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Are you enjoying the cooler weather? Enjoy it while you can. My wife told me we could face 90-degree temperatures next week.
Here’s my thoughts on six timely topics in this week’s edition of Doyle’s Half Dozen.
Happy Birthday Hope!
Be on the lookout for the Oct. 20 Baptist Messenger. The cover story is about Hope Pregnancy Centers celebrating 30 years of operation. I’m a big fan of HPC, as I was a volunteer at the Hope Pregnancy Center North in Oklahoma City for 10 years. One of my favorite stories I have written in the past year was on Carolyn Anson being named the director of HPC North.
Hope has made a major impact in Oklahoma on the issue of the Sanctity of Life. They have ministered to more than 130,000 clients, with a large majority choosing life over abortion. Hope also has a great ministry to post-abortive women and providing parenting classes for those expecting.
And Hope has expanded to five clinics in the state, with two in Oklahoma City and three others in Tulsa, Ardmore and the recent addition in Edmond.
Congratulations to Hope Pregnancy Centers for encouraging and caring for numerous clients and supporting the cause of valuing life at all stages.
Oklahoma Baptists and Racial Reconciliation
About a month ago, I offered positive examples of overcoming racial tension in the Sept. 23 DHD.
This week I heard about another great act toward racial reconciliation among Oklahoma Baptists. Pastor Walter Mullican of Portland Avenue Baptist Church in Oklahoma City led a dialogue at his church, Oct. 9, with Clarence Hill, founder of StrongerTogetherOKC. Mullican said the discussion was a productive time, and the evening ended with a challenge to courage and a call to be involved in an ongoing way by participating in “Solution Sundays,” by inviting people of different ethnicity into homes for a meal.
I think this is a sign of progress, and I admire Mullican and other leaders taking on the observance, which was suggested by Oklahoma U.S. Senator James Lankford, to having meals with those of other races. It will take these actions of personal involvement that will make the most effective change.
What’s happening at Northwest Classen?
Northwest Classen High School in Oklahoma City is one of the oldest and largest high schools in the metro area. Many of its students are facing many struggles and are growing up in broken homes.
But Northwest Classen is starting to see a large community coming together to provide support and make an impact on these students, especially the athletes. Many Oklahoma City churches including Trinity Baptist, Northwest Baptist and Portland Avenue are involved in “adopting” different teams at Northwest Classen and have developed strong connections.
Last Thursday, Oct. 7, the school hosted a tailgate party that experienced approximately 500 people coming out before a football game. The response was amazing, as many who attended the tailgate were alumni and haven’t been to a Northwest Classen game in decades.
To find out more of this positive impact at Northwest Classen, check out this article by the Oklahoman on Keith Sinor, district athletic director for Oklahoma City Public Schools.
Great movie thoughts from Phil Boatwright
Phil Boatwright is a movie critic for Baptist Press. I enjoy his take on films because we have similar intentions of trying to find those spiritual takeaways in movies.
In his article “Greatest moments ever,” Boatwright offers a different twist when considering historical movies.
In the category of “Greatest movie opening,” he chooses Wall-E. That’s a good choice. I liked Wall-E, especially how the film informed the audience of what was happening without any dialogue.
Personally, I would have chosen Saving Private Ryan. Once they open that door to the landing craft, holding all those army soldiers, the most realistic battle scene in movie history begins.
I like Boatwright’s answers to “Greatest Film Ending” being Places in the Heart and “Greatest Screen Performance” being On the Waterfront. A movie I would suggest for both categories is Cast Away.
What Tom Hanks went through to portray a guy stranded on an island for many years, whose only scene partner was a volleyball, and then end the film in the middle of a dirt road intersection with Hanks figuring out his next move – I know it’s debatable, but there’s some great movie work in Hank’s most underrated performance.
