For the Class of 2019...

Hello everyone...time for another edition of Keil's Comments.

As we enter into this season where some of us remember our High School graduations while our kids are walking across the stage themselves, I'm bringing to mind a post I wrote 4 years ago in the sense of if I were called upon to give an address to some graduating class somewhere (which would be akin to winning the Powerball or whatever).

Here's what I would say...

To the graduating class of 2019:

Well, kids...you did it!!! Beginning as far back as probably Head Start or Pre-K, fourteen to fifteen years of determination, sacrifice, and hard work have gotten you to where you sit today...with your closest friends in your caps and gowns, waiting for that moment when you walk across this stage, grab your folder, the prompt to change your tassel and be called officially a graduate.  Congratulations!!!

As you close one chapter of your life and start writing the next chapter, whether it be continuing your education at the university of your choice, or serving our country in the armed forces or immediately going into the work force, let me pass along some thoughts to remember.

First and foremost, remember who the Ultimate Boss is.  Proverbs 3:5,6 says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him (one translation says "in everything you do Put God First...") and He will direct your paths." Make God your top priority and everything else will fall into place.

Secondly...listen to people you can trust.  People like your parents, your grandparents, your Pastor, the elders in the church.  Psalm 1:1,2 (HCSB) "How happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path of sinners, or join a group of mockers.  Instead, his delight is in the Lord's instruction, and he meditates on it day and night."

Lastly, while you are striving to succeed in whatever you do from this point forward, it is OK to have some fun every now and again.  I'm reminded of a classic movie quote -- "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."  Maintain a work/fun balance...just don't let one overrun the other too much.

Again, congratulations on making it to this point in your journey.  Keep your eyes on what's ahead, don't look back and most importantly...Put God First!

Weekend Recap...

Hello everyone and welcome to another Keil's Comments blog.  Let's get to it...

This past weekend was an awesome one. It started Thursday night when Sharon and I along with our friends Matthew and Madeline went to see Avengers: Endgame.  I will avoid to give any spoilers but I will say that it runs the gamut of emotions. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll cheer, your jaw will drop but all in all, it's a great movie!!!

Then as you might have seen by the pictures and videos I posted, I went to Falls Creek (which is a Baptist-owned camp and conference facility in Southern Oklahoma down around Davis) with a few other guys from my church to a men's retreat. It had been my first time in nearly 18 years to be there...and it was awesome! When you hear men sing at the top of their lungs "Oh praise the Name of the Lord our God, Oh praise His Name Forevermore..." it just gets to you. The speakers were tremendous. Former Sooner Tommie Harris knocked his speech out of the park.

Again, if you saw the video I posted, I did a 5K that Saturday morning.  Since Falls Creek sits in the middle of the Arbuckle Mountains, there were definitely a lot of inclines and declines but I took them in stride. After I got done, I hurried and ate a little bit of breakfast (more on that later) and got showered before I started the breakout sessions. I was running late so I didn't get a chance to go to one of the breakout sessions I wanted to go to but the one I did was awesome. It was the session where I got to hear from former Clemson coach Tommy Bowden (his dad Bobby was sitting in the first session before he had to go get ready to speak in the main session that morning). Both Coaches Bowden are great gentlemen and legends. The pics I took with them was done between the first and second session. I can see why the person who is the head of the BGCO Men's Ministry, another former Sooner Bubba Burcham invited them (not just because of the football aspect).

Overall, the retreat was a great experience and I've already called my shot to go back next year.

That's about it for now...

God's Other Greatest Gift...

I'm having one of those moments where certain events of life are hitting me right in the feels.

Mom and Sharon are watching a movie on one of the Hallmark movie channels where the plot is that there's a group of kids coming into town needing homes and it's punching me in my slimmer stomach.

As some of you may know, Sharon and I have been trying since we got married to start our own family.  It's a matter of God's timing and getting the ingredients together --  in that order.  We have also been looking at adopting embryos and they aren't exactly like going to Walmart and picking up a dozen at a relatively inexpensive price.  In most cases, they go way past the average monthly budget of an educator and a broadcaster combined (once the regular bills have been paid). Yesterday, we got a call that there was an embryo available for us but since we didn't have the funds readily available, they moved on to the next person on the list.

As I'm sitting here typing out this post, I'm overwhelmed with emotion. I want to cry outwardly but nothing is coming out.  I had to leave from watching the aforementioned movie because of it and I'm doing this as way to vent my both my frustration and my lamentation.

I chose the title of this post for a reason. Sharon and I both accepted God's first Greatest Gift: the Gift of Salvation through Christ.  We've been praying and wanting the other Greatest Gift -- the gift of a child that we brought forth -- for two years now and we're still waiting. I know God works on His timetable, but dadgum it CAN HE SPEED UP THE PROCESS JUST A LITTLE BIT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

It's Very Academic...

Hello everyone and welcome to Keil's Comments.

Before we begin, I want to let everyone know that I have a Patreon page up and running...and as of this writing, no one has stepped up to be a Patron. I don't know if it's because of the vagueness of "creating thoughts about life" or what.  If you would like to help, go to this link

Now on to the business at hand --

As I mentioned in the last post, I am participating in our church's IBC Academy and learning about all the nuances of the New Testament...how it came to be and so forth.  Our first quiz was last Wednesday and unfortunately I didn't do so well on it. This week we're studying Matthew...it's going to be fun.

