Susie Hinton had a story to tell based on an incident that happened to a friend at school. She began to turn it into a novel, although she did get a D in creative writing that junior year. She persisted in her observations of high school life and the petty cliques that amplified the differences. She graduated from Tulsa’s Will Rogers High School in 1966. Published in 1967, that novel The Outsiders, continues to be a bestseller every year.  An interesting quote from the book highlights the gaps, the social barriers, between north and south Tulsa: “Can you see the sunset from the South side real good?” “Yeah, real good.” “You can see it from the North side too.”  Ponyboy Curtis and Cherry Valence.

This week the Tony Award winning Broadway musical, The Outsiders, began its national tour here in Tulsa. The cast is making visits to the high school to talk with students and to see where it all began. Most of us know what it is to be the outsider when everyone else seems to be an insider. Insiders have their own little rules, customs, and special words. It is always hard trying to fit in. Pretending to be an insider is nearly impossible. That is why most outsiders stay quiet while trying to decipher the insider norms. The book, the movie and the musical turn very dark in places because embarrassment and anger walk hand in hand. Insiders can embarrass themselves in their treatment of the outsider. Outsiders can embarrass themselves by trying too hard to be accepted. 

Visiting a church is often an insider-outsider experience. We have taught ourselves to scan the room, look for clues, and ask ourselves if there is anyone here that looks like me. Is there anyone one here who will bridge the gap? Outsiders seek belonging, understanding, and friendships. Insiders can become so accustomed to each other that they find no need to invite anyone else into their circle. I am reminded of the biblical caution, Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some have entertained angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:2) 

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

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This is the church. This is the steeple. Open the doors and see all the people. If you folded your hands the wrong way, then the question becomes, where’s all the people? Can you still do it—fold your hands into a church with a pointed steeple? It was hard to do the first time when we were little children in Sunday School. It gets harder as joints stiffen and muscles tighten. But it has always been a fun little illustration. When your hands-made-little-church is full of people, we cannot help but smile. But we also know that it is just easier to fold our hands together with our fingers, the people, on the outside. The lessons from our hands-made-churches remind us that churches are (1) made of people, (2) who serve and worship together, and (3) spill all out into the world with the joy of Christ. Some people want to focus on the number of people in a church. Some people focus on the style of ministries and kind of worship services. Others may want to see if the church people are as real in their faith during the week as they may appear to be during Sunday church.

Can we make a church with our hands? We can if they are servant hands of earnest prayer and faith. We can make a church if our hands are cleansed by the confession of our sinfulness and open to receive God’s merciful grace. We can make a church with our hands as we labor together with Christ, sharing His blessings and telling of His salvation for all people. We can make a church with our hands if we recognize our weaknesses are where God’s strengths begin. Hands in worship. Hands in prayer. Hands in friendship. Hands that care. Willing hands to do our part to honor Christ with all our heart. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but God who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. (1 Corinthians 3:7-9)

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

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Yesterday I received a call at the church office from someone I did not recognize, but he told me he was a friend of a mutual friend who had not responded to his repeated telephone calls over the last three months. He asked me if I had heard from this friend recently, and I told him I had not. This led to him speculating about what happened to our friend. He then changed to telling me the purpose of his call was to make certain that I knew Jesus was coming back tomorrow or the next day, and what did I know about that. I had read that morning about the claims of someone a few months ago who had a vision of Jesus telling him that Jesus was returning on September 23 or 24. I told him I believed Christ was coming again one day, but no one knew what day.

The caller then began to explain to me all the various scriptures and coincidences concerning the founding of the state of Israel and Christ’s rapture of the church during the Hebrew festival of Rosh Hashana when the high priest in Jerusalem blew the shofar and, did I believe them? I noticed this call was going long. Just for the record, I receive these kinds of calls two or three times a year. Some seem to be testing my theology or trying to find something to argue with me about. I asked the caller, why should any believer worry about Jesus’ return, and why would Jesus tell any person today something He had already told His disciples that He did not know about God’s timing?  The caller told me to look it all up on YouTube, he had a call coming in, and we said goodbye.

