Category Archives: General

Remembering the Tulsa 1921 Race Massacre

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Remembering the Tulsa 1921 Race Massacre

Right now in Tulsa, Oklahoma we are commemorating a very dark part of our city and state’s history, the 100th anniversary of the race massacre that took place in Tulsa on May 31st and June 1st of 1921. I was born and raised in the Tulsa area, yet I was never taught about this horrifying event in school. I didn’t learn of this bleak and shameful part of Tulsa’s history until I was an adult. In fact, I was quite ignorant of it. However, I’ve learned that we cannot let our ignorance further perpetuate injustice.

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Hosea 4:6a (NKJV)

We cannot let our ignorance further perpetuate injustice.

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I mentioned last year, that the more I have educated myself on issues of racial injustice and systemic racism, the more my eyes have been opening and the more empathy I have developed. As my empathy has grown, my internal sense of justice has also increased along with my desire to respond to injustice.

Be a part of the conversation of injustice

I didn’t learn about the race massacre because others were silent. As I’ve also stated before on issues of racial reconciliation, my goal is just to be a part of the conversation and to be a voice instead of remaining silent. I never want my silence about issues of injustice to give people the impression that I am somehow a supporter of injustice or racism. Therefore, I feel it is my obligation to speak up and speak out into my sphere of influence.

Silence in the face of evil quote

Deitrich Bonhoeffer on events of the Holocaust

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“To say nothing is saying something. You must denounce things you are against or one might believe that you support things you really do not.” Germany Kent

“In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

“There comes a time when silence is betrayal.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

Silence, apathy, and indifference can be a sin.

“Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” James 4:17 (NLT)

Repentance is required

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Easter Resource for you

Easter Resource for you

I recently found a new resource that I’ve been enjoying (and you KNOW how I love sharing resources). I came across some of the Eyewitness Bible Series videos in the YouVersion Bible App that I regularly use. I’ve found them to be an insightful supplement to my Bible studies (more for cultural context and some background information than for scripturally-accurate content).

According to their website, “Eyewitness video narratives are Bible-based and are designed to spark your imagination and provoke your curiosity, while not being controversial. Each video is 12-18 minutes long and addresses a portion of the Bible from the viewpoint of a Bible character. The videos and study guides provide a significant amount of historical, cultural, and chronological information that the original writers and hearers of the Bible knew, but are not well-known by most people today. The videos are not recitations of Scripture.[1]” Their hope and intent are to entice people to read and study the scriptures deeper and further.

Therefore, this week for Easter I’d love to share these Easter resource videos with you, as part of an Easter series that Eyewitness Bible Series has put together. As you click on each video on their website on the series, it has additional study guides, references, and resources under each video (under “Downloads”) to take your study of the video content even further and deeper.

PALM SUNDAY – THE NEED

The Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem took place on Palm Sunday when people threw palm branches on his path. This event is told in varying degree of detail in all four gospels. The narration for this event is by an unlikely character.[2]

FIG MONDAY: SEVEN MIRACULOUS SIGNS

Fig Monday’s episode shows Lazarus telling his story of being resurrected. We do not know precisely when Lazarus was raised from the dead, but this occurrence probably wasn’t too long before the Triumphal Entry. Lazarus was a controversial figure for the Jewish authorities during this time because he was solid proof that Jesus could raise people from the dead.[3]

HOLY TUESDAY – ANDREW

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10 Ways to Get Through a Hard Time

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Being a Christian doesn’t exempt us from going through hard times. Sometimes it’s hard to know what to do. Here are 10 ways to get through a hard time...

10 Ways to Get Through a Hard Time

Have you been going through a hard time?  Sometimes as a Christian, we feel like we should always have it “put together” and know how to handle trials, struggles and bad circumstances.  Unfortunately, being a Christian doesn’t exempt us from going through a hard time.  Jesus told us as much…

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NIV)

However, sometimes it’s just hard to know what to do in the midst of the trouble.  Sometimes we already know what to do, we just need someone to remind us or to confirm what we already know.

Previously we talked about the difficulties of going through a transition and discussed some strategies to navigate through the process.  Because transitions often include “hard times”, this week I thought I would share 10 ways that I, personally, get through a hard time.  This is kind of my go-to list of things to do (even when and ESPECIALLY when I don’t feel like it).  

Do the right thing even when you don’t feel like it, and the feelings will follow. 

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Take Some Practical Steps—10 Ways to Get Through a Hard Time:

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Scriptures About the Lord is My Helper

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Scriptures About the Lord is My Helper

The Bible declares that the Lord, God, is our helper. He is there to help us in times of need. That is a promise from scripture. It is part of who God is. It is one of his defining characteristics and traits. We are God’s children, and we have the one true and only God on our side to back us up and empower us. God loves us. He is for us, not against us, and he will help when we need it and when we call out to him. He is your helper and my helper!

There are times in our lives where we face trouble, when we need direction, or when we truly can’t do things on our own. We all need help from time to time. We will need help to do some of the things that God has called us to do. Sometimes that help can come from others, but other times we need help directly from God. It’s okay to ask for help, from others and from God! God will partner with us in the things that we face, big or small.

Therefore this week I’d like to share some scriptures to inform you and build your confidence in the fact that the Lord is your helper!

