Christmas 2015 Thoughts...

The not so corny tradition unlike any other has come around for another year...

Greetings from the NEWWWW Casa de Keil branch in Yukon, OK.

Jeremy and I have been here almost a month and so far we like it.  Our neighbors are great; our apartment manager Connie has been tremendous; we haven't had any problems with anybody and vice versa.  Only problems we encounter is when Jeremy gets home from work he has to park about two buildings down but that's no big deal.

I have been attending church across the street at Christ's Church of Yukon or CCY -- everyone that I have met have been real nice.  I had put on their version of a "Connecting Card" (like what First Christian has) that I need a couch/love seat/either/both and within a few days one of the associate pastors and another gentlemen brought it over.

Aside from that, the apartment is slowly coming together.  I guess a couple of recliners, a coffee table and some side tables would be good to put on our Christmas wish list.

Don't want to get into any other details like those other Christmas letters...especially when they reach the WTMI audience (Way Too Much Information).

Obviously Christmas 2015 is going to be a different and interesting one for me.  For the past three years I've been at Mom and Dad's side, helping out around the house doing what I can. This year, I'm in a new apartment in a new city...this time, I'm helping Jeremy out around the house and doing what I can here, only with a little more responsibility with making sure the electricity is paid so we can still have lights and the internet is paid so Jeremy can still do his stuff and I can still do stuff like my podcast, which by the way I plan on starting back up in the new year.

If any of y'all are in the Yukon area, you are more than welcome to come by and say hi...I'm here by myself most days. If you would like my address, message me on Facebook or if you have my number, call me and I'll give it to you.

May you have a very Merry Christmas and a very joyful and happy 2016.

Until next time....

Robert 

Podcast Updates and stuff...

Hello everyone!!! Thought I would give an update on the podcast and some other things...

1.  The podcast will go on, it's still on hiatus while Jeremy and I get ready to move.  In case you don't know what I'm talking about and I don't know how many times I've mentioned it...

ok, maybe not that many but it feels like it...Jeremy and I are moving to Yukon.  He has been working at Xerox for AppleCare (basically if you have a problem with your iStuff, you call there).  We have placed a deposit on an apartment there in Yukon and hopefully we'll be able to move in sometime within the next week or so (I know I keep saying that but the people at the complex have to get everything nice and spruced up for us).

On that note, I will only give my exact address out to a certain group of people.

-- my family

-- those I do business with (SSI, DHS, US Cellular, etc)

-- my friends...including those who live in/around Yukon

-- SELECT people at First Christian Church (I'll get back to that later)

Getting back on the subject at hand, the podcast will continue once we get settled and internet up and operating, but I wanted to address a couple of things I had wanted/promised to do but never got around to doing.

-- I had wanted to record a review of "War Room".  I saw where someone else had done one and posted it to YouTube, only to get a copyright strike on it -- for two guys sitting in a car talking about it.  At any rate, if you haven't seen it yet you need to see it!!!  It is impacting lives everywhere!!!  I can't wait for it to come out on DVD!!! It will be a must purchase for sure.

-- I had also wanted to record and post an interview with former Tulsa sports radio host Chris Plank, who now is a full time part of the Sooner Sports Network crew.  That never really got off the ground so my apologies for that.  At least Chris didn't give me the cold shoulder about it unlike somebody else (not you, Cindy)

2. I've been holding my tongue on this one for a while.  I had planned for my last Sunday at First Christian Church to be Sept. 13th...that was before hearing that not only the senior pastor Jeff McDowell resigned, but also Tamra Haskell (our children's minister).  I will admit, I was shocked to hear that Jeff announced he resigned, but shock turned to being upset when he said that his resignation was immediate.  I'm not going to mince words here...how that whole situation was handled was complete bullcrap.  I don't know what all was done or said behind the scenes and I don't particularly care to know, but the way Jeff, Tammy and the boys were basically run out of town was stupid.  Thankfully Antioch (where Jeff came from) graciously received him back.

I just pray that the elders of the church and the pulpit committee do seek God's direction in regards to finding a new pastor...and if need be, maybe some new elders too. Just sayin'!!!

As for having only select people from the church having my exact address...I realize I had showed some people in the class when we were in town for "War Room" where my brother and I will be living.  I didn't say however that I would be doing what some people are claiming that I would do. I'll be glad if you come over, say hi, look around, visit and everything...I'm just not going to cook anything!!!

