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OETA doesn’t need state subsidies

Tulsa Beacon

Gov. Kevin Stitt’s decision to veto reauthorization of the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA), the state’s Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) entity, has critics acting as though the sky is falling and that Big Bird is on his last legs. Neither view is true. Big Bird will still be around even without Oklahoma government funding, as…

Kansas City, Part I

Tulsa Beacon

A weekend trip to Kansas City was both a history lesson and a trip down memory lane. My wife, daughter and I took the drive north to Kansas City last week and decided to make a stop along the way at Fort Scott National Historic Site, in eastern Kansas. From the site’s website; When Fort…

Grads: “You” are uniquely different from all the others

Tulsa Beacon

I first shared this with the students I was teaching in our church in 2006. My heart has been to challenge students to realize how they carry their faith with them wherever they go in life. Each year at this time, high school and college students graduate and transition to a new phase of their…

Jesus Loves Me. You can sing it, but do you believe it?

Tulsa Beacon

“Jesus Loves Me” is one of the first songs that I can remember learning as a kid. You should have seen me—standing there in the front row of the preschool choir, my parents looking on with great anticipation. I was one of those little boys who wasn’t afraid to lean back on his heels and…

Lesson from “Letter to the American Church”

Tulsa Beacon

Eric Metaxas’ most recent book, Letter to the American Church, gives hope for a true revival in America. Drawing from the rich resources of research for his 2011 biography, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, Metaxas chronicles the attempts of the young pastor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who spoke truth to the German Church, warning them of the…

Natural solutions to pest problems come from plants

Tulsa Beacon

[Looking at history and why our area has its unique political and religious attitudes.] Recent articles have covered a range of topics from drugs to education to ancient practices. They all fit together. We recently had a group out to the ranch. Since nature is an environment unfamiliar, significant trepidation invades many suburban and city…

“Gator” Rivers remembered

Tulsa Beacon

I’ve written many times about my longstanding relationship with the Harlem Globetrotters, and how I eventually became the P.A. announcer for the team on a couple tours in 2012 and 2013-14. But, I don’t think I’ve ever written about how it all began. My relationship with the Globetrotters began because one player went out of…

Possibility of hiring for adaptability in today’s job market

Tulsa Beacon

Many new graduates are in the job market today.  This column is helpful for new employees as well as companies looking for candidates that are worthy of hiring. If you can’t adapt, you don’t fit, so don’t waste your time applying. Teachers today have the huge task of preparing students for the current and future…

Barbecue has been tasty with a Weber or a Kingsford grill

Tulsa Beacon

One of the best gifts I ever got was when my kids bought me a Kingsford charcoal grill. For decades, I used had cooked on a Weber 22-inch kettle grill. I think that was a gift from my good friends, Scott and Marsha Grindle. I replaced the grill on that model at least three times…