Weather Forecasts & Jesus' Return

I watch KOTV for my weather news from the Tulsa TV market.  I really like their weather team, Travis Meyer, Alan Crone, Dick Faurot, and Mike Grogan. I trust these guys.

I know they do their very best to create accurate forecasts and present the public with up-to-the-minute updates when severe weather approaches. It's hard to do it, too, because weather predicting isn't an exact science; things change.

Take today, for instance. They've been telling us for the past several days that there is a good chance of severe storms this afternoon.  They've shown us graphics about it, blogged about it, and posted updates on Facebook and Twitter.

They really want us to take this seriously.  And, as an Okie, it "feels" stormy today.

(While I was typing the second paragraph, the National Weather Center in Tulsa issued a tornado watch for my area)

Last week, they told us all week about a storm that was coming in that would bring rain to our area. They showed us radar images from the storm that was still out over the Pacific. They presented us different frontal models several days in advance. The morning it was supposed to storm that afternoon, it was unbelievable that it was going to rain that afternoon. It was bright, sun shiny, and not a cloud in the sky.

Yet, because it was from the News On 6 WeatherTeam, I prepared for rain.  AND RAIN IT DID!!!!  A certified frog strangler.

It got me to thinking.

Why do people believe a forecast for rain and make plans around it, but completely ignore the words of Jesus where He says He's coming back to Earth?

Some people have made some fancy charts and others have erroneously predicted the exact date (which Jesus said would be fruitless to do), yet the "prediction" that He will return stands.

Some people humorously argue that if He hasn't come back already, what makes you think He's coming back?  That's like saying "it hasn't snowed yet this year, what makes you think it is going to snow?" (or rain, or get to 100º, or etc)

So far, we've had all the time in the world to prepare for the return of Christ. There are signs exactly according to the Bible that we are getting close, yet people treat it those predictions worse than promises from a disgraced politician.

Folks, it's getting close. I don't know when exactly, but, if we can look at the sky and know it's going to rain, we ought to be able to look at the signs that the Bible lists and know that it won't be long until Jesus returns.

Are you ready?

TV Trucks

At Wagoner High School

My TV Interview

I was interviewed by KOTV-6, the local CBS affiliate, regarding the rapist on the loose in Wagoner. Click on the link below and it will take you to the video.

Wagoner Police Search For Rapist, Community On Edge

Wagoner Tornado was EF-2 not EF-0

I saw on the news tonight where the tornado that struck Wagoner Saturday night was actually an EF-2! I had no idea! KOTV reported that it was on the ground for 4.4 miles.

Wagoner Tornado Damage (Photo by Kellie Jennings)

The Storm Prediction Center details the Enhanced Fujita Scale 2 (EF-2) has having winds between 113 and 157 mph and describes the possibility of "considerable damage."

For more information about tornadoes, go to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Storm Prediction Center's (SPC) Online Tornado FAQ.

Further information about this actual tornado can be found at the National Weather Service site.

Storms lining up

Radar for Henryetta storm

Stormy Weather

Wednesday evening, a huge front moved through Oklahoma spawning 17 tornadoes.  Thankfully, many of them were F1 with winds not exceeding 105 mph.

The Emergency Alert System was activated on our cable TV interrupting programming on all channels.  I took a picture of the alert with my cell phone camera. The quality is very poor.

This is the radar image on CBS Tulsa Affiliate KOTV Channel 6.  We didn't get to watch CSI, but at one point there were 7 counties in the viewing area with current tornado warnings! Even for Oklahoma, that is a big deal. I took another picture of the TV image with my cell phone.

Here in Wagoner, we had a gust front with winds of 40-50 mph but, once again, the storms went around us.

Polar Express On Its Way!

NEOK is in for some REALLY COLD WEATHER in the next couple of days! I drove to Muskogee today and saw that the Arkansas River was frozen over. I remember when it happened way back when I was a kid and Don Woods from KTUL in Tulsa remarked that it hardly ever happens. Travis Meyer from KOTV is already saying that if you don't have to go out on Thursday, DON'T!

