For Pity's Sake!

With a good six inches of snow still on our front yard, here is the latest weather advisory for NEOK!

Special Weather Statement
Expires 5:00 PM EST on December 28, 2009 -->

Statement as of 5:12 AM CST on December 28, 2009

... Winter weather to return to eastern Oklahoma and northwestArkansas late Tuesday and Tuesday night... An upper level system that was organizing off the Baja Coast earlymorning will move into Texas on Tuesday and eventually into OklahomaTuesday night. Precipitation across Texas will spread into eastern Oklahoma as early as Tuesday afternoon... although the best chancesshould hold off until Tuesday night. Precipitation may begin as rainand snow mix Tuesday afternoon... with mostly all snow expected Tuesday night. Snowfall amounts may total up to 2 inches across parts of northeastOklahoma... with around an inch expected across southeast Oklahomaand northwest Arkansas. Given the previous snowfall from Christmaseve... any additional snowfall will likely result in travel issues.Any lingering snowfall is expected to taper off by Wednesday.Residents across eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas shouldprepare for difficult driving conditions Tuesday night... and staytuned to the latest forecasts from the National Weather Service.

The Last Week

I've had quite an interesting last 10 days or so.... let me 'splain.

A week ago Thursday, Dec 17, we were having a pot luck lunch at our church. Just before it was to begin, I got a horrible pain in my back. It felt as if I pinched a nerve or something. The pain was intense and took me to my knees. I kicked off the potluck, but went back to my office to lay down, hoping to get some relief. None came.

My wife and a church member had recently had very good results with a chiropractor, so I decided to visit one. The X-rays showed that I had a dislocated rib. I had never even heard of a dislocated rib before, so it was a bit of a surprise. He did an adjustment, which both hurt and felt good. He told me to put ice on it and gave me a gel pack to use. I suffered with it all weekend long.

Monday came and I returned for another adjustment. It hurt so bad that I fell to my knees. It alarmed the chiropractor and we went back to his office to re-examine the X-rays. It clearly showed one of my ribs at an odd angle to the rest of them. He said that the pain I was exhibiting was not consistent with his diagnosis, and asked for a UA. He came back and said it was full of blood and that I needed to go see an MD.

Well, I went by K-Mart to finish my last minute shopping. After that, I went to the ER at the new Muskogee Community Hospital. WOW! Was I impressed! Anytime I had to wait for anything more than a moment, they apologized. They were as courteous as the staff at a Five Star hotel. They were professional in every way. Every staff member I encountered wasn't just courteous; they were personable as well.

I was attended by a Physician's Assistant, Rocky (fellow Sooner Alum). As soon as he walked in he said, "Oh, I see you have a kidney stone." I asked him how he could tell and he said I was doing the "kidney stone dance".

He ordered some non-narcotic pain relief because I didn't have anyone to drive me home. He ordered a CT Scan. He ordered a liter of saline via IV. The result of the CT Scan showed that I had already passed a stone that left a trail of damage through the kidney. It showed that I had two small stones in the upper part just waiting for the opportune moment. He prescribed some Lortab and a couple of other things.

I had high hopes for the Lortab. I was not impressed. It made me light-headed, but only mildly affected the pain. As the week progressed, the pain subsided a little, but was still significant enough to alter my well-being.

Christmas Eve came with the forecast of a big winter storm. Who knew it would turn out to be the biggest blizzard in recent Oklahoma history? It started sleeting here in Wagoner at about 2 o'clock. Mom had already called to say they were moving up our Christmas Eve celebration to 4 pm instead of the traditional 6 pm. By the time we left at 2:30, ice was already forming on the car and rooftops.

We were all disappointed when family members began calling to say that there was just no way they were going to be able to make it. We went ahead and ate then opened presents. By the time we were finished at around 6 or 6:30, the sleet was coming down at an alarming rate, still mixed with freezing rain and some snow. We decided to drive home on the main highway (US 69) and before we could reach it, it became snow. Before I reached the highway, I had to stop to clean the windshield wipers of the ice because they were ineffective and only making it hard to see.

Without a doubt, that was the most difficult drive of my life. It was really scary. For much of the (only) 15 mile trip, we could only see 20 feet or so in front of the car. It had turned into a full fledged blizzard. I had to stop another time to clean the windshield wipers again, and by the time we turned on our street, I could barely see out of the ice covered windshield. Mom said some other family members were stuck on HWY 69 North of Wagoner because a semi-truck had jack-knifed and blocked the road.

Christmas morning saw the sun shining bright and the landscape transformed into a winter wonderland. We had a White Christmas! The girls were thrilled and I got out and took a lot of pictures (see posts below). However, we still needed to go to Vinita to spend Christmas.

The road was horrible. It was ice-packed and treacherous. We counted 20 vehicles in the ditches between Wagoner and Vinita. One of the cars was in the center median and still had Christmas presents in the back seat. We thought that was sad.

We spent a delightful Christmas with Sally's family, but I needed to get back to Wagoner so that I could preach on Sunday. Sally's sister suggested that instead of Sally taking me home, then returning by herself, that I should just take the car (Kia Sportage 4x4) and then return to Vinita on Thursday to get everyone. We all thought that sounded like a good idea and I'm glad we did that. The road back was better than Christmas morning, but it still wasn't good.

