a word from Greg Taylor

DRAMA TONIGHT FROM OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE
A drama group from Oklahoma Christian University will perform in Phillips Hall, 7 pm tonight! Come for the Wednesday meal 5-7 pm and stay for this entertaining and thought-provoking group.

PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY'S WON BY ONE
In two weeks, June 24, 7 pm Phillips Hall we'll have "Won by One," a singing group from Pepperdine University.

ICE CREAM SOCIAL
Did you hear what Loy Johnson said Sunday? Ice Cream July 5. Cool, in more ways than one. Mike Hornsby told me a story about an ice cream social he attended at Garnett years back when he ate some of the best ice cream he'd ever eaten. Peach Ice Cream in a homemade ice cream freezer. Well, Mike went looking for the maker and found her. He didn't tell me who she is--wondering if she'll fess up after this email! (Most importantly, will she make this ice cream again . . . Please?) Below is the secret recipe for the best ice cream Mike ever ate.

She said, "I got my ice cream freezer ready." Check. Then she said, "I got a couple cans of peaches and opened them up and poured them in." Check. Then she told the secret. She said, "I went down to Braums and got a few pints of vanilla ice cream and mixed it in with the peaches and put the container down in the ice." Viola. "Homemade" ice cream, and the best, according to Mike Hornsby.

So if you can make "homemade" ice cream, bring it on. If not, bring Braums! OK, we need some of you good folks to help organize the tables, bowls, signs on the ice cream, sign people up, etc.

Who wants to help the Shepherds get this done? We need people with the gifts of Church Social Planning! And really, this kind of hospitality is a true gift and some of you work hard at it, so if you can help with organizing the Ice Cream Social July 5, please contact Janet Collins - jcollins@garnettchurch.org. This will be a good "warm up" to our Garnett 40th Anniversary Family Reunion August 28-29. Mark your calendars for that!

This Sunday, June 14, I'll be continuing the Jesus series with the first of several sermons on the "I am" sayings of Jesus in the Gospel of John. I'm looking forward to what we'll learn together about our Lord Jesus.

Loy Johnson will preach in my place Sunday, June 21. You won't want to miss Loy's unique and creative approach to pulling a lot of things together for us historically and in how the church ought to live our our mission in Christ today.






Greg Taylor

A word from Greg Taylor

Recently Robin and some Garnett students were at Wendy's on 31st West of 169, and the manager, Joy, said she'd like to host a Student Ministry Fundraiser for our student mission trips this summer. So tonight, before or after the Neighborhood Kitchens meal and classes, head over to Wendy's for a Frosty or burger and take the handout students have been passing out, and we'll receive part of tonight's profits for missions.

Joy, the Wendy's manager, said she has come to our Neighborhood Kitchens meals, and two other employees at Wendy's chimed in and told Robin how good the food was and how much they enjoyed it, and one employee even mentioned Clarence Davis and how he had helped with a ride.

"It was exciting to feel that immediate sense of connection with the community meal," Robin said.
These are the amazing connections and fun we're having in the community. Thanks, Robin! And speaking of Wednesday meals, this is (from left) Mark Rushmore and Martin Ramos. They are friends working together at our Wednesday night meal, called Neighborhood Kitchens. Each Wednesday 200 are served and most are guests from our community.

Mark is a Garnett partner who helps set up tables, chairs, takes nasty dripping trash to the dumpster, and smiles as he's doing here! Mark is one of the kindest, most Christ-like guys you'll meet, but he's not the type to just slap people on the back and introduce himself to strangers. Yet he's serving Wednesdays . . . and so can you. If you are the type who likes to meet new people, come and enjoy plenty of people to meet and serve (and the cool thing is we also learn and are served by our guests!).

Martin Ramos works with East Tulsa Prevention Coalition (ETPC) in gang prevention. He gets kids in East Central High School and our neighborhood enrolled in "Martin's gang." Martin is bilingual, speaking great Panama Spanish and mixes it up with the many Spanish speakers who come to our Wednesday meal. We're so glad to have Martin with us each week and so glad to have him as a friend.

Come tonight!

Want to engage in loving our church and community? Let our leadership team know! Email

Fireproof TONIGHT at Garnett!

7 pm Phillips Hall
Come for the Neighborhood Kitchens Meal 5-7 pm and stay for the free showing of the movie, Fireproof.