Oral Roberts - Dead but not gone

Tulsa TV evangelist and university founder, Oral Roberts, died yesterday with complications from pneumonia. He was 91.

I have incredibly mixed emotions about Oral Roberts. Personally, I think he was a fake and his "healing" ministry was a sham. I am sickened by his "health, wealth, and prosperity" fake gospel. Unfortunately, that will be his legacy.

The "gospel" he preached claimed that God didn't want you to be sick or poor. SHOW ME IN THE BIBLE WHERE GOD EVER SAID THAT!!!!!

I heard a story from one of my older church members that goes like this:

"Back in the 1950's I went to get a haircut in Tulsa. The barber asked me if I had ever heard of Oral Roberts. We talked about him for a while and he admitted that he was Oral's father-in-law. We had a nice chat. Later that same week, I was watching Oral Roberts on TV from a crusade in Florida. A man so crippled that he could hardly walk came to the front. Oral exclaimed, "my beloved father-in-law! What has brought you to this pitiful circumstance?" At that, he seized hold of his father-in-law and "healed" him. He left the arena no longer limping or walking with a crutch."

My member told me that once he saw "that baloney" on TV, he knew Oral Roberts was a fake.

I know that there are multitudes who love him and his ministry. I know that there are countless people who have been saved through his ministry and praise God for that. I know that many people attribute healing from God through Oral Roberts. I sympathize with those who will miss him; any loss is a true loss. However, I just wish his false doctrine would have died with him.

Last Day of Summer in OK

Today is the last day of summer. It's going out with a bang! We have a severe thunderstorm right now (5:45 pm). I just noticed that the Oklahoma Mesonet posted this on Facebook:

Oklahoma Mesonet There's a heat index of 93 deg F in Idabel and a wind chill index of 34 deg F in Boise City. It's autumn in Oklahoma!

I was going to try to make it home before the storm hit, but I judged wrong and am now spending a little quality time in the office.... I turned on my TV to get the updated weather report and the storm is affecting the DTV so bad that it is basically worthless.

Uncle Zeb News Video

This video comes from KTUL-TV Channel 8 in Tulsa.

"Uncle Zeb" dead at 78

To those outside of NE OK, this story won't mean much to you, but Carl "Zeb" Bartholomew passed away this week. He was 78.

For 10 years, Uncle Zeb thrilled pre-school and elementary school aged children on KTUL-TV Channel 8, the local ABC affiliate, with "Uncle Zeb's Cartoon Camp". Uncle Zeb was supposedly the uncle of the show's precursor, "Mr. Zing and Tuffy". He was loved by children and I still have fond memories of watching his show.

My sister met Mr. Bartholomew many years ago when she was working for the March of Dimes. She said that she walked in his office and lost her professional demeanor when she realized who he was. She said, "Hey! You're Uncle Zeb!" (or something like that)

We'll be lookin' for ya, Uncle Zeb!

Protect our children!

Are you a dad and are concerned about the negative influence television is having on your children and the children of America? Well, there is something you can do about it. Join One Million Dads dot com. It is an online community of dads aimed at stopping the exploitation of our children-especially by the entertainment industry. Check out their website for more information. Join today! (I did)

Are you a mom and feel the same way? Try One Million Moms dot com.

Stay Away from Keystone Chevrolet

Last Friday, Sally and I both had the day off and the kids were with my sister, so we decided to do a little window shopping/test driving of used cars. We had seen the TV ads for Keystone Chevrolet in Sand Springs, OK. Their ads should have told us what they would be like.

It was, perhaps, the worst car shopping experience I have ever had. Under no circumstances will I ever step foot on their car lot again and highly urge you to do the same.

