When the recent cold snap suddenly dropped the temperatures into the lower 80’s, I decided that would be a good day to get some chili for lunch. I drove down old Route 66 (11^th Street) west toward downtown, looking for the new home for Ike’s Chili. I had been there once in the before times.  After passing through the massive construction zone at Lewis Avenue, I found myself entering a nearly unrecognizable stretch just past Utica. The construction there was creating new stores, restaurants, and touristy-type businesses. I was so disoriented by it all, I missed Ike’s altogether and had to go way out of the way to get back to where I was headed. After parking in back, I noticed Ike’s was preparing for a celebration.

The posters were inviting everyone to their Anniversary Party and Cruise, which seemed a little much for a place that serves bowls of chili. Ike’s is the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Tulsa. September 10^th will mark 114 years. There will be a big party on Saturday, including an invitation to “cruise” Route 66. Ike Johnson, who died in 1928, started his “chili parlor” in 1908 at 2^nd and Boston. I was most familiar with the location on Admiral towards Sheridan, where it stood from 1966-2014. The current menu has a copy of the Tulsa World article from 1936, which tells the backstory. Included is a story of the time entertainer Will Rogers got to Ike’s too late—everyone had gone home. From its beginning Ike’s customers regularly included some of the most prominent people in Tulsa—unusual for a place that basically serves chili and hot dogs. Million-dollar deals have been brokered by people sitting at the counter on bar stools trying to keep the chili off their ties. Ike would be surprised that a regular bowl of chili now costs nearly $8.00, and a coney the same. I ordered my favorite—three-way chili and a coney. More than enough for anyone. Of course, when I stepped back outside after lunch, the weather was a humid 92˚.

Ike Johnson stuck with a good thing, and so have four generations in his family.  Anyone from any station in life is welcome to sit down for a simple meal, have a good conversation with a friend or stranger, and continue their day, satisfied and full. That is worth celebrating.

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

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I have written before about the power of a daily devotional time. Today I wanted to share with you a quote from Billy Graham’s daughter, Anne Graham Lotz. The following was originally written in her book, Just Give Me Jesus. She developed a 365-day devotional book called The Joy of My Heart, where she excerpts passages from each of her books. This one spoke to me this week.

If Adam knew God as a beloved Father,

if Eve knew Him as the original Homemaker,

if Noah knew Him as the Refuge from the storm,

if Abraham knew Him as a Friend,

if Moses knew Him as the Redeemer,

if Rahab knew Him as the gracious Savior,

if David knew Him as his Shepherd,

if Elijah knew Him as the Almighty,

if Daniel knew Him as the Lion Tamer,

if Mary Magdalene knew Him as the Bondage Breaker,

if Martha knew Him as the Promise Keeper,

if Lazarus knew Him as the Resurrection and the Life,

if Bartimaeus knew Him as the Light of the World,

if John knew Him as the glorious King upon the throne,

surely you and I can know Him too!

You will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him

if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

–Deuteronomy 4:29 NKJV

Copyright by Anne Graham Lotz

This is simple, direct, and true. Thank you, Anne Graham Lotz, for reminding me that each of us can know God in a way that transforms us.  All of us have a friend that needs to hear this message. 

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

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I’ve have flown on quite a few airplanes. An airplane trip is always a shared experience, whether we know anyone onboard or not.  This fall travel season is expected to be the most crowded and delayed since the pandemic (ended?). If airline flights were a church gathering, the opening routine would be called a ritual. The actual flight always begins the same way. The music stops and the leader of the group welcomes everyone aboard and asks that everyone watch and listen to the safety instructions. Bigger airplanes have video presentations that show you what the stewards are also showing you. They always demonstrate how to use a seatbelt. I always wonder “who on this plane still does not know how to use a seatbelt?” Then it is on to “In Case of an Emergency.” They point to the exits and tell about following the lights. If the oxygen masks drop down “put yours on first before helping others.” They do not say why that is important. Then there is usually a follow-up about “water landings” and floatation devices, even if your aircraft will not be flying over any significant body of water. As a wrap-up, you are referred to the instructions in the seat pocket in front of you, just like Bibles in church. 

