What Great Weather!

Well cold front came through yesterday as expected and has left us with fantastic weather. It is 2:42 pm and 73 degrees! The humidity seems to be down a bit, the skies are blue and it was 50 degrees this morning!

Come on, autumn!

Gas Prices

While many in the country are having a gasoline crisis, we happen to be enjoying a decline in prices. They are still high, but relatively speaking they are better.

I had to make a trip to Tulsa for two hospital visits last night. While there, I decided to fill up. I found gas for $3.23 at several different Quik Trip locations.

What are YOU paying for gas where you live?

God's Cadillac

Did the title get your attention? Good. Now here's the story:

We we returned home from Asia last year and saw that God was going to have us stay and pastor a church, one of things I NEEDED was a car. I simply asked God to let me have a good one that was affordable. To make a long story short, my friend, Bill Johnson, who happens to be the Minister of Missions at First Baptist Church, Midland, TX, deemed that I was the one that God wanted him to give a car to.

Well, it just happened to be a 1994 Cadillac Sedan de Ville. It had 114,000 miles on it, but was in good shape. It had been driven hard, but had been cared for.

Since gratefully receiving it last June, I've put a new air conditioner in it (which I new I would have to) a new set of tires, and new brakes. It runs like a top.

God's Cadillac

Last night, I had to make a hospital visit in Tulsa. Since the cold front came through, I didn't need the air conditioning, just the vent, so I thought I'd test my mileage. Once I got up to speed on the turnpike, I reset my MPG calculator.

Are you ready for this?

The FREE 1994 Cadillac got 33.1 mpg! Can you believe that? The MPG calculator also estimates how many miles you have "left" in the tank. Combined with the miles that I had already driven, I can potentially get 609 miles out of a tank of gas! That is a long way!

God is good.

Bailout fails

I was watching CNN during the vote of the $700 billion bailout.

I watched as the stock market plunged 200 points in 5 minutes.

I watched as it bounced back, then back down again.

I'll confess I don't know about all of this, but it is kind of scary.

I think I'm glad that it didn't pass; it feels right that it didn't pass. That sure seems like an awfully huge amount of money.

Oklahoma 35 - Texas Christian 10

Not surprisingly, Oklahoma is now rated number 1 in the country.

I don't like being number 1 in the country this early in the season. We almost always blow it when we are number 1 this early.

In any case,

BOOMER SOONER!

Happy Birthday, Emily!

Today Emily turns 9 years old! She is a fantastic girl. (I'd say that even IF she wasn't my own daughter!) She loves the Lord. She loves her family!

Happy Birthday Emily! I love you!

This is ridiculous, even for me...

OK, we went to Tulsa last night (Friday) to go to Olive Garden for Emily's birthday dinner. We decided to go to Target afterward, since we don't have a Target in Wagoner.

We were having a great time looking at all the junk they sell, since it is slightly different junk than what Wal-Mart sells.

Then we came to the "seasonal" aisle. All the Halloween stuff was there, which I suppose is appropriate, albeit early, even for Halloween. THEN, we looked up and saw an entire aisle of CHRISTMAS stuff for sale!!! This is way to early even for me!



There is just something wrong about seeing the Grim Reaper and animated Christmas reindeer in the same field of vision!



Wow!

Emily's Birthday Party

Emily's birthday is actually Sunday, but we celebrated a few days early. Emily decided to have a "sleep-over" birthday party. She wanted a pinata and Silly String. She got both.



It started off with Mom and Dad bringing her a GIANT cookie to her classroom at school. I think she is now the "favorite" in the class.



After school, the girls arrived and we had pizza, pinatas, presents, cake & ice cream and lots of "girl talk".



Emily had fun with her friends. They were all really good girls.

Fun with Pinatas!

We got a pinata at Wal-Mart. Notice the helium balloons on the mailbox!


We attracted lots of attention with the pinata from passersby.


The Wal-Mart pinata was a "hit"! (especially since it was packed with Halloween candy!)

Silly String

The morning after the sleepover, they had fun with Silly String.


The "party girls" all "strung out". (That sounds horrible)

Silly Girls, Silly String

This video shows the fun 6 little girls can have with a "can of string".

90 days

Until Christmas!!!!!!!!

Mr. Sulu takes a bride (or husband) YUCK!

Star Trek fans beware: Mr. Sulu is no longer available. At least until the courts over-turn their ridiculous same-sex marriage ruling.