I had been stewing on this post for a couple of days now and am now glad I got it out of my system -- for one thing, I wanted to go at this with a lot more grace and civility than what was going through my head.  

That's about it for now.  Until next time...

Moving Thoughts...

Hello again everyone!!! Thought I would write a post this time as I have some thoughts fresh on the brain...

As I alluded to in the last episode of the podcast (which you can listen to here), my brother Jeremy and I will be moving to Yukon soon.  We are in the process of applying for an apartment at the WoodOaks Apartments which is in Yukon not too far from the big park (Chisholm Trail Park) and right across the street from a church that my pastor Jeff called as his home church as he was starting his full time ministry -- Christ's Church of Yukon or CCY.

Am I excited about the move?  In some ways yes I am and in some ways I'm nervous about it. I know, "You? Robert...Mr. Sociable? Nervous about moving?"  Yes.  Even though I have lived in the bigger Oklahoma cities (OKC, Tulsa), spent 6 months in Houston, lived in Cleveland, TN (twice) and Tullahoma, TN and a month in Little Rock -- all since I've been an adult...I am nervous about this move.  I realize Yukon is a little bigger than Clinton, Weatherford and Elk City if you took out the countryside and compressed all three of them together. I realize I'm going to get used to having more room to roam so to speak.

The nervous part of it is Yukon is going to be a new experience for me.  Sure, I used to drive through it both on I-40 and Route 66 to and from the City on the way back to Clinton...but Yukon will be my home now.  Maybe the fact that former Clinton City Manager Grayson Bottom is also Yukon's CM will help me ease that part of the nervousness.  Clinton will always be my hometown and Western Oklahoma will always be my home area...but the fact that instead of driving an hour to get to OKC, we can get there using other streets instead of just I-40 and Route 66 and it'll just be 5 mins (give or take a few mins depending on traffic and road conditions) is in a way exciting.  I don't have to block out a whole day just to go to the mall or whatever -- ok I might still have to do that, but not have to leave the house early enough in the morning just to do what I need to do to beat the traffic going home -- Woo hoo!!!

Anyway, we should get everything situated here in a few weeks.  Once we do, for you my friends and family that want it I will message you our new address (I'm sure Jeremy would not want everybody and their sibling and doggies show up at the door).

Open Letter to Chattanooga...

To the citizens of Chattanooga --

Ever since the news first broke of what happened there yesterday, my heart has been breaking for you and praying for you!!!

In 1991 I was introduced to you as I was going through on the way to Cleveland, TN (long story that I'd rather not share at this time).  Since that time, I have loved everything about your city -- the scenery (hence why you're called the Scenic City), the people, the attractions, the radio and TV stations...I loved it so much I came back in 1999-01 and again in 2011.

When news first broke of the tragedy, like the rest of the nation I cried because outside of my home town and state, I have an affinity for Chattanooga.  Why would someone do something that heinous and demonic in a town like Chattanooga?  Thankfully, your officers saw to it that the person responsible made it to his eternal judgement while the ones that gave their life stood at The Pearly Gates and gave the ultimate salute to our Lord.

I will always have a place in my heart for Chattanooga and its people.  God bless Chattanooga!!!

Robert Keil
Clinton, OK

Having a sad...

This weekend, my youngest niece and nephew (my sister Stephenie's two kids) are here with us...spending some time with MeMe (my mom) and Pop Pop (my dad) and celebrating my brother Jeremy's 31st birthday.

While it is nice having them here and loving on them and having a great time with them, something feels missing.  As much as we love our cousins and their kids, and I'm sure Jeremy feels the same way...I kinda wish I had some littleuns of my own so my niece and nephew can have cousins of their age (7 and 4 almost 5) to play with.

And as much as I was looking forward to getting married and having littleuns of my own in the beginning of adulthood...right now at this stage it would be something of Abrahamic proportions. And before you ask...no I wouldn't mind having an "instant family" or once I get better financial footing, fostering/adopting. 

And since this will probably be the first that my family has seen or heard of something like this from me, I realize that everything that has happened (being engaged before, that 7 week shamockery of a marriage, etc.) will probably try to factor in to any future relationships if I let it...but I won't.