On the way back to Wagoner, I got a phone call from one of my deacons. We talked about the weather and decided to cancel Sunday School. I figured that if I could drive from Vinita to Wagoner and other people could get out and go to Wal-Mart, then they could come to church, too. I didn't realize that almost every church in NEOK had cancelled services. One of the members and his son, came all the way from Porter with a tractor and cleared the parking lot for us! (I looked out a little while ago and the lot is practically dry today)

We don't have a huge church. Last Sunday, our attendance was 83. I was expecting perhaps 10 people and decided that I would be ecstatic if 15 people actually showed up. I couldn't believe it when the final count was 38! My very first Sunday, we only had 25 people there! We did decided to cancel the evening service because the roads would re-freeze at dark and that would be dangerous.

This morning, I woke up and was feeling much better. The pain in my kidney is down to a dull roar instead of the sharp iron bar in my back. However, as I left the bedroom, the house felt unusually cold. (we use a small space heater in the master bedroom because it is an add-on and the furnace doesn't warm it very well) I looked and the thermostat was set on 70, but the thermometer read 55. I turned it off and back on and the fan came on. I never heard the furnace "light", so I took of the front cover and waited. The electronic ignitor attempted to light the furnace about 7 times, but it never lit. Oh great.

So, now, I am doing the dishes, doing laundry and waiting for the furnace repair guy to come. At least it's given me a little chance to get you caught up on the last 10 days or so of life as I know it.

More Blizzard Pictures

Early Christmas morning.


Icy lights.


I think there is a "baby Jesus" down there somewhere....

Oklahoma Blizzard of 2009

The Blizzard of 2009, according to the local news, it the biggest blizzard in recent Oklahoma history.


Here in Wagoner, we received 7 inches of snow. In Vinita, where we spent Christmas Day, they got 10 inches.


We ended up with a White Christmas, the first since 2002.


We had 40-60 mph winds that covered our wreath in snow.



Snow drifts in the yard were over 2 feet deep. Even the roof had drifts.


The winds completely covered our front porch.

Christmas at Grandma's

An ocean of paper and gifts.


Landon's first Christmas.


Little Landon wearing Uncle Brian's Biker hat.


Mary and Sally enjoying the white Christmas.

More Christmas Pics

Santa and Meme


Emily and Santa



Audrey and Santa




Nick entertaining us with a little Christmas music.


Meme and a plethora of kids.

Christmas 2009

My grandmother, Meme, with Audrey and Emily.


Mom, Meme, and Dad

Me, Meme, and Sally

The Boyne Family Christmas 2009 at Meme's house

Better Late than Never

Here is my Christmas lights on the house this year. Eerily similar to last year's.

Crazy Weather

The above image is a screen shot I took from KOTV's website. It shows a Severe Thunderstorm Warning, a tornado watch, a blizzard watch, a flash flood watch, and a winter storm watch ALL IN THE SAME VIEWING AREA!!

They tell us to expect up to 6 inches of snow tomorrow, even though right now it is 60 degrees today.

Gotta love Oklahoma.

A Question for Discussion

In the post below, I asked a question about life. However, a friend of mine, Monk-in-Training posed a better question in his response:

On a side note, why are so many Christians accepting Mayan calendar issues as some sort of message from God?

Why do you think this is?

2 more years?

Winter Soltice 2012 - The end of the Mayan Calendar.

Whoop-ti-do.

Some think that it will be the end of the world. They even made a movie about 2012.

I personally don't think so.

However, how would your life change if you KNEW there were only two more years of life on Earth left? What would you do?

Upside Down Christmas Video

Don't quit or give up on this video. Watch ALL the way. It has a GREAT message!

Upside Down from Pace Hartfield on Vimeo.

A Christmas Prank

Like opening Christmas presents? Watch this and see....

Oral Roberts - Dead but not gone

Tulsa TV evangelist and university founder, Oral Roberts, died yesterday with complications from pneumonia. He was 91.

I have incredibly mixed emotions about Oral Roberts. Personally, I think he was a fake and his "healing" ministry was a sham. I am sickened by his "health, wealth, and prosperity" fake gospel. Unfortunately, that will be his legacy.

The "gospel" he preached claimed that God didn't want you to be sick or poor. SHOW ME IN THE BIBLE WHERE GOD EVER SAID THAT!!!!!

I heard a story from one of my older church members that goes like this:

"Back in the 1950's I went to get a haircut in Tulsa. The barber asked me if I had ever heard of Oral Roberts. We talked about him for a while and he admitted that he was Oral's father-in-law. We had a nice chat. Later that same week, I was watching Oral Roberts on TV from a crusade in Florida. A man so crippled that he could hardly walk came to the front. Oral exclaimed, "my beloved father-in-law! What has brought you to this pitiful circumstance?" At that, he seized hold of his father-in-law and "healed" him. He left the arena no longer limping or walking with a crutch."

My member told me that once he saw "that baloney" on TV, he knew Oral Roberts was a fake.

I know that there are multitudes who love him and his ministry. I know that there are countless people who have been saved through his ministry and praise God for that. I know that many people attribute healing from God through Oral Roberts. I sympathize with those who will miss him; any loss is a true loss. However, I just wish his false doctrine would have died with him.

Trans Siberian Orchestra

I took Sally and the girls to the Trans Siberian Orchestra last Friday night as part of their Christmas presents. We really had a good time.

The light/laser show was incredible.

The music was REALLY loud!

I was impressed with an element of the first part of the concert; it was the Christmas part. They sang Christmas carols and seemed to actually emphasize the birth of Jesus. The narration was a little hinky and kind of hard to follow, but you could tell that Christmas was about Jesus!

The second half of the concert was actually best. They had pyrotechnics that were unbelievable. The picture above shows a platform that was raised 25 feet or so in the air. Pretty cool.