A word from Greg Taylor
Ethelene Davis and Arnetta Pollard had both recommended a great new movie, so Jill and I told the kids we were watching that movie just out on DVD: Fireproof. We said they could watch it with us if they wanted. The kids didn't seem very interested. You know, a movie has to be hyped in theaters months in advance and carry some kind of kid-cred for them to think it's legit sometimes. So we played it cool and just said, "Watch a few minutes with us if you want."

They did and they were hooked and watched the whole movie. We all benefited from the movie as a family and I believe you, your family, your spouse or loved ones will enjoy Fireproof and grow spiritually from watching the movie.

Student Ministry is popping popcorn, Spirit and Truth Church is coming over to join us for the movie, all are welcome from the community and many will stay after eating the free Neighborhood Kitchens meal.

Come eat 5-7 pm and then grab some popcorn and we'll get the movie started around 7:20. We'll need help breaking down tables and setting up chairs after the meal. We'll also ask people if they want to attend a class on marriage and relationships offered later in the year and facilitated by Walt and Kathy Erwin.

Be not afraid

Fear paralyzes so many today. From Swine Flu to terrorism to dying a painful death to loneliness, people are afraid.

Those here Sunday were asked to write on an index card one thing they most fear. I spoke about fearing for the lives of my children, and how this can become paralyzing and even idolatrous. More people feared losing loved ones than anything else--that stack of index cards was tallest with several dozen expressing that fear.

About the same number expressed fear of being alone, dying alone, or having a painful or prolonged illness. Many, however, expressed spiritual fears, such as going to hell. Many expressed fear of displeasing God or failure, or simply that they fear God.

Of course a few wrote that they fear spiders, snakes, tornadoes, the unknown. A few fear losing job or the ability to support their families. Some fear the violence in our world, from extremist violence to break-ins to government intervention in our lives.

There's no doubt about it, fear is a strong tool for good. We run or protect when fear strikes, but fear can also be used as a tool of Satan. Our task is to look our fears squarely and discern whether or not these fears have led us to worship something other than God. We worship what we fear, or respect. To fear rightly is to respect, honor, and worship God.

Jesus said in Luke 12, which we looked at Sunday, "do not be afraid of those who can kill the body and after that can do no more." Then he says, "Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him."

Jesus follows by saying God cares about us so much he has our hairs numbered. He hasn't even forgotten the sparrows, so how could he forget you?

Then he draws a connection to ownership. If you own God, by acknowledging him before people you may fear, he'll own you. Disown Christ, he says, and you will be disowned before the angels of heaven. This chapter is full of hard sayings of Jesus, and it's followed by the infamous "blasphemy" against the Holy Spirit. This is a kind of rebellion against the prophets and very presence of God in Christ, a hardened heart that God allows people to have but with consequences of punishment and no forgiveness (Luke 12:10).

Later in the chapter, Jesus tells about a man who is rich in things for himself but poor toward God. So don't worry, he says, your father knows what you need so you don't have to worry about it. He has given us the kingdom, so he says we can sell our possessions and give to the poor.

We're so afraid of losing what we have that we forget it was God who gave it to us in the first place. When we begin to see everything as God's, we can begin to give more freely, looking for people who are poor among our church body and sharing all things with them, then widening the circle to the poor in our community, and sharing all things with them.

So many of us trip over Jesus plain command, "Sell your possessions and give to the poor" (Luke 12:33). But can we live with that statement a while, rather than explaining it away? Can this be something we pray for the strength to do, whether gradually, slowly or suddenly?

To take steps toward emptying ourselves of fear and dread of loss and filling ourselves with words of Christ takes prayer, faith, practice, and listening. Jesus emptied himself of everything. And that's the call of Christ in this difficult chapter 12 of Luke's gospel. Let's start by giving up fear to God in prayer this week. Would you pray today, "God, I give you my fears"? Tomorrow and the next day, would you speak those fears out loud to God? Read Luke 12 and see what God is saying to you.

Some people of prayer have come to Garnett today to pray over each card that was written expressing fears. Thank you to those who prayed.

What is justice?

What does the word justice bring to mind? What did justice mean to Jesus?

I think of the words "fairness" and "equity" and "dignity" among others.

