn’t be a missionary we probably shouldn’t get married. My how fast God called you. I remember being turned down by the FMB. I remember your willingness to start a church with me. I remember you letting negative remarks and criticism fall off your back when people would come after me. I never remember you complaining about my workload, the hours, the demands. I remember learning to trust your discernment. I never remember you telling me not to go to Afghanistan or Indonesia. I do remember and have heard you talking to other young pastors wives and encouraging them when their husbands wanted to do it, but they didn’t want them to. I remember and see you taking many a young pastors wife under your arm and spending time with them. I remember you getting out of your comfort zone and becoming a counselor to these women. I remember your first trip to Hanoi and now you’ll be going to Hanoi and later Kenya without me to speak to pastors wives and do major education projects. I’ve always seen you as a class act with depth-- not showy, loud, having to be out front, or the center of attention. Me with a tongue that stuttered a lot and you with a leg you stumbled on a lot. God has been so gracious to us.
NorthWood to be - 2006
New Building & More resources
I remember when we started God gave me Ps.2:8 “Ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance.” Last year and currently He gave us “Pass through, pass through the Gates! Prepare the way for the people, build up, build up the highway! Remove the Stones. Raise a banner for the nations.” Is. 62:10
Three Words for our future --
Transformation -- Multiplication -- Glocalization
I look forward to the day when 1000 people a year are baptized here.
I look forward to the day when we enter that 2000 seat auditorium – and have resources from several thousand that come every week to change the world.
I look forward to the day when the divorce rate is cut in half out here, and church attendance doubles in all the churches in Northeast Tarrant County.
I look forward to the day when the god of Greed is slain and people give sacrificially and pay their bills and use their money for God’s glory.
I look forward to the day when America is on her face seeking God and engaging prayer that leads to action is the order of the day and other people come here to learn how that’s done.
I look forward to the church discovering we change our nation and the world not by power politics but by prayer and personal transformation that people want.
I look forward to the day when the whole body can operate here and no one considers that novel.
I look forward to the day when one of our teenagers or young adults will become the senior pastor of this church and our young people will also hold all the other staff positions as well.
I look forward to the day when we have started churches in every single state.
I look forward to the day when we are starting 100 churches a year.
I look forward to the day when young people want to come to NorthWood more than anywhere else in the world to learn to do ministry.
I look forward to the day when NorthWood is in every domain of Society the US and in VN.
I look forward to a state of the art children’s hospital in Hanoi, a world class University, several factories.
I look forward to the day when Vietnam feels like Christians are her best citizens.
I look forward to the day when our churches are in every single nation.
I look forward to the day when world leaders as diplomats, businessmen, educators and scientists will say “that church is the real deal.”
I look forward to the day when faith lays across infrastructures like Acts--viral.
I look forward to the day when God will allow me to kneel with global gatekeepers and see them accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, then stand up and publicly profess Him.
I look forward to the day when we will have a center/institute or something that brings the best of the best together to get the best result in global development.
I look forward to the day we can be counselors as old men to our young men, and networkers and connectors to mobilize them to go far beyond anything we could imagine or see or dream.
I look forward to the day when every tongue, tribe, and nation will proclaim that Jesus is Lord.
I look forward to the day I will breathe my last and know that I’ve done my best and can rest for a little while--hopefully no cell phones in heaven.
I look forward to the day when I stand before His throne, and I want to hear Him say, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”
I look forward to the day when in heaven all of us from NorthWood over ages and years with Bob Rhodes, Helen Cranfill, Jack Parchman, Mr. Ryberg, Mike Maddox – get over in one section and sing together “Shout to the Lord.”
NorthWood – let’s get on with it – suck it up – move forward Hell is open and heaven is waiting – get busy.
At the first location on Willis so many of you--Gene and Barbara Hollingsworth, Bill and Suzanne Gardner.
I could go on and on. it’s interesting to see all of you here today in this room filled to capacity. You’re not a small church are you! At least not in attendance. You see us in that 600-700 worship center in four services and now it’s hard to believe this is who we have grown to--let’s get that new worship center built!
No church is what it is because of a person--but because of many people. And staff, you are exceptional.
I want to say to you that I am so proud of you NorthWood. You are an exceptional place. You have impacted your city, your community, your state and your world. It’s only fitting that today our biggest concern is how do we help the Hurricane victims--this isn’t new for us. You have made NorthWood 20 years of exceptional ministry. Churches like NorthWood are what they are because of the people, the vision, the passion, the commitment.