I might consider going again next year. Tickets were expensive ($48 each) and I'm not sure I'm willing to do that again.

Jesus WILL Return: Resistance is Futile

"Jesus WILL Return: Resistance is Futile" - I saw that on a church sign yesterday. It made me smile.

I don't like corny church signs. There is a church in town that has little sayings on it each week; some okay, some downright silly.

I think that if you are going to put messages up on a church sign it should either be announcements, Scripture, or bits of Truth.

Church signage can be a real ministry; it can also give churches a bad image. It takes a lot of effort to go out and change a message on a sign; you might as well make it "worth" your trouble.

In my own estimation, I've put out one "corny" sign; it was the first message on our new church sign that we installed last year. Here it is:

Growing Pains

I'm very excited that our church is experiencing growing pains. It has had a very difficult previous ten years. However, I believe that God has taken us off the shelf, dusted us off, and is now beginning to use us!

Some of the difficulties in re-growing a nearly dead church is organizational problems. Since I arrived here, none of our committees have truly functioned as committees. People have seen a need and they just take care of it. In some ways, that isn't too bad. A problem comes when we start to have more people and everyone just starts doing what they want.

This summer, we completely re-vamped our committees and they now have an expectation that they are to meet and to function for the good of the church. So far, so good! I'm pleased with the way people are "owning" the responsibility of making the church run.

After two years, we now have "in place" Sunday School classes and teachers for all ages of people. We have devoted nursery workers, and teachers for toddlers through Youth. We have a new guy who is committed to our youth and have seen many kids brought into the church for the very first time in the past several weeks. In fact, 6 of them have been saved and four should be baptized this next Sunday!

One real problem is space. We have used one of our empty Sunday School classrooms for our Food Pantry Ministry. One was used for storage. One is needed for a Youth Office. We have plans to have an additional 2-3 new classes beginning after the first of the year. We don't have the space for it. We can empty out the one room that was used for storage- no problem. One class will need to meet in the fellowship hall. If there is a third class, they can meet in the sanctuary.

At our Annual Church Thanksgiving dinner, we all but packed out our fellowship hall. It only seats about 100 people and then not too comfortably. If God continues to work in our church as He's been doing lately, we won't have room for everyone next year to be seated in the fellowship hall!

One real problem that I want to avoid is having new people slip through the cracks. While we are having lots of people visit and join, our goal is to not just grow our church in numbers. The Great Commission says to "go and make disciples" not just members or attenders. I want to make sure that we have the resources in place to take care of our new people and not let them out the "back door". This concerns me more than anything about our church growth.

I am excited at the prospect of our church growing. I think the future holds a building program for us to increase the number of classrooms and for a larger room that can function as a fellowship hall and activity center. I'd love to see us change our current fellowship hall into our nursery because of the proximity to the sanctuary. I'd love to see a new suite of offices to handle current and future staffing needs.

I am very happy with the way things are going! God is doing amazing things here at Immanuel Southern Baptist Church! If you are in town, come join us!

17 Years and counting

Seventeen years ago today, I married the love of my life, the former Miss Sally Ann Bridges of Vinita, OK.

Seventeen years ago today, a rare early December snowstorm struck Northeastern Oklahoma. Many people could not come to the ceremony, including my own sister (who was great with child).

Seventeen years ago today, my life changed for the better. God allowed me to marry the woman He had prepared just for me!

I love you, Sally!

Christmas "Mood"

I'm not yet in the Christmas "spirit" or "mood". I'm trying, but I just can't seem to get there. Perhaps it is the insane way that Christmas has become so commercialized that you find Santa Clauses and Jack O' Lanterns in the same aisle at Target.

We put up our Christmas lights on the house the week before Thanksgiving, because the weather was good. But, I didn't turn them on until AFTER Thanksgiving. (like you are supposed to) That didn't help. We put up my mother-in-law's Christmas tree the Friday after Thanksgiving then ours later that same evening. That didn't help either. We observed the First Sunday of Advent with the lighting of candles and the singing of Christmas songs in church last Sunday. Still not so much in the mood. I started listening to Christmas music. I suppose that has helped ever-so-slightly.

So, what's the deal?

I don't know. I'm not Scrooge, that's for sure. Historically, I've been more like Clark W. Griswold. But not this year.

Maybe I'm just tired of the commercialism. Maybe I'm tired of the secularization of Christmas. Maybe I'm just tired!

In any case, soon, I'll get a picture of our house all decorated up in lights and ribbons. It is a little different than last year, mainly in that I didn't put lights around the windows this year.

Christmas isn't a feeling or a state of mind; it is the observation of the birth of our Savior.

Muskogee Regional Medical Center Stinks!

Back when I was sick, I had to go to Muskogee Regional Medical Center for a CT Scan. Had I known it was there, I would have requested another location.

While the actual person who did my CT Scan was professional and personal, the rest of my experience was less than stellar. The woman behind the outpatient desk seemed more interested in talking to her coworkers than helping me and I didn't get back to the CT until one and a half hours AFTER my appointment.

After all this time, I finally got a bill for my part of the CT Scan LAST WEEK. My part of the bill is more than the entire bill for a CT Scan in Thailand. This is absolutely absurd to be paying these kinds of medical bills WITH INSURANCE!

I got a phone call just now from some bill collector outfit in Ohio asking me when I was going to pay my bill!

OHIO!!!

MRMC was sold to some "for profit" health care conglomerate in Tennessee or Kentucky; Capella Health System, or some such name, and has probably been sold again.

