13 Years Pastoring

13 years is a long time. This past year seems to be the longest. I, nor any of my friends, have ever faced the challenges of being a pastor during a pandemic.

13 Year Anniversary Pic

At least since mid-March, traditional conventional ministry, at least personal pastoral ministry, has been anything but normal or conventional. I have faced criticism from folks for following the recommendations of the CDC and closing down for public services. Likewise, I have faced criticism for not closing down soon enough and/or reopening too soon. There is literally no way to please everyone. And the pastor will be the one blamed if anything regarding the pandemic goes wrong within the church.

Falls Creek was cancelled. So was KBA. We made the heart wrenching decision to cancel Vacation Bible School.

There are several older members who I have not seen in person since March and they refuse to allow me to visit them in their homes. In fact, I’ve only been in a handful of members’ homes since March. I hate it.

Nevertheless, I have continued to preach every week. We never had a completely empty sanctuary. We have had a couple people saved and I was honored to baptize 3 people last Sunday. We have been on Facebook Live and have had hundreds of viewers. We are back to “normal” except for Sunday evening services. Attendance is suffering. We are at approximately 35-40% of regular attendance. Giving is down. We were the first in town to reestablish our children and youth programs. But we have also lost several people through this crisis.

Nevertheless, through all of these issues, God has been faithful. We were able to raise over $7000 for our Pakistani Christian friends who are suffering more than we are. Both children and youth were afforded the opportunity to attend an alternative to camp this past week, thanks to the efforts of volunteers.

If you'd like to watch the live service online, go to facebook.com/immanuelsouthern at about 11 am (Central) on Sunday mornings.  If you'd like to contribute to our church, you can also do that online at http://www.bfok.org/give-immanuelsouthern

I don’t know what the future looks like, but I know who holds the future! God is good- all the time!

12 Years as Pastor

Today marks 12 years that God called me to pastor Immanuel Southern Baptist Church. I have seen many blessings in these 12 years. Many ups and many downs. Many joyful occasions and many sorrowful ones.

I have baptized new believers and presided over baby dedications, baptisms, weddings and funerals. I have offered countless prayers for the sick or discouraged, delivered somewhere in the neighborhood of 1000 messages, and led thousands of songs.

I've had pies in my face, been dunked in a dunk tank, and dressed up in crazy costumes for Vacation Bible School. I driven thousands of miles, attended hundreds of meetings, and know how to navigate every hospital in NE OK.

But it isn't all about me. For sure. It is God Who has been at work at ISBC. He is the One who has saved souls and transformed lives. He is the One who gives comfort and healing. He is the One who stirs the hearts of men and women, boys and girls, to hunger for His Word, to live according to righteousness, and to have a passion for the lost. I am merely a tool in His hand.

I praise God for His faithfulness to His congregation and to me and my family. God is good, all the time!

25 Years and counting....

December 5, 1992

 Twenty-five years ago, at First Baptist Church, Vinita, Ok, Sally and I were united in marriage.

Sally's dad walking her down the aisle.

 Looking back, it seems we were just kids, although we had waited longer than most of our friends to get married.

Her parents, us, my parents.

It has been a wonderful journey that God has led us on; to serve Him all around the world.

A moment of quiet in a busy day.

God has blessed us abundantly.

Audrey's 2nd birthday in Vinita, OK.

 He blessed us with Audrey.

Emily, Me, Audrey, Sally in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire.

 He blessed us with Emily.

Our family in Mongolia in 2004.

 He blessed us with being able to see His creation.

Beijing, 2004.

And pray for people all over the world.

Hong Kong, 2005

 We have been blessed to live all over the world, too.

Koh Samui, Thailand, 2005

 And enjoy great family adventures together.

My 1st Anniversary as pastor at Immanuel Southern Baptist Church, Wagoner, OK 2008.

 Then, He brought us back to Oklahoma, we He has allowed us to serve Him at "home."

