Dad's condition

Mom says that last night at about 10:30 pm, they were informed that the pathology results were all negative for biopsies other than the prostate! What great news!

This morning, mom reports that Dad has had no pain and is amazing the doctors and staff with his condition! That must really be something at the Mayo Clinic!

God is Good!

Politics as usual

Have you been following the ad duels of Jim Inhofe and Andrew Rice?

I'll admit that during the primaries, I was impressed with Andrew Rice. He said he had served as a Christian missionary in Asia. ( I guess that was the only part that impressed me)

Then, after the primaries were over, there were new ads on TV talking about that he was, in fact, a liberal and supported gay marriage and abortion. Rice came back and said that Inhofe's ad was an attack and it wasn't true. Inhofe came back with an ad that backed up what they claimed with voting records.



So, I decided to find out for myself.

I just got off the phone with some volunteer at the Rice Campaign Headquarters in OKC. (I love cell phone minutes!)

I asked three questions based on what I have seen on TV:
1. What is his stand on gay marriage?
2. What is his stand on abortion?
3. How long did he serve as a missionary?

I couldn't get an honest answer without asking the questions about 3 or 4 times each in 3 or 4 different ways.

The answers as I received them:
1. pro-civil union
2. pro-choice
3. 1 year in Sri Lanka with the Catholic church.

The person indicated that all of Inhofe's "facts" were skewed and inaccurate. He said that they abortion bill he voted for was for the OU Health Sciences under the condition where the mother's life was in danger. (so I guess that part WAS true)

The person indicated that Rice is a supporter of traditional marriage, but also supports civil-unions. (I guess that it isn't REALLY a supporter of traditional marriage then).

Since I had "heard" that he only served for a week in Asia, I was delighted to find that it was actually a short term mission instead of just a mission trip.

This kind of person is frightening. They are claiming that they represent "mainstream Oklahoma" values, when in fact, they represent the liberal values of California and New York.

It is my goal that Andrew Rice doesn't win a term in the US Senate.

(these personal views are my own and do not represent any organization, institution, etc. I have the right to express them as a citizen of the United States of America)

News on Dad

My internet has been down all afternoon, but it's back up now.

Mom said that Dad came through the surgery fine. He was still in recovery (at 3 pm) and was giving the nurses a hard time. That suggests that he is fine.

He will be in the hospital for two days, then be released, but they are staying in hotel across the street and will be there until next Monday.

Thanks to everyone for their prayers. Now pray that he will heal up quickly to make the flight home.

Another Update

I just spoke with my mom on the phone and she said that the nurse just came out and reported that there was no cancer in the bladder. (A doctor in Tulsa said there was)

Mom thanks everyone for their prayers!

Quick Update

Mom just sent me a text message that said there is no cancer in the lymph nodes!

Praise the Lord!

Prayer Request

As I write this, my dad, Bob Boyne, is undergoing surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN for prostate cancer. Mom just called and said that they are removing some lymph nodes in the pelvic area, but has no other information.

Would you pause right now and offer a prayer for my dad? (and my mom)

Thanks.

Texan Stubbornness

begin:rant

Stubbornness can be good, but is usually bad.

Government authorities issued a mandatory evacuation of Galveston, TX, BEFORE Hurricane Ike. Evidently, THOUSANDS chose to disregard this evacuation, which was supposed to be at their own peril.

Yesterday, they evacuated 2000 people from Galveston Island. Today, they are estimating that they will evacuate 4000 people.

I don't understand this. Why do people think they know best? Why to folks think they can "get by" then call 9-1-1 for help, when help is not available.

As I sat watching this unfold on the news this morning, I was both perplexed and a little agitated with this situation. Mandatory Evacuation means mandatory evacuation, does it not?

I'm sorry that all this heartache and destruction has fallen on the cities of the Texas Coast, but it is really hard to feel sorry for folks who went against orders and decided to stay.

/rant

Cool Weather

Hurricane Ike came and left with very little adverse effect here in Wagoner, OK. We ended up with about 2-3 inches of rain and had an hour of winds in the 40-50 mph range.

One of the greatest "benefits" however, of this horrific storm, brought wonderfully cool weather (together with a cold front) to Oklahoma. This morning, it was 50 degrees. I actually had to use a blanket last night! The forecast for this week shows highs in the upper 70's and low 80's. Perhaps Autumn has actually arrived!