I'll do everything in my power to make sure no one I know goes to Muskogee Regional Medical Center. It just isn't worth it.

I just can't wait to see what Obamacare does. I'll bet it makes them even better.


/rant

Gun in the Bible?

I'm not sure T-Dog is reading the same Bible. Watch this for a prank pulled on a KJV call in cable-TV show.



[HT: Monday Morning Insight]

If they really are out to get me, does that still make me paranoid?

I was accused by a commentor of being paranoid when I wrote about the Terrorist Shooting at Ft Hood. It led to a friend of mine asking about a statement I made regarding "new rules" regarding hate speech. While this CBS news story is not addressing this specifically, it IS related.

According to this story, the Justice Department is asking (as in subpoena) for a news website's visitor data, including registered users, emails, etc.

Why isn't the ACLU making a fuss over this? It certainly appears that liberties are being taken... perhaps away.

Big Brother comes to mind.

[HT: Steven's World via Neil Simpson]

2012 - A Movie Review

Sally and I went to see the movie 2012 this weekend. It had GREAT movie special effects, the acting wasn't great, but not bad either, but the premise was just way too unbelievable for me. I can't tell you why, or I'll spoil the end, but let's just say that "God wouldn't destroy the Earth that way". You'll have to see it to understand, otherwise email me and I'll tell you.

Necessarily, for the plot, the movie includes many people praying that they would be spared from the impending disaster, all to no avail. It shows triumph of the "good" in mankind over selfishness. It showed mankind's desire to continue and survive. It even had interesting references to Biblical accounts of other disasters.

My hope for this movie, however, is that is scares the bejiggers out of people and makes them seek God, before it IS too late. I hope it stimulates all kinds of discussions toward spiritual matters between Believers and pre-Believers. I can see how this movie can be very, very scary for people who have no hope; for people that don't know their destiny.

All in all, I would recommend this movie. I'm not sure I'd take my kids to see it as it is very graphic and very violent, but it does make for good entertainment, and maybe an opportunity to witness...

Worst Terrorist Attack in US Since 9/11 - Ft. Hood

I wasn't the first to say it, but I do agree with it.

Here is Lt. Col. Raph Peters on The O'Reilly Factor had to say:



[HT: jonjhunter]

Ft. Hood Shootings and Domestic Terrorism

My heart goes out to the families of the soldiers and civilian police officer killed by Nidal Hasan yesterday at Fort Hood, Texas. We should be in prayer for their families and the others who were wounded.

It came out this morning that Hasan was not killed as previously reported.

According to news reports, Nidal Malik Hasan has recently been under investigation for extremist Islamic views and has been reported to have been happy when an American soldier was recently killed on a military base in Arkansas. He had reportedly said that "suicide bombers were like a soldier that threw themselves on a grenade to save their comrades" and that "maybe people should strap bombs to themselves and go to Times Square."

What is alarming to me is that very quickly after the shootings began, the FBI declared that the shootings weren't terrorist related.

Let's see...a Muslim in a military uniform with extreme Islamic views killing American soldiers on American soil. How can they call it ANYTHING but terrorist related?

I've read some tweets from some bleeding-hearts who are sad that this "will turn into an Islam thing instead of being a mental health thing that it is." Gimme a break! We have got to wake up and quit being so politically correct! We must understand that Islam IS NOT a religion of peace. We are allowing our enemies to quietly infiltrate our country and even our military and perhaps even our government. We are handing it to them on a silver platter all under the pretense of trying to not offend them. How preposterous!

AND, quite frankly, many are scared to say anything about it because of the new "rules" of our own government. They are afraid to criticize Islam for fear of "hate speech." They are afraid to criticize our government or the FBI for fear of being on some sort of "domestic terrorist watch-list".

Well, baloney! I'm tired of being afraid in my own country! I lived under oppressive regimes overseas where I couldn't say anything. Well, this is my own country. I pay my taxes. I stand up and place my hand over my heart when I SING the National Anthem. I vote. I do not break the law. I am a responsible member of society and do not condone violence in any way (except, of course, in protecting your family). I support our government and our policies, for the most part. We pray for our elected officials at church every Wednesday evening. I don't hate anyone. I certainly don't hate Muslims. Many are good folk (and good Americans) and deplore the violence.

However, I'm tired of politically correct liberals telling me that I can't speak out against the things I oppose. Uh, did they not ever hear of a little something we like to call the First Amendment!?!

I know that some of you who read this are going to disagree with me. That is completely Okay! We are in America. You have the right to your opinion. I have the right to mine. That is one thing that makes America great. Some of you will think that my views divide and separate us from Muslims. Sorry to tell you, but we are already there. Some of you will think I am a closed minded bigot. You have the right to think that of me, even if you are wrong.

However, if we don't stop the tide of Islamic extremism right here in the homeland, we may soon lose the right to even have our own opinion.

Gay Marriage Failure

So called "gay marriage" has been voted down by Maine, making it having failed in all 31 states that has brought it before a vote of the people. This speaks louder than words, especially in Maine, a liberal morals state where homosexuals hoped that the trend would end.

However, the continual failure of the bill that would legalize a contract in immorality should signify to legislators, governors, and supporters that there is still some moral fiber left in the United States.

Supporters think that people who choose to live a lifestyle that is vehemently opposed to traditional values should be able to "marry" persons of the same sex. In my opinion, and evidently the opinion of the voters in Maine and 30 other states, they are wrong in their presumption.

