Greetings!
The headline is correct. I will not cover any political-related topics in this week’s DHD. Why? Well, because I didn’t want to.
Thank you for reading!
- DR Salvation stories
I have covered a few stories on Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief’s (DR) recent work in Louisiana. I do admire these men and women who will take time from the usual schedules of life to go help people who have been affected by disasters, including those who were in the line of Hurricane Laura last month.
It is important to share the numbers of work orders and meals, how many served with DR and especially how many people made professions of faith in Christ as a result of what DR had done in their time of brokenness.
If you are like me, you enjoy reading the details of a person being helped and the experiences of a DR volunteer serving but also sharing the Gospel. That’s why I called my friend Rusty McMullen, pastor of McAlester, First.
Rusty and some members of McAlester, First spent a week in Lake Charles, La., serving with DR. I interviewed Rusty about his experiences, and I interviewed David and Brenda Ross, members of Broken Arrow, First, veteran DR volunteers who also served in Lake Charles.
Check out my story in the next print edition of the Baptist Messenger, or read it online, “Oklahoma Baptist DR shares the Gospel, sees lives changed.”
- Pray for COVID-19 on the 19th
I continue to do my monthly prayer time, asking God to end COVID-19. I do this on the 19th day of every month, during the 19th hour (7-8 p.m.). That means the next time I observe this prayer time will be Monday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. If you are able to join me in person to pray, I meet at Oklahoma City, Quail Springs, 14613 N. May Ave., and have a room set up to pray. Email me at cdoyle@oklahomabaptists.org if you would like more details
After talking with some friends, we concluded it would be great if 19 people showed up on Oct. 19 during the 19th hour to pray to end COVID-19.
- Dance on Shepherding
Mark Dance wrote another great encouraging article. Check out “4 Truths for Shepherding Through Difficult Times From Psalm 23.”
Check out how he applies four great phrases from Psalm 23 to the importance of leading or shepherding during burdensome experiences.
- Wax on Social Dilemma
Favorite blogger Trevin Wax had a good one this week on the Netflix documentary, “The Social Dilemma.”
You don’t have to know much about the show to appreciate Wax’s wisdom in his piece “Why ‘The Social Dilemma’ Matters.” I don’t have Netflix or any streaming service, but I enjoyed what Wax had to share.
Here’s one of my favorite passages: “You are not seeing the world as it is. You’re seeing the world as it has been tailored to you. And this is one of the main drivers of polarization today. We are not experiencing the same reality.”
- Sunday Morning Habits
Michael Cooper wrote a great, practical piece to help with how you should approach Sunday morning church gatherings.
Check out “7 Sunday Morning Habits To Encourage In Your Church.”
One segment reminded me of a comment my dad would always say, “Getting up early starts the night before.” Cooper addresses a similar concept in his first point.
- Gospel and Movies
I do miss going to the movies. I plan to do so soon, when something comes out that I want to see.
Ben Neiser’s article “5 Reasons We Need Movies (And The Gospel) Now” was a fun read for me. And his conclusions are so true!
“In the Gospel we have a clear Hero, God. We have a clear enemy, Satan. We have a clear problem, sin and death. We have a clear solution, Jesus Christ. We have a clear resolution, heaven and eternity with God.”