The return of Christ is a word of Hope for all believers. It is the day of Victory over all things evil, and the dawn of a New Creation. I tend to leave details of these things up to God. In the meantime, we are called to be faithful messengers of the Gospel today—telling the story of the wonders of His Love and Grace to those who are lost or unprepared for eternity.

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

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Our journeys are not always easy. At first, we were made aware of weather delays facing our 10:30 a.m. flight. Later the pilot announced the baggage loaders could not get one of the cargo doors to close properly. That took more than an hour. I trusted that duct tape was not involved. We arrived at DFW Airport after our departing flight to Boston had been in the air for 30 minutes. We entered the twilight zone world of customer service. The lines were long. There were no flights to Boston that night. Our daughter Donelle found us the best option of flying to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at 8:00 p.m. to catch a 7 a.m. flight to Boston. Customer service was glad to know that was an option. We ate a relaxed and good meal, then went to the gate to await the flight. At some point the departure time was changed an hour (ultimately 3 hours), meanwhile, to give us something meaningful to do, the airline changed the gate number 4 times, so we could visit most of the airport’s terminals, and learn all about the tramway system that loops the various scenic vistas of the building. Our plane to Harrisburg arrived at 3 a.m. Not much is happening in the airport at that time of the morning. We made our flight to Boston, arriving at 8:30 a.m.

Our Boston Freedom Trail Walking Tour was rescheduled to 1:30 so we could get to our motel, have breakfast, and freshen up. Towards the end of our excellent 2-hour walk it began to rain. We politely bowed out and found shelter in an historic building next to a food court. Ice cream was involved. We made it back to the motel and slept about 12 hours before it was time to pack it all up and head out for our 7-day anniversary cruise, which was perfectly delightful in every way. 

Back to the airport, and homeward bound. As the stewardess was demonstrating how seatbelts work, the power shut off and the emergency lights came on. I, for one, was glad that happened before we tried to take off. There was a faulty fuel component that had to be replaced. On that 4-hour flight the tray tables were broken, the armrests would not stay up, and the toilets did not flush, other than that, we prayed and read a lot. Going through Customs and racing through DFW, we still missed our connection to Tulsa by five minutes. Spending a short night at a nearby motel, these grumpy campers boarded the 7 a.m. flight to Tulsa. Thankfully, we made it home safely. Enjoy the good days to the fullest.

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

Bro. Darryl

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We spend our whole lives as time travelers. Today’s physicists are rethinking the importance of time as a more fundamental element of the universe. Time has traditionally been viewed as a human reference point to help us anticipate the seasons, number our days, and socially know when to be where. Also, it was thought that time throughout the universe was relative to earth. Now the discussion is considering time on equal standing with gravity and light. We, the people of earth, travel at a speed of approximately 66,627 mph around the sun. It takes one year to complete the circuit. The earth and the Sun travel around the center of the Milky Way at a speed of 448,000 mph, which in turn is travelling through the universe at 1.3 million miles per hour, give or take. All the while everything is perfectly balanced by gravitational forces, like the moon perfectly balanced, rotating around the earth with such precision that the tides of every ocean can be predicted for any date. We have been travelling into the future; it is here today.

Stories and movies are filled with the what if’s of people going back in time to fix the future or royally mess it up. When we read a book or watch a program, we go mentally and emotionally to the time of its setting. I enjoy riding along in the future with Star Trek stories. All of us time travel in our memories past and dreams of possible futures. We long to know the future with certainty. Jesus challenges us to discern today, Luke 12:54-56. We do this by seeking to understand how God is leading us to live, love, witness, and serve, pointing others to the cross and empty tomb, and onward toward salvation today, and the hope of His glory to come.