Today we're hosting Paul Kent from Habitat for Humanity Tulsa at the Green Country Event Center. We'll get his input on how our land or resources can be used to bring justice to those without adequate or affordable housing in Tulsa.

We're also hosting Linda Williamson, Chairman of the Board of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Tulsa. She is bringing her team and we'll also get their input on how we can participate in justice for Hispanic people in Tulsa.

Sunday, May 10

Sunday is Mother's Day and Baby Dedication @ Garnett Church of Christ

Lundy Morrison and Janet Collins have put together an excellent dedication and time to honor mothers. Kathy Erwin and children's chorus will be singing, and Amy Victory plans to give a testimony that goes along with Greg Taylor's sermon. There are a few pieces of good news and surprises you won't want to miss, but you'll have to come to find out!

IMPORTANT NOTE: After Bible classes this Sunday, May 10, all children and babies of all ages will be coming into worship for the entire worship time. Nursery will still be open if mothers need it but it will not be staffed for leaving babies, since all ages of children will be with us for whole worship.

JAMES AND NELDA LAWRENCE: Nelda Lawrence's dad, Byron Stewart, passed away suddenly Wednesday May 6 in Longview, TX. James and Nelda are traveling there for the funeral which will be Satruday at 2 p.m. Please pray for Nelda's family. Related to this, Greg Taylor will teach a combined class in James Lawrence's place, 9 am Sunday, May 10 in Building 6.

garnettinfo@gmail.com

All welcome to pray Thursday May 7

You're invited to Garnett Church of Christ May 7 Thursday 7 am - 7 pm for National Day of Prayer. Come at time best for you. We'll have a place for personal prayer, a place where groups can gather to pray, and a cafe where you can drink coffee with old friends and make new friends. All welcome, saints and sinners, backsliders, people of all faith traditions. Pray for city, state, nation, and ALL nations.

Tulsa World story

National Day of Prayer: 7 to 7 @ Garnett

Thursday, May 7 from 7 am to 7 pm the Mall, Prayer Center and Worship Center will be open for the National Day of Prayer.

Everyone is welcome for coffee and fellowship in the Mall, times of focused prayer in the Prayer Center, and prayer time in spontaeous groups in the Worship Center. Printed and displayed prayer helps will be provided.

We are not signing up for times but opening from 7 am to 7 pm for come and go times of prayer. Garnett staff and shepherds other people of prayer will be on hand to facilitate, but everyone is also welcome to these three areas for the different activities of fellowship, personal prayer, and group prayer. All Garnett partners, community guests, Green Country Event Center community are all welcome.

This Garnett 7 to 7 event is registered at the National Day of Prayer web site: http://www.ndptf.org

5-7 pm today building 6 Garnett is celebrating a great partnership with Union GED/ESL with pizza and open house so more in East Tulsa can see these great programs offered at Green Country Event Center.

Larry James coming to Garnett April 19

We've invited Larry James, CEO of Central Dallas Ministries, to return after three years and speak to our congregation April 19, 10 am.

Larry and his right hand attorney, John Greenan, gave us the spark and imagination three years ago to launch the Green Country Event Center, a "business as mission" effort to be good stewards of the Garnett Church facility and partner with God in pursuing our community.

Since then, we've been learning and enjoying rubbing shoulders with people from all walks of life, from five different churches that meet regularly, several schools including Union GED/ESL, dozens of businesses and people of peace who have come to use our place. We're on an amazing journey, and Larry is coming to help spark vision again, this time for another phase that includes land around our church as another part of the mission to be good neighbors and make disciples of Christ in East Tulsa.

Your view of life, the poor, the economy, and the kingdom of God will be challenged by what Larry James has to say Sunday, April 19 at Garnett, 10 am. We'll have a lunch after worship to talk more about our vision and show a video that Lance Newsom is working on that asks a couple dozen people around Garnett and event center, "What's God up to in your life and this community?" Please join us for worship and lunch!