Emily, JD, Audrey, Sally, Rick, Wagoner, OK 2017

 We added John Ellis to the family last year.

At the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

Our adventures will continue.

A continuing love story.

Now, with an empty nest, we will continue to serve the Lord. Continue to fall in love with each other even more every day!

Thank you, Lord, for my wife and family. May you continue to bless us that we might be a blessing to others!

10 Year Anniversary

10 years ago, today, I became pastor of Immanuel Southern Baptist Church in Wagoner, OK.

Sally and I had been serving with the International Mission Board in Hong Kong when I felt God's leadership to shift gears in ministry.

I had never pastored before. I was scared. Yes, as I reflect back on it I was scared. At the same time, I was confident. Certainly not confident in my abilities, but confident in the axiom, "God equips those whom He calls."

Me, a month or two after I became a pastor.

I had never pastored a church before. I had only preached less than half a dozen times. My wife later told me that she thought it was going to really be something to watch because, in her opinion, I couldn't preach worth a hill of beans. She has later often told me that God uses me to preach His word in a wonderful way.

Pastoring a church isn't for sissies. There is such a high Scriptural standard that I am held to, by the Lord, and by those I pastor. I will readily admit, I often don't live up to that standard.

In my previous 40 some years experience as a church member, I never knew that the pastor faced so many obstacles and difficulties. There are some nasty people who call themselves Christians. I have been lied to, lied about, gossiped about, slandered, cussed, and called names with words that don't belong in the Family of God.

There are, however, some true saints in the Bride of Christ. There are those who, if a mosquito bit them, it'd fly off singing, "There's Power in the Blood!" These are humble, hard-working servants of God who would do anything for anyone out of love, but avoid the limelight like the plague.

At my 1 year anniversary

I've seen people come and go. Some situations were so bizarre that I still don't understand what happened. For instance, several years ago, I baptized an entire family, like mom, dad, and 3 or 4 kids. The very next day, they moved to Arkansas!  Some came as flashes in the pan. They caused a big stir, but had no staying power and ultimately caused more trouble than whatever good they initially had.

But it's the faithful ones who are truly beautiful. Those who give without being asked, serve without expectations of being thanked or acknowledged, and share without thought of themselves. Praise God for the faithful ones!

I've seen God work wonders in people's lives, like the time He raised a woman from the dead on Easter morning (LINK) or when someone got saved at a business meeting, or watching lives being completely transformed. I've seen a whole lot of new/weak Christians grow in the Lord and I've watched some train wrecks as they walk in the flesh. Some are so embarrassed that they refuse to attend church or even take my calls.

I do know this: if everyone who has told me that they would be in service, rain or shine, would all show up at once, we'd have to build a balcony and have three services!

I have performed the duties and ceremonies expected of pastors. I have baptized new believers. I have married couples. I have performed funerals. To be honest, I'd much rather perform a funeral than a wedding!  There is much less drama. But I LOVE to baptize people. I've baptized over 200 people in the past 10 years. (Where are they now? Inquiring minds would like to know.)

Baptizing my daughter, Audrey, in 2011.

It seems that in the last 10 years, I have a lifetime of experiences. I have been blessed to be the front man for VBS for the past 8 years, usually dressing up in a character that goes along with the VBS theme; I have preached in Ukraine, China, and Israel; I've been to children's camp (KBA) and youth camp (Falls Creek); I've driven the senior adults on fall foliage tours; I've gotten my class B CDL to drive the new church bus; and so many other things that escape my memory.

God has done a great many wonderful things in our church in the past 10 years. We have a growing and thriving children's and youth ministries, we have a Food Pantry Ministry that distributes food to the hungry to the tune of about 750,000 meals in the past 8 years, and we have a unique jail ministry that we call "The Cookie Ministry" where we take bags of cookies with a gospel tract to the local jail each month. We are currently debt free and are looking to build a new multi-purpose building with designated funds that we've been sitting on for the past 25 years.

