Back to School 2013...

As to avoid confusion with the title...I am not going back to school!  I am just relaying some thoughts as we begin another school year here in Western Oklahoma.

I realize that public school in 2013 is hundreds of times different than how school was back when I was a youngun all those years ago.  The worst that you could get in trouble for "back in my day" was oh say, not bringing enough gum for the rest of the class and having to spit your gum out...in front of everybody, or not stop talking when the teacher was talking.  Nowadays, I don't even want to go that route...

Back when I was a youngun, school lunches were still nutritious (I know, that can be up for debate), but you didn't have a major league worry on who's allergic to what and what you can or can't fix...unlike today where if you don't have this much of fruits and veggies and this much of this item and watch the fat content, you could face heavy penalties.  And for the most part, you didn't have to worry about kids getting big because we usually ran it off on the playground anyway.

One thing that I know will stand the test of time is kids picking on other kids for what they don't wear, what their social status is and so on...I've mentioned it a few times in my blog entries so you know that this is a problem that is not going to automatically go on the back burner.  You only need to turn on the news or walk the halls to find out what I mean.  Actually, now you can't walk the halls without checking in to the office and stating what your intent is -- guess that's always been the case, but after all the school shootings it's emphasized even more.

But anyway, all that to say this...to the kids starting back this week:  your teachers may not be "with it", but they are doing the best they can to make sure you have a great education so you can turn around and apply that to the next generation of littleuns. (yes, I realized that's not good grammar...I'm not writing this for a grade) Show respect to your teachers and to your fellow students.  Trust me, you'll have good friendships that last long after the final note of "Pomp and Circumstance" is played at your HS graduation.

Also...I know this is considered "taboo" but I'm going to say it anyway. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don't lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your steps." (Proverbs 3:5,6)

Everyone have a great year...and GO REDS!!!!

I am the Church, You are the Church, We are the Church Together...

I know, this blog goes all over the place.  Last time I talked about sports talk radio.  This time around, I'm talking about church.  Like I stated when I first started this, it's about anything and everything and what I can basically write about without getting into trouble.  So bear with me for a few minutes...

For the past several Sundays this summer, I have been reminded about what the Church is.  A little backstory on me...I've been basically raised in church.  I was about 8 yrs old when I understood how Jesus took our sins and died on the cross so that we could be His Sons and Daughters.  It's just taken me basically 30+ years to retrain my brain from all the "interesting" teachings I have heard over the years.

My family is basically the Heinz 57 of Christianity.  My maternal grandmother was very staunch Church of Christ, my Grandpa was Pentecostal Holiness before he married Grandma, My Dad and his family were raised Lutheran...we were in the non-denominational/Full Gospel/Charismatic/whatever circles for many years...I've spent a little time in Baptist and Church of God (Cleveland, TN) congregations just to name a few.

And I've been burned by a few people too over the years...but not physically.  It was from people who were what I like to call "so spiritual they are no earthly good", who thought their droppings brought forth a pleasant odor (to keep it PG-rated) and who force-fed their doctrine down your throat like it was Grandma's cure-all Castor Oil.  Every time I thought I was in a congregation where I was comfortable, God would be like "uhhh, Rob.  That's not where I want you."

Now I'm in a place where I know I feel safe.  From the first Sunday I stepped in at First Christian Church, everyone has been very welcoming and very friendly (the fact that a lot of people in the community knew me from school/Chamber/Radio probably helped to that effect).  Even after the transition from Doyle Kinney to Jeff McDowell, there has not been one Sunday that I've attended (outside of that month where I was in Little Rock) where there's been any tension.  Yes, I've had someone ask me why I would go there and tell me that I should go back to the former congregation I was at, but last I checked it was Christ that died for me and it's God Almighty that I worship, not "Sister Snoopy".

I titled this particular blog after a little song I learned several years ago "I am the Church, you are the Church, we are the Church together", because the early Church, the Church that is talked about in Acts is an "ecclesia", a movement...it's not the big brick building on the corner of 28th and Custer with a steeple on it.  It's people like you and me, united in one accord worshipping our Savior and thanking Him for all He has done for us. Church is going out to help those whose lives were shaken in the tornadoes in Moore a couple of months ago.  Church is ministering to that person sitting in lockup at the County Jail waiting to be sent to Big Mac or to wherever the State of Oklahoma feels they should go to "pay their debt to society".  Church is reaching out to the "town drunk" and seeing his life dramatically turn around and serving God.  I could go on, but I'm called to do another ministry...picking up after the dog. :)

Until next time....

Five and a Half Stations...