Update

• Tulsa Soul-Winning Workshop is next week, March 26-28 at Tulsa Fairgrounds. The theme is Evangelistic Explosion.
• Wednesday, March 25, 5-7 pm come for a free meal and fellowship called Neighborhood Kitchens. We'll also be hosting visitors coming for the workshop (item above), and we'll have a time of worship and telling of good stories about what God is doing in East Tulsa and beyond.
• For student ministry events and news, check out the student blog (click student link above)
• We're hiring a full-time children's minister at Garnett. If you know of a qualified person who may be interested, please contact Greg Taylor, gtaylor@garnettchurch.org.
• Jessica Rogers was baptized Sunday, March 15 during our worship. What a great day together and to end with a baptism brought great joy to the congregation.
• Want to sign up for email updates that are send daily at 3 pm? See link on right navigation bar.
  

Hello from Lubbock!

I'm staying with a high school friend and his family and enjoying reconnecting with them. I'm here for the ZOE Conference at the Monterey Church of Christ. I'm involved with ZOE because we help people break free from legalism and experience a new journey with Jesus Christ.

We help people with stepping stones like articles on Wineskins.org, conference experiences in worship, great speakers such as Mike Cope, Jeff Walling, Randy Harris, Scot McKnight, music in CD and printed sheet music for fresh approaches to worship, and a Growing Deeper Spirituality program. Check all this out at www.wineskins.org and www.zoegroup.org

Plans are to return to Tulsa Saturday night, and I'll be preaching Sunday on Matthew 5:38-42.

May our love with God grow deeper and passion for our world go wider.

--Greg

P.S. Here are the small group questions for this week:

Small Group Questions

Read Matthew 5:38-39

Tell about an experience you've had in your family, work, church where you've seen someone living out Jesus teaching.

Have there been times when your punishment or "justice" exceeded the wrong done? For example, for parents: can you tell about a time when the punishment you gave your children inappropriately exceeded their wrongdoing?

How can we live this teaching out in our homes, work, church, neighborhood?

Read Matthew 5:40-42

Tell about an experience you've had in your family, work, church where you've seen someone living out Jesus teaching.

How can your small group give to those who ask, share your "two coats" with someone in need, go the "extra mile"?

How can we pray for you?

Daniel Mwaza Fast

During Lent I'm on a Daniel Fast. No, not Daniel in the Bible.

My friend, Daniel Mwaza, in Uganda told me how to lose weight . . . He said, "Stop eating so much."

So I'm eating half of the normal American calorie intake (which about matches intake of half the world), with about 4 oz of protein a day.

I lived seven years in Uganda, and this fast helps me remember those days when I saw children in villages eat their one meal for the day, a handful of beans and some cassava (yucca root).

Fasting can heighten your awareness of God, lead to deeper prayer and discernment. It can also lead to poor brain function. I could barely make it through a seekers Bible study last night after our Neighborhood Kitchens meal, but God gave me the power to finish when we discussed from Mark 3 the way the evil spirits bowed down in the presence of Jesus. We saw that nothing can prevail against God, nothing.

The last few weeks have been a bittersweet whirlwind with my move to lead minister of Garnett Church of Christ and the exit of my friend and co-worker, our former lead minister Wade Hodges.

I'm very happy to preach and help lead this church under the guidance of our shepherds, the teamwork of a great staff, and in partnership with an incredible congregation that is seeing before us the greatest opportunity in decades--probably since the bus ministry--to reach out to our neighbors through Neighborhood Kitchens, Angel Food, Food Pantry, where we see hundreds of guests and fellow servants seeking the Lord, community, life.

We're also looking for a full-time children's minister and rebuilding a great ministry to children as well as continuing an incredible student ministry that Lance Newsom and Deanie Johnson and a band of volunteers run so very well.

Last night, a Garnett teacher taught class, filled with both children from families currently at Garnett and children of adult guests who are checking out what this community is all about. She was headed home and said she was hungry. We had fed more than 200 guests and our beloved Chef Roy was not there to stretch food like he normally does (he was home recovering from surgery). So we ran out of food, and this teacher had been last in line. She was heading home with her boys, hungry but smiling, another kind of fast for the sake of the kingdom and the mission of this congregation.

Preaching at Garnett

I've let the news of Wade Hodges leaving Garnett to plant a church in Austin, Texas settle in for a while and now want to tell you a little about how I'm feeling about preaching at Garnett Church of Christ in Tulsa.

I love Garnett Church of Christ more today than ever before, and I'm very happy to preach and help lead the church alongside very capable and loving shepherds, staff, and other servants in the church.