The young salesman, Bentley, was nice enough and I am sure he was just following mis-directed company policy, up to a point. However, he would not give us a price on the used car we were looking at. We asked what they were asking for it and he said he'd have to go inside to get it. We went for a test drive and he told us all about his personal problems. (Sally and I get that a lot) As we pulled back in the lot, he suggested we pull into the first parking place and come inside with him to get the price.

I can handle myself with car salesmen. The more experience I gain with them, the less I put up with their antics. He herded us into his cubicle, sat us down and proceeded to fill out some sort of "contact form". I protested and said all we wanted to know was the price they were asking for the car. He said it was company policy to fill out that form and he would get our price right after it was complete. (This is where I should have gotten up and left, but I learned that for next time). He went and got the price for the car, which was about $3000-3500 more than what it should sell for. Then the dumbest question that car salesmen ever came up with was asked: "What's it gonna take for us to get you into that car TODAY?"

I explained, as I have with most car dealers in NE OK, that we were just looking and never bought a car without time to think and pray about it. This is when the young man got indignant and began to rant about our not being serious and why would we test drive the car and ask about the price if we weren't serious about buying that car. That's when I stood up, said "thank you" and walked out the door. (BTW, they never offered to drive us to the far side of the lot where our car was parked)

I cannot believe that the sales manager didn't see what was going on and how Sally and I were shaking our heads in disbelief as we exited the showroom. I cannot believe that the sales manager didn't follow a couple out of the showroom who were visibly upset by the transactions of the sales staff. Even more, I cannot believe, that since they have my name and phone number, the sales manager has not called me to see about that episode.

So, due to their sales techniques and tactics and their lack of concern for disgruntled potential customers, I now say to you, "Stay as far away from Keystone Chevrolet as you possibly can. Don't step foot on their lot even if they say they are GIVING their cars away because there will be a catch."

Oh, and don't forget their exorbitant "Documentation Fee", whatever that is.

For pity sakes.

PS: I sent this post to GM Corporate Headquarters. I seriously doubt they will do anything either.

Remember this???

No wonder American kids are fat. They've replaced these PSA's with Pizza Roll commercials!

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!

Be happy for this guy!

I certainly don't have this kind of good luck! (I guess if you don't believe in luck, you can't have any!)

Stoops creating a legend

With the 5 60 pointers in a row, Bob Stoops is creating a legend for himself and the 2008 Sooners that will be hard to surpass. He and the Sooners have been unappreciated by the media almost from the beginning.

However, I was impressed with Brent Mussburger last night on ABC. For the first time in my memory, he actually bragged on the Sooners. He has been a Sooner Hater ever since I attended there back in the early 80's. I think, perhaps, the Switzer Scandals bad taste has finally been removed and/or replaced. It gets really depressing week after week to hear him dis the Sooners, even though we score 50 and 60 points per game.

The Sooners do have a rich football heritage and last night showed that it is still a work in process!

Boomer Sooner!

Oklahoma 61 - Oklahoma State 41

Does anyone know who the OU Special Teams coach is? They sure need some work!

Did our defense even bother to show up?

Brent Mussberger did better last night, but he stilled showed a bias against the Sooners. Why can't ABC hire a non-partisan commentator? I blame the Democrats.

Now, we wait to see if we get to play in the conference championship. Now THERE'S a strange way of determination!

Boomer Sooner, Baby!

I voted today

I registered Democrat when I moved back from overseas, mostly so I could vote in the local races. Here is rural Oklahoma, the Democratic party is generally the conservative party, at least when it comes to county commissioners, mayors, sheriffs, etc. I was number 77 in my precinct to vote. When I went to sign the book, my wife, Sally, had already signed it. She voted this morning on the way to work. She said she was number 26.

I did vote for one or two democrats today. (Not Obama) Most of the folks I happened to have voted for were Republican. I think if everyone in Oklahoma who were Republican at heart would actually register that way, we wouldn't have any Democrat candidates!

I love exercising my right to vote. What a privilege! What a responsibility!

I am excited that all the political ads will be over tomorrow! Actually, I heard that they will start campaigning for 2012 by November 15.