Me, today, on my 10th Anniversary as Pastor of ISBC

We also have a long way to go. Our financial situation is precarious. Yet, we've never not met our obligations. God has always been faithful with that. I would love to see the expansion of our youth ministry to include a separate class for middle school students. I want to see our YokeFellow and FAITH Rider groups to re-activate. I want a group of folks to step up and help with our children's Sunday School classes. We must have a nursery staff.

I love being a pastor. I LOVE preaching God's word. I love the wonderful folks at Immanuel Southern Baptist Church. 

No matter what God has in store for me and for ISBC, we can only pray it is for His glory! For in the end, that's all that really matters!

My 30 Year High School Reunion

Can it really be 30 years since I graduated from high school? It simply doesn't seem possible.

Facebook made the reunion better, in my estimation. In the first place, I was able to recognize many more people because I've been staring at their profile pic for the past several months.

Second, it let me be acquainted with people before I met them again for the first time.

I didn't make it to my 20 year reunion. We were in West Africa at the time and I couldn't make it home.

I did go to my 10 year reunion. It was like all the cliques and nonsense of high school was still in place.

But the 30 year reunion was a bit different.

There didn't seem to be the same cliques, and if there were, I didn't seem to notice. 

Actually, I left the reunion feeling pretty good about myself.  I'm at a very good place in my life. I have a wonderful family and a great career.  My life is not a wreck.

I'm not judging, but just making observations here, so don't get bent out of shape if your life IS a wreck. This isn't about you.

At nearly 50 years old, so many of my former classmates still don't have their lives together. Let me say it this way; I'm grateful to God for a loving wife and a faithful relationship with her. I'm grateful that I don't "party" - I must seem awfully boring to most of my former Chieftains. I'm grateful, I guess, to be boring in the world's eyes.

One particularly interesting tidbit is that I was honored to be asked to give a blessing for the meal.  I was asked with the caveat to remember that there were church-goers and non-church goers; believers and atheists. I was asked to pray in a manner that wouldn't offend people.

Well, they were in luck, because I was hungry and the barbeque looked and smelled delicious, so it was short, sweet and to the point, all in the name of Jesus.  Several folks later thanked me for blessing the meal.

We had a wonderful meal with good company. My best friend, Martin Whipple, and I were the only men at a table full of women, my wife included. It was fun catching up with old friends.

They handed out awards and I won the award for "Most Countries Traveled" with 27. (Although I later recounted and discovered it was actually 30)  Everyone "ooohed" and "ahhhhed" and I had my picture taken with the presenter.  The award was a 3" gold-colored plastic loving cup.  But, hey! It was an award!

The least pleasant part (putting it nicely) of the evening was a local comedienne they hired to "entertain" us. She apologized to me BEFORE she started and again afterward. It was the single most vulgar assault of the senses I have ever endured. Everyone at my table was aghast. My wife got up and walked out.  I'll bet SHE wasn't given the caveat about "not offending people!"

They had a live band, which was good, but was better for a crowd of 20 or 30 Somethings instead of a bunch of nearly 50's who wanted to talk.  My wife and I left early due to the volume of the band.

The organizers worked very, very hard to make this reunion happen, and for that, I am grateful!  It was a good venue. The food was excellent. The price was good. The company was excellent.

I hear they are possibly planning a 50th Birthday Party for all of us in 2 years. Perhaps a murder-mystery-dinner is in the makes. I think that would be fun.

In any case, I enjoyed seeing everyone again. There were some there with whom I do not see eye to eye, but we put our differences away and really enjoyed each others' company for the evening.

Most interestingly, I walked away feeling pretty good about the life that God has given me.  Not with a feeling of superiority; for I'm not superior to anyone. Not with a feeling of being better off than others; for life is not about "stuff." (and a whole lot more people have a whole lot more stuff than me!)  But with the feeling that I'm very happy I've made the decisions I've made and that I'm very happy with the direction my life is heading. And I praise God for it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is American Thanksgiving Day!

