Are you ready to play "Good news/Bad news"? The good news is that we
survived the winter with no major mishaps or problems. The 'bad news' is that Spring is
here and apparently, it has decided to clean out it's closet of old tornadoes and crazy
weather. I have lived in Oklahoma all my life (except for 3 years in Texas), and this is
getting kind of crazy.
   It's been so bad that I haven't been able to watch a complete TV show in the
evening for two or three weeks. I have got to know Travis Meyer, and his staff, really
well on Channel 6, as well as Vonn the storm chaser and his posse. I'm even learning
the names of small towns I don't think I've heard before. Small towns, I think some are
wide spots on a country road and the entire community fits in one storm shelter, but it's
easy to account for everyone after the storm passes over. Maybe the weirdest thing is
during the latest round of storms, the storms chasers couldn't get to the storms because
the roads were crowded with other people also watching and chasing the storms FOR
FUN. Only in Oklahoma.
   May also kicks off perhaps the busiest two months of the year for us. In May and
June, we have four holidays, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Memorial Day, & Flag Day;
out first annual car show, AND the last day of May is the first day of the week of
Vacation Bible School followed two weeks later by the week of Falls Creek, which is
followed up a week to the day after we get back from Falls Creek with the 250'h
Anniversary of the birth of the United States of America-July 4, I776--July 4, 2026,
and I thought I was getting old.
   My calendar is getting full and I haven't inserted any of yours or our, vacations
and reunions. I didn't think I would ever say this, but, Thank Goodness that school
starts in August.
   That's a lot of activities. responsibilities. AND opportunities. It will take all of us
to meet these great ministry opportunities. In VBS and Falls Creek we have the chance
to spend the greatest, concentrated time with our children and teen-agers than at any
other time during the year. I can't emphasize enough how important these weeks are in
the lives of our kids and in the life of our church. Nobody can do everything (trust me I
have tried), but everyone can do something. It always amazes me when someone does
something that they believe nobody notices and a day, or a week, or sometimes even a
lifetime later, I hear a testimony of how it changed someone's life. Everyone counts,
everyone matters, and everything makes a difference.
   So, take a deep breath and climb out of your storm shelter, or out of your closet, or
out from under your bed, it's time to impact our world. I don't want to be just a gust of
hot air, let's hit our community like an F-5 tornado. Sound the sirens-Jesus is coming.

                                           May God Bless You, 

                                             Bro. Tom and Sue