Homosexuality is a sin, just as gossip, murder, drunkenness, idolatry, pornography, adultery, gluttony, lying, stealing, and coveting. In God's eyes, the eyes that ultimately matter most, there is no difference; they are all sin.

Our society is quietly decaying. Here in Oklahoma, in my lifetime, I have seen changes in liquor and gambling laws, even to the point where we have a State sponsored lottery. Church attendance is down, generally, until a national crisis happens, then all of a sudden, everyone "needs" God. God hasn't changed, nor have His views of sin.

Make no mistake: even if so-called "gay marriage" is ever voted as "legal", it will still be illegal in God's plan.

Bubba and Edith

Bubba and Edith are bona fide rednecks. They live down in Southern Alabama, out in the woods.

After having nine children, they decided to go to a doctor to see about Bubba getting "fixed". The doctor makes all the necessary preparations and everything is set to go.

Before proceeding, however, the doctor inquires, "Why did you wait until you've had nine children before deciding to take care of this?"

Bubba answered, "Well Doc. We've heard that one out of ten children born in the United States are Mexican and we don't speak Spanish."

Early Christmas

I updated my Facebook status last night with "some goober down the street already has his Christmas lights on!". I was amazed at how quickly I had responses and how many I had! Two of the commentors mentioned that there are radio stations that are already playing Christmas music 24/7. One mentioned that we should celebrate our Lord all year long. (good comment, btw)

Here's my deal. First off- I LOVE CHRISTMAS! I really do. I always have. I'm a whole lot like Clark W. Griswold in that respect. Second- let's get through Thanksgiving first! (not to mention Halloween) Third- I don't understand the motivation to have your Christmas lights up and on in early November. Most (or at least many) people I know use Thanksgiving weekend to put the lights up. I know I'm usually itching to put them up about that time. Fourth- the motivation for Christmas music on the radio this early IS TO STIMULATE THE ECONOMY! At least that's what they said on the news this morning. We all have known for a long time that Christmas in America has ceased being a religions holiday and is widely used as a marketing tool. BUT IN NOVEMBER???

I'm only half-way joking when I say that it is a sign of the last days.

Marantha, Lord Jesus!

Slavery in America

I can't believe in this day and age we still have slavery in America. No, not the kind you might be thinking of, but a kind of slavery to which people voluntarily submit themselves.

I see it everywhere I go; Wal-Mart, restaurants, pools, the lake, shopping malls, yes, even church. Most people don't consider it slavery, but I sure do. Most participants consider it a pleasure and many claim to enjoy being a slave, but there is, thankfully, a growing opposition to this problem.

I'm talking about smoking.

"What a minute!" I can hear you say. "I'm not a slave to smoking!"

Oh really?

What's the first thing you think about in the morning?
What's the thing that you can't wait to do at a break?
What's the thing that you get mad about if someone criticizes it?
What's the thing that you hide from your parents, children, or even preacher?
What's the thing that you have to stop every so often and do because you "have to?"
What's the thing that you have to do immediately after each and every meal?
What's the thing that you have to have just one more before you go to bed?
What's the thing that you will endure freezing wind, driving rain, or hellish heat to stand outside and have one?
What's the thing that you want to stop doing, but just can't.

I'm sure not talking about drinking water!

I saw a woman in Wal-Mart the other day carrying around an unlit cigarette in her hand and would occasionally put it to her lips.

I see people standing out in bitterly cold temperatures taking a drag.

I see people sneaking off to do it because they don't want anyone to know. And by the way, breath mints DON'T cover up the smokey smell on your clothes...

The way I see it, smokers are slaves to their habits. When a habit (any habit) rules your life this much, it is sin. The Bible says that when we are in Christ Jesus that, "sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace."

When we begin to see bad habits as sin, we should be repulsed by the fact that we have submitted ourselves to be slaves to that habit and the habit becomes our master. It shouldn't be this way.

For those that have not placed their trust in Jesus Christ, go ahead and try the patches or the 12 step programs; sometimes they work, I guess. But don't kid yourself; you are still a slave to sin. Jesus can free you from the sin and give you a good clean start-over. Email me if you want to know how...

(and I'm not being legalistic about this; I'm calling the "not being able to stop" part about this habit the "sin" part)

Apology not necessary

I received the following in an email. I thought it was worth sharing here:

At a time when our president and other politicians tend to apologize for our country's prior actions, here's a refresher on how some of our former patriots handled negative comments about our country.

JFK'S Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early 60's when DeGaule decided to pull out of NATO. DeGaule said he wanted all US military out of France as soon as possible.

Rusk responded "does that include those who are buried here?

DeGaule did not respond.

You could have heard a pin drop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When in England, at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building by George Bush.

He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.'

You could have heard a pin drop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break, one of the French engineers came back into the room saying 'Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intended to do, bomb them?'

A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: 'Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?'

You could have heard a pin drop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S. , English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English. He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?'

Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied, 'Maybe it's because the Brit's, Canadians, Aussie's and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.'

You could have heard a pin drop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AND THIS STORY FITS RIGHT IN WITH THE ABOVE...

Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on.

"You have been to France before, monsieur?" the customs officer asked sarcastically.

Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously.

"Then you should know enough to have your passport ready."

The American said, "The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it."

"Impossible. Americans always have to show your passports on arrival in France!"

The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained, ''Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to."

My Beloved Sooners

Not our best year, that's for sure.

I'm very proud of Landry Jones. He has really stepped up and did a fine job in difficult circumstances.

The difficult circumstances is the fact that he has been effectively playing alone. He has no protection. He has no receivers. And would the defense like to actually get off the bench and come and play the game?

