In the summer of 2016, we attended a sweet and beautiful family wedding in Indiana. Following the wedding came the family pictures, then the reception dinner. There was a long delay from the staff in the starting of the dinner. At one point, I confess, I became restless and got up for a cup of coffee. On my way back to our table I noticed two boys playing by the unattended wedding cake. They were playing a dangerous game of “who can poke their finger closest to the cake without touching it.” Since these boys were closely related to me, I made my way towards them. It did not take long to point them to the food line and redirect their efforts. Mission accomplished. Then one boy suddenly had a thought and whipped around to get my attention, but I was much closer than he realized. My hot cup of coffee was almost at my lips when the bump happened. Hot coffee soaked my shirt and jacket. He was very sorry. It was an accident, but I needed to clean up.

We are always having to clean up, aren’t we? Spills, accidents, hot days outside, housework, you name it, we are always cleaning things up. Coming clean is a way of life, isn’t it? We bathe, wash our clothes and brush our teeth. Hopefully, regularly. So it is and so it should be for us spiritually. Coming clean with our sins—before ourselves, before others and before God Almighty—is the spiritual necessity for each of us every single day. Confession is good for the body and the soul.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

 I stopped by the gift shop at the golf club, where the reception was held, and was bought a new shirt by the boys’ mother—the only shirt in the shop in my size. I took my coffee-soaked self into the locker room and washed out the stained shirt. (The red spots on my chest and stomach weren’t too bad.) After I put on the new shirt, I felt clean again. It felt good. If you ever see me in a bright pink shirt with the Valle Vista Golf Club logo on the sleeve, just know it was the one I was wearing when I stepped up to lead the blessing at the wedding dinner.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Come clean. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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This is a reposting of the official account of the day Dini came to church.

On September 7, 1979, I received an urgent phone call asking for my assistance. One of our church members at the time, Ty Frederick, was trying his hand at breeding cockatiels. I was very interested in his new hobby. He called me that evening to say that a new mother was rejecting her two hatchlings. He asked if I could come over and help him. We decided that I would take one and he would work with the other. I took the hatchling home and fed him with an eye dropper and kept him warm with a towel in a shoebox. After his feathers came out, I began to teach Dini to fly and to talk. One of his favorite sayings was, “He’s a good bird.”  Then, one fateful day in the spring of 1981, I brought him to church to show the children.

The world’s longest children’s sermon began during the morning service as usual. When I took the bird out of his cage to show how he was trained to talk and fly back to me… well, let’s just say he flew and flew and sang, all through the rest of church that morning. I thought it was poetic that Ty was singing a solo in worship when Dini decided to make it a duet. No one slept through church that day! We worked all afternoon to try and coax him back to his cage. He loved singing in church. Later, after the evening service, I climbed an extension ladder and lifted a long pole with an improvised crossbar up to his perch near the sanctuary’s cove lights. He got on the crossbar, then as I slowly inched the pole down, he jumped on my shoulder like he was supposed to have done 10 hours earlier!

I looked up the life expectancy of the cockatiel—they live about 20 years. According to Wikipedia, there was one bird confirmed to have lived 35 years. Dini was a noble pet that outlived a number of our cats. For around eight of those years, he shared his cage with a female cockatiel we called DeeDee. We thought Dini would like the company and that they might even mate. He mostly tolerated her. She died unexpectedly one July. He did not seem to miss her. Dini died on May 7, 2011. He lived 31 years and 8 months with us, greeting us every day with songs and whistles and chatter. He was a very good bird.

  Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Remember the good times. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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It is being called “The Great Resignation.”  The Great Resignation was first noted by economists following the release of the April 2021 Jobs Report. Articles continue to be written about this in the nation’s leading financial and business journals. What happened was that 4 million US workers resigned or quit their jobs all at once in April. This was separate from those being laid off or fired from their places of employment. It happened again in May and by the end of June a total of 11.5 million workers had stepped away from their careers. Millions of these were high paying professionals making well over six-figure salaries. This is a seismic shift in the economic landscape of America. It also coincides with a massive return to the workplace following the shutdown. Millions of workers said, “Not me.” Speculation centers on low wage earners demanding better pay, and lingering health concerns in the time of a virus resurgence. But the astounding number of high paying job resignations points to a reordering of personal priorities. 

“The Great Reprioritization,” as some are now calling it, is earnestly gaining momentum across our land. As a pastor, I can see where this last year of sickness and upheaval is causing people to reevaluate their lives and dreams.  Congregational studies are reporting that fully one-third of all church attenders before the pandemic are not planning to go back to church with any regularity, if at all. 

