A most unexpected event in my ministry occurred when I was asked to speak in the middle of a 2019 Leon Russell tribute concert where some of the great band members and recording artists from his earliest days performed together. I was asked to lead the dedication ceremony of the Will Rogers High School’s original 1938 Baldwin piano, refurbished by privately raised money from the high school’s community foundation. I am an enthusiastic supporter of public education, and a founding director of the WRHS Community Foundation. 

In my remarks that day I spoke of the possibilities of our public schools:

The guiding promise of public education is for every student, from any life circumstance, to learn—to learn from the wisdom of the ages and develop the full-rounded skills needed to build a better future for themselves and our world. We are still striving to live up to that ideal. Never underestimate the power of a student’s dream, or the reach of an inspired and fully-funded teacher. While many graduates of this school are worthy of this kind of honor, Claude Russell Bridges—Leon Russell, Class of ‘59—was chosen as an example of the power of educational dreams. As a boy exploring the fine arts, he discovered his passion. Overcoming his lifelong challenge of a form of cerebral palsy, and gaining world-wide recognition for his talents, Leon Russell entertained his classmates daily during the lunch hour on this very piano on this very stage… May this instrument be used in all its many ways to fan the flames of creativity; May it ignite inspiration, insight, and passion; May it be a symbol of self-discipline, perseverance and the reward of hard work; and, May it transform generations of students as they discover their future.

Christians bring salt and light into our schools as active parents and volunteers. Taking state education funds out of the public schools to promote religious and other private schools punishes our children and their teachers. In light of our discussions on Baptist principles of faith, the current push to fund a Roman Catholic Church Virtual School System for Oklahoma with public education monies not only violates the state constitution, but it also violates our religious freedom by favoring one faith over every other. If a church cannot raise enough money from its own faithful for its on-going projects without taxpayer assistance, it should reconsider the scope of its mission.

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

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What we know as the Baptist church has been at worship and ministry for over 400 years.   This past week I began a brief series on the fundamental teachings and in our afterward discussions it was felt appropriate that I present a brief overview of our founding as a distinct religious movement in 1609. With funds provided by a wealthy believer named Thomas Helwys (1550-1616?), pastor John Smyth (1554-1612)and other believers traveled to the Netherlands to seek out spiritual counsel. Out of their discussions a statement of beliefs was formulated, and the small band participated in a Believer’s Baptism ceremony. They quickly moved back to England and established a Baptist church. The earliest Baptist leaders, along with Roman Catholics, Separatists and Puritans, were severely persecuted as heretics and imprisoned by King James 1, of King James Bible fame. Thomas Helwys was sent to Newgate Prison in 1616, where he wrote a short book on religious persecution. He was never released from prison and may have been executed.

  The founding Baptists declared five core values: Biblical Authority—the Bible is the infallible word of God. Priesthood of all Believers (also known as Soul Competency)—people are free to act and live according to their own conscience before God. Each believer has full access to God without any human mediator. Believer’s Baptism—opposing infant baptism; baptism is to follow a person’s confession of sins and faith in Jesus Christ as the risen Lord. Church Autonomy—each congregation is to follow its own understanding of Scripture and God’s direction without coercion from other religious leaders or groups. Religious Liberty—the king (governmental authorities) should not direct the affairs of any religion, favor any particular religion, or tax people to support or punish any religious person or group. It is the right of every individual to worship God, or not, as his or her conscience allows. The theme of soul freedom permeates all that Baptists cherish. 

  My concern centers on the fading knowledge of Baptist history in our churches. When the core values of our traditions are forgotten, the name Baptist is hollowed out and creedalism and secularism fill the void. Pastoral authority replaces Biblical authority and soul competency. Conforming to the latest doctrinal mandates and marketing strategies edges out church autonomy. And believer’s baptism becomes an option for some or necessary to salvation for others.