I can’t argue with Boatwright’s choice for “Greatest Example of God’s Love,” being Passion of the Christ. For “Greatest Portrayal of a Minister,” he selected Stars in My Crown, which I haven’t seen. The movie minister that came to my mind was Karl Malden in Pollyanna.
What are your answers to these categories?
Congrats Jennifer Rash!
I found out this week that Jennifer Rash was named editor-elect at The Alabama Baptist. I met Jennifer about three years ago, but I have read her column and blog “Rashional Thoughts” even longer. I’m a big fan of catchy titles, and “Rashional Thoughts” drew me in.
Jennifer will be replacing Bob Terry who is legendary in Baptist Communication circles, having worked in Christian journalism for 50 years.
I’m excited for Jennifer, and I know her vibrant spirit and friendly demeanor will benefit her as she takes on this new role.
Small town football
I’m looking forward to tonight (Friday). This afternoon I will be heading to Grandfield and attending a Class C football game this evening. I’m interviewing Grandfield’s coach for an upcoming story. Before I got this story lead, I never even heard of Grandfield. It’s near the Texas border, about a half hour southwest of Lawton with a population of about 1,000 people.
I can’t remember the last time I went to a small town football game, but I know it’s a perfect time of year, with the weather a little cooler and being surrounded by “salt-of-the-earth” people who close down the town for eight-man football. Grandfield is having a good year and face rival Tipton tonight.
Hope your weekend will be as entertaining as mine!
I’m on a late start after a busy morning. After this week’s DHD is competed, a nap may be in order.
Here’s my take on six timely topics.
Movie Review: Queen of Katwe
Go see this movie! Is that enough to convince you?
I mentioned Queen of Katwe in last week’s DHD. That was written before I saw it. Now, I can tell you it’s worth seeing. For a modern day Disney movie, it’s about as direct of a faith-based film you would get from the Magic Kingdom.
The young lady who plays Phiona, the lead character, did a phenomenal job. All-star actors David Oyelowo (Jack Reacher, Selma) and Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) were excellent in anchoring the plot. Oyelowo plays a Christian missionary who teaches Phiona, uneducated and poverty-stricken, how to play chess, and then discovers his young student is a prodigy who goes on to become a chess master.
Nyong’o plays Phiona’s mother, a single lady with four children who cover a wide range of ages. She is a strong woman who does what she can to keep her family together.
The movie is rated PG. There are some scenes that allude to the practice of prostitution. There also are some heavy emotional scenes. Personally, I was never bored throughout the show, but I could see how some may think it has some slow parts.
With very few “clean” movies currently in theaters, Queen rules the day.
VP Debate Aftermath
I’ll be very brief on my take of the Vice Presidential Debate earlier this week. No argument from anybody, Mike Pence was the winner. I’m a fan of the Indiana Governor, and as one who grew up watching Jonny Quest, I’m all for the comparisons of Pence to Race Bannon.
The best part of the debate was near the end when Pence spoke on the Sanctity of Life and quoted Jer. 1:5. I found a great summarizing clip that for me was music to my ears. Even with the few interruptions by Tim Kaine, which could not be avoided throughout the debate, this video is worth watching.
It’s becoming a regular DHD weekly feature. Once again I reference my favorite blogger Trevin Wax.
Wax and I are of kindred spirit when it comes to this year’s presidential election, and we join the masses of Evangelical Christians who struggle with the candidate options, knowing that Christian voters will come to different conclusions.
After 18 years, my colleague and Baptist Messenger managing editor Bob Nigh made his final edits this week, as he begins his retirement. Next week’s Messenger is a great send off, as Bob shares his life story, and weekly columnist Walker Moore offers a touching piece about his friendship with Bob.
I first interacted with Bob when I worked in the Communications Office at Oklahoma Baptist University, from 2005-08. When I joined the Baptist Messenger staff in 2012, Bob got me on the saddle, training me on writing style standards and layout tips. He took me to buy the camera I would use, and photography was not one of my strong suits, but Bob mentored me well enough to take usable photos for publication.
