Aunt Jessie

On this Memorial Day, I choose to remember Jessie Yerian.  Aunt Jessie was my mother's mother's mother's sister.  She and her other sisters, specifically, Aunt Mabel and Aunt Hazel and my grandmother spent lots of time together.

Aunt Jessie lived alone in Grove at Grand Lake.  She was widowed for the second time in the 1970's  and never remarried.  As an older teenager, I would go and spend a few days with her in the summer time.

 Max, Carolyn, Judy, Mary Neal, Ted, Audrey, Bill, Don

with Aunt Jessie at the table, June 1997.

Aunt Jessie loved to laugh.  She could tell the funniest stories and always had a smile on her face.  She made the best carrot cake I've ever eaten and had some pear preserves that were to die for.  I've never had any other pear preserves that even comes close.

She was one of the sweetest persons I've ever known.  She passed away about 15 years ago or so, but I have the assurance that I will see her again because of her faith in Jesus Christ.  She trusted Him and received eternal life.  While I miss her greatly, her life impacted me intensely. 

Aunt Jessie, thanks for teaching me how to love God and love others!

Memorial Day Fun

Today, we went to the Tulsa Zoo.  We had a great time.  The weather was with us and it was absolutely beautiful.  I took this picture of the girls at the lion's head water fountain.  This is the same lion's head that my sister and I drank from when we were kids.  It is really cool that my kids get to share the same thing.

At the tiger exhibit, there were two youngish tigers.  They actually played like kittens.  One was lounging in the grass and rubbing its head when the other one snuck up on it and "attacked" it.  It then chased it around the entire arena.  They calmed down and one got in the water to cool off.  The other one laid down at the edge of the water and the one in the water started sneaking up on it.  The one outside, saw it coming and backed up, with its ears lowered.  The one in the water sprung from the pool and chased it around.  It was the single best  tiger experience I've ever witnessed.  It was truly great!

After the zoo, we went to Schlotzsky's for lunch and to another shop or two to get some stuff we needed.  We had a great day!

Book Progress Report

I heard from my friend who is editing my manuscript that he is on target to return it to me by the end of this month.

I am very excited about receiving it and evaluating the recommended adjustments and making it presentable for marketing.

Since this is my first one, I have no idea how long it will take me to finalize this process, but I hope no more than a month.

As soon as I finish my corrections, I'll begin seeking literary representation.

Basically, I have to find an agent who believes in my work and thinks they can sell the idea to a publisher.

It doesn't stop there.  They have to have marketing meetings, sales meetings and more before they actually accept it for publishing.

It could very well be a year from now before we see it on the shelves.

In the meantime, in my attempt at pre-publication publicity, I have created a Facebook Fan Page, www.facebook.com/OwenRigsby and a Twitter feed, www.twitter.com/OwenRigsby.  Owen has 172 fans on FB and 248 followers on Twitter, as of the writing of this post.

I find it interesting the number of people who have mis-understood the intent and think that Owen is a real person.  I have had several very interesting conversations with people and in some cases, had to tell them that he is a fictional character.

In any case, I would appreciate your supporting my work by becoming a Facebook fan or following Owen on Twitter.

Thanks in advance!

Thailand's Thaksin

From HotSpots:

Thailand's Criminal Court ordered the arrest of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on terrorism charges. Authorities allege that Thaksin provided funding, weapons and Cambodian fighters to fuel the protests against Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's government. Bangkok will now seek Thaksin's extradition. Thaksin has denied the charges.

Trouble in Morocco

From HOTSPOTS:

Morocco (Country threat level - 3): Moroccan government sources reported on 21 May 2010 that authorities have notified another group of foreigners in Morocco of their impending removal from the country for alleged Christian evangelizing activity; an offense punishable under Moroccan law. The 23 notified foreign nationals are predominantly Westerners, including at least one U.S. national. U.S. Embassy officials indicated that they are concerned about the second wave of deportations and are questioning the basis of the removal. The recent notifications follow a similar expulsion of Westerners in early March 2010. Local missionary and Christian groups in the country stated that many Christians are now worried about a perceived low-level government crackdown on Christians in the country.

ASI Comment: Although Morocco maintains good relations with most Western nations, and especially the U.S., diplomatic tensions have increased recently following Morocco’s recent refusal to abide by the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act. International watchdog groups have noted that the recent moves are not only in response to increasing international criticism, but also the government's efforts to deter Muslim conversions to Christianity in the country. Although the situation is not expected to result in violent targeting of Westerners or Christians in the country, rising tensions could include other politically motivated, official acts as well as further deportations of foreigners from the country.

Renee's Wedding

We had the privilege of attending the wedding of Renee Getsee and Richard Adams in the chapel at Ouachita Baptist University, in Arkadelphia, AR.  We got to know Renee in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  We also had the privilege of hosting her during her spring break in 2009.

Ken walking his eldest down the aisle.

It was our first time to meet Richard.  It was a simple but beautiful ceremony.

The vows

It was really good to see her parents and sisters again, too.

It looks worse than it was.

The Boyne family with the happy couple.

The bouquet launch

Ready or Not

"Ready or not, here I come!"

We've all heard those words, if not said them ourselves.

In the Ricky-Boy Okie Version of the Bible, that's what Jesus says to us when He says, "He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.  (Revelation 22:20 NASB)

I sincerely hope that when Jesus DOES return, He will find you ready.  If you aren't sure about it, please click on this link.