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

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Jeremiah 1:11-19

“These are rough times in this country to express an opinion.” Humorist Will Rogers, Dec. 16, 1929

As a long-serving local church pastor, I face a tension keeping unity in the fellowship and speaking forth prophetic insights on Sunday. These are rough times. Religious people have been known to stone their prophets.  True prophets rarely pastor a church for long. It is much easier to be a prophet when your family’s livelihood is not involved.

Jeremiah’s call as a young man included a vision test: What do you see, Jeremiah? Before the office was elevated in 1 Samuel, prophets were called seers, somewhat like a fortune teller. True prophets tell forth the future consequences of sinful actions and ethical irresponsibility. Their insights are directed toward God’s own people (believers and hypocrites alike) and to those who are in positions of power and authority. It includes a call to both personal and societal repentance of sin, and a change of ways to match God’s will. With a possible play on words, God’s response was, I’m watching what you see, Jeremiah.

Jeremiah’s call also includes a call to personal action: Get yourself ready…Do not be terrified, or I will terrify you…I am with you and will rescue you. Jeremiah felt the tension. How does this word about prophetic insight apply to us today? How do we manage the emotional need to please everyone and not cause more rough times? How far are we willing to go in trusting God?  What do you see?

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

(Adapted from Bro. Darryl’s devotional based on Jeremiah 1:11-19 for the Center for Congregational Ethics, for August 23, 2025)

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I am sharing this story from 2012 with Deacon’s permission.

Deacon told his kindergarten teacher that he was going camping with his grandpa over the Labor Day weekend. She said, “You’re going camping with Papa D?” “How did you know his name was Papa D?”  “I was your brother’s teacher.” So, Deacon and I went camping. Actually, we stayed in the Minister’s Cabin at Tulakogee Baptist Assembly on Lake Ft. Gibson. I had booked the cabin for four days of personal retreat starting on Thursday night. He and his Mama D joined me on Sunday evening. The primary purpose of our trip, Deacon informed me, was to go fishing.

On Monday morning we headed off to the bait shop. I asked him about the kind of bait we should get—minnows, crickets or worms. “Get worms. Fish love worms.” We explored a couple of good fishing spots, settling on the fishing dock at the camp. Deacon explained to me that when we caught a fish, we were to “take out the eyeballs,” cut it up and take it to Mama D to cook it. He told me all about fishing with his own little rod and reel. Then I opened the box of worms.

Ewww! went the voice next to me as I baited his hook. We set the bobber, and he cast it in the water quite to his satisfaction. I started to bait my hook. “Papa D, I can’t see my bobber.” His pole was bent nearly in half, the bobber surfaced then disappeared again. He had caught the big one. Really, it was about three pounds.  Ewww!  Deacon, it turns out, is more impressed with the idea of fishing, than actually dealing with a big flathead catfish. He did not want to cut it up or even get close enough to have his picture taken with it. So, we set the fish free. A little while later he caught a smaller catfish. Soon he was finished for the day.  He had caught a big fish!  We will go fishing again.  

I know people who are impressed with the idea of being a disciple of Jesus, yet, when it comes to actually living the challenging, gritty life of a disciple, Ewww! They love the heaven part, tolerate church people sometimes, and ignore God’s words. Authentic disciples keep after it and help make disciples. You know, Go into all the world and make disciples…

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

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My car is a traveling office, storage bin and lunchroom. It had never been cleaned and detailed by anyone other than me. I have owned this car since 2019. We decided it needed a more professional cleaning. We arranged the place and date, and worked out the logistics of both of us getting to work close to on time. They finished my car just before the lunch hour, making it possible for us to pick the car up without Dorothy losing any office time. The car looked beautiful. I settled up with the company and happily drove off to get some lunch for myself. Only as I was heading down the road did I realize that the air conditioner was not working properly.