I am so thankful to God for His many blessings! Especially His salvation through Jesus Christ!

I am so thankful to God for my family! My wife is a wonderful friend, help-mate, soul-mate, and ministry partner; my children are beautiful young women of God of whom I am thrilled to be their father!

I am so thankful to God for my church family! I couldn't ask for a better church to pastor than Immanuel Southern!

I am so thankful to God for my country! What a wonderful Christian heritage we have! What wonderful freedoms we enjoy!

I am so thankful to God for my friends! God has surrounded me with Godly people to encourage me and keep me going!

I am so thankful to God for my health!

I am so thankful to God for so many other things, too numerous to mention here!

Thank you, Father, for your many blessings!

Testimony of God's Power

I was appointed by the International Mission Board to serve in Guinea back in 1998.  While things didn't quite work out there like we expected, I do have a remarkable testimony provided by a young woman who taught school to the children of other missionaries.  Her name is Brandy Keith Mason.  While she was single then, she is married with children now and lives in Missouri.

I was walking through our neighborhood one afternoon when I was approached by a neighbor. She stated that her daughter had a sore on her foot, and she wanted me to come look at it. There was another missionary lady with me, so we both went to their porch where the little girl was sitting. They removed the haphazard bandage and what was below the bandage made my heart drop. I have never seen anything so grotesque. A sore the size of a small lemon covered the entire back part of this little girl's foot. It was covered in something black and looked crusted over. I asked, in my limited Pular, what had happened. The mother explained that the little girl had gotten a scratch/scrape and then it began to hurt more. The sore "grew" so they tried "local" remedies like motor oil (Yes, motor oil!! Thus, the blackness!). When those did not work, they took her to a witch doctor.

I explained that I would need to go back and get some of my medical supplies and would be back. I asked one of our lady workers that spoke English to go back with me to help with the translating. Upon arriving back at the porch, we removed the dirty, torn bandage and began cleansing the infected area. The little girl grimaced but was quickly "hushed" by her mother...a sermon in itself :). After cleansing as much as we could, I applied neosporin and cotton and wrapped the foot with a clean bandage. As I finished wrapping the foot, I knew it was time to discuss the little string bracelet with shells hung ever so clumsily. I gently placed the bracelet between my two fingers and asked what it was. I will never be able to put into words the "darkness" that fell over that place at that point. The mother solemnly stared at me, and in her eyes I saw a battle. "Should I be honest and tell her what that is? Does she already know?" She explained to me (with the help of the translator) that it was really nothing...just a bracelet. The Spirit of God became VERY CLEAR, and I was compelled to express these words, "I WILL NOT SHARE MY GLORY...I WILL NOT SHARE MY GLORY". I explained to the mother that God would not share His glory with ANYONE or ANYTHING. The bracelet HAD to be cut off.

It seemed like hours passed as the battle raged in the eyes of that mother. She finally agreed to remove the bracelet. We gently cut the fragile bracelet off the little girl's ankle, and their was intense anticipation on all parts!!! I asked if I could pray before I left. The mother agreed. I asked the translator to translate the words of my prayer so that everyone there could understand my words. I ended the prayer very strongly in Pular with "In Jesus' name".

As I walked home that afternoon, I felt my own battle. I found my self praying, "Please, Lord, do not test my own faith in this situation." I prayed frequently throughout the evening and night for that little girl. I prayed for a miracle!! I prayed that God would receive GLORY through his situation.