Hey there everybody.  Welcome to this edition of Rob's Rants and Raves...

What am I rantin' on this time?  Well...

The big news this past week was that Oklahoma City was getting a new Sports/Talk station to hopefully take a swipe at the Sports Animal audience, much like what Fox Sports 1 wants to do to ESPN when they debut on Aug. 17th.  The sports/talk station will be where KRXO is currently at 107.7 FM, where the classic rock that's been KRXO's staple for as long as I remember will move to a much smaller (250w) signal on 104.5 (small as in not to interfere with the big signal of Z104.5 The Edge in Tulsa).

In an article by Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman, which also used a news release from KRXO owner Tyler Media, the new station on 107.7 would bring the total number of stations in the OKC market to six.  Who are the other four, outside of WWLS The Sports Animal (which simulcasts on KADS -- Elk City, btw)?

The market's other sports stations are:

WWLS-FM 98.1, “The Sports Animal.” 

KWPN AM 640, ESPN Radio.

KREF-AM 1400, “Sports Talk 1400,” of Norman. 

KGHM-AM 1340, “The Game,” 

KINB-FM "105.3, The Pro," CBS Sports Radio,

Now why do I say that these are 5 and a half stations?  From radio-locator.com, here are the wattage of the stations:

KWPN (ESPN 640):  5000 watts Daytime/1000 watts Nighttime Directional (basically to avoid interference from another station on the same frequency) 

WWLS The Sports Animal: 28,870 watts Effective Radiated Power

KRXO 107.7:  92,000 watts ERP

KREF 1400 AM:  1000 watts Non-Directional

KGHM 1340 AM (The Game):  1000 watts Non-Directional

ok...who's the half station in my opinion?

KINB 105.3 The Pro:  930 watts ERP (granted the CoL is Kingfisher, but the signal is basically a duck fart into OKC)

Again, radio-locator.com has all the info as far as coverage maps and everything...but hopefully you see where I am getting at.  All the other stations have a pretty good coverage area...I can get 3 of the 4 stations here in Western Oklahoma (that's without the KADS simulcast and finding the on-line stream on iHeart Radio or whatever).  But as far as getting KREF and KGHM goes, not really.

KGHM on 1340 is covered up by NewsTalk KCLI here in Clinton on 1320.  KREF on 1400 is covered by KTJS in Hobart on 1420.

If "The Pro" wants to make any kind of impact in being a player in OKC sports radio listenership, they should swap the 105.3 frequency with 105.7 (one-half of OU's NPR station with 1600 watts ERP).  Yes I realize they are a full CBS Sports Radio affiliate station, but still...if you live in Shawnee and want to "have a take, don't suck" on Jim Rome's show you should be able to without having to strain a hamstring just to get a damn signal.

I've always stated that Western Oklahoma should have another FM sports/talk out here, but I don't think the "distinguished" State Rep. Harold Wright or any of the underlings on Coyote Hill would be open to that.

Anyway, I've ranted on my soapbox long enough.  Yes, I did make sure Mel Bracht, The Oklahoman (NewsOK.com), Radio-locator.com got referenced and h/t'd for this piece.

Until next time, so long and God bless.

Tornado Relief thoughts...

We are His Hands...We are His Feet
We are His People...Children of the Lord
We share the hope...We share the dream
Believers in Jesus...Children of the King

-- "We are His Hands" -- WhiteHeart


I guess you would say this weekend I went on a missions trip, but didn't have to wait a long time to get a passport, didn't have to have a laundry list of shots and bother with government red tape BS.

As you know, for the past couple of days I went with a group from my church to help in the relief effort in Moore.  And yes, even though the national cameras have left and gone to cover other stories, you still see some reports of people coming to help on the local news here in OKC.

Just going and seeing the devastation live and in person gives you chills. One house may not have a lot of damage while across the street, there's nothing left. 

First day I went, we gathered at this one church to get instructions.   There were some building sheds there at the church, while some went to do debris removal and another lady and myself went to Antioch Christian Church to help there (that is where these pics of the plushies came from)

One thing I didn't hear much of from the group that went both days -- Complaining!!! Yes, it was hot and yes we consumed a lot of water and Gatorade...but nobody complained.  We were working for the Lord, so that made it a lot of fun.

Saying "Thank you" is never quite enough, but anyway, thanks to all who helped this past weekend -- Jeff and Tammy McDowell, our pastor and his wife; Chris and Heather Roulet, Kathy Brinkley, Nancy Jackson, Donna Burton, Donna Poeling, Eva Hise, Susana Hobbs, Dwain and Rhonda Weil, Rory Camblin and her children, a lot of the youth came and helped...it was an honor to work with you guys (I know I left some people out, but thank you too.)

