Greetings!
I took a hiatus for a couple of weeks from doing DHD, but here’s a new one for you!
Thanks for reading!
- Abortion on the ballot
Have you received any election fliers in the mail lately? Or seen campaign commercials on TV?
Yep, it’s that time again, when everyone is bombarded with paraphernalia relating to the 2022 Election Day.
Here’s one issue of which is important to be aware: abortion. Here in Oklahoma, it may not be as concerning. From what I understand, there aren’t any state questions directly relating to Sanctity of Human Life on the ballot this year.
As far as political candidates and their view on Sanctity of Human Life, be aware of that as well, especially if they may say “Personally I’m ‘pro-life,’ but I believe it is up to the mother and her physician.” Translation: They are not pro-life. If they do not directly make an emphasis on caring for the life of the unborn child, as well as the care for the mother, they are just using political rhetoric.
For those outside Oklahoma, Joe Carter has a fantastic article explaining in certain states what is on those respective ballots and how to view certain ballot initiatives from a pro-life perspective.
Check out: “Where Abortion is on the Ballot in 2022.”
- Mohler on marijuana
Albert Mohler’s podcast “The Briefing” continues to be required listening or reading for concerned Evangelical Christians as far as world issues.
Oklahoma has a major marijuana issue, and eventually it could become even worse, if the people ever vote to allow recreational use of marijuana. Thankfully, the ballot on Nov. 8 will not feature such voting opportunity. But who knows when it will be a ballot feature.
Mohler gave an excellent commentary about how our country is becoming more permissive on marijuana use. I love this Briefing episode so much I listened to it twice. And his concluding point communicates clearly why Christians should oppose marijuana use, especially for recreational purposes.
“…Christians have to understand that the purpose for the use of recreational marijuana is to have a mind or consciousness altering experience. That’s the whole point of marijuana. And Christians need to understand that there is nothing in Scripture to justify trying to escape reality. The Bible dignifies reality. It does not dignify an altered state, and actually warns against drunkenness in both Testaments over and over again.”
- Keahbone communicates correctly on Indigenous Peoples’ Day
If you’ve never met Mike Keahbone, you should. I don’t know a friendlier, caring, good-natured person than Mike Keahbone.
I’ve always enjoyed talking to him. He always has been a great interview for me, when I’ve done stories about his ministry. He truly loves the Lord, and he loves people—and he shows it!
This year, at the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), Keahbone initiated a major statement in the form of a resolution, voted unanimously by all messengers.
Keahbone is pastor of Lawton, First and a member of the Comanche Tribe. He helped enlighten many people of the history of a specific mistreatment of Native Americans. Since last Monday was Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Keahbone shared in an article about this acknowledgment and action of support by the SBC.
I recommend you read “How One Native American Pastor Celebrated Indigenous Peoples’ Day.”
- Why I’m studying Rom. 12:9-21
A couple of weeks ago, I did a story on See You At The Pole (SYATP) and the observances of the world prayer event in Oklahoma. Here’s the story if you’d like to read it.
As I was researching about SYATP, I noticed this year’s theme verses for the event were Rom. 12:11-12. It was in a translation I did not recognize, but that was not a big deal to me. However, it caused me to look up the verses in my Bible. I became fascinated not only with these two verses but the whole passage in Romans 12, specifically verses 9-21.
To be clear, the whole chapter is pretty spectacular, especially the first two verses. But I was drawn to this list of instructions Paul gave, and I never realized at how important this list could be for a Christian trying to live in a lost and dying world.
I definitely like verse 12, “Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.” How relevant are these instructions for your life right now?
So for the past two weeks, I’ve been looking over this passage and focusing on different verses on various days. It really is good daily Christian living stuff.
Maybe for a New Year’s Resolution, I will commit the whole passage to memory. Maybe you could join me?
- Stationary or stationery
I love words and the origin of words. They have always fascinated me. I found a great article on the Saturday Evening Post website that compares the words “stationary” and “stationery.”
If you have a similar fascination, check out Andy Hollenbeck’s article “In a Word: What’s So Stationary about Stationery?”
- Thunder thoughts
I conclude with my personal musings about the Oklahoma City Thunder. I think I’m going to like this year’s squad.
There’s quite a few new faces, and a few still needing to be familiarized, but this could be a fun crew to watch. Fan favorite Lu Dort is back. New fan favorite Josh Giddey appears to have improved his game, especially his shooting. Shai Gilgeous Alexander is supposed to be healthy at the start of the regular season.
Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 player in the NBA Draft, will not be playing this year because of a foot injury, so that just means other new players get more time to develop.
And development, I believe, will be a focal point for the Thunder this season. I personally don’t believe the team will be “tanking.” For sure, I believe the team will go all-out through the All-Star Break, then it may just be how healthy and where they rank in the standings on whether or not they continue to be competitive.
There’s a few reasons why I don’t think the Thunder will be in “tank mode.” First, they now have their foundational players with SGA, Giddey and Chet. Second, from the reports I’ve heard, next year’s draft isn’t a major crop of great players, especially outside the top two projections. Third, it appears a lot of teams might be tanking, which makes it even more advantageous to go full-force this season. Fourth, I really want to see what this team could actually do in a full-competitive mode, especially if everyone, or at least the key players, remain healthy.
So keep an eye on the Thunder this year. You might be impressed.