Bob is an excellent journalist, and there are not many excelled journalists these days. I have great respect for his accomplishments and great admiration for his desire to communicate to others the work of Christian ministry, specifically the work of Oklahoma Baptists, knowing that it is ultimately about sharing the Gospel.
There is a short list of those who have influenced me in my current profession. Bob Nigh ranks near the top of the list.
DR Work and Hurricane Matthew
Bob is not starting his retirement in his recliner. On Monday, Oct. 10, Bob will join a group of Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief (DR) volunteers traveling to Florida to provide meals and do other DR work in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew.
They intend to set up their feeding station on Tues., Oct. 11, as the Florida Department of Emergency Management requested the regional DR group, made up of volunteer teams from Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi and Texas, to be prepared to serve up to 300,000 meals per day, according to Sam Porter, DR director for Oklahoma Baptists.
Please be in prayer for the east coast, for what is happening right now with the hurricane and for God to do a mighty work beginning next week in this affected area.
Thunder Report
I shared last week how I was impressed with Thunder players Andre Roberson and Dom Sabonis after watching them in an intrasquad scrimmage. Hearing about the two exhibition games the Thunder played in Spain this week, it appears more are agreeing with me about Roberson and Sabonis.
I’m curious to see if Sabonis remains in the starting lineup. We will find out next week when OKC takes on the Mavericks in Dallas. But I’m becoming more and more confident that Roberson will blossom to become a key contributor this season.
The only other news coming out of the Thunder camp this week is Russell Westbrook will be inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame by Michael Jordan. I’m thrilled for Russ. I hope more great things happen for him and for the Thunder this season.
Loving the cooler weather. I would be totally content if it stayed this nice for awhile.
Here’s my thoughts on six timely topics in this week’s edition of Doyle’s Half Dozen.
Dissecting Debate Discussions
The first presidential debate happened this week, featuring GOP candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. By the way, for all of you who support her, she spells her first name with two Ls. There were a lot of embarrassing tweets Monday night.
Actually, I thought the whole event was embarrassing. All three on-stage participants were disappointing, which includes moderator Lester Holt. I thought nobody won, and my initial thought after the debate concluded was it was a monumental waste of time.
Of course, all of the biased pundits will favor their candidate of choice, but the thing I found fascinating was the results of many random unscientific polls reported Trump winning the debate. Obviously, I could expect polls done by Breitbart and Drudge Report to favor Trump, but even Time, CBS and especially CNBC had the Donald being the victor.
So how did Trump gain such favorable results? First of all, we need to remember these polls admit being unscientific, so there is some tainted aspects to these amateur surveys.
Secondly, and this is my own personal take, observers have come to expect Trump’s brash unorthodox presentation at these debates. We are calloused to his WWE demeanor. However, Hillary’s concluding remarks of insulting Trump personally did not win her a bunch of points and made her appear “unpresidential.” And since Trump did not directly return fire, I now believe that factored favorably for him.
Now the question is how did the debate affect the major polls? A month ago, Real Clear Politics had Clinton favored by 108 electoral votes over Trump. Currently, RCP reports her lead has been trimmed down to 23.
Disney Delivers Faith-based Film
My interest is piqued for the Disney movie The Queen of Katwe. Rated PG, the movie is about a young girl from Uganda who learns how to play chess from a Christian missionary and becomes a national champion. According to Baptist Press, Queen features frequent scenes of prayer, distinct Christian symbols and a scene of a church worship service.
The movie stars critically-acclaimed actors David Oyelowo, who I remember in the movie Jack Reacher, and Lupito Nyongo, who won best supporting actress Oscar for her role in Twelve Years a Slave.
Hopefully, I will be able to see it this weekend, as it debuts in theaters Sept. 30.
National Anthem Proposal
It has died down some, but it is bound to reappear, even this weekend. Athletes are expected to continue protesting the National Anthem during the pregame ceremony of sporting events.
