I have recklessly forgotten Your glory, O Father;

And among sinners I have scattered the riches which You gave to me.

And now I cry to You as the Prodigal:I have sinned before You,

O merciful Father;Receive me as a penitent and make me as one of Your hired servants.

Fiesta for the Cure

I spent October working with our newest Partner in Education promoting their Fiesta for the Cure campaign. Our classes held a contest to collect coins for the cause. The winning class enjoyed a sopapilla party, while their teachers were our school ambassadors to On the Border sent to present a Fiesta for the Cure check totaling $666.46

..........wow

So, a few posts back I mentioned that I did not want to settle. So this past week God presented an opportunity for Kimberly to have a considerably higher paying job at a new company.

After praying for God to either close a door, or throw it wide open, it appears He has done the latter. It's scary, leaving a job that has been stable and secure for so many years to take on a new venture in an economy that is barely stable at best................but that's where we find ourselves...........stepping out in faith that when God presents an opportunity He is also there to see it through.

I think if we can follow him to China it is a safe bet that we can follow him to new employment.

I am Second

I set here tonight, exhausted, from a well planned and executed Fall Retreat. Aaron and Jay did another amazing job organizing an experience that challenged our students spiritual thinking and stretched them to consider "not being plastic." On top of 48 hours of hard core time with teenagers, we had our anaul Trunk of Treats tonight and our youth group did a good job keeping the games running.

This was my fourth Park Plaza Fall Retreat to be a part of, and it was decidedly the best. Sky Ranch offers a great venue with a variety of activities to appeal to the many interest of teenagers. But it was also the best, in my opinion, because of the students. I have particularly noticed that our 6th-8th graders are very close and enjoy the benefits of a relationship based on openness, truth, and acceptance. I am very excited to be a part of their ministry these next 6 years as they navigate through middle and high school and learn the skills needed to cope with what the world has waiting for them. We had a great weekend at Sky Ranch for Fall Retreat.

The message of the weekend was "I am not Plastic" a great message emphasized with the message of "I am second" . This Tebow/Bradford video was used to really hit home with a strong message.

Through all of the fun; soccer, football, paintball, zipline, cards, and hanging out I couldn't help but be a little retisent due to the absence of my son.

This was the 1st of two retreats that both he and my daughter would have been at together, and I missed him being there.

There is no plan

So, the wheels of change are truly always turning. Evolution is an ongoing and continuing process, and those who try so desperately to stand still and stay in place get left behind; thank God for the gift of growth, new understanding, and new mercies.

I was reading an article about Joyce Meyer recently. The author was ripping her for "changing her opinions/translations/views", imagine that, growing and maturing out of your old thoughts and beliefs. I was recently telling about my grandfather and his inability to tell his daughter about his late in life spiritual growth and the sad rift left behind by that lack of courage.

I thank God for the gift of growth, new understandings, and new mercies. I lived through one spiritual community who grew and transformed into something new with the potential to transform an entire community, and feel that same transformitive spirit at Park Plaza and it excites me.

Today, my wife accepted a new job, one that came out of the blue that fits her talents and brings new heights to climb.

My son continues on his transformative journey.

My daughter has eagerly and excited entered her teens with a heart full of joy to be alive in this world and a daughter of the Living God.

And I continue to look for new and exciting adventures.

Public Education is also changing and growing right before our eyes. Instead of Reading, 'riting, and 'rithmatic we now focus our efforts on teaching children about Relationships, Relevance, and Rigor.

We've set aside IQ for EQ.

We're going textless and paperless. Students now have "virtual lockers" that they utilize from school, home, and their cell phone.

Today I read The Adventure of Johnny Bunko: the last career guide you'll ever need. A great quick read that sets aside everything you've ever learned about career planing and gives 6 practical guidelines to being happy in your career.