Now that this is out of the way...I'll go enjoy the rest of the weekend with my niece and nephew.
  

Have We Forgotten?

A thought-provoking edition of Keil's Comments:  The Blog today.

I was thinking about the church shooting that occurred in Charleston, SC this past week.  Without giving too much attention to the screwball who committed the murders and unless he accepted the families' forgiveness, forever sealed his fate in Hell,..I was thinking about the location of this shooting.  Yes, it is an African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church.  Yes, that particular congregation is predominately black.  But a pic that I posted the other day caught my attention. It features a quote by Sam Emory, who turns out (thanks to a Google search) pastors a church in Merced, CA.

There's no such thing for me as a black church.  There's no such thing for me as a white church.  The Church don't have no color.  The only color the Church is is Red because of the Blood of Jesus Christ

Have we forgotten the song that we were taught growing up in church (I added the bold italics emphasis)...

Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world

Red and Yellow, Black and White...they are precious in His sight

 Since when have we as a nation forgotten that particular song? Whatever your "shade of Melanin" is, if you are a part of the Church (emphasis on the capital C) that means you are my Brother or Sister. Doctrinal differences aside, we have one major goal in mind...to keep the Main Thing the main thing, that is to bring people to Christ.  This shooting could have happened anywhere.  It could have happened in an Assemblies of God church.  It could have happened in the Lutheran church.  It could have happened in San Jose. God forbid, it could have happened here in Clinton, OK.

And I'm not about to debate whether we should have tighter gun control laws...that's not important right now. What is important is we have brothers and sisters in South Carolina that are hurting because 9 of their friends/family members went to meet Jesus...some of them probably before they expected. What we need to do as part of the Body is to minister to those who are hurting...maybe not physically go to Charleston but through prayer and standing up to the enemy (remember, "our fight is not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness in this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places" -- Ephesians 6:12) and say "NO MORE"!!!

 

 

The Rest of the Story (an homage to Paul Harvey)

Before I get started on this blog post, I want to let you know that I have started...
Keil's Comments: The Podcast

...so if I have some things to comment on about stories during the week among other things I can download them on there.  I even devote a segment to expounding my thoughts on what I write. I usually try to record on Friday or Saturday to be up by Monday and it is Family Friendly too so you don't have to worry about me dropping any F bombs or anything.

Now that the blatant shilling's out of the way, on to today's post.  Yes, I paid an homage to Paul Harvey with today's title because of something that I was reading on my YouVersion app.

I am doing this reading plan on YouVersion where you read through the Bible in a year (from the New Living Translation) and one of today's selections was from Acts.  Now, having studied Acts before and hearing our pastor's sermon series on Acts the first few weeks he started at First Christian Church, I thought "ok, this would be easy to skim over".  As it often happens when you study Scripture, something that you might not have seen before kinda gives you an "Aha!" moment.

You all have heard Acts 1:8 quoted thousands of times "But you will receive power after the Holy Spirit comes upon you.  And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the Earth."  But did you wonder if that was because He was answering a question or He would do something that would later be a staple of a certain 70's TV detective "oh...and one more thing".  Not until I read verses 6 and 7 did I really get "the rest of the story".

All throughout Scripture the Disciples were for lack of a better term bugging Jesus on when He was going to set up his earthly kingdom when time and time again he was referring to a Heavenly Kingdom. In Acts 1:6, they posed the question to Him one last time "Lord, has the time come to free Israel and restore our kingdom?"  Basically they were asking "Are we there yet, Jesus?" I know that John recorded that "Jesus wept", but do you think He may have done a few facepalms too?

Anyway, He told them in verse 7 "The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know."  Translation: "That's a 'need-to-know' and you don't need to know. But once you get filled with the Holy Spirit, then you must go tell everyone everywhere (the Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria thing) what all you have seen the last three-plus years so they can tell others and keep the Message going". And then as you know He then ascended to Heaven and is seated at God's Right Hand and it took a couple of angels to tell the Disciples "um, guys...what are you looking at the sky for?  He'll come back the same way He went up.  You've got your 'marching orders', now Go!!!" (RJK Paraphrase)

Anyway, just thought I would share that.   That is it for now.  Like I said you will probably hear me expound on this during the podcast.

Until next time, whether on here or on the podcast...Later!!!