I am convinced now, more than ever, that pregame festivities should be restructured to perform the National Anthem when teams are not on the field. That actually happens frequently in college football, and I suggest the NFL should consider following suit, especially since viewership ratings continue to drop.
To me it’s the best of both worlds. This will accommodate players who are against the National Anthem, allowing them not to have to participate, and it calms the public who find their protests offensive. Some may say this proposal is only a Band-Aid on a battle wound. I would respond with saying protesting the National Anthem pours salt on the same wound.
Find constructive ways to resolve racial disunity. I offered some examples in last week’s DHD.
Surmising Small Churches
I read a great article this week by Karl Vaters titled “Why Don’t Small Churches Grow? (Actually, They Do).” It appealed to me because I am one who believes people in general hold too much stock in church size. Yes, attendance records are important and can be resourceful in gaging the health of a church, but like all man-made methods, they also can be misleading and distracting from how God ultimately desires the body of Christ to function and fulfill His will.
Two takeaways from Vaters’ article that I appreciate are 1) he points out that churches of all sizes are needed and 2) God wants some churches to remain small.
Wax Waxing Eloquence on the Future of Evangelical Landscape
Below is a video of Trevin Wax sharing his thoughts on what Evangelical Christianity may look like in 20 years. What encourages me in Wax’s talk is the emphasis of projected authenticity of Christians in the future. Being religious is becoming less appealing to society. It is no longer a social requirement to be a church member or a regular church attender.
As disappointing as this appears, what happens in return is clarity of people who genuinely understand the Gospel and sincerely desire to live the Christian faith. Wax elaborates in this video:
Thunder report
I had the opportunity to work the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Blue-White scrimmage this week. As most Thunder fans understand, this is a new day in “Loud City.” Expectations are different yet remain exciting to see how this new team will perform this season.
There wasn’t much takeaway from this scrimmage, as the team was only four days in its preseason training. But two players who stood out to me were Domantas Sabonis and Andre Robertson.
Sabonis is the rookie the Thunder picked up through the trade with Orlando for Serge Ibaka. I was very impressed with his performance. He held his own underneath the basket and made some impressive moves. There is still some improvement he will need to make, but it should not take him long. I believe it is possible for Sabonis to be a major contributor this season, even before the All-Star Break.
Robertson looked much more confident in the scrimmage. His outside shooting remains inconsistent, but he had a more commanding presence on the floor. He made power moves to the basket. He led a fast break off a rebound, and he unofficially recorded a game-high six assists.
People recall Roberson made an impression in the recent playoffs. Hopefully it sparked Roberson enough to become a key contributor this season.
I have a heavy heart right now. For more than two years, our country has experienced difficult days surrounding multiple conflicts, most lethal, involving police officers and members of the African-American community.
I hurt for everybody affected. I mean everybody. I hurt so much I don’t want to be specific on how to describe people because I might be misinterpreted. More than I want to be “right,” I want there to be resolution and reconciliation.
If you’ve read me previously or have been around me, you know those two “R” words are two of my favorite words. Resolution: the action of solving a problem, dispute or contentious matter. Reconciliation: the restoration of friendly relations.
For this week’s Doyle’s Half Dozen, I present six accounts that exemplify both resolution and reconciliation.
Brian’s Song
There is a list of movies that demonstrate racial reconciliation. I’m going to mention two. Brian’s Song is one of the first movies I remember seeing that emphasized overcoming racial barriers by depicting the relationship of Chicago Bears running backs Gale Sayers, played by Billy Dee Williams, and Brian Piccolo, played by James Caan.
The 1971 movie is heart stirring, as both Sayers and Piccolo experience major heath situations. When Sayers suffered a major leg injury, Piccolo was there to support him. When Piccolo struggles with cancer, Sayers returned the favor. One of the most powerful scenes has Sayers giving a speech after receiving an award, and he dedicates his award to Piccolo saying, “I love Brian Piccolo. And I’d like all of you to love him too. And tonight, when you hit your knees, please ask God to love him.”