100 days til Christmas!

That's right. It's time to start your Christmas shopping. Have you? We haven't yet.

We've noticed that there are some places around that already have some little stuff of Christmas out for sale. That is WAY TOO EARLY.

However, there are 74 days until I can put lights on my roof! Yippee!!!

Oklahoma moves up (again)

Oklahoma is now number 2 in this week's poll. We can stay here all season until the National Championship game. That would be fine with me.

Boomer Sooner!

Oklahoma 55 - Washington 14

And Huskies make 3!



Boomer Sooner!

Hurricane Ike

We have just finished with the first round of the first rain ban from Hurricane Ike. We, here in Wagoner, OK, are under a flood watch and a wind advisory. We are 535 miles from Galveston, TX.

Forecasters have predicted up to 8 inches of rain from Ike in our area. Of course, a lot depends on how quickly Ike leaves the area. If he decides to stick around for a while, we could end up with a lot more. If he doesn't like God's country, then we might see a little less.

Pray for those who it has really effected.

Church loses property over doctrinal issues

Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian Church in Tulsa, OK, received a judgment in District Court ordering them to vacate the premises.

Two years ago, the church parted ways with their parent denomination, the Presbyterian Church USA, over doctrinal issues. The local church felt betrayed by their denominations embrace of homosexuality and their view of the Bible. In a church vote, 90% of the congregation voted to remove themselves from the parent denomination.

Trouble was, there was a clause that said that even if they paid for the building, they didn't own their own church property. It had been registered in the name of the Eastern Oklahoma Presbytery. And they wanted their building back.

A lawsuit ensued and this week a Tulsa County District Judge ruled in favor of the EOP.

We prayed for the church last night in our Southern Baptist Church. While we may not agree on every point of doctrine, it took a lot of holy determination to stand up to their denomination. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they must now face the results of "standing with God".

Please pray for this church and for their pastor, Tom Gray.

WTC and 9/11

I first visited New York City in 1980. I was a youth delegate to the United Nations. New York and the UN was the center point of a 3 week US tour, mostly on the East Coast. I remember seeing the World Trade Center for the first time. I was completely awe-struck. As a teenager from Oklahoma, I couldn't believe the immensity of the buildings; their tops scraping the sky. As we rode the elevators to the top, I was again taken back by the incredible view it afforded of all of Manhattan, the Burroughs, and New Jersey.

I returned 5 years later to be a sponsor for the UN Youth Program. Each week, we took large groups of teens to the UN and to tourist spots in NYC. My favorite was always the WTC. The view provided was just too incredible to pass up. I saw the same reaction in the youth delegates that I had experienced when I was there in the same capacity.

We lived in the Manhattan East Apartment Hotel at the corner of 32nd and 7th Ave. We were pratically right across the street from Madison Square Garden and the view out of my hotel room looked up at the Empire State Building. (the picture below was taken from that famous landmark) That summer in New York is one that I'll always remember.



Another thing that I'll always remember, as will you, is where I was when the towers fell. My family and I were serving with the IMB in Cote d'Ivoire, West Africa. I was doing email when Sally called me in to see CNN. We had just subscribed to satellite TV and she was channel surfing. She said that a plane had just flown into the tower. As I came in, she said, "here's the replay", but that plane hit the second tower.

Cote d'Ivoire is 50% (or so) Muslim. There is ALWAYS tension there, but mostly because the ruling tribe is Catholic and the oppressed tribe is Muslim. But the tensions exist, nonetheless. We didn't venture out much for the next few days. Finally, we saw that there weren't any accelerated danger in Abidjan (our city) so we went out for groceries and a little shopping. One of the places we went to was owned and operated by Lebanese Muslims. As we walked in, the owner asked us if we were American. After a quick prayer, we acknowledged that we were. He stood up to shake our hands, tell us how terribly sorry he was, and that his own brother had been in the towers that day, but was only on the 3rd floor and had escaped with his life.

As we remember those who died in NY, PA, and DC, let us not forget to pray for God's grace and peace. Pray for our leaders. Pray for our troops. Pray for our enemies.

May God have mercy on us all.

A Post for M. Steve Heartsill

Hey Steve.

It's 9:18 am. It's raining. It's 68 degrees.

I thought you might like to know!