I grew up in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, so I've known of Garnett for decades. The Tulsa Soul-Winning Workshop was a rite of Spring, and I have fond memories of my mother, Charlotte Taylor, and my aunt, Karen Williams, spreading out picnics in the Expo when it was cold and rainy and at Woodward Park when it was sunny and the azaleas were about to bloom.

For twenty years I've wanted to preach and help lead a church going through a neighborhood transition, and Garnett has been doing that. East Tulsa was growing with new housing when the church built near 31st and Garnett many years ago. Now the neighborhood is revitalizing with new stores and active neighborhood associations and Community Schools that we partner with, including Briarglen and Cooper Elementary Schools. What I mean by this is that some churches either grow old and die or they move to the suburbs, but Garnett has stayed put through neighborhood transition economically and ethnically, and this has been a dream of mine to help a church like this transform to serve God right where we are.

In the past several years, the church has declined in attendance but has grown stronger in other ways, including the ability to dream again, creatively use our resources, stop gossiping and speak face to face with people and not behind their backs. Other areas of growth are Garnett's outreach to the community, continued small group participation, and an element that has been true of the church for a long time: joyful worship and good preaching.

With God's help and illumination of his word and gospel, I plan to continue that tradition of good preaching. In the weeks leading up to Easter we will finish the Sermon on the Mount series, and we will have special events for youth, for families, including a showing of the film, Fireproof, and ongoing classes such as Single Parenting led by Jo Morton and Robert Garland, Better Life 101 led by Jim Roberts, Hebrews led by James Lawrence, and Following Jesus led by Greg Taylor.

We have classes both Sundays (9 am) and Wednesdays (7 pm) for cradle to high school and for adults. We also have a free meal called Neighborhood Kitchens, and all are welcome from 5-7 pm. Just come in the West entrance and we'll welcome you there. We'd love to see you come to our worship at 10 am Sundays, and we'll welcome you and show you around and enjoy worshiping God with you.

Greg Taylor
Preacher, Garnett Church of Christ

What will 2009 bring?

Could you have imagined one year ago what 2008 would bring? Can you imagine what events will happen in your life in 2009, what will happen internationally?

What can you do in 2009 to be ready for the changes that will occur in your life and in the world? Since I was a child I have made personal goals at the beginning of each year. I no longer make personal goals but try to think about the communities I'm in and what our community goals will be.

Last night my family sat down to a beautifully prepared meal my wife made. Pork tenderloin wrapped around spinach and provolone cheese, sauteed peas, mushrooms, carrots, salad, and potatoes. Jill offered the children a copy of our family's one year Bible to read personally and suggested we read it together as well. We talked about what the year would bring, we discussed how we were getting our house in order individually and collectively.

Next week our church will have these discussions, sitting around meals, in offices, in coffee shops. I'll have these conversations with various ministry leaders, shepherds, fellow ministers at Garnett. I'll talk to Eric, Keith, Lara, and others on the ZOE team and we'll discern what God is leading us to in 2009. I'll meet with Jeff Krisman and talk about what will happen with Neighborhood Kitchens/Wednesday night meals at Garnett.

To begin this year, I'll also talk with Leonard Allen about what's going on with Leafwood/ACU Press that I can help with. We have a few cool things up our sleeves in all these areas. I'll check in with Clint Davis about Kibo's goals--he and I met yesterday in his yard, but for a different purpose: to cut a pesky tree that was damaging his house. I'm glad I'm down off that roof and the limb is safely down without breaking windows. We were proud of ourselves!

January is really about conversations of direction and purpose in the communities I live in. We don't make goals as much as we prepare ourselves for what could come, for what God is doing in the world. Will we be ready to face challenges that come, and what do we need to do and be to be ready? That question is more important than the goals we make. Are we shaped in the image of Christ? How do we do that so we're ready for opportunities and challenges that life and God bring our way?

So our exercise fitness, the way we eat, the way we daily pray, fast (or not), enter in Scripture and thought of fellow Christ followers, all serves the purpose of the communities of Christ followers I live in. For many years my goals were about fitness and Bible reading and books to get through and degrees to obtain, but those things all serve the end of my life becoming shaped into the image of Christ in the communities I'm in.

What communities do you need to talk to about what 2009 will look like? Enjoy talking and acting on those conversations.

May God bless those talks. Happy New Year 2009.