Woodlawn
I’ve mentioned Woodlawn a lot. I know Remember the Titans also is a great movie that demonstrates racial reconciliation, and it’s more critically acclaimed than Woodlawn. But my stronger support for Woodlawn is due to the source of reconciliation. Woodlawn boldly presents the Gospel, and through a high school football team in Birmingham, Ala. at the height of violent demonstrations of severe racial animosity, lives are transformed.
I wish this movie could be re-released.
Church adopts high school football team
This week’s Baptist Messenger features a story I wrote on Cherokee Hills Baptist Church in Oklahoma City adopting the Putnam City High School football team. This is an exciting opportunity for CHBC. I’m thrilled for Pastor Mike Keahbone and his congregation.
Keahbone said he was praying for God to open the door for CHBC to be able to have a community presence. The door opened through a conversation Keahbone had with PC assistant coach Kyle Hale. They talked about the 60 players who do not have a family presence at the home games. That’s a lot of players who don’t have support from their own homes.
CHBC created a Putnam City fan club, as church members “adopted” these 60 players, committing to come to the home games and giving each player individual support during and after the games. I pray God will bless this unique act of kindness and community connection. CHBC is willing to cross racial barriers, as many church members have no prior connections to most, if not all, of these players they have adopted. I’m curious how much eternal impact there will be from this adopted football family.
Fort Gibson, First and Bacone College
I mentioned two weeks ago a story I wrote about First Baptist Church of Fort Gibson and its ministry at Bacone College, a small college in Muskogee. Just today I received an email thanking me for writing this story.
The one particular experience from the story I want to highlight involves L.C. Brown, a defensive lineman who came to play football at Bacone, after disappointing experiences at two other schools. In 2012, Brown showed up on campus during the summer after a long bus ride from southside Chicago, where he grew up. The campus was closed, and Brown had no money, except for $10 another football player gave him, which Brown used to buy bread and peanut butter. That’s all he had for food.
After a few days, Brown met Steve and Sharon Dixon who serve at Fort Gibson, First and started the church’s ministry with Bacone College. The Dixons stopped by the campus with a box of hamburgers and side dishes that were left over from a cookout at the church. They gave the whole box of food to Brown, who did not know what to think.
Here’s an older white couple meeting the exact need that Brown had. Talk about a foreign concept, Brown grew up with a bad impression of white people. From this generous act by the Dixons, Brown decided to attend Fort Gibson, First, which led to him making a profession of faith a few months later. Today, L.C. Brown serves as an associate director for Baptist Collegiate Ministries in the Muskogee area.
Tulsa Together
At the time I have written this, reports are given that Tulsa has responded in a rather peaceful manner to the recent tragedy that happened in its city. What has helped keep Tulsa from riotous threats appears to be the local churches, as some held vigils and prayer services this week. Personally, I believe what influenced this peace and respectful response is a strong network and alliance that was formed by a majority of Tulsa churches 23 years ago.
Once a year, this group of churches observe what’s called Tulsa Together, with the priority of promoting racial reconciliation during Sunday services across the Tulsa metro area. This year’s observance will happen on Oct. 2. In the morning on this special Sunday, participating churches observe a pulpit exchange, as pastors of congregations with different racial demographics swap worship services and preach in the exchanging churches. In the evening, all churches come together in one of the larger area churches to worship in a unifying manner.
I’m expecting this year’s observance of Tulsa Together to have its greatest impact yet.
SBC championing racial reconciliation
The last two Southern Baptist Convention annual meetings have made it a point to promote racial reconciliation. The past June in St. Louis, Jerry Young, president of the African-American National Baptist Convention, USA, was invited to speak at the SBC meeting. I will never forget hearing Young address SBC messengers saying the wall of racism is “already down” amongst Southern Baptist. He also encouraged SBC churches to dispel racism by sharing the Gospel to all races.