Rocky Point Fish Fry

Every year, (maybe twice a year) older folks from Wagoner haul their camper trailers out to Rocky Point for a week of fun on Lake Ft. Gibson.  Most all of them are good Christian folk, so there is no rough talk and no one gets drunk.

I've been invited out for the past three years to attend their big fish fry. Several members of my church, some from Crossroads, and the majority from First Baptist.  Everyone brings something to contribute and they eat the catfish that the men have caught the previous couple days.

It is a delightful time of fun and fellowship; something that I would look forward to in my own retirement.

While I didn't get a good count, there must have been 50 people there.  (and the fish was delicious!)

Funny Sign

I found this men's room sign on a restroom at a stop on I-35, south of Oklahoma City a couple of months ago.  I thought it was funny.

Something Funny

Last week or so, Audrey had a special assignment for one of her classes.  It was a "how to" assignment.  She chose "how to make tuna casserole".

She stayed up late the night before it was due, preparing the dish, so she could get up early the next morning and put it in the oven.

The presentation was supposed to be at about 1 pm or so.  Audrey went into the teacher's break room only to find it not in the refrigerator.  She looked around for it and finally found it on the table, but when she opened the cover, the casserole wasn't there and the dish had been washed!

She gasped in distress and one of the teacher volunteers asked her what was wrong.  She said that her class project was gone.  The volunteer got a worried look on her face and said, "that was class project?  It was delicious.  We thought you brought it for Teacher Appreciation Week."  She then showed her a small cereal bowl sized dish that had some left-overs in it.

She took her empty casserole dish and leftovers back to the class and explained it to her teacher.  The teacher said it was ok and to go ahead and give the presentation.  Audrey brought some plastic forks and everyone had a very small bite of her casserole, explaining to the class "The teachers ate my casserole."

The teacher told me that it was absolutely delicious and she'd get an "A+".

I guess "all's well that ends well."

Audrey's Big Day

Thursday was Audrey's 8th Grade Graduation and Awards Assembly.  She and Emily attend Ben Franklin Science Academy in Muskogee, a science magnet school.  Since it is a Kindergarten through 8th grade, they have a ceremony to advance the kids on to high school.  I am really happy they get to be a part of something like this.  The school I grew up in was like that; Lone Star in Sapulpa, OK.

They had an entry ceremony complete with "Pomp and Circumstance".

Audrey received the "Top Social Studies Student" from Diane Walker, Oklahoma Supreme Court's 2010 Teacher of the Year.

The "core teachers" lined up to congratulate the 8th graders. This school truly has a small town flavor to it that makes everyone family.

Among her many awards, Audrey was Top Social Studies Student, Top Math Student, Superintendent's Honor Roll and class co-valedictorian.

Mom and Dad are very proud of their older daughter, not just for the awards she's won, but because of her commitment to follow God.

Stormy Weather

Wednesday evening, a huge front moved through Oklahoma spawning 17 tornadoes.  Thankfully, many of them were F1 with winds not exceeding 105 mph.

The Emergency Alert System was activated on our cable TV interrupting programming on all channels.  I took a picture of the alert with my cell phone camera. The quality is very poor.

This is the radar image on CBS Tulsa Affiliate KOTV Channel 6.  We didn't get to watch CSI, but at one point there were 7 counties in the viewing area with current tornado warnings! Even for Oklahoma, that is a big deal. I took another picture of the TV image with my cell phone.

Here in Wagoner, we had a gust front with winds of 40-50 mph but, once again, the storms went around us.

Emily's Big Day

Emily's Award Ceremony was Tuesday.

 Audrey joined her mother and I for the event. (She talked her way out of class!)

Emily received the Reading, Math, & Superintendent Honor Roll awards!

 While she has just completed 5th grade, she is a whole year younger than most of her classmates, as she actually started kindergarten a year early!

She finished as salutatorian for her class.  Not bad for being a year ahead!

Obviously, we are very proud of her. Not just for her academic prowess, but for her heart to follow God!

In case you were wondering

Satan is a liar- and a jerk. Don't trust him.

How Rich Are You Really?

Do you think you are rich or poor?

Most of us think we could be better off, but that is because we constantly compare ourselves to people who are richer than us.

Let's take a look at the big picture for moment.

According to the World Bank Research Group, the average annual wage around the world is about $6000.  That's PER YEAR!

If you want to see how well off you really are, go to this site: http://globalrichlist.com/  and plug in your annual salary.

If you consider your earthly wealth to define who you are, then you have your confidence in something that is insecure and could/will not last forever.

Put your confidence in Jesus Christ; an investment in Him will not disappoint!

[HT: Dave Scott]

SMS Test Post

Trying again to figure out how to post via SMS and get the title to work right.

Thursday Thoughts

I was thinking this morning that people don't want to seek after God because they are comfortable in their sin and if they actually meet God, they don't want to have to change from their ways.

When we meet Holiness face to face, we are then faced with our own corruption and that is convicting.

People do all they can to avoid "eye contact" with God because they know that God will require change.

It is an interesting thing indeed to see people squirm in their sin.  When that happens, they lash out at everyone who speaks truth and accuse them of being "fundamentalist" "intolerant" "narrow-minded" "archaic" and "irrelevant".

The truth of the matter is people like living in their sin.  They will continue to do that until they truly encounter the One Who is without sin.

Honey Bees

We had a colony of honey bees make their hive in the eave of the church.  We called in a beekeeper to take care of them.

I got stung.

He didn't.