George Takei, who played Mr. Sulu on Star Trek, "married" his long time "partner", Brad Altman, at a ceremony in Little Tokyo, in LA, on Sunday. The two made a grand entrance to the tune of "One Singular Sensation" from the Broadway musical "A Chorus Line." The ceremony was performed by a Buddhist priest.

Lt. Uhura and Mr. Chekov were both in attendance, but Mr. Spock's logical mind knew there was no way that two men could actually marry each other, so he and Capt. Kirk stayed home.

YUCK!!! Leave it to those on the LEFT COAST to make a big todo out of this nonsense.


Then again, we should have known....


Here he is making his move on Mr. Spock.

Farewell Muskogee Starbucks

Muskogee Starbucks

That's right. The only Starbucks in Muskogee will close it's doors for the last time on Friday. I don't make it to Muskogee but once or twice a week, and Monday mornings usually included a stop by for a vente "coffee of the day".

But, since Starbucks has decided to close more than 600 stores, Muskogee's store got caught in the trap.

I spoke with the folks yesterday. They didn't seem terribly upset, but did mention that there would NOT be a sale of the merchandise. It would simply be packed up and shipped off. That doesn't sound nice to me.

I think the biggest problem with this store was its location. There is a huge customer base willing to purchase coffee, but they put it in a stand alone building off of a by-pass, not convenient to most commuters. Granted, it is across the highway from Wal-Mart, but it still isn't the best place for a coffee house.

The next closest Starbucks is in Broken Arrow INSIDE the Bass Pro Shop. Oh darn.

Final Update on Dad

I spoke with Mom and Dad this afternoon at about 2:45. They were at the airport, preparing for their return trip home. They should arrive very late tonight.

Dad said that he was actually feeling good, but was weak. He was particularly upset that he couldn't drive for 3 weeks. Other than that, however, he was doing great.

He again thanks everyone for your prayers! (and so do I)

You might remember him this afternoon and evening as they gingerly make their way back home. Pray for strength and comfort during travel.

A conversation with Dad

I just got off the phone with Dad. He had surgery to remove his prostate because of cancer. He was actually dismissed from the hospital (Mayo Clinic) a day early because he was doing so well. He said he is not experiencing any pain, except for some minor soreness.

Mom, said that the associate doctor was bragging on how the main doctor was bragging on Dad. He seemed to indicate that the main doctor seldom bragged on any of his patients.

Dad said that he knows it wasn't luck or even the skill of the physician to make him well, but it was the prayers offered on his behalf. He said, "I give all of the credit to the Lord!"

They will fly back on Monday evening. Mom is a little concerned for the flight and I offered to drive up to get them if they want me to. Mom thinks it will be OK, but will keep my offer in mind.

Again, on behalf of Mom and Dad, I want to thank all of you who have prayed for my folks.

Dad's condition

Mom says that last night at about 10:30 pm, they were informed that the pathology results were all negative for biopsies other than the prostate! What great news!

This morning, mom reports that Dad has had no pain and is amazing the doctors and staff with his condition! That must really be something at the Mayo Clinic!

God is Good!

Politics as usual

Have you been following the ad duels of Jim Inhofe and Andrew Rice?

I'll admit that during the primaries, I was impressed with Andrew Rice. He said he had served as a Christian missionary in Asia. ( I guess that was the only part that impressed me)

Then, after the primaries were over, there were new ads on TV talking about that he was, in fact, a liberal and supported gay marriage and abortion. Rice came back and said that Inhofe's ad was an attack and it wasn't true. Inhofe came back with an ad that backed up what they claimed with voting records.



So, I decided to find out for myself.

I just got off the phone with some volunteer at the Rice Campaign Headquarters in OKC. (I love cell phone minutes!)

I asked three questions based on what I have seen on TV:
1. What is his stand on gay marriage?
2. What is his stand on abortion?
3. How long did he serve as a missionary?

I couldn't get an honest answer without asking the questions about 3 or 4 times each in 3 or 4 different ways.

The answers as I received them:
1. pro-civil union
2. pro-choice
3. 1 year in Sri Lanka with the Catholic church.

The person indicated that all of Inhofe's "facts" were skewed and inaccurate. He said that they abortion bill he voted for was for the OU Health Sciences under the condition where the mother's life was in danger. (so I guess that part WAS true)

The person indicated that Rice is a supporter of traditional marriage, but also supports civil-unions. (I guess that it isn't REALLY a supporter of traditional marriage then).