I pray this week’s DHD encouraged you, as you read about these powerful examples of racial reconciliation. And know that nothing is more powerful to vanquish racism than the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
There is so much controversy involving sports these days. I wanted to change things this week and offer six Christian examples of athletes who should encourage you in your own spiritual walk. Three are from movies, and three are from hearing of them sharing their faith.
Let’s get to it!
Brandon Burlsworth – Greater
Burlsworth was a walk-on offensive lineman at the University of Arkansas. His story is depicted in the recently-released movie Greater. Brian Hobbs wrote a review on the film this week.
I can only base his Christian example through the movie, which is a good one, but due to low publicity, it doesn’t appear to last long in the theaters.
Think of the popular underdog movie Rudy, and you will get a similar feel when you watch Greater, but one thing about Burlsworth’s presentation is how he lived his Christian faith. He was diligent in daily Bible reading. He held strong convictions. His words were flavored with godly knowledge.
Woodlawn
This faith-based movie is about a Birmingham, Ala. high school football team dealing with interracial issues during the 1970s. There isn’t one particular athlete who stands out in the movie, as far as demonstrating Christian faith, but the team as a whole made a statement of overcoming bitter cultural tensions through God’s mercy and grace.
I wrote a movie review about Woodlawn last year. And I remember how it did impact many football players across the country after they watched it. The message of Woodlawn is powerful and is much more effective than current demonstrations involving sports.
Eric Liddell – Chariots of Fire
Exceptional story of a man of faith who delays his mission service in China to run in the 1924 Olympics. Chariots of Fire doesn’t hold back in the depictions of Eric Liddell’s Christian faith. His most famous line in the movie is “I believe God made me for a purpose. But He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure.”
Dave Dravecky
Many may not remember this all-star pitcher who played for the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants in the 1980s. Dave Dravecky’s story is inspiring because he first overcame cancer in his throwing arm to return to the mound. However, the cancer aggressively returned which caused Dravecky to have his arm amputated.
Dravecky was known for his Christian faith while he was playing. He and some of his teammates with the Giants would have Bible studies at their hotel while on the road instead of being involved in the partying lifestyle.
After losing his arm, Dravecky became a popular speaker, even speaking at the Billy Graham Crusade, and would speak confidently of his Christian faith.
In his book Worth of a Man, he wrote, “My worth is not in what I did, but in who I am—a child of God…. Now, more than 20 years later, I’ve come to recognize that God has a special purpose for my life in offering His comfort, encouragement and hope to others—perhaps even to you or someone you know—on the journey of suffering.”
Ryan Broyles and Landry Jones
Ryan Broyles did not have a good reputation as a redshirt freshman at the University of Oklahoma. In 2007, the highly-recruited wide receiver was arrested for trying to steal gas at a convenience store in Norman.
Fast-forward to his senior year in 2011, and Broyles is a different person. “I have a different outlook on life,” said Broyles in an article written by Oklahoman sports writer Jenni Carlson.
Carlson’s article tells about Broyles transformation, and much of the result is through the support and Christian influence provided by former OU quarterback Landry Jones who asked Broyles to attend a Bible study with him. I heard through unofficial reports that Jones is the one who directly led Broyles to Christ and make a profession of faith.
The article continues telling Broyles story of doing mission work, studying scripture and encouraging other believers through social media to share their faith.
Danny Weurffel
I end this week’s DHD with one of the best genuine speeches reflecting the Christian faith. When Florida quarterback Danny Weurffel was awarded the 1996 Heisman Trophy, he made his profession of faith known. Watch the first two-and-a-half minutes of the video below, and hear Weurffel not only acknowledge God, asking Him to forgive his sins, but even in his conclusion he shares how nothing can compare to having a loving and living relationship with Jesus.