I'm very sad about Sam Bradford. More than just because he can't play. He is a good kid and I hate to see him hurt.

I don't really know what happened in the Texas game at half-time. If we had played the second half like we played the first, we would have owned the Longhorns. Something happened, however, to make our guys start playing like they did against Miami.

We dropped from an embarrassing 20th place in the AP poll to an appalling 25th place. We aren't even ranked in the Harris Poll or the BCS.

There are lots of fair weather fans out there who get mad and stomp around, or worse, don't even support the team when we lose.

I'm different- I'm alumni.



Boomer Sooner, Baby!

Scripture Abuse

Do you abuse Scripture? Think about it. I would describe or define Scripture abuse as "using or twisting Scripture to meet your own needs or justify sin."

Some Scripture abuse happens innocently or even accidentally. Unintentional Scripture abuse comes from not knowing or understanding the Word of God. Think of Psalm 119:11 which says, "Your word I have treasured in my heart that I may not sin against You." (NASB) To first treasure something in your heart you must first HAVE it in your heart. Merriam-Webster defines the verb "treasure" as:

1 : to collect and store up (something of value) for future use
2 : to hold or keep as precious : cherish, prize.

I like both definitions of treasure for God's word. If you don't know God's word well enough, you can be deceived by anyone, anywhere, anytime. In fact, I think Scripture abuse is a by-product of the end times. Matthew 24:11 says "Many false prophets will arise and mislead many." One of the ways they will mislead is to twist Scripture.

Right now it is not politically correct to speak out against sin that has been considered acceptable by our society. This includes homosexuality, so-called "same-sex marriage", abortion, divorce, adultery, drunkenness, idolatry, sorcery, fornication, and the list goes on. However, the Bible is clear that these things are indeed sin and will be rewarded with the wages that sin brings: DEATH.

It isn't popular to condemn what society approves. You are labeled everything from "fundamentalist" to "hate-monger". Lets be very clear about this; I am not preaching hate. I am preaching, however, that God hates sin and cannot/will not tolerate it. When folks think that they are "getting by" with something and God doesn't care, they don't realize that they really will have to pay for their sins one day.

I thank God that He has chosen to reveal to me the wonders of grace and salvation through Jesus Christ. I am no better than anyone, but the blood of Christ makes me holy and acceptable to God. This free gift of God is available to all who will accept it. But make no mistake; He will not tolerate your sin. He will show it to you and He will give you strength to change. But repentance must be done.

Know Scripture. Know God. Know true peace and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

Final (Hopefully) Pneumonia Update

I'm hoping this will be my last update about my illness. I finally received word back from the doctor regarding my blood tests.

Everything was within normal limits with no abnormalities remarkable.

He said I look great on paper.

I told him I look even better in person.

I want to thank everyone who has prayed me through this illness. God is good! You can take me off of your "sick list" prayer list. Please keep praying for me, otherwise!

Pneumonia Update

I finally made it to the pulmonologist in Tulsa yesterday. They measured my lung/breath capacity, took blood, took an X-ray, etc. The doctor seemed to be extremely competent with the obligatory dry sense of humor.

After a lengthy interview, he hummed and hawed quite a bit and finally said, "I don't know what you have." In a moment of levity, he then quickly said, "well, I know what you have, I'm just not going to tell you!". I thought that was the funniest thing I'd heard all day!

The long and short of it is this: I'm improving. I don't have a fever. The blood test MAY tell what I had. He didn't give me any more medicine. I have a follow up appointment in two months. If my condition worsens, I'm to contact him immediately.

He suspected it was a fungus of some sort. Didn't know if it came from Africa, Asia, or my CPAP machine....

In any case, thanks to all who have been praying for me. I feel so much better and praise God for it!

My Letter To Nobel Prize Committee

The email below was sent this morning. There is nothing else to say that I didn't say to the Nobel Prize Committee.

From: Rick Boyne
Sent: Friday, October 09, 2009 10:27 AM
To: 'postmaster@nobel.no'
Subject: 2009 Nobel Peace Prize

Please forward to the appropriate committee members:

Dear 2009 Nobel Peace Prize Committee: Thorbjørn Jagland, Geir Lundestad, Kaci Kullmann Five, Sissel Rønbeck, Inger-Marie Ytterhorn, Ågot Valle
I am shocked and outraged at your selection of US President Barak Obama as the recipient of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. The nomination deadline was a mere two weeks after this man assumed the office of President. What on earth could he have done in those two weeks to merit receiving this prestigious award?

This year’s prize is a slap in the face to all previous award recipients who deserved the award. It diminishes the award’s value and meaning. It is an insult to brokers of peace who truly have earned this award.

Perhaps if you had awarded Mr. Obama after he had proved himself, you could have preserved the integrity of your award. But, alas, you have corrupted its meaning, value, and future desirability and have turned it into something akin to a teen-aged popularity contest.

Sincerely,


Rick Boyne
XXXXXXXXX Ave
Wagoner, OK, 74467
USA

www.RickBoyne.com

SDG

The Rumor

Ever been a part of a rumor mill? Have you ever been the topic of a rumor?

Well, I am currently the center of a hilariously false rumor going around town. I heard about it at the Hog Fry last Saturday.

One of the guests at the event heard several things about our church lately. It all started with our starting a new church, the Native Fellowship Baptist Church, which meets in our fellowship hall. There is a history with our church that goes back about 7-10 years, which includes two church splits and LOTS of hard feelings. (I didn't know all of the history when I took the church, but that isn't important right now.)