There is LOTS more that needs to be done in Moore (and Little Axe, Shawnee, El Reno and so on).  ServeMoore.com Go here and this will show you what you need to know, where you need to go and everything.

Again, thanks for letting me be a part of this!  This is something I will not soon forget.

Mainly for my Twitter followers...

This edition of Rob's Rants and Raves is geared toward those who follow me on my Twitter account

Rob's Twitter page

I have a lot of people who follow me that are Christian leaders, pastors, musicians, etc.  and I try to keep my posts and whatever I re-tweet G or PG rated.  Yes, I have my shortcomings and sometimes raw emotions take over and a few "rackin' frackin's" come out.  It goes to show I'm human, that I'm not always so spiritual that I'm no earthly good.  It also goes to show I need to remember what ESPN NFL analyst Herm Edwards says all the time, "Think before you hit Send", although I'm not in the same caliber where my tweets might wind up on SportsCenter or something like that -- I say that, then my comment about Dog and Beth scaring the bail bondsman's daughter's prom date made air on the Fan Edition this past week.

So for those who do follow me that are pastors, including my own pastor Jeff and everybody -- just know that I'm not purposely trying to live one way in church and one way in the community.  I really am doing my best to be Christ's example in all I do and yes I slip up.  

Thank you for your understanding and God bless.

What a Week...

Needless to say, this has been one very emotional week in our nation.  With the bombing at the Boston Marathon, which has ensued into a manhunt with one of the suspects dead and another one being chased all over the Boston area to the explosion and tragedy in West, TX to now today (as I write this) remembering our own tragedy in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995.

I am just now beginning to be overwhelmed with emotion over what all has transpired in this week.  The person who is usually strong and offers a shoulder to lean on and some kind of comfort (yet freaks out over something like my Dad falling and hitting his head on the kitchen floor) now is to the point where I need shoulders of my own...and that doesn't happen that often!

The "Dash"

This is one of those blogs that come in the middle of the night when you are trying to sleep and your brain just won't shut up.

A little back story:  For about 3 1/2 years, I sat under the ministry of Billy Joe and Sharon Daugherty at Victory Christian Center in Tulsa.  One of the ministries under their covering was a street ministry led by a precious man named Phil Brown.  What he would do, with the help of several other people was he would get people from homeless shelters and some of the Tulsa Housing Authority apartments and take them to the Tulsa Dream Center for a time of worship and then afterwards would feed the people.

In one of our services, Phil talked about "the dash", as in the period of time between the day you were born and the day you went to your eternity whether it was with God or down south and I don't mean Texas. (for example, mine would be 1971 -       ).  And he would say something to the effect of "how you live your life and what you accomplish in life fits in that dash".

I was thinking about a couple of people who completed that "dash" in the last few days, one prominent nationally, the other one locally.

The first one I thought of was Roger Ebert...noted film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times and co-host of a film review show with Gene Siskel back in the day on Public television.  The last few years even though he fought cancer and it affected his ability to speak vocally, he still used his computer and his thoughts to amply transmit what he thought about the latest movies, whether giving it a "thumbs up" or a "thumbs down".  I don't know if he ever thought about a spiritual life or nor do I want to judge him on that, I'll leave that to God -- but he accomplished a lot in that "dash" that lasted 70 years.

The other one I was thinking of was Paul Flick, Jr., who carried on the "family business" known as Blunck Studios for many years after Mr. Blunck passed away.  He also leaves a lasting legacy -- Blunck's has studios in several communities in Oklahoma and Texas, and also the formal shop "Dottie's".  He leaves behind several grandchildren and great grandchildren, who no doubt share his love of photography.  Paul Jr. fit 92 years into his dash...and Western Oklahoma is reaping the rewards today.

Phil passed away a couple of years ago.  He did a lot in his dash too...after living a life on the streets, he submitted himself to God, got cleaned up and served in ministry at Victory...not only doing the street ministry I mentioned, but also arranging the buses to pick people up on Sunday mornings for services and other things.  I am grateful for the time I had with Phil and the folks in the Victory "Overcomers" Cell Group Ministry.  He was a great man who had an infectious smile and just a great joy to be around.  

To Phil, Roger and to Paul Jr. -- congratulations guys.  You fit a lot into that dash, and you did it well.  Good job.  Rest in Peace!!!

Now that I've typed what needed to be said, hopefully I can get a little bit of sleep...but I doubt it.