When I returned the next morning, I was met by the mother running frantically to me yelling something that I could not understand. I finally realized that she was saying the little girl was up most of the night crying with pain. I found my self saying..."Oh, Jesus, help me here!" When I reached the porch, the little girl sat in quiet anguish; tiny tears streaming down her little face. I slowly removed the bandage, and as I began to pull the cotton off, the little girl jerked her foot away. Once again disciplined by her mother, she slowly placed gher foto back in my hand. At that moment, I realized that the cotton had "grown into" the sore. "What in the world, Lord?" That is all that I can think! I gently began to "cut" the cotton/scab off. And what was eventually revealed, was a clean, open wound that was immensely smaller than it had been and practically COMPLETELY HEALED. Immediately the Spirit said to me, "Brandy, this is EXACTLY what I wanted. This is EXACTLY what I want for everyone. I , yes I, will remove the 'hard outer coverings'. The coverings that man strives for...wealth, pride, material possessions, etc...that he tries to fill his life with in order to feel complete. I, yes I, will remove those. It may hurt, just like it did for this little girl, but now look what I have to work with...a clean, vulnerable, open area that I can heal." Tears filled my eyes as I knew the Lord was working in this place and in my very own life!!!

As others on the porch realized what had happened, gasps could be heard all around. And softly I could hear the words, "Iisaa, Iissa" (Jesus, Jesus) beginning to be muttered. The voices grew louder and stronger until there was clapping and dancing, and the name of Jesus was being shouted from this front porch where the battle had RAGED the day before. People were PRAISING THE NAME OF JESUS AND THEIR OWN LANGUAGE!!! God was being glorified in a manner beyond what I had ever seen! Tears rolled down my face as I simply thanked God for working a MIRACLE that I was allowed to see with my very own eyes..for being the AMAZING God that He is...for being the I AM!!!

I left that home that day having learned numerous lessons of my own. And when I returned to check on the little girl the next morning, I was greeted with the most amazing smile..a smile that could have brightened the darkest of nights. The little girl, who previously had to be carried around due to the sore on her foot, hobbled out (on her own) to meet me. I will never forget that hug...or that miracle!

1973

Pam & Rick circa 1973

In 1973, March the eighteenth fell on a Sunday.  I know that because on that particular Sunday, I asked Jesus to be the Lord of my life.

I didn't understand it all then, and quite frankly, I still don't today, but somehow, I was adopted into the family of God.

He gave me a second chance.

He wiped my slate clean.

He made me to be born anew.

I haven't been the best adopted son.  I've wondered and been very disobedient at times.  The best part is, He never disowned me!

Despite my unfaithfulness, He has always proved faithful to me.

Thank you, Lord, for the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ!

Good news (for a change)

Pastor Bill Grandi writes over at The Cycleguy's Spin. He wrote a post this week that brought tears of joy to my heart and I wanted to share it with you. Click this link; you'll be glad you did!

All Glory to God!

Easter Services are supposed to be focused on Jesus and the power of His resurrection. Yesterday, the members of Immanuel Southern Baptist Church in Wagoner, OK, got an object lesson to go along with the sermon.

Just before the services were to begin, the Sunday School Director, Marty Berryhill, was walking around the sanctuary greeting visitors. As she took the hand of a young man, she collapsed. It was supposed that she had just fainted. The young visitor motioned to his mother, a medical doctor, that there was a problem and the visiting doctor realized that Marty was not breathing.

Dr. Nancy Murphy, was visiting ISBC on Easter with her extended family to hear her nephew preach the Easter Sermon. Marty had fallen between the pews and it was impossible to get to her. The doctor asked for help and some members were able to move the pews out of the way. Nancy dragged Marty out into the aisle where she determined that not only was she not breathing, but her heart had stopped beating.

Immediately requesting someone to call 9-1-1, she asked if anyone knew CPR. Jeanine Loubier was tuning her guitar on the platform when she responded and assisted Nancy in administering CPR. The pastor met his wife, Sally, in the hall and she said she was on the way to call 9-1-1. The pastor ran ahead of his wife and made the call.

As the CPR continued, it became apparent to the doctor that Marty wasn't going to be revived. She later said that a very small percentage of patients are revived by CPR, but it is always worth doing. She called for all the children to be cleared, because she didn't want them seeing a dead body at church on Easter. The pastor asked everyone to leave the sanctuary and to go to the fellowship hall to pray for the situation. Sally was able to corral the members in the fellowship hall and began praying earnestly.

