Friday morning (about 9 hours ahead of predicted schedule) a major ice, sleet, and snow storm hit Oklahoma and has sense significantly impacted Missouri too. Airports are closed or facing major delays from Dallas to Denver to St. Louis and impacting the rest of the country too. Since we had already started school for the day we stayed open until normal time even though I had less than 30% of my students actually attending class.
Saturday saw another round of the storm and only complicated the situation even more. Saturday was when Missouri really got the action. I stayed home to be safe and kept looking for the news to report that "Crossings Community Church--OKC" was closed for Sunday services, but nothing. I checked the church's website and nothing. I called the church's automated phone service and the recording said that plans were to have our 11:00 sanctuary service (cancelled the 9:30 santuary and 10:45 gym services) but that there would be an update by 8:00 Sunday morning. So I went to bed with the plan of getting up and going to church.
I woke up at 8:00 on Sunday and called the church again and received a similar message that we WOULD be having church at 11:00. I showered, got dressed, and ate a light breakfast. It usually takes me 10 minutes to get to church but I knew with the ice that it would take longer. I also wanted to get there in plenty of time in case we were still having a choir practice before the 11:00 service. So I left home at about 9:20 and arrived at church around 9:45. As soon as I got in I ran into Pastors George Skramstad (Worship Pastor) and Matt Anderson (Associate Pastor) and they told me that church had just been called off all together at 9:30...since I had already left home I missed the message.
Well, I hung around for a few minutes and another choir friend showed up. We found out that the church had already made a batch of coffee for the few others who had showed up and Pastor Marty Grubbs (Senior Pastor) had called in and said he would bring some donuts for those people who might have not gotten the message that church was cancelled and we could hang out and visit for a while.
Apparently there were several who did not get the cancellation notice and we ended up with about 115 people (all ages, from infant to 80s). Keep in mind, this is a congregation of 6000+ people, so 115 is not even 2% of the whole church. We ended up having an impromptu worship service in the atrium (our fellowship hall). We had an amazing time of singing some favorite hymns and heard some amazing testimonies of why certain hymns were so special to various people. Pastor Marty led a short devotional from Acts 2 and we had a special time of prayer in which we actually took time to voice special concerns from the congregation (we don't usually do this due to the size of the congregation).
It was truly an awesome time of having "no service" on this chilly Sunday morning. For a cancelled church gathering we really did "have church". God was present even with the "two or three" that we had gathered on this day.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Thursday, January 4, 2007
Oprah and Education
I've known for sometime now that Oprah Winfrey has been involved with starting a school in South Africa to help prepare strong female leadership which that nation and southern Africa are needing. In this process she has donated $40+ million of her own money.
On the radio today (Sean Hannity show), I heard of another lady who has come out attacking Oprah for spending that kind of money in another nation while neglecting the schools here in this country. This women really needs to pay attention to reality! ONE: Oprah has always used both her influence and her money to address educational issues here in the United States. TWO: Even the worst public schools in this nation offer a better opportunity for a quality education than the overwhelming majority of schools throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa.
I salute Oprah for her endeavors! I have traveled to severaled to several developing nations I have seen the lack of opportunity that much of the world truly has. In most of these lands only a small fraction of the population has an opportunity for an education, even a low quality one. However, in the United States EVERY child has the opportunity for an education that is far superior to much of what the rest of the planet has to offer.
If the public schools in your community are not at the quality that you believe they should be...and mind you this is coming from a public school teacher...you have no one to blame but the collective community, for it is the community which has through its actions or lack of actions which has provided the basis for the deterioration of those schools. Wealthy whites who pulled their kids of public schools due to integration are to blame. Families (of all backgrounds) who do not stress the importance of education in the home are to blame. Union protected shlubs (individuals who earn a pay check to teach but who do little if any teaching because they know they have the protection of "tenure") are to blame. Public apathy in voting for the school boards, legislatures, and other officials who oversee education are to blame. Students who don't put forth their full effort are to blame...on and on and on....the collective community is to blame.
Don't blame the generous financial actions of Oprah Winfrey for the failure of your local schools. First make sure YOU are doing your part and then make sure your neighbor is doing his/her part. I may not agree with her on much, but the premise of Hiliary Clinton's book is correct because "it does take a village".
~David
On the radio today (Sean Hannity show), I heard of another lady who has come out attacking Oprah for spending that kind of money in another nation while neglecting the schools here in this country. This women really needs to pay attention to reality! ONE: Oprah has always used both her influence and her money to address educational issues here in the United States. TWO: Even the worst public schools in this nation offer a better opportunity for a quality education than the overwhelming majority of schools throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa.
I salute Oprah for her endeavors! I have traveled to severaled to several developing nations I have seen the lack of opportunity that much of the world truly has. In most of these lands only a small fraction of the population has an opportunity for an education, even a low quality one. However, in the United States EVERY child has the opportunity for an education that is far superior to much of what the rest of the planet has to offer.
If the public schools in your community are not at the quality that you believe they should be...and mind you this is coming from a public school teacher...you have no one to blame but the collective community, for it is the community which has through its actions or lack of actions which has provided the basis for the deterioration of those schools. Wealthy whites who pulled their kids of public schools due to integration are to blame. Families (of all backgrounds) who do not stress the importance of education in the home are to blame. Union protected shlubs (individuals who earn a pay check to teach but who do little if any teaching because they know they have the protection of "tenure") are to blame. Public apathy in voting for the school boards, legislatures, and other officials who oversee education are to blame. Students who don't put forth their full effort are to blame...on and on and on....the collective community is to blame.
Don't blame the generous financial actions of Oprah Winfrey for the failure of your local schools. First make sure YOU are doing your part and then make sure your neighbor is doing his/her part. I may not agree with her on much, but the premise of Hiliary Clinton's book is correct because "it does take a village".