People ask me all the time did it turn out like you thought? My answer is always the same, “No, I figured we’d have 10,000 people by now! But I never dreamed we’d have planted close to a hundred churches with nearly 30,000 in attendance, have one of the strongest community development ministries around, and work in Vietnam and the world at the level we have. Or that my network would be what it is. Last week I met with the Queen of Uganda. Next week I’ll be with Ambassadors and diplomats at the UN.”
I remember when asked if I’d be open to starting a church vs going to pastor a very large church. My heart was drawn to the new church instead of the large church. What if we could do it right from day one?
I remember when we moved to our duplex--the Perry’s and the Colorado’s were there to greet us.
I remember when we started the theme was “Build the Walls.” Now it’s “Open the Gates.”
I remember when we started our church we did everything by the Baptist book.
I remember when we burned the Baptist book! I remember when we discovered the Kingdom Sermon on the Mount and everything became about Kingdom, journey, transformation, glocal, and multiplication. The question, “When will Jesus be enough drove everything.”
I remember the school, the worship, the set-up, the prayer, the enthusiasm, the ignorance, the passion--they seem to go together.
I remember Randy Miller in his office crying over a girl who jilted him--and me telling him God would bring someone else--and He did--Jennifer. He also brought Kara and Allison. Then our Teams ministry emerged!
I remember in our first building a baby we prayed for was healed in a family of Atheist, and they put a banner on their house that said God still works miracles. We etched it on our baptistery glass as well.
I remember in our first building baptizing the first person with AIDS--David Ozebek--and his dad and I baptizing him in the baptistery and us 3 singing
Amazing Grace only to have the whole church stand up and sing the last verse while we baptized him.
I remember selling our old facility, moving to the shopping center, and buying the 45 acres we have now.
I remember meeting Rick Warren and arguing with him most of the time only to become one of the first contemporary churches in Texas.
I remember moving after 2 years to our first location. I remember going to two services--then the shopping center back to one, then back to two, then moving to our current location in one, then two--now four and a fifth on the way in a few months. I can’t remember having just one service--make a note and picture this may be the last!!!
I remember finding out that just because you have 900 chairs in a room didn’t mean 900 people could sit there--some people’s backsides were wider than 18”! Two cheeks per seat became our motto.
I remember David and Mary Jo Small coming to NorthWood after Dave’s mom had her pastor call me. I remember this man and his wife who had worked behind the iron curtain in Eastern Europe coming to our church--Mark and Valinda Kimmel.
I remember baptizing my son Ben at our first location and my daughter Jill in the shopping center. I remember them loving God. I see them today following hard after God. I’m grateful they love God, their parents, and want to make a difference. They have been exemplary. I remember Ti coming, and bringing 4 Bhudda’s, one for each family member.
I remember when we helped start our first church--Bear Valley with Sam Carmack, then our second with Doug Walker at Fellowship of the Parks. Now we’ve started close to 90 with close to 30,000 in church every Sunday all over the US. I remember when Brian Lightsey was our first intern and then started his church in Austin. We have 5 new interns today! GlocalNet has emerged and last year alone 62 churches were planted by our network.
I remember when we adopted Vietnam as a nation for us to work in long term. It was the place our church would be the missionary. 60 exchange students now have been in our homes, some have accepted Christ--all have gone to college. We now have built schools, clinics, a children’s clinic, water purification, worked at orphanages, and right now are expanding into a factory, a University, dental clinics, and micro-enterprise. I never would have dreamed that so much of my life would be given to businessmen, educators, and diplomats or that a church or a pastor from deep East Texas could have moved in the circles and done the things that God has allowed both me and NorthWood to be a part of.
We didn’t wait until we were “big” enough or had enough “resources” to do all this. Instead we did it from the moment we discovered it. I’m so often asked by other pastors who have grown their churches large and fast, “How do I get this in my church.” I’m not sure, we put it in as a part of who we are, now as we grow larger--it’s just a matter of scale. I commend you NorthWood.
I remember when our ground breaking at our new location and did this 9 years ago.
I remember seeing people come to faith in Christ and getting on their feet fast. I remember Mike Wherle calling me on my cell phone when Dave Small and I were in San Francisco telling me he’d given his heart to Christ. This is where T-Life came from--Interactive Relationship with God--Transparent Connections--Glocal Impact.
