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Earthly fathers and our Heavenly Father hold a special spot

Tulsa Beacon

One of the highlights of my life as a dad is teaching my son Jeremiah’s classes once a year. He serves in a public high school in the Dallas area, where he teaches geography and coaches track and field.  Because of the pandemic, I haven’t been able to engage with his students for some time….

Native American genes mostly come from Europe, not Asia

Tulsa Beacon

[Why our area has its unique political and religious attitudes.] The research for this series of articles took a decidedly unexpected turn. Early mound-builders were predecessors of the people removed from the land, so that the forced migration could enter. From where did the mound-builders come? We left last article with the question “Did they…

Trip to Russia opened my eyes to problems that we now face

Tulsa Beacon

The first time I stood on Russian soil was in 1997 when the Alaska Air flight I was on stopped to refuel somewhere in Siberia. I was on a long flight from Anchorage, Alaska, to the city of Blagoveshchensk in the Russian Far East (on the border of China). The plane was about half full…

Roman numerals are less vital than the Book of Romans

Tulsa Beacon

My wife and I were discussing the fact that the Super Bowl is numbered using Roman numerals. She asked me, “How do you get a 56 out of LVI?” I explained that the “L” stands for “50,” and she told me that in her little two-room country schoolhouse, they never made it to the L’s….

Medicaid expansion is trouble for state workers

Tulsa Beacon

When Medicaid expansion was sold to Oklahoma voters, proponents declared it a no-pain-all-gain proposition. “Free” federal money would rain from the skies and the health of Oklahomans would be restored statewide. Now some of those proponents are singing a different tune. Working families should pay attention, because they are the most likely to be negatively…

Visiting Canada is off my ‘to do’ list – at least for now

Tulsa Beacon

I have never set foot in Canada. The closest I have ever been was in Alaska or maybe Seattle, Washington. I have always wanted to visit Canada. My favorite Spanish teacher, Mrs. Ford, at Bell Junior High School always said that Americans should learn either French or Spanish to better understand Canada (they speak French…

We can learn deep lessons sometimes when we least expect it

Tulsa Beacon

Some of Jesus’ greatest teaching occurred when His disciples least expected it. It seems to me that He liked to share key truths not at a designated hour or place but at random, unexpected times and locations. I believe He still teaches that way. Often, we are in such a hurry that we miss the…

It snows in here Tulsa but not often and not a whole lot

Tulsa Beacon

According to the National Weather Service, the big snowstorm Tulsa has in 2011 was the second biggest on record behind 1958. We had 22.5 inches of snow in February of 2011. That’s a lot. Tulsa has 29.6 inches of snow in the year 1958. We had 10 inches of snow in February of 2021 and…

‘Becoming A Senior Adult Afternoon’ created lasting bonds

Tulsa Beacon

Sometimes the little things make the biggest impact. I grew up in a generation that respected senior adults. Whether it was a grandparent in our church, a schoolteacher or a police officer, we were taught to use the language of respect. We said, “Thank you,” “Please,” “Excuse me,” “Yes, ma’am” or “No, sir” and used…