Since I had "heard" that he only served for a week in Asia, I was delighted to find that it was actually a short term mission instead of just a mission trip.

This kind of person is frightening. They are claiming that they represent "mainstream Oklahoma" values, when in fact, they represent the liberal values of California and New York.

It is my goal that Andrew Rice doesn't win a term in the US Senate.

(these personal views are my own and do not represent any organization, institution, etc. I have the right to express them as a citizen of the United States of America)

News on Dad

My internet has been down all afternoon, but it's back up now.

Mom said that Dad came through the surgery fine. He was still in recovery (at 3 pm) and was giving the nurses a hard time. That suggests that he is fine.

He will be in the hospital for two days, then be released, but they are staying in hotel across the street and will be there until next Monday.

Thanks to everyone for their prayers. Now pray that he will heal up quickly to make the flight home.

Another Update

I just spoke with my mom on the phone and she said that the nurse just came out and reported that there was no cancer in the bladder. (A doctor in Tulsa said there was)

Mom thanks everyone for their prayers!

Quick Update

Mom just sent me a text message that said there is no cancer in the lymph nodes!

Praise the Lord!

Prayer Request

As I write this, my dad, Bob Boyne, is undergoing surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN for prostate cancer. Mom just called and said that they are removing some lymph nodes in the pelvic area, but has no other information.

Would you pause right now and offer a prayer for my dad? (and my mom)

Thanks.

Texan Stubbornness

begin:rant

Stubbornness can be good, but is usually bad.

Government authorities issued a mandatory evacuation of Galveston, TX, BEFORE Hurricane Ike. Evidently, THOUSANDS chose to disregard this evacuation, which was supposed to be at their own peril.

Yesterday, they evacuated 2000 people from Galveston Island. Today, they are estimating that they will evacuate 4000 people.

I don't understand this. Why do people think they know best? Why to folks think they can "get by" then call 9-1-1 for help, when help is not available.

As I sat watching this unfold on the news this morning, I was both perplexed and a little agitated with this situation. Mandatory Evacuation means mandatory evacuation, does it not?

I'm sorry that all this heartache and destruction has fallen on the cities of the Texas Coast, but it is really hard to feel sorry for folks who went against orders and decided to stay.

/rant

Cool Weather

Hurricane Ike came and left with very little adverse effect here in Wagoner, OK. We ended up with about 2-3 inches of rain and had an hour of winds in the 40-50 mph range.

One of the greatest "benefits" however, of this horrific storm, brought wonderfully cool weather (together with a cold front) to Oklahoma. This morning, it was 50 degrees. I actually had to use a blanket last night! The forecast for this week shows highs in the upper 70's and low 80's. Perhaps Autumn has actually arrived!

100 days til Christmas!

That's right. It's time to start your Christmas shopping. Have you? We haven't yet.

We've noticed that there are some places around that already have some little stuff of Christmas out for sale. That is WAY TOO EARLY.

However, there are 74 days until I can put lights on my roof! Yippee!!!

Oklahoma moves up (again)

Oklahoma is now number 2 in this week's poll. We can stay here all season until the National Championship game. That would be fine with me.

Boomer Sooner!

Oklahoma 55 - Washington 14

And Huskies make 3!



Boomer Sooner!

Hurricane Ike

We have just finished with the first round of the first rain ban from Hurricane Ike. We, here in Wagoner, OK, are under a flood watch and a wind advisory. We are 535 miles from Galveston, TX.

Forecasters have predicted up to 8 inches of rain from Ike in our area. Of course, a lot depends on how quickly Ike leaves the area. If he decides to stick around for a while, we could end up with a lot more. If he doesn't like God's country, then we might see a little less.

Pray for those who it has really effected.

Church loses property over doctrinal issues

Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian Church in Tulsa, OK, received a judgment in District Court ordering them to vacate the premises.

Two years ago, the church parted ways with their parent denomination, the Presbyterian Church USA, over doctrinal issues. The local church felt betrayed by their denominations embrace of homosexuality and their view of the Bible. In a church vote, 90% of the congregation voted to remove themselves from the parent denomination.

Trouble was, there was a clause that said that even if they paid for the building, they didn't own their own church property. It had been registered in the name of the Eastern Oklahoma Presbytery. And they wanted their building back.

A lawsuit ensued and this week a Tulsa County District Judge ruled in favor of the EOP.