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

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I stood with a few other Tulsa pastors in the parking lot of a monastery built in the 1200’s on Mt. Carmel at the traditional site where Elijah sought shelter after facing down the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18-19.) The view from the mountain top was spectacular. Looking east we could see just below the horizon the silver ribbon of the Jordan River that separates Israel from the nation of Jordan. Below us were the rich valley farmlands—the valley of Jezreel and the region of Megiddo. Countless battles from biblical days onward have been fought in this region; the last was in September 1918 as part of World War 1. We walked uphill a few yards, crossed the road, and looked westward. There we could see between the mountain ridges the glimmering blues of the Mediterranean Sea. Israel is a very small nation. With the Hamas War in Israel growing more tense each day, some are asking, Is the long foretold final Battle of Armageddon about to take place? 

I have a few responses to that question. The Book of the Revelation of John chapters 19 and 20 reveals that battle and its aftermath. Armageddon is over before it begins. All the personifications of evil, literal and figurative, are defeated and cast into a fiery imprisonment for a thousand years followed by the Great White Throne Judgement. With this understanding, the battle of Armageddon is not ours to worry about. In my perspective of last days, a destruction of the modern nation/state of Israel would be a marker that we have entered a great tribulation period where all the redeemed people would experience severe persecution or physical death for our faith, until the final shout, “Come!” All of the redeemed of all the ages will be present at the Lord’s Second Coming.

Last Sunday morning I asked the congregation to read Jesus’ teachings on the signs of His coming found in Matthew chapters 24 and 25. His continued teaching is—be ready for the day of His return. Bring hope and comfort to those you love who are anxious about tomorrow and what the future may hold. Tell them of the good news of God’s salvation through Jesus’ death on the cross. Tell them that even death itself is not the end of life’s story, with Jesus as their Lord. And do not wait for a better time. 

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

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During this 50^th church-a-versary month, I was asked to repost this infamous story. 

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 several 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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What an overwhelming and beautiful day Dorothy and I experienced last Sunday.  We could tell that there was a lot of thought and hard work put into celebrating our 50^th Church-a-versary. We loved it all. During the morning service Rev. Jordan Stowe, pastor of Angus Baptist Church, Sand Springs, presented a beautiful plaque on behalf of the Tulsa Metro Baptist Network. He is their current President. My friend Dr. Steve Graham brought a very fitting message about our God who provides more than enough, loaves and fishes style, while we focus on the scarcity of the situation. The special music covered a full range from Bryan Enos singing a Mercy Me song and Vicky Speck singing How Great Thou Art a cappella. Carter Enos put his own ragtime style on When We All Get to Heaven during the offering. 

A full Willets Hall was decorated with pictures and memorabilia from the past 50 years of church life together. There were teams of helpers working everywhere, and I apologize if I overlook someone. The event was coordinated by Margaret VanHorn, with able assistance from Rita Snellgrove and Connie Conelly. There were fresh flowers, special napkins, and a corsage and boutonniere for us to wear. A retrospective video played in the background. Thank you to Donelle Enos and Dayna Avery and their children for gathering the pictures and Kevin Avery, for putting it all together. The meal of smoked brisket and the fixings was incredibly good. Thank you to the kitchen team: Russell Ford, Ben Shepard, Patty Hickman, Katy Cook and Jason Ford. John Snellgrove and Stephen Lovelace were the photographers at large. 

Bryan Enos served as the emcee of the program. Personal testimonies, cards, and gifts from past and current members were given. We wiped tears of sweet memories and laughter as we took in the personal reflections, and later as we opened the cards and gifts. Bill Ess presented us with a card which contained a very generous check from Braden Park Church. Bill also presented us with a beautiful crystal plaque engraved with individual appreciations for both Dorothy and me. 

While we were highlighted richly on Sunday, fifty years together is only possible because of a remarkable congregation. Thank you for being such a giving and loving people, for your prayers and your faithfulness, and for joining with us in this Kingdom work. Thank you for it all.

With deep gratitude and love,

Bro. Darryl and Dorothy

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