Five Fold Thoughts...

Hello everyone! Time for another edition of Keil's Comments. I'll get back to wrapping up my Colorado Vacation Thoughts later but I wanted to relay thoughts on today's sermon at church and some prevailing thoughts that I have had over the years.

Today my pastor was preaching on Walking with my Gifts out of Ephesians 4:7-16. He touched on the common Five Fold Ministry (or 4 Fold since Pastor and teacher are synonymous but for this blog I'll revert to what I have been taught in all my years in church). Todd touched on the fact that you don't hear much about the apostle and prophet in today's church. This is where my questions take over.

I know in today's Church the term "apostle" is not as prevalent, but my question is if a "Church Planter" would be today's version of an apostle, obviously without going through the trials and persecution that the Apostles of the early Church did.

"Prophet" on the other hand...this is seemingly more prevalent in the Charismatic/Full Gospel/Pentecostal circles, but if a person calls themself a prophet or say that they move in a prophetic ministry, you would want to know their track record and see if they have said anything that had been fulfilled -- or as I heard somebody say one time if a person was "prophesying or prophe-lying".

The other three gifts of the ministry you have definitely heard of if you have been in church for any amount of time. The "evangelist" is probably the most spotlighted of them, especially when their main job description is "blow in, blow up and blow out" and if you may have seen a minute of TBN or any of the other Christian networks on cable or satellite. 

Anyway, I have enjoyed our year long series on going Deeper in our walk with the Lord and Deeper in studying the Bible.

As I mentioned, I will get back to my vacation recap in a few days...just in time to make more Colorado memories as I get ready to go to Ponderosa (Colorado's Falls Creek) in a few weeks.

That's all for now. Until next time...

Vacation Thoughts Part 2

 Hello and welcome back to Keil’s Comments. We made it back to Shawnee about 10p last night. Due to lack of internet connection, I am just now doing part 2.

As promised, I would give a recap of our side trip to Sharon’s home area (Vail/Edwards/Eagle, etc)

First we drove up to Independence Pass and as you can see below the pictures below, it was a little chilly!!!

Independence Pass tops out at 12,095 feet above sea level... and the views are breathtaking to say the least.

Then...we drove through Aspen (traffic was horrendous so we didn’t do any sightseeing or people watching there) and went on to Sharon’s home area.

We stopped and ate at a Mexican food place that has been in business for 30 years called Fiesta’s. It was great food and very reasonable.

Then Sharon showed me the church her dad pastored in when she was growing up. I already posted some pictures so I will spare the repeat posts.

After a few hours there and seeing other sights like the Interfaith Chapel in Vail where her dad also preached for a time, we spent the night in Leadville and ate dinner there at a place called High Mountain Pies! Sharon and I definitely recommend that place!!!

The next morning we headed back, stopping in St. Elmo and seeing that beautiful town and the chipmunks. And yes as I mentioned when I posted the pictures, the John Parr song was playing in my mental MP3 player.

So much to recap so I will have to do a Part 3 later. 

Until next time...

Vacation Thoughts Part 1

Hello and welcome to Keil’s Comments, coming to you on location from Gunnison, Colorado.

As I am writing this, I was not totally disconnected from home as I got to watch the first service from IBC...but I am looking forward to hearing my brother in law Joe preach this morning at his church here in Gunnison. The church has graciously let us stay at a house that they have for missionaries to stay in while they are visiting — which saves a lot on motels right there. And it’s conveniently behind the church so we don’t have to go too far!

Since Wednesday my Camera Roll has exploded with lots of pictures...some I have already posted on Facebook. And that’s before Sharon and I take our little side trip to her home area beginning tomorrow. To say that I have been impressed with what I have seen so far is a major league understatement. I am IN AWE with everything so far!!! The main statement that has been repeated this week has been this: How can you see all of the beauty of Colorado and not believe that there is a God?

My mom asked me if I had been bitten by the Colorado bug yet. Initially I said that I have felt a few nibbles. I have a feeling that before we leave to come back to Shawnee, I will have felt a full clampdown! Of course, I will be returning next month to go to Ponderosa camp with some guys from our church so there will definitely be some more bites there.

I will have more thoughts on Wednesday after our trip to Sharon’s home area. Once I get back home I will compile all the pictures I have taken (including some that I haven’t posted yet) into one big photo album.

That is all for now...

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.