About ten days ago or so, I put up a new message on our road-side sign that said, "New Church Plant Event, Indian Hog Fry, Saturday 1-5 pm"

Then later in the week, the following ad came out in the Wagoner Tribune:

Well, my friend saw one of her friends out at Wal-Mart and was told, "It's about time that Immanuel Baptist Church finally shut down! I'm glad there's another church going in there." Then she also heard from another friend that I had resigned!

Personally, I am conflicted about these rumors. On one hand, I think they are funny! God is doing such amazing things at our church that the evil one thinks (thought) he could sabotage it with silly rumors. On the other hand, I am sad that people, even church-going folk don't understand about churches starting other churches. It happens so seldom that when it does, people think that one church is 'going out of business' and another one is going to take its place.

I am so proud of my church. They are living out the Great Commission in the best way they know how, one step at a time. They are finally looking outside of the four walls and seeing the lostness of our own society. Soon, as we grow together, they will recognize the need is greater than even their own neighbors and will take the Good News to areas that are different than their own comfort zone.

Last Sunday, I announced the Oklahoma-East Asia Partnership and mentioned that we need to participate BY GOING! I had a lot of people give the "second look" kind of thing when I said that everyone who just said in their heart "not me" is probably the ones that will end up going!

These kinds of rumors are almost funny; there are other kinds though, that ruin reputations. I hope I'm never the center of THOSE kids of rumors!

Hog Fry

The Native Fellowship Baptist Church had it's kickoff hog fry event this past Saturday. We had 141 in attendance.

Basically, to have a hog fry, you:

1. buy some chuncked up hog
2. cut the pieces smaller
3. cook it in oil until it's done
4. eat it with fry bread, coleslaw, beans, and lots of cakes and pie!

I have some pictures I took up on the church's website here.

Oklahoma 20 - Miami 21

We are four points from being 4-0 instead of 2-2.

This really stinks!

Where were the offensive blockers?

Where were the receivers?

Where was our defense?

Landry Jones did a good job; but the rest of the team forgot they were playing!

Good Grief!


Boomer Sooner anyway.

Like a rock

And not as in "Chevy tough" but in "falling like a".

The Sooner fell (rightfully so) down to 19 in the AP, 21 in USA Today, and 20 in the Harris polls.

Oklahoma State is 15, 13, and 14 respectively.

So much for any chance at all at the National Title this year....

Boomer Sooner.

How to Write Good

Avoid run-on sentences that are hard to read.

No sentence fragments.

It behooves us to avoid archaisms.

Also, avoid awkward or affected alliteration.

Don't use no double negatives.

If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, "Resist hyperbole."

Avoid commas, that are not necessary.

Verbs has to agree with their subjects.

Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.

Writing carefully, dangling participles should not be used.

Kill all exclamation points!!!

Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.

Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.

Take the bull by the hand and don't mix metaphors.

Don't verb nouns.

Never, ever use repetitive redundancies.

Last but not least, avoid clichés like the plague.

WILLIAM SAFIRE

[HT: Advice to Writers]

The Gamaliel Foundation

The post below resulted in my interest in a previously unknown to me socio-political organization called the Gamaliel Foundation. Here are a few talking points of what I found out about it.

• It is a Left-Wing activist group.
• It is multi-faith, meaning it includes Muslims, Buddhists any anyone else in its governing leadership.
• It was formed in Chicago in the 60's to assist an African-American organization fighting to "protect homeowners on Chicago's West Side who had been discriminated against by banks and lending institutions."
• They desire to make the government provide civil rights and healthcare to our nation's illegal immigrants.
• They assembled a large number of left-wing religious leaders in 2003 to organize a voter drive to oust the incumbent Pres. Bush from the White House.
• Their "Yahoo Group" describes themselves as "... an affiliate of The Gamaliel Foundation, a power organization, which has affiliates in 22 different states and South Africa."

To me, it looks as if this is just another liberal pseudo-religious organization out to undermine the foundation of the government of the United States of America.

Am I against immigrants having healthcare? No. Am I against ILLEGAL immigrants having healthcare? Most definitely YES! I was a legal resident of 5 different countries. I had a million hoops to jump through to remain a legal resident of those countries. Was I afforded any of the benefits provided to citizens of those countries? NO! Why should we foot the bill for folks who are unwilling to go through our legal system to live legally in our country? I surely can't answer that one.

The Gamaliel Foundation just made my personal "watch list". I think it is bad for America.

From the "Are You Kidding Me?" File

I really don't know what to say about this. This is scary!

Praying to Obama? It reminds me of this picture I posted previously.

This ain't right at all!

[HT: Mark Kelly, via Facebook]

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Addendum:

One commenter pointed out that this video is influenced by the text written across the screen. He included in his comment a response by the Gamaliel Foundation, who sponsored the event:

As a faith-based organization, it is customary for Gamaliel Foundation affiliates to begin and end every action with prayer. At no time, however, have we prayed to President Barack Obama. In the form of call and response, those who took part in the UnitedHealthcare action can be heard saying, “Hear our cry oh God,” “Deliver us oh God,” etc.

You can read the full text of the response here. You can also see the original video posted by the Gamaliel Foundation here.

You can read more about the Gamaliel Foundation here.

I will leave it up to the viewer to decide; if you close your eyes, there are two separate occasions in which you may hear "Hear our cry, Oh God"; however, it, in my opinion, is very unclear.

Moving on up

My beloved Sooners are now back up to number 8 in both the AP and USA Today polls for week 5.

Boomer Sooner!