1. There is no plan

2. Think Strengths, not weaknesses

3. It's not about you

4. Persistence trumps talent

5. Make excellent mistakes

6. Leave an imprint

As I read this well written Japanese Animae book, I couldn't help but think that those are 6 guideline that could describe how we should act, not only in our careers, but in the way we conduct ourselves in our ministry, in our family relationships, in the way we govern our communities, and the way we (I) walk through the last 2/3rds of my life.

1. Forget the plan - God's gonna take me where God's gonna take me.

2. Play up the gifts and talents God's given to you and the unique manifestation they take.

3. It's not about you - It's about Him and how He can use you to further his goals

4. Persistence trumps talent - It's not about a great evangelical event that gets a quick baptism, it's about living a life that gives the consistent message that Christ followers live out a special blessing

5. You're gonna screw up, so make it a grand screw up. God's used plenty of screwed up people and screwed up events to bless countless others.

6. Leave the fingerprints of God in everything you do and everywhere you go.

Yerton for OK Senate: 2018

So, I have come up with campaign idea #10, but truly hope it is taken care of well before I run for state legislature


#1 Education Reform: Compulsory Education stops at grade 10 with 4 options afterwards (Civil Service w/ Certificate of Completion, Traditional Diploma, GED with option to earn diploma through age 21, Diploma with honors).


#2 Repeal federal and state income taxes and institute federal and state sales tax codes (no taxes on groceries and includes legalizing marijuana w/a hefty tax on it. Illegal vendors would be prosecuted for tax evasion with all property being seized to pay uncollected taxes).


#3 SoonerCare for all.


#4 Lower legal drinking age to 18 or raise age of military enlistment to 21.


#5 Push Christmas into January and the New Year into March.


#6 Protective Guardianship cases must be investigated within 24 hours.


#7 Reforming laws @ textbook adoption and wasteful spending involved. Turn textbook funding into funding for student handheld/laptop electronic textbooks.


#8 Creating a Tax incentive for those who serve as CASA and other child/family advocates


#9 Create an opportunity to public schools to have on site privately funded Chaplaincy programs through the current Partners in Education programs.


#10 Establish statewide free Internet service to facilitate equitable access to make #7 a reality.

Tonight I was able to learn more about the Celebrate Receovery ministry and was supripsed to learn it was not just for people struggling with deug and alchol addiction, but people with hurts, habits, and hang ups. This would include dependency and codependecy issues, family memebrs of adicts, and more.

I like what Rick Warren writes about the Eight Recovery Principles based on the BEATITUDES

1. Realize I’m not God; I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and my life is unmanageable. "Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor.” Matthew 5:3
2. Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that He has the power to help me recover. "Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4
3. Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control. "Happy are the meek." Matthew 5:5
4. Openly examine and confess my faults to God, to myself and to another person whom I trust. "Happy are the pure in heart." Matthew 5:8
5. Voluntarily submit to any and all changes God wants to make in my life. "Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires." Matthew 5:6
6. Evaluate all my relationships, offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I’ve done to others when possible, except when doing so would harm them or others. "Happy are the merciful" Matthew 5:7 "Happy are the peacemakers" Matthew 5:9
7. Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His work for my life and gain the power to follow His will.
8. Yield myself to be used by God to bring this good news to others, both by my example and by my words. “Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires.” Matthew 5:10

Mac and Linda Owen from White's Ferry in Louisiana gave a powerful testimony that lead to their work in CR. They noted that all throughout the Bible, great men and women have had their struggles. Like Abraham had a problem with lying, Moses with anger, David with purity, Paul with religion, Peter with abandonment issues, Mary Magdalene with multiple demons, & Rehab who was self-employed (prostitute). And these are just some of God’s leaders! They came to understand the only true freedom in winning this battle was to surrender to God.

Isaiah 59:21"As for me," God says, "this is my covenant with them: My Spirit that I've placed upon you and the words that I've given you to speak, they're not going to leave your mouths nor the mouths of your children nor the mouths of your grandchildren. You will keep repeating these words and won't ever stop."