My journey into this class has got me to thinking about possibly going back to school myself. I am looking at possibly taking some classes at Seminole State which is close to my house and I drive by it on the way to the radio station. I have also started to look at possibly Rose State (which does have something close to what I do and what I have been wanting to go to school for which is mass communication) and I also remember Mid-American Christian University has communications courses. Several different ways to go...just want to make sure I make the right choice.

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

Going Deeper: Studying through Scripture

Hello everyone and welcome to another high-quality edition of Keil's Comments.  Let's get right to it, shall we?

This year my church is using the theme "Deeper" in an effort for us to grow in our comprehension of the Scriptures.  One of the ways we're doing that is a college-level class on Wednesday nights on studying the New Testament taught by our pastor.  I have been going to this class and it's been interesting to see why the books that comprise the NT were selected and the interpretations from when they were first written to today.

This past Wednesday, we learned about the hermeneutics of studying the New Testament (and we'll learn more about the hermeneutics itself later in the year). It's a lot of information...too much to put on this blog and a lot wordier.

While I am looking forward to the discussion next Wednesday on "The Search for the Historical Jesus" and other things, I am not looking forward to the quiz that will be given.  It's been a little bit since I've taken any kind of test (the ones I took in broadcast school were loads easier) but I will go into this and do my best.

That's all I have for now.  But there is one more thing before I close this out...

We now have a Patreon account up and running.  For those who don't know about Patreon, it's a crowdfunding site where it kinda runs like Public Television. The "patrons" pledge to give you so much a month so you can provide content and possibly expand what you do, like make videos and so forth.

Check it out here.

Now...we're done. Until next time...

The Paradox of Christmas

Hello and Merry Christmas everyone!!! I thought for this edition of Keil’s Comments I would share with y’all something my pastor Todd Fisher taught us this past Sunday.

As you’re reading the Christmas story from Luke 2 there are several paradoxes as you go along...

1. Jesus underwent a human birth that we might have a Spiritual birth (Luke 2:11; John 1:12)
2. Jesus took His place in a manger in a stable so that we might have Heavenly homes (Luke 2:7; John 14:2)
3. Jesus became a member of a human family so that we might become members of the Family of God (Matthew 2:11; Galatians 3:26)
4. Jesus made Himself subject to others so that we, through the power of the Holy Spirit at work within us, might be made free (Luke 2:51; Galatians 5:1)
5. Jesus laid His glory aside that we might receive glory (Philippians 2:6,7; 1 Peter 5:4)
6. Jesus laid aside His riches and became poor so that we might spiritually become rich from our poverty (Matthew 8:20; 2 Corinthians 8:9)
7. At His birth, Jesus was attended by shepherds. At our spiritual birth, we are attended by angels (Luke 2:16; 15:10)
8. At His birth, Jesus was pursued by an evil leader. In His death, Jesus defeated the ultimate evil leader  Satan (Matthew 2:13; Hebrews 2:14,15)

I thought that was neat...something I hadn’t really thought about.

Merry Christmas everyone!!! Until next time...

Christmas 2018 Thoughts...

Hello everyone and welcome to Keil's Comments.  

It's time for my annual tradition unlike any other...my not-so-corny traditional Christmas letter.

This year has been a year of good changes here at Casa de Keil Shawnee...if you've followed me on social media throughout the year, you can about guess what I will be talking about.

This year my primary focus was on my health...I started my weight loss journey in March, culminating with my surgery in October.  At the start of the journey, I weighed 510 lbs. As of this writing, I am down to 406 lbs...that's a grand total of 104 lbs and counting.  By the end of the year I hope to get to sub-400 for the first time in a long time. Just think, when I go to renew my drivers license next year, I won't have to lie about my weight *wink wink*

Sharon has also been on a weight loss journey of her own with Weight Watchers and (also as of this writing) losing over 75 lbs and counting. Between the two of us, that's about as much as a whole person. Wanda, my mother in law has been losing through Weight Watchers also.  

My legs are getting much better...we hope to be fully healed by the end of the year so I won't have to keep my leg wrapped all the time.

Another good change this year was the addition of a couple of family members...our oldest daughter Elizabeth and her fiance' Bronson got married this summer where they live in Hot Springs. The other family member came just a few weeks ago when Elizabeth gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Erza Starr. At last check Mom, Dad and Erza are doing real well.

This year, I got to go back to work in radio producing HS football games for one of the stations in the area.  It was fun on Friday nights working my games while still keeping tabs on the Red Tornadoes...if only Wewoka had a better record than they did.

I have gotten more involved with Community Renewal this year...trying to be more active as a block leader in my neighborhood.  I've also been involved with the local Red Cross chapter here in Shawnee...the person who heads the chapter has also had gastric sleeve surgery so he knows what I've been going through.

Now that we're almost closing out 2018 and getting ready to welcome 2019, my goals for the new year are as follows (notice I didn't say "resolutions"):

-- Continue to be the husband that God has called me to be and to improve in my listening and communication skills. 

-- Keep up my weight loss...I'm not going to set a specific number but keep going down one or more pounds at a time. Also to keep up the progress in other areas of my health...

-- Stay involved with Community Renewal and the Red Cross, getting more experiences under my belt.

-- Be more involved in ministry at Immanuel and be open to where God will lead me there.

-- Be a great employee and do my job as unto the Lord.

That is about it for now.  Sharon, Wanda and I (and the doggies) wish you all the best this Christmas and may 2019 be the best year for you and your family