Emily's Party

Emily had her kid party last Friday night at Honor Heights Park in Muskogee. We had such a great time! The weather was absolutely perfect and everything was wonderful!

Jumping rope

The obligatory Silly String Fiasco

Emily wanted a birthday cookie

While she invited several girls, some of them couldn't come because of extenuating circumstances...
But we all had a great time with those who made it!

Happy Birthday, Emily!

Very first photo, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast

As of today, I no longer have any kids with only a single digit in their ages. That's right! Emily turned 10 years old today!

Helping Daddy on the computer in Dakar, Senegal

It seems as though we've dragged her all around the world. But instead of making her weird, it has made her a well rounded mature young lady!

Enjoying the pool in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Learning to ride the bike in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Posing on the rickshaw in Hong Kong

Riding a camel in Mongolia

Posing at Tienanmen Square in Beijing, China

I am most proud of Emily for her maturity in her relationship with God. She understands the principles of grace and love better than many adults I know.

Happy Birthday, Emily! Your Daddy loves you!

Now it's getting personal...

I honestly have only been paying a little attention to all of the health care hullabaloo, but now it's getting personal. According to the OS Hawkins, the president of Guidestone, if Obama's plan passes, it will spell the end of denominational health care providers.

Read about it here.

[HT: Jackie Bell]

Pneumonia Update

Just to keep you up to date on my recovery process....

• I have been fever free for 9 days!
• My cough has diminished impressively!
• I still get out of breath very easily.
• I still have little stamina.
• Because of all the coughing, I am prone to pretty severe muscle cramps in my sides from time to time.
• I still haven't received an earlier appointment with the pulmonologist.
• I only have one more anti-fungal pill to take, then I won't have any more medicine (at least until I see this next doctor)

Thanks so much for your prayers! Keep praying!

Surprise Visit!

Sunday morning we all received a wonderful surprise blessing! Robert and Sharon Barber showed up in Wagoner! They decided to make a pilgrimage to Oklahoma to visit friends, and we were honored to be the recipients of the Sunday morning visit! They simply showed up at church, then we all went out to eat afterward. They told me that Emily had been emailing them and were concerned whether or not I would be well enough to preach Sunday. Praise God I was!

Our visit was much too short, but what a blessing it is to have such good friends that you can just take up where you left off and it doesn't seem like any time has passed at all.

We worked with Robert and Sharon in Chiang Mai, Thailand. They were surrogate grandparents for Audrey and Emily.

Best Friends

Do you have a best friend? I do. His name is Martin Whipple.

We actually went to kindergarten together. His family moved away for a few years, then we ended up back at Lone Star Elementary School together in 4th grade. We were inseparable through high school and best men at each other's weddings.

A couple of weeks ago, Martin came for a visit; he knew I have been sick. He took my girls fishing in the afternoon (swears they "accidentally" fell in the lake) giving up watching the OSU football season opener to do so. Then, he comes back to the house and watches the OU football season opener with me!



For about three months, we have been planning a fishing weekend together. When I got sick, we were sure I'd be well by that weekend. Not realizing I was going to take a turn for the worse, we still made plans to go fishing. As the time was approaching, we began to realize it wasn't going to be our typical play hard-rest little weekend. He came on to Wagoner anyway, (he lives in Enid, OK) under the condition that I not over-do it and would tell him if I needed to rest or stop all together. I got Dad involved and last Friday, we took Dad's boat out on Ft. Gibson to fish for sand bass.

It was a BEAUTIFUL day; the first sunny day we'd had in two weeks. The lake was out of its banks because of all the rain we've had, but we made it work anyway. While we didn't catch many fish, we all agreed that the time spent was the real fun.



Unfortunately for me, just sitting in the back of a boat (not the boat pictured in the post below, but a nice bass boat) holding my rod was too much for me. By the time we quit (about 4 hours of 'fishing') I was totally exhausted. However, we didn't have anything to eat out at the lake, so we drove into Muskogee for supper. Afterward, we went back to the lake house and watched Lethal Weapon 4 with the surround-sound turned WAY UP!

When I woke up Saturday morning, I was a little anxious because I woke up exhausted. Nevertheless, we decided to go crappie fishing down at the dock. Sally had given strict orders that I wasn't supposed to "accidentally fall in the lake", so I found some waders to get me to the flooded walkway.



Dad caught a little catfish, Martin caught two small perch, and I got skunked! But I had the time of my life!

The Bible says "... there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." (Proverb 18:24) For me, this friend is Martin Whipple.

Boat Damage

I posted about Mom and Dad's new boat that they bought back in the Spring here. Above is a picture of it I took over the Fourth of July holiday. It was one of the nicest boats you could ever imagine! Mom had been restoring all of the teak wood accents and flooring. Dad had it completely re-upholstered. It was beautiful!


Over Memorial Day weekend, my brother, Pat, took it out and was having a good time. A friend of his was going to drive by really fast on his Ski-do, turn, and drench Pat and his wife, Debbie. However, at the last moment, he wasn't able to control it and rammed full speed into the boat.


The force of the impact broke completely through the hull of the boat. Pat told everyone to don their life jackets and he drove full speed back into the cove to try to get it in the dock before it sank. Fortunately, the driver of the Ski-do wasn't hurt, but Debbie had her knee right up against the hull and it hurt her knee pretty bad and ended up at the emergency room. Pat was able to make it back to the dock (because of the way the hull broke, as long as he kept moving, water didn't come in) and it didn't sink.

Thankfully, Debbie has pretty well recovered and there was no serious injuries. The man's insurance will pay for the boat, as it is a total loss...