I was at that complicated area around South Memorial and the Creek Turnpike where the city designed the streets to switch from right to left before switching back to the way normal streets are supposed to go. I couldn’t just turn around and go back to the place without going a mile or so out of the way. I had to roll down the windows to accommodate for the lack of A/C.  Just as I pulled up to turn back into the car detail shop, I heard an odd noise and noticed dust going everywhere. It was a city crew blowing freshly mowed grass into my car. It turned out that the detailer had polished all the air vents tightly closed and pushed random buttons and settings with complete abandon. Later at home I vacuumed out the grass and tried to wipe away the dust.

Staying clean is not easy. We are always having to clean up things and ourselves. Coming clean is a way of life, isn’t it? Coming clean with our sins—before ourselves, before others and before God Almighty—is the spiritual necessity for each of us every single day. King David confessed his sin and prayed for a clean heart (Psalm 51).  Confession is how God cleans 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)

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

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Imagine residing near an active volcano. Apparently, more people do it than we imagine. Mt. Kilauea is America’s most active volcano. It has been putting on a spectacular display for months, erupting with brilliant flourishes. You can view the eruption live on YouTube/twopineapples. It is most impressive at night. Dorothy and I once took a close-up helicopter ride over this volcano after a major eruption had subsided. We saw the lava slowly oozing into the ocean. We felt the heat and saw the molten red cracks in the grayish lava.  When we were first married, I promised to take her to Hawaii for our 25^th wedding anniversary. That was such a long way off I thought she might forget. Instead, she opened an Hawaii savings account at the bank and made occasional contributions into it. (All of this is on my mind as we are celebrating our 55^th anniversary this week.)

When we arrived at our 24^th anniversary, Dorothy had not forgotten my promise of Hawaii. I mentioned the Hawaii account, and how it ought to amount to something by now. It did–the balance stood at $250.00. Apparently, “we had things come up.” Only with the miracle of God’s provision were we able to head to Hawaii on schedule. It was amazing that Dorothy agreed to fly in the helicopter in the first place, much less over an active volcano. Living around a volcano can be hazardous. The ocean erupts into giant cauldrons of steam as lava flows into it. We could see the smoldering remains of homes, businesses, old vehicles and telephone poles. A jungle was overtaking once peaceful neighborhoods. Yet, a few minutes later we flew over fancy hotels and the busy inner city of Hilo. People were shopping, working or dealing with tourists like us. 

Living on the side of an active volcano seems risky to me, but then, to those who live in Hawaii, living in the middle of Oklahoma’s Tornado Alley might seem dangerous too. It becomes a matter of perspective. There’s the view on the ground, from above, from a distance, or virtually. Faith is a way of living that sees through the lens of Jesus and His love. It can be more awesome than seeing a volcano.

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

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“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain,” says the flustered Wizard of Oz, as he tries to hide his whiz-bang technology. But to no avail. The truth of his trickery is revealed. I thought of that scene this past week as we watch another showman try to keep the curtain closed. According to L. Frank Baum, author of the Oz series, the wizard had been a traveling carnival magician. Speaking as a former amateur magician, no entertainer wants curious eyes looking behind the curtain. The puzzlement, or awe of the effect, is the point. The wizard had created an illusionary world of fear and subjugation. Smoke, mirrors, and great big projections created multiple distractions in Oz. It was a curious little dog named Toto that revealed it all. 

We live in an age where private acts and unguarded moments will live on forever. See the video of the CEO and his mistress on the Kiss Cam at the Coldplay Concert? When nearly everyone in the world has a camera-telephone in their pocket, anyone can become a news reporter or private eye.  Things once spoken or written for a specific audience are now saved on computers in the cloud, even after they have been deleted. The lines between privacy and security have become blurred. 

Jesus once reminded His followers: What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight (Luke 12:1-4). So how then should we live? Jesus is encouraging us to be people of integrity, honesty and truthfulness. He warns us not to become deceivers. My great-grandmother used to say: Be sure your sins will find you out.  Things got better in Oz when the curtain was opened, and the wizard faced the world humbled and flawed.

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

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