That's when the power of God was made manifest.

As the doctor later described, "Almost as soon as the people began praying, Marty opened her eyes and took a deep gasp for air. I was never so surprised to see someone come back to life as I was her!"

Marty was taken by ambulance to St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, about 45 minutes away. The doctors there found a blockage and inserted a stint. By the time the pastor was able to visit last evening, Marty was alert, smiling, and even ordered meatloaf, chocolate cake and iced tea for supper!

As we sat there together talking about the events of the day, I told her what else the doctor had said. She said that as a doctor, she had ZERO expectations that she would be revived. As far as she was concerned she had died on Easter Sunday. However, the only way to explain what had happened was that "it was a miracle".

We were able to laugh about some of the things done and said during the crisis. As we talked, I mentioned to Marty, "you died this morning, but here we are laughing about death this afternoon". What an awesome God we serve that we can laugh about death! Marty died Sunday morning, but she should be released from the hospital Tuesday or Wednesday!

God gets ALL the Glory for this one!

Most Recent Blessing

My "New" '98 Dodge Ram

Well, for the past year, on and off, I have been praying for God to provide me with a different car. I was kind of in the market for a truck, but also eying Sebring Convertibles... The last 3 or 4 days, I felt impressed to pray in earnest for a truck. So I did.

Today, I thought there was a Wagoner Ministerial Alliance meeting, but either I got the day wrong or I was the only one that showed up. I remember Sally mentioning an older blue Ford truck for sale at a used lot here in Wagoner. I decided that since my meeting was shot, I might as well stop back by the lot and take a look at the truck.

It was a nice old truck. 1981 F-100. It had a fairly new replacement motor. The old guy said it would be a reliable truck for me. As we chatted, he asked me what I did, so I told him. As we talked about the truck a little bit more, he mentioned that they had just received a new truck in yesterday and that it could be had for just almost the same price as this old truck. Well, it never hurts to take a look, so that's what we did.

It turned out to be a 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 Lariat. Clean as a whistle and seemingly nothing wrong with it. It even "blue booked" in as higher because of "low" mileage. I did some quick praying about it and called Sally and to make a long story shorter, the above truck is now mine!

Before I bought it, I took it by one of my church member's house to see what he thought about it. I asked him what he thought it ought to sell for and he said a price that was $4500 MORE than what I was going to pay for it. When I told him what the price was, he said that if I didn't buy it, he would!

When the dealer was making out the paper work, I asked him again what he knew about it. He said, "well, the thing I know for sure is that I just sold it way too low". (another salesman was the one who offered it to me at my price).

I told them all in the office that I had been praying for a truck and that they were the answer to my prayer. I was able to witness a bit to them and they asked me to pray for them!

God is so good! I sure am glad I'm not an atheist! (see post below) Also, thanks to my dad who is going to help me with it, too!

My Little Monday Adventure

632 miles in 11 1/2 hours, or my trip to Arkadelphia, AR.

Due to the bad weather on Saturday, I needed to take our college student friend back to college. Spring break was over and classes started Monday morning. She had a test on Monday and I called her professor at home to explain the situation. He was extremely understanding and told her that it must be a "God thing" and for her to enjoy an extra day of spring break!

So, yesterday morning, we left at about 8:10 and drove to Arkadelphia, the home of the Ouachita Baptist University Tigers. The only real tragedy to speak of was we decided to eat lunch in the car while traveling. We stopped at Taco Bueno and the bean burrito that I had dripped all over my favorite shirt. There wasn't anything I could do about it all day long, so it probably set in.

And, that, my friends, it the worst thing that happened all day long! Before we left, we prayed that we would have an incredibly unremarkable trip. God answered our prayer!