We prayed for the church last night in our Southern Baptist Church. While we may not agree on every point of doctrine, it took a lot of holy determination to stand up to their denomination. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they must now face the results of "standing with God".

Please pray for this church and for their pastor, Tom Gray.

WTC and 9/11

I first visited New York City in 1980. I was a youth delegate to the United Nations. New York and the UN was the center point of a 3 week US tour, mostly on the East Coast. I remember seeing the World Trade Center for the first time. I was completely awe-struck. As a teenager from Oklahoma, I couldn't believe the immensity of the buildings; their tops scraping the sky. As we rode the elevators to the top, I was again taken back by the incredible view it afforded of all of Manhattan, the Burroughs, and New Jersey.

I returned 5 years later to be a sponsor for the UN Youth Program. Each week, we took large groups of teens to the UN and to tourist spots in NYC. My favorite was always the WTC. The view provided was just too incredible to pass up. I saw the same reaction in the youth delegates that I had experienced when I was there in the same capacity.

We lived in the Manhattan East Apartment Hotel at the corner of 32nd and 7th Ave. We were pratically right across the street from Madison Square Garden and the view out of my hotel room looked up at the Empire State Building. (the picture below was taken from that famous landmark) That summer in New York is one that I'll always remember.



Another thing that I'll always remember, as will you, is where I was when the towers fell. My family and I were serving with the IMB in Cote d'Ivoire, West Africa. I was doing email when Sally called me in to see CNN. We had just subscribed to satellite TV and she was channel surfing. She said that a plane had just flown into the tower. As I came in, she said, "here's the replay", but that plane hit the second tower.

Cote d'Ivoire is 50% (or so) Muslim. There is ALWAYS tension there, but mostly because the ruling tribe is Catholic and the oppressed tribe is Muslim. But the tensions exist, nonetheless. We didn't venture out much for the next few days. Finally, we saw that there weren't any accelerated danger in Abidjan (our city) so we went out for groceries and a little shopping. One of the places we went to was owned and operated by Lebanese Muslims. As we walked in, the owner asked us if we were American. After a quick prayer, we acknowledged that we were. He stood up to shake our hands, tell us how terribly sorry he was, and that his own brother had been in the towers that day, but was only on the 3rd floor and had escaped with his life.

As we remember those who died in NY, PA, and DC, let us not forget to pray for God's grace and peace. Pray for our leaders. Pray for our troops. Pray for our enemies.

May God have mercy on us all.

A Post for M. Steve Heartsill

Hey Steve.

It's 9:18 am. It's raining. It's 68 degrees.

I thought you might like to know!

Man "finally" happy with 25th wife

After 24 failed marriages, a 49-year-old porter in eastern Nepal says that he has finally found happiness in his latest union.

The simple reason is that the landless labourer's latest marriage seems to be working out, unlike the previous ones.

Ramchandra Katuwal, of Khandbari municipality in Sankhuwasava, and his wife recently celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary.

He says that his marriage to Sharada has been a "journey of happiness".

[HT: Harold Clark]

A slip of the tongue, or a Freudian Slip?

Obama has called himself a Christian and attends a Church of Christ in Chicago. However, during a recent interview, he made a comment talking about "my Muslim faith". The interviewer, George Stephonaupolis corrected the Senator and he then corrected himself, but look at this video and tell me what you think.

The comment in question comes at around 1:18.

Cold Front Cools Oklahoma

A nice big, slow-moving cold front came through last night and temperatures here in Wagoner dropped. My mom said it was 56 degrees at her house at 9:30 this morning. It is 71 degrees at 1 pm here in Wagoner. It feels like fall; I hope it really is.

The forecast for the rest of the week puts high temps in the low 80's. We could have rain by Wednesday from Hurricane Ike!

Sally and Audrey are both feeling the effects of the fronts, as they both had migraines yesterday. I had to go pick up Audrey from school this morning with a bad migraine. Hopefully, it will all blow over soon!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my mother's birthday!

About 1947 or 48

2008

My mom is one of the most incredible women in the world! She isn't "fluff"; she's the "real thing".

I love you, Mom! Happy Birthday!

Oklahoma moves up!

In Week 2 of the NCAA football polls, Oklahoma is now rated #3!

Oklahoma 52 - Cincinnati 26

Well, that was certainly an interesting last 5 seconds of the game...

Boomer Sooner!

West Africa Video (a must see)

I know some of these folks! I won't say who, just in case....