Scriptures about the Lord is my helper:

“By the God of your father who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.” Genesis 49:25 (ESV)

“Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song to God, and spoke, saying, Let us sing to the Lord, for he is very greatly glorified: horse and rider he has thrown into the sea. He was to me a helper and protector for salvation: this is my God and I will glorify him; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” Exodus 15:1-2 (BST)

“There is no one like the God of Israel. He rides across the heavens to help you, across the skies in majestic splendor.” Deuteronomy 33:26 (NLT)

“Blessed are you, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will tread on their heights.” Deuteronomy 33:29 (NIV)

“And the song was thus: O Lord, my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God; he shall be to me my guard, I will trust in him: he is my protector, and the horn of my salvation, my helper, and my sure refuge; thou shalt save me from the unjust man. I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, and I shall be saved from my enemies.” 2 Samuel 22:2-4 (BST)

“But You, LORD, do not be far away; You who are my help, hurry to my assistance.” Psalm 22:19 (NASB)

“Do not turn your back on me. Do not reject your servant in anger. You have always been my helper. Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me, O God of my salvation!” Psalm 27:9 (NLT)

“The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.” Psalm 28:7 (NLT)

“We put our hope in the LORD. He is our help and our shield.” Psalm 33:20 (NLT) Continue reading →

Doing a 2020 Recap

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Doing a 2020 Recap

This past weekend our church did a service revolving around a 2020 recap. There were a few testimonials of people discussing what they’ve learned from 2020, how the year has been impactful for them, or what God had done for them over the past year. It got me to thinking… “How WOULD I recap this past year?”

One of our yearly Christmas traditions came to mind as I was thinking about this. Each year at Christmas we get each of our kids a Christmas ornament for that year. These ornaments usually reflect an event or milestone or memory from the year. This year as I was shopping for their ornament, I knew I wanted it to be 2020 related but not just referring to all of the COVID-19 stuff as so many of them were. I wanted it to reflect the many, many crazy events that took place during 2020—a kind of a 2020 recap on the ornament.

I ended up settling on a type of word cloud ornament. As I was reading through all of the items listed on the ornament, I found myself saying, “Oh yeah, I forgot about that.” It had things like Kobe Bryant’s death, the Australian fires, travel bans, birthday parades, virtual graduations, virtual meetings, distance learning, of course the whole Coronavirus pandemic themed things (quarantine, panic buying, toilet paper shortage, social distancing, face masks, front line heroes and essential workers, etc.), murder hornets, the Beirut explosion, and BLM protests. (It was missing the whole presidential election fiasco which was odd.) It did seem to sum up events of the year pretty well.

On a personal level

While this was a great 2020 recap of the year’s events, it still wasn’t a very personal reflection of the year. I thought about how my mom often does this in her Christmas or end-of-year letters where she summarizes the whole family’s yearly goings-on. So, I started to make a list (although not completely comprehensive)… Continue reading →

These Were No Ordinary Shepherds

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These Were No Ordinary Shepherds

In the Christmas story we read that angels appeared to shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus. In the past, I had never really given much thought to the significance of shepherds at the birth of Jesus. I’ve lived in Oklahoma or Texas for the majority of my life, and my in-laws are ranchers so agricultural references don’t really strike me as odd or incomprehensible.

Then, when I have considered the representation of the shepherds, it’s only been in the context of their humble occupations and place in society. I’ve understood their presence to symbolize that Jesus came for the undesired, outcast, unwanted, or marginalized. I’ve even written about when I learned of the possibility that the shepherds might have even been women. However, I previously hadn’t really considered that there might be even more significance and impact to these shepherds.

So why shepherds? Why THESE shepherds? Was there some significance to this? There absolutely was! Many scholars and theologians believe that these were no ordinary shepherds. It is believed that there was great significance and symbolism to some of these elements of the nativity story and specifically to the details surrounding these shepherds. We’ll discuss what many believe to be the symbolism and meaning behind each of these and why they are so significant and important to the nativity story.

The Shepherds

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” Luke 2:8-20 (NIV)

The significance of the location

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Be Thankful–Remember What God Has Done

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Be Thankful Remember What God Has Done

Be Thankful–Remember What God Has Done

“I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.” Psalm 9:1 (ESV) 

Thanksgiving seems to be a good time to reflect on what God has done for us, positive memories, blessings, and just things in general for which we’re thankful (for us U.S. folks anyhow!).  When my kids were younger, I used try to find some type of Thanksgiving craft-like activity each year to do this with them.

Sometimes we’d write down things we we’re thankful for on construction paper feathers and then glue the feathers to a paper turkey.  Sometimes we’d do the same thing on paper leaves and post leaves around as decoration, and we’d even made paper link chains before where each link listed an item of thanks (this encouraged them to think of more than just a few items in order to have a chain long enough to hang!).  Previously, I also posted several ways to try to stay thankful like this year round.

Thanksgiving is a good time to reflect on what God has done for us!

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Remember 3 things God has done

When I teach at Glory House I do an activity with them somewhat similar to these Thanksgiving activities (even when it’s not Thanksgiving time).  Unfortunately, I can’t take credit for the idea though!  I think I first heard this tip from one of our pastors at church years ago.  I was taught to write down 3 things that God has brought me through, brought me to or delivered me from. They could be what God has done through victories, ways God has come through for me or has been faithful to me, answered prayers, etc.  I was then told to keep this list handy and reflect on it or refer back to it when I’m going through a rough time when things seem hopeless or bleak.

The ladies love when we do this activity.  They also usually come up with more than three, but three things are typically pretty easy to come up with and recall.  It’s just a good way to remember what God has done.  It helps us to think positively and gives us the mindset “He did it before.  He’ll do it again.” or “He helped me with that.  He’ll help me with this too.”

Remember what God has done by finding a symbol

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