On airplane trips everyone does everything together. Check-in. Go through the security lines. Empty stuff out onto the conveyor belt and have your body scanned. Sit and wait. Hurry to get on board with everything you could possibly need. Put it all somewhere. Sit and wait for the beverage cart. Hopefully there will be a beverage cart. Fly and read/sleep/wait. Prepare for the landing. Land at the destination. In unison now, turn on cellphones, jump up and try to open the overhead bins, remembering things may have shifted. Stand and wait to get off the plane. 

We identify with each other through our shared experiences. Whether it is a ballgame, a movie, a family gathering, a road trip or anything else, we long for shared experiences. There is a reason for the biblical admonition not to “forsake meeting together” at church. It is up to us to keep our worship experiences fresh and vital, for God is always present, seeking to nourish our very souls as we worship our Lord with each other.

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

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​Pastors are a whole lot like people. If I am not growing as a person, then the church cannot grow beyond the limits of my leadership. If I am not growing as a pastor, the church cannot grow. If I do not stretch myself each week, the congregation and our ministries cannot take healthy steps forward. The temptation is to always stay in the worn paths, also known as, the ruts. A key life-verse for me is 2 Timothy 15, which begins “Study to show yourself approved unto God.” (KJV) Twenty years ago I took the suggestion of a noted church leader and began to purposefully randomize my reading and my experiences. That simply meant exploring outside the smooth and familiar ruts of faith, work, and family. On the front of a Schlotzsky’s personal-sized bag of chips, the following words appeared: Sandwiches need chips, shoulders do not. Fast food theology.

​At first, I started reading books in different fields. Later, I started listening to Ted Talks and audio books on subjects with which I had no experience or understanding. I also began reading the Bible and studying the Scriptures in unfamiliar ways, like reading a letter of Paul with the last chapter first, then the second to the last, etc. I increased my reading sources to include people I always disagree with, to better understand my own ideas. Social media is a black hole from which many never seem to recover. I have limited my time on social media for my own spiritual health. I take time each morning, if possible, to read three different newspapers. On my tablet I discovered that I could follow multiple subjects for free through aggregate feeds on a program call Flipbook. I have observed that the pastors who get in trouble, many times have grown bored with their own repetitions or burned out with the constant expectations of ministry. Giving myself permission to be random has opened my outlook to hearing the Spirit nudge me forward in creative ways.Some Dove candies come wrapped in interesting sayings. One of Dove’s words of wisdom include the mandate to “Trust with your heart not with your mind.” Truer words were never spoken about chocolate. Proverbs 3 qualifies this for people by saying, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

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

​

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 Our Missionary in Residence

Despite still suffering from MS nerve damage. I (Kevin Avery) am quite grateful that opportunities to minister have been steadily growing. When 2021 ended and 2022 first began, I kept asking the Lord what he wanted me to do since my mobility was limited. In response, he answered, “Trust me.” I was thankful he answered my question, but for several seconds, I thought perhaps I needed to have asked my question in a different way. Maybe I should’ve asked, “Lord, what ministry would you have me do in 2022?” or “What am I to do to financially help my family?” But before I could verbalize either thought, the Lord told me again, “Trust me.” I paused but then nodded and asked him to empower me to do this fully. After all, it was clear my level of trust was less than I had thought. 

As weeks continued, I was uncertain about the future, but I never stopped pursuing the Lord through Scripture and prayer. Also, a few days after Russia attacked Ukraine, I began to lead Prayer for the Nations Zoom meetings every Tuesday night. We are now on our 23^rd week. Further, I kept doing what ministry I could, whether I was preaching occasionally or helping write for Joni and Friends or the Lausanne Movement begun by Billy Graham. I continue to serve in these ways. In addition, I was asked to write a chapter illustrating James 1:2, “Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds.” I did write this chapter (which is now chapter 3 of the recently published book “Mature and Complete: How God Uses Trials, Brokenness, and Wilderness Times for Our Good”). 

In recent weeks, though, I better understand why God would embed the idea of “Trust Me” within me before showing me what ministry he would have me do. The Lord has begun leading me to pray with and to write alongside ministers in third world countries, especially with those in English-speaking areas of East Africa. Like Aaron or Hurr helping Moses in Exodus 17, I am serving in support roles. I am virtually helping ministers who cannot pay me back, at least not financially. For instance, I have started helping a South Sudanese pastor named Peter serve refugees with hearing impairments. Specifically, I’m helping Peter prayerfully brainstorm and write out ministry and business plans. In other words, I am again raising support so that I can support the global church through prayer and writing.

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