E. coli outbreak largest in American history

Unfortunately, the outbreak is right here in NE Oklahoma. It is suspected as originating at a popular local restaurant in Locust Grove, about 25 NE of Wagoner.

The "Country Cottage" restaurant is at the center of the Health Department investigation. Over 200 people have been affected with over 100 in the hospital. One death has been attributed to the outbreak.

The Wagoner football team even canceled a scheduled scrimmage with the team from Locust Grove, but the Wagoner athletic director refused to comment about it.

As far as I know, there are three people in the Wagoner hospital with E. coli contamination.

I've eaten at the Country Cottage many years ago, and we were talking about getting a group from our church to go there in the next month or so. Currently the restaurant has voluntarily closed until the source of the contamination can be determined. It is unfortunate for the restaurant and the town of Locust Grove because the "scare" is spilling over into other businesses and restaurants.

If you do a restaurant critic review of Country Cottage, you'll find most folks very pleased with the restaurant and quality of food. It is one of the few rural restaurants where you will actually have to wait in line to get in. There is currently a drive by Locust Grove residents to get the restaurant re-opened.

Sarah Palin - The Barracuda

I watched Sarah last night at the RNC. I believed her. I was very impressed by her. Her sense of humor was great. I liked how she called hockey mom's "Pit bulls with lipstick". She embodies America.

She is the same age as me. This IS my generation!

I loved her daughter licking her hand to slick down the hair of her baby brother. That was wonderful!

I like how her husband is called the "First Dude" of Alaska. That is just plain funny!

I heard that they call her the "Barracuda" in Alaska. She, and others, kept calling McCain the "Maverick". I'll bet that is their Secret Service code names!

Maverick and Barracuda; I'm glad we now have a better choice.

World's Tallest Hill

A comment on another post of this blog got me curious about something I've always heard about but didn't really know anything about.

I've always heard that Oklahoma was home to the "world's tallest hill".

I know. That sounds funny.

But, according to Wikipedia,

Cavanal Hill (officially Cavanal Mountain according to the US Geological Survey) located at Poteau, Oklahoma is billed as the tallest hill in the world at 1,999 feet (609 meters), based on the idea that it would be classified as a mountain if it were 2,000 feet or higher.

So, there you have it. Oklahoma: not all flat.

Obama comments on the Bible

Incredible Rainbow

Last night, I grilled some chicken and some corn on the cob. While it was cooking I happened to look up and saw a complete horizon to horizon rainbow! It is the first one of those I have seen in many, many years. I called the girls out and by the time they came out into the yard, it had turned into a complete DOUBLE RAINBOW! It was absolutely astonishing!

One of the girls mentioned, "Isn't it neat, that even though we have Gustav bearing down on us, God still promises He won't destroy the earth by a flood!?!". I thought that was pretty neat in and of itself.

Near Miss

Well, it looks like the bulk of Gustav "leftovers" will stay mainly to the East of us. However, we get to benefit from 68 degree temps and rain. We do have 40 mph winds, but only in gusts.

As I got to the church office this morning, I opened windows throughout the building to "air" the place out a little bit. I had to prop all the door open, because they were slamming shut with the wind. However, when I arrived, it was 81 degrees in my office. 15 minutes later, it is now 73 and dropping!

We've had a few heavy downpours, but I doubt we'll get more than 5 or 6 inches out of this. I could be wrong...

Since I started typing this post, the temp in my office dropped down to 71! Gotta love this "free" air conditioning!

GUSTAV!!

That's right! We here in "land-locked" Oklahoma are going to experience a bit of "Gustav". It certainly won't be anything like what TX, LA, MS are experiencing, but then again, Wagoner is 500 miles inland!

We are under Flood Warnings already. The forecast calls for 4-8 inches of rain, and possibly more, depending on exactly how the northern front interacts with Gustav. There is a strong chance of strong winds, large hail, and even a "tornado outbreak". (We don't like to hear "tornado outbreak!")

Pray for those in the South adversely effected by Gustav.

Oops

I charged my camera battery so that I could get some Labor Day pics. Well, it would have worked great had I remembered to put the battery back in my camera!

Nevertheless, we had a fun time at my folks' for Labor Day. My grandma was feeling well enough to come out both Saturday and Sunday! Dad smoked a brisket, a pork loin, a slab of ribs, some bratwursts, a whole bunch of chicken and a pot of beans! Man, THAT was some "good eatin"!

Even though I didn't have my camera, it looked a whole lot like this:

(This is from a previous food feast.)