This all gives me great hope for our future as a nation, and for the local church. People who make such dramatic changes in their lives are thoughtful, aware of the risks, and seeking fulfilment in body, mind and spirit. The great resigners will seek a healthier job and life balance. They will create new incomes and deeper satisfactions. Those who have tasted the joys of Christ, but been hurt or betrayed by church people, will discover a healthier faith and life balance with authentic believers. The disillusioned and discouraged need genuine relationships that are honest and true, just like you and I do. Now is the opportunity to reprioritize our faith with service and justice for all. Or, as Isaiah put it, Today… is the day of salvation.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Reprioritize. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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(Note: I asked Connie Connely to share this week’s Reflections) 

Years ago, many of my third-grade students wore bracelets that said WWJD.  When I asked what it meant, they told me, “What would Jesus do?” I never had one of those bracelets, but if I did, I would wear it every Sunday to remind me of Julia Ford, “WWJD — What would Julia do?” as I replace her as the leader of our Ladies’ Sunday School class.  Who am I kidding?  No one can replace Julia!

Brother Darryl didn’t ask me to step in as the leader because I have style and flair.  No, it was because I was there!  Plus, I know how to use the DVD player. Julia not only talked the talk as a Christian, but she also walked the walk.  When I was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2017 and had to make a couple of trips to MD Anderson in Houston, Texas, Julia called to check on my mother, who was 88 years old at the time.  Julia checked on everyone.  She would telephone, send cards, and bring cookies to my door for a fun surprise. When I would ask her to come in for a visit, she would say, “I can’t stay long because I have some other deliveries to make.” That was Julia, always taking care of people.

When I received the phone call to pray for Julia because she had COVID, I thought, “This will be hard, but I think she will make it. If the 85-year-old lady in my book club survived COVID, surely Julia will, too.” “Why, Julia?” I have asked. Although I am 100% sure the Pearly Gates swung open wide to welcome her into Heaven, I hoped she could stay longer to watch her younger grandchildren grow up. God has His plans. Sometimes we don’t understand.

As a tribute to Julia, our Ladies’ Bible Study classes are continuing.  We have recently completed: “Chasing Vines” by Beth Moore and “Forgiving What We Can’t Forgive” by Lysa TerKeurst.  In addition, we plan to participate in another study about anxiety.  Who doesn’t need that during this pandemic? Ladies, we would LOVE for you to join us. The more, the merrier! Don’t worry about waiting until we have a new Bible Study; just come on! That’s what Julia would do!

Hope to see you on Sunday mornings at 11:15 — 11:50!  We are in the room across from the kitchen.  

Connie Connely, teacher

Julia Ann Dooly Ford, June 1, 1952—May 3, 2021

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Over the course of the summer, I have watched construction crews redesign the entrance to the Expo Building by the Golden Driller statue at the Fairgrounds. They have been frantically painting the outside of the building, roof and all, to the new colors of light grey and royal blue. This is to match the new logo on the reimagined gates at each of the old entrances.  It looks to me like they may be painting late into the night for another week. The Tulsa State Fair is about to open on September 30. On the other side of the fairgrounds, where the barns are, the fair has already begun for the future farmers of America.

Trucks with trailers filled with large animals have been rumbling past the church this week headed for the fairgrounds. While the painting continues, midway rides have been assembled, new parking signs have been added, and RV’s filled with people and merchandise have assembled in the designated parking lots, creating their own little camp towns.  Corn Dog and Cotton Candy trailers are escorted down the street like honored guests arriving at the ball. All that is left is for about 1,000,000 people to show up, discovering along the way that it costs real money to go to the State Fair.

I enjoy the Fair. Last year it was cancelled because of you know what. This year seems to be full steam ahead. I enjoy watching the people, eating the food, and discovering the latest, greatest miracle-working gadget ever seen on the face of the earth. If we make it to the fair, I will be searching for the first sign of autumn—the deep-fried, bacon-wrapped, pumpkin-spiced cheesecake on a stick. There is nothing quite like a state fair. But it would never happen at all without detailed preparations, hardworking people, and a common goal to hold the finest fair ever. So when you see the 4H-ers with their prize cow or pig, the blue ribbon cakes or quilts, the hot tubs or the glasses cleaners, remember the effort and sacrifice that is behind it all. Any worthy endeavor takes preparation, commitment, and sacrifice. That includes your family, your church, and your daily life.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Do what it takes. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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