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Child labor, human rights abuses and death are ignored

Tulsa Beacon

Marathon Petroleum recently announced it will “indefinitely idle” its Martinez Refinery. The decision will remove hundreds of jobs, billions of dollars, and nearly 7 million gallons of gasoline, diesel and other petroleum liquids per day from the energy-hungry California economy. It will also send fuel prices even higher for minority and other poor families that…

Here’s what happened when Venezuela fell to socialism

Tulsa Beacon

Venezuela was once one of the richest nations in the world. Now it is the poorest nation in the Americas. What happened? After Venezuela adopted a democratic form of government in 1958 through the 1980s, the country was the richest nation in South America. Gigantic oil reserves were discovered in Lake Maracaibo during World War I. That changed the…

In times of great distress, we need our Father to hold us

Tulsa Beacon

My wife and I had just moved to Mesquite, Texas. We didn’t have much in worldly possessions, just some secondhand furniture, an older car and a new baby in tow. I had just gotten a new job as a youth pastor and was continuing my education. We moved into a small house. Even with just…

After months of Zoom, maybe it’s time to go to church

Tulsa Beacon

For the first time in my life, I haven’t been set foot in a church in months. I love going to church. I like seeing my friends. I like hearing about God and Jesus Christ and studying the Bible. I really like singing Christian songs and hymns in a room full of fellow Christians. Our…

Unthoughtful parenting can mean kids go down the drain

Tulsa Beacon

I know this is a delicate subject and I want to have some dignity in addressing this issue, but when did Americans become so lazy that we can’t flush our own toilets? It seems as though we are no longer capable of pushing down a lever. Instead, we have electronic sensors that determine when the…

Broken Arrow to get curbside recycling program

Tulsa Beacon

As the United States begins to emerge into a new reality caused by COVID-19, many cities and states across the country are finding that not only has demand for recycling increased among residents who stayed home, but they also have a renewed interest in recycling correctly.  This presents a unique opportunity for Broken Arrow to…

2020 has been a real stinker when it comes to travel

Tulsa Beacon

The only true vacation we have taken this year was a weekend trip to Dallas to visit some friends. And that may be the highlight of 2020 in terms of vacations. In the spring, we bought airplane tickets to Florida to spend four glorious days on Madeira Beach on the Gulf Coast near Tampa Bay,…

Church summer camp imbedded some valuable memories

Tulsa Beacon

One of the casualties of social distancing this summer is the cancellation of church camps. Tens of thousands of students across America will not experience a week at church camp, and here in Oklahoma, one of the most famous camps in the world, Falls Creek, has been canceled. When I was growing up, church camp…

A Bridge Too Far is a compelling World War II movie

Tulsa Beacon

I am a sucker for war movies, especially World War II films that are mostly accurate. I recently rewatched A Bridge Too Far – a three-hour epic with an all-star cast and a riveting story line. Some of the stars of the movie were Dirk Bogarde (Lt. Gen. “Boy” Browning); Sean Connery (Maj. Gen. Urquhart);…

It was hard to get sympathy for the removal of that wart

Tulsa Beacon

Today, I’ve been sitting at my computer and thinking. But I’m not good at sitting. I want to be out and about, interacting with people. And I’m really not good at thinking. Do you know how hard it is and how much energy it takes? It’s probably a good thing I’m sitting while I’m thinking….