I remember Dennis and Daneille leaving for Nepal, then Afghanistan, me going there for the first time wondering if it would be the last time only to wind up getting involved in hard places and hurting places in the world and now loving it. It led to T-World--Church Multiplication-- Community Development --Nation Building.
I remember Ben leaving home for NYU and this summer with Jill visiting University of Colorado knowing that I had a couple of winners on my hands.
NorthWood--Today
Community base for transformation
National Base for church planting
Global Base for kingdom development
Model – last year you were in 6 books alone and many articles
I remember proposing to you Nikki but telling you if you couldn’t be a missionary we probably shouldn’t get married. My how fast God called you. I remember being turned down by the FMB. I remember your willingness to start a church with me. I remember you letting negative remarks and criticism fall off your back when people would come after me. I never remember you complaining about my workload, the hours, the demands. I remember learning to trust your discernment. I never remember you telling me not to go to Afghanistan or Indonesia. I do remember and have heard you talking to other young pastors wives and encouraging them when their husbands wanted to do it, but they didn’t want them to. I remember and see you taking many a young pastors wife under your arm and spending time with them. I remember you getting out of your comfort zone and becoming a counselor to these women. I remember your first trip to Hanoi and now you’ll be going to Hanoi and later Kenya without me to speak to pastors wives and do major education projects. I’ve always seen you as a class act with depth-- not showy, loud, having to be out front, or the center of attention. Me with a tongue that stuttered a lot and you with a leg you stumbled on a lot. God has been so gracious to us.
NorthWood to be - 2006
New Building & More resources
I remember when we started God gave me Ps.2:8 “Ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance.” Last year and currently He gave us “Pass through, pass through the Gates! Prepare the way for the people, build up, build up the highway! Remove the Stones. Raise a banner for the nations.” Is. 62:10
Three Words for our future --
Transformation -- Multiplication -- Glocalization
I look forward to the day when 1000 people a year are baptized here.
I look forward to the day when we enter that 2000 seat auditorium – and have resources from several thousand that come every week to change the world.
I look forward to the day when the divorce rate is cut in half out here, and church attendance doubles in all the churches in Northeast Tarrant County.
I look forward to the day when the god of Greed is slain and people give sacrificially and pay their bills and use their money for God’s glory.
I look forward to the day when America is on her face seeking God and engaging prayer that leads to action is the order of the day and other people come here to learn how that’s done.
I look forward to the church discovering we change our nation and the world not by power politics but by prayer and personal transformation that people want.
I look forward to the day when the whole body can operate here and no one considers that novel.
I look forward to the day when one of our teenagers or young adults will become the senior pastor of this church and our young people will also hold all the other staff positions as well.
I look forward to the day when we have started churches in every single state.
I look forward to the day when we are starting 100 churches a year.
I look forward to the day when young people want to come to NorthWood more than anywhere else in the world to learn to do ministry.
I look forward to the day when NorthWood is in every domain of Society the US and in VN.
I look forward to a state of the art children’s hospital in Hanoi, a world class University, several factories.
I look forward to the day when Vietnam feels like Christians are her best citizens.
I look forward to the day when our churches are in every single nation.
I look forward to the day when world leaders as diplomats, businessmen, educators and scientists will say “that church is the real deal.”
I look forward to the day when faith lays across infrastructures like Acts--viral.
I look forward to the day when God will allow me to kneel with global gatekeepers and see them accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, then stand up and publicly profess Him.
I look forward to the day when we will have a center/institute or something that brings the best of the best together to get the best result in global development.
I look forward to the day we can be counselors as old men to our young men, and networkers and connectors to mobilize them to go far beyond anything we could imagine or see or dream.
I look forward to the day when every tongue, tribe, and nation will proclaim that Jesus is Lord.
I look forward to the day I will breathe my last and know that I’ve done my best and can rest for a little while--hopefully no cell phones in heaven.
I look forward to the day when I stand before His throne, and I want to hear Him say, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”
I look forward to the day when in heaven all of us from NorthWood over ages and years with Bob Rhodes, Helen Cranfill, Jack Parchman, Mr. Ryberg, Mike Maddox – get over in one section and sing together “Shout to the Lord.”
NorthWood – let’s get on with it – suck it up – move forward Hell is open and heaven is waiting – get busy.
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