~David
Monday, January 1, 2007
President Ford
The first person who I can remember being President was Ronald Reagan. I had just turned 4 a few days before he took over in January of 1981. However, there were two other individuals who served in that office prior to what I can remember, Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford.
Of these two Presidents, Gerald Ford stands out for being the man who was President when I was born. We had already held the November 1976 elections and knew who the new President was going to be. I was born in January of '77 and even though it was only for 15 days, Ford was my President.
Several things strike me as being noteworthy for having had Gerald Ford as my first President. 1) I was able to claim more Presidents during my life than half of my graduating class--superficial rationale, I know! 2) Because this man had extreme character and did what he felt was right no matter how much of the nation supported him or not.
It is this second element that is my focus. Our nation was just concluding a major international event in Vietnam and was still trying to figure things out in the wake of President Nixon's downfall from Watergate. Ford knew that he had to take action to help us heal as a nation and move forward. He knew that we could not move beyond the Watergate scandal if investigations and legal action within the court system progressed. This is the reason why he pardoned Nixon dispite the majority's opinion to not take this action. This action drastically decreased his early popularity and, coupled with a declining economy, most likely led to his loss of the 1976 election. However, most historians today would cite that decision as being very beneficial for this nation. If it had not been for this bold choice our nation might have still been battling Watergate on into the 1980s. Gerald Ford put the interests of the nation above his own.
Now, at the age of 93, President Ford has been removed from the list of "living former Presidents". My prayers are with Mrs. Ford, their children, grandchildren, and extended family. I will miss my President but will always hold on to the knowledge that a man of principle was at the helm when I was born.
~David
Of these two Presidents, Gerald Ford stands out for being the man who was President when I was born. We had already held the November 1976 elections and knew who the new President was going to be. I was born in January of '77 and even though it was only for 15 days, Ford was my President.
Several things strike me as being noteworthy for having had Gerald Ford as my first President. 1) I was able to claim more Presidents during my life than half of my graduating class--superficial rationale, I know! 2) Because this man had extreme character and did what he felt was right no matter how much of the nation supported him or not.
It is this second element that is my focus. Our nation was just concluding a major international event in Vietnam and was still trying to figure things out in the wake of President Nixon's downfall from Watergate. Ford knew that he had to take action to help us heal as a nation and move forward. He knew that we could not move beyond the Watergate scandal if investigations and legal action within the court system progressed. This is the reason why he pardoned Nixon dispite the majority's opinion to not take this action. This action drastically decreased his early popularity and, coupled with a declining economy, most likely led to his loss of the 1976 election. However, most historians today would cite that decision as being very beneficial for this nation. If it had not been for this bold choice our nation might have still been battling Watergate on into the 1980s. Gerald Ford put the interests of the nation above his own.
Now, at the age of 93, President Ford has been removed from the list of "living former Presidents". My prayers are with Mrs. Ford, their children, grandchildren, and extended family. I will miss my President but will always hold on to the knowledge that a man of principle was at the helm when I was born.
~David
Welcome
So here's to my new blog. I've written in other forums, but I've never truly enjoyed them. So now I'm going to try again. You are welcome to read and post "appropriate" comments.
A little about myself:
As of the time I open this blog I am 29 years old. But this will change in just a few short days and I will hit the big THIRTY. This is not really bothering me, after all I've done so much in my life so far; not as much as I would have liked, but we cannot always get everything that we want when we want it, right?
I was born/raised in southwestern Oklahoma City into a minister's family; I am number 5 of 6 and am the only son. I have 11 nieces and nephews, 3 great nieces/nephews, and countless extended family members. Family is a important part of my life.
I was raised within church; my father finished his last fulltime pastoring position just before I was born but continued to fill in for churches between pastors or whose pastor was on vacation. Since my father's death my mother has also become ordained. At age 20, I felt a need to leave my home congregation and began another. Although attending public schools I chose to attend a private church university. I have also served in several short term missions trips, from one week to three months in length. My faith is a significant part of my life and it is my faith; I am not just living on what mommy and daddy believe.
I hold Bachelors degrees in Secondary Social Studies Education and Bible/Theology. I also have a Masters in Political Science: International Affairs. I may seek additional education in the future. I currently work as a public high school teacher in one of Oklahoma City's suburbs. I place a strong value on formal education; the school of hard knocks has also taught many lessons.
I'm sure you will get to know me through other postings.
~David
A little about myself:
As of the time I open this blog I am 29 years old. But this will change in just a few short days and I will hit the big THIRTY. This is not really bothering me, after all I've done so much in my life so far; not as much as I would have liked, but we cannot always get everything that we want when we want it, right?
I was born/raised in southwestern Oklahoma City into a minister's family; I am number 5 of 6 and am the only son. I have 11 nieces and nephews, 3 great nieces/nephews, and countless extended family members. Family is a important part of my life.
I was raised within church; my father finished his last fulltime pastoring position just before I was born but continued to fill in for churches between pastors or whose pastor was on vacation. Since my father's death my mother has also become ordained. At age 20, I felt a need to leave my home congregation and began another. Although attending public schools I chose to attend a private church university. I have also served in several short term missions trips, from one week to three months in length. My faith is a significant part of my life and it is my faith; I am not just living on what mommy and daddy believe.
I hold Bachelors degrees in Secondary Social Studies Education and Bible/Theology. I also have a Masters in Political Science: International Affairs. I may seek additional education in the future. I currently work as a public high school teacher in one of Oklahoma City's suburbs. I place a strong value on formal education; the school of hard knocks has also taught many lessons.
I'm sure you will get to know me through other postings.
~David
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