The New Car

For the last year and a half, we have been looking for a "new" car for Sally. One of the biggest criteria is a car that is "high" enough for Sally to get in and out of comfortably. (She has a bum knee.) We thought he had pretty well settled on a Nissan Versa, but she REALLY liked/wanted a PT Cruiser. We've looked at probably 15 different dealerships looking at all their economical cars. (I hate shopping for cars more than I hate shopping for shoes!)

One of the biggest barriers has been cost. We didn't have enough money to just buy one outright. We weren't in a hurry, because God had provided Sally a car through her parents. They gave her a 1998 Mercury Tracer. A very good car with good gas mileage. However, it is low. Very low. Hard to get in and out of. In fact, every time I get in, I bang the fire out of my head.

Well, to cut to the chase, last Friday we decided to go look at cars. The TV airwaves have been full of advertisements from dealers trying to get rid of last year's inventory in these tough economic times. We were headed to a dealer in Sand Springs that was offering $49 down and $150 a month (or something like that) for their used inventory. We thought it wouldn't hurt to take a look.

On the way to Sand Springs, we passed a billboard for a dealer in Broken Arrow (about 25-20 miles closer). We decided to pull off there and take a look at their Subarus and Kias. After test driving 4 or 5, we happened upon a nice 2006 Kia Sportage on their used lot. Sally drove it. They discovered a sunroof. I drove it. We talked with the salesman, and lo and behold, we bought ourselves a car!

It is a 2006 model with only 23,000 miles on it. It has a sunroof and luggage rack. I am especially pleased that I can get in and out without banging the fire out of my head. Sally can get in and out without any difficulty at all with her knee. The kids have loads of room in the back seat and everyone loves the sunroof! The kids gave it the ultimate compliment; they said they like it better than "God's Cadillac!"

We finalized the deal yesterday, but the best, most unexpected blessing out of all of it was that God provided for us completely AGAIN! I won't go into a lot of details without the permission of the donor but someone gave us the money to buy this vehicle OUTRIGHT! As I told the story to the salesman and the finance guy at the dealership yesterday, I was able to give glory to God for His THIRD provision of a vehicle, and was able to use the event to minister to and even pray for the salesman!

Sally and the girls named the car "Kiki the Kia" (as they ALWAYS name the cars!), but I think I'm just gonna call it "God's Kia!"

All praise to God for His provision to us! May God be praised and glorified!

2008 In Review

2008 has been a good year. We've had some sickness, but everyone seems to be doing very good right now. So, without further ado, here is the Boyne Family 2008 Review:

January - Rick is interviewed by his college newspaper on "coin collecting".

February - Rick observes the 20 year anniversary of going to China for the first time.

March - We invite Missy into our lives.

Audrey travels (ALONE! ) to Washington, DC, to be a part of the Junior National Young Leaders Conference

April - Audrey celebrates her 12th birthday.

Rick's Grandmother, Audrey, needs and receives a pace-maker.

May - Audrey and Emily both receive multiple academic awards at school.

The Boyne family travels to Oklahoma City to see the new dome on the State Capitol Building, visit, OBU, OU, see friends.

June - The Boyne family attends the IMB Appointment Service in Oklahoma City.

Audrey surrenders to missions.

July - Sally goes to work for the Muskogee Board of Education.

August - Rick celebrates his first year as pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church

Audrey and Emily change schools. They now attend Benjamin Franklin Science Academy.

September - Emily celebrates her 9th birthday.

Rick's Dad has prostate surgery at the Mayo Clinic. Gives all glory to God for the healing.

October - Audrey and Rick spend the night at the Tulsa Zoo.

The Boyne family takes a short vacation in Branson.

November - Rick preaches the annual missions sermon at the Muskogee Association Annual Meeting.

December - Sally and Rick celebrate 16 years of marriage!

As I look back over this list and as I have perused my blog to remind me of what happened when, I am struck by two things: 1) how much we have been able to do with our families this year, and 2) how many friends we have had come visit us.

So, for 2008, I thank God for family and friends! May God truly bless us all in 2009!

