Brothers...


I would like to let you know about some speaking engagements that we would appreciate your prayer covering for, this month:

April 6th at Parkview Baptist Church to students, Tulsa
April 7th at a Ladies Community Group (Deanna speaking) Northeastern Oklahoma
April 9th at Parkview Baptist Church to students, Tulsa
April 17th on Janet Parshall's America, National Radio Broadcast (3pm ET)
April 22nd at Ft Hayes State University, Kansas
April 23rd at the "One" Rally (multi-church student rally) Sapulpa, Oklahoma

I am excited about Deanna's opportunity to share tonight!


It is no secret that I am getting older, and that my eyesight is not what it used to be. I am betrayed by my eyes more and more often!

While in Mexico, recently, my partner Katie, kept showing me messages on her blackberry from our home office. I kept handing her phone back to her and saying, "I can't read that, Katie, please tell me what it says."

I try really hard to keep my reading glasses nearby. Without them, I find myself lost, too much of the time. I need them for my quiet time, I need them at work, I need them to read menus when we're out, etc.

While I knew my eyes were losing elasticity and not focusing well on things up close, I did not realize how much I was missing of the rest of life.

This weekend we finally got around to getting our taxes done. Every year, I put that off and dread the whole event. Every year, I get stressed...way too stressed over this. I enjoy having my taxes done about as much as I enjoy going to the dentist. Well, I'd rather have my taxes done.

That does remind me, however, that I also need to go to the dentist.

After the early Saturday morning appointment was over, we felt a huge release! For a time, I was bi-polar. I had been wearing my "grumpy pants," for a few days over the whole tax thing, and suddenly, I was mr. happy!

A few days earlier, Deanna and I had visited a couple of different stores to look at flat panel, HD, televisions. We kept hearing how in February of 2009, things change in the whole tv realm. If you have rabbit ears for your tv, and don't have cable, your tv will no longer work without some new equipment.

We don't have rabbit ears, but this did compel us to join the rest of ours society in looking at flat panel televisions. I was amazed at the clarity of these screens. It makes watching our old one look like its out of focus.

We debated and discussed for several days whether or not to buy one. I spoke to the local authority on the subject, who also happens to work in our offices. He has surround sound at home and just finished installing speakers in his couch. Yes, his couch. Well, they're really not speakers, they are "bottom rumblers." When you are watching an action movie, and an explosion happens, these things jiggle your backside and insides, and make you have to use the bathroom.

A great tool if you enjoy surround sound. Not so great if you have a weak or needy internal elimination process.

We looked at many different screen sizes. We talked about brands, and could see the difference in pictures. We finally decided on one and bought it.

While this screen is bigger than what we had, it is not near as big as what I know many people are watching at home. However, the picture clarity and increased screen size are revealing things to me.

I have been missing half of everything I've watched (that is really not a bad thing). There is so much more to see, and I didn't even realize it was there. Something else, too. We now get many more channels. We've been paying for the same plan for over a year and not been getting part of what we've paid for because we had inferior tv sets!

Yes, we enjoyed watching movies on Saturday evening in High Definition. We could both see, and neither of us had to wear our glasses! Have I told you recently that my lovely bride has a different pair of glasses for every room of the house?

Anyway, as my eyes were opened to all these things this weekend, I couldn't help but sense the fact that this is often what it is like when you have been living in darkness and suddenly through the power of the Holy Spirit, you can see! How incredible! What a blessing to be able to discern what has been right there all along, but you couldn't see it cause you hadn't made the right choices.

This is true of those who lived in darkness and came to Christ as well as those who know Jesus, but do not invest in their relationship with Him until something compels them to do so. Suddenly, that feeling of seeing things in a new light washes over them. They realize that there has been much they have been missing because they've been focused on the wrong agenda.

Praise God for how He changes us from the inside out!

Now, if I could just get Him to do something about being able to read the fine print...


dad