Thanksgiving Day at the In-Laws'

We spent Thursday with my wife's family in Vinita.


Sally cooked the turkey this year. It was GOO-OOOOD!


Sally's mom made her famous "Parker House Rolls" - my favorite bread!

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord for:

• My family: Sally & the girls, my parents, my sister, my grandmother.
• My church: from the tiniest baby in the nursery to Mabel, the oldest member.
• My friends: Martin, Randy, Bill, Todd, Tim, Becky and too many others to name.
• My blog buddies: Steve, Kevin, Art, Quinn, Michael, Camey, Dorcas, Neil, Debbie, Terry, Les and others.
  
• My former colleagues whose names I cannot mention because of their security status in foreign lands.

But most of all, thank you for Jesus Who gave His life that I might live.

May God truly bless you who read my blog! Happy Thanksgiving!

Anniversary

One year ago today I resigned as a missionary from the IMB to pastor a church.

I'm not sad I resigned; a little melancholy, perhaps.



I first started with the Board in 1989 when I was appointed under Keith Parks as a Journeyman to Hong Kong. During that time, I helped to plant a church in Kowloon, New Hope Baptist Church. I was honored when the church planting team agreed on my suggestion for the name of the church, for at that time, (pre-1997) no one knew what the future of HK held with China looming overhead. Everyone was afraid and had lost hope.



It is fitting that I ended my missionary "career" in Hong Kong. After a tour in West Africa, then in East Asia, we transferred to Hong Kong. I honestly thought that we would retire with the Board and become "Emeritus", but God had other plans.



Most of our missionary service was "support". Not a very glamorous position, but necessary nonetheless. We considered ourselves to be like Aaron and Hur, providing support to Moses has he did what God called him to do.

We loved serving in West Africa. Africa is like a huge goldfish bowl where missionaries are the fish. It is like that to some degree in Asia, but it is much more severe in Africa. We experienced so much in our first term there. God transformed us and He used us. He allowed us to serve in both little and big ways. I pray that He found us faithful.



Then civil war.

We left the land and people we loved and followed God to Thailand. Again, we had a service of service. No glamor, unless you like being in AGM videos (which I secretly did). [OK, perhaps not SECRETLY!] The work there was email intensive. I joked that "I used to be a missionary, but now I answer email for a living". That wasn't far off. But what we did, and what they still do, is extremely important to keep the mission machine working.

If you have a missionary to speak in your church and they say something like "well, I"m only in support missions" or some other nonsense like that, please do your best to affirm them and encourage them in their work. I would rather be found faithful doing what I was called to do, than the alternative. Wouldn't you?

Thanks Mom!

My sister, Pam, and me at my 5th birthday party.

44 years ago today, my mother "labored" to bring me into the world. She has been and still is a fantastic wonderful mother that has taught me how to laugh and love in abundance.

As I look at the 44th anniversary of my birth, I can't help but to see an incredible blessing from God as He gave me my extended family then and my wonderful wife and children now. He has given me a host of friends all around the world. In fact, He has allowed me to see more of the world than most people could ever even dream about. He has allowed me to serve Him in 5 foreign countries and now back here at home.

As I look to the future, not knowing whether it will be a long future or a short future (for that is all in God's hands), I pray that I will be all that God wants me to be and a blessing to others. I want to see my daughters grow up into faithful women of God, blessings to their husbands and children. I want to see my church be faithful to God, being all it can be for His glory. I want to be a constant encourager and supporter for my wife, so that she can serve the Lord to His glory.

If you ever happen to pray for me, pray that I would be continually filled with the Holy Spirit and that God would give me wisdom.

Family Update

Well, with all that had been going on for the past couple of weeks, we decided to get away for a long weekend. It seemed to have done us all a world of good.

I think "things" are back to normal and everyone seems to be doing well. We have had numerous blessings over the past several days and no real (I hesitate to even type this) spiritual attacks.

Thanks to all who lifted me and my family up during these trying times.