2009--In the History Books

People in Central Oklahoma who, along with Bing Crosby, have always dreamed of a White Christmas, got their wish this year. The news reported that the day before Christmas we got 14 inches of snow and it was indeed white. I don't know how they measured it because the wind was blowing at blizzard rates. Around our house there were drifts several feet high and along with these drifts there were spaces where the grass could be seen through the snow. But if they say we got 14 inches, I certainly don't know enough to question them. We got that much snow and it was a White Christmas.


I don't need another one. That kind of snow disrupted Oklahoma City and the entire metro area, including Norman and even including down here in Goldsby. (We aren't sure we should include ourselves in the "metro.") Families could not get here for the holidays, either because of the roads or because there were concerns of having to walk on ice once they got here. Many of us missed out on seeing loved ones, but we had a White Christmas. I can do without the snow and do with a little more of being able to get around. The snow even disrupted the orderly functioning of our own household.

Becky worked on Christmas Eve. They closed the bank at 1:00 pm and it took her two hours to drive home. There were several wrecks on I-35 on the river bridge and either end of it. She sat on the bridge so long that her tires froze to the road. I was at home with the kids. I couldn't leave them and go for her, neither could I take them out in that weather to try to help her. I would probably not have been all that much help anyway. And we no longer own an SUV, so the car I drive wasn't any more efficient in the ice and snow than hers. It is one of the few times I have ever worried about the weather and travelling.

It was a beautiful White Christmas. I for one don't need another.

2009 FINAL POSTING

I started this blog to encourage the members of our Sunday School class in their daily living. I saw it as an extension of the class itself, especially when it could be used to make a comment now and then on the activities and studies of the class. I never intended it as a news outlet for the class, although we have had some occasions to pass on a little news. The previous posting did look a little at what was going on with members of the class and was intended overall as a positive view, a look at current events in our lives which would give us reason to be thankful.

I have tried to write in a positive manner. I have tried to make it an attractive site, one you could appreciate and one which would benefit you, supplementing your class experience. I am struggling now whether I should continue it. I don't really know whether it is needed or wanted. And I don't want to be divisive in what appears here. So, I am thinking about the efficacy of continuing. I will make my decision later.

Right now, give thanks that we survived 2009. If you have, give thanks that you have enjoyed good health during the year. If you have, give thanks that you have recovered from health concerns. If you have, give thanks that you took the opportunity to do something kind for another person and that you had that opportunity. That you uplifted someone rather than diminishing their spirit. Give God thanks for your blessings. And look forward to the next year, 2010.

Welcome 2010 with warm-hearted affection like the little baby which is its symbol. Knowing that when it leaves it will be represented by an elderly man wearing a long white beard and walking with a staff, assure the little baby that you are there to help, not hinder, that you are there to make it a good year, that you will do all within your power to bring it up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Some Brief Notes

The last two Sundays we had lessons I entitled Baby Jesus and Santa Claus. Thank you for allowing me the freedom to do such things during class. I enjoyed it and I hope we all got something from the presentation.

Next Sunday, 12/27, we need to elect class officers and we need to discuss what we are going to study now. We could finish the final two chapters of Mark. We veered away from Mark for the last two weeks simply because it seemed inappropriate for the season. That was my decision and I hope you don't mind.

Bill Dalke has asked to present a series on Lands of the Bible. He would like to do this January 10, 17 and 24. The lessons will be illustrated. We can discuss this more completely next Sunday, but I for one would look forward to such a presentation.

If Bill does his study, we will need someone to volunteer for a class of his/her choosing for January 3.

It has been a pretty good year. We have studied several books from the Bible. I guess it was earlier this year I did the Lessons from the Bible Jesus Used. I was pleased with that study and thank you all for your kind words relating to it.

We have had some illnesses this year, some serious illnesses. It is good to have Susan Hill back with us. She is a dear woman who brings a certain radiance with her. Judy Scott has battled back her cancer and appears to be doing well. She tells us Jack is not well now, diagnosis uncertain at this time, and it is slowing him down. Ginny Barton is valiantly fighting her illness and she needs our prayers. _____________ has had his run in with illness but seems to have won the battle. Steve Corley is struggling with Alzheimer's and this is placing a great responsibility on Pat. They both need our prayers. And what can I say of our dear George Needham? I miss George, his pert and pithy remarks in class. His always being there on the left side of the room, front row, first chair. They came to this class following both their retirements and we had him for several years. These years were a blessing. Ann, like Pat Corley, has her hands full. These men they have loved for so long have been taken from them, leaving behind only a semblance of what they were not all that long ago.

What can I say about Stan Bauman, ____________________ and Rhana True? All have had their bouts with bad health, but their conditions, thankfully, do not appear life threatening. For that we are grateful. If I have omitted mentioning anyone it certainly was not intentional and I apologize for the oversight.

There have been no deaths in our class this year, except parents of class members, the most recent being Karen Dihrberg's mother. Our condolences go out to her. And we are thankful the chilling hand of death has not reached into our immediate family for some time now.

It has been a good year and I look forward to 2010. It, too, will be a good year. I look forward to teaching class now and then. I even look forward to a few social functions with the class, not too many as I have many other things on my mind occupying my time, but now and then it is good to get together. Come be with us Sunday and help us make a few plans for the coming year. We need you and surely we can be a positive influence on your lives as well.

Yes, Virginia, There Was a Baby Jesus

Yes, Virginia, there was a baby Jesus. He was born 2,000 years ago of humble parents in what is today Israel. I know that today you hear a lot of people say "happy holidays" and "seasons greetings." And you see an awful lot about Santa and decorated trees. But there are more than 7,000 of us who still say "Merry Christmas" and display the Nativity scene.

This baby grew up to be a preacher and through his example as well as his preaching he taught us to give food to hungry people, give clothing and shelter to those in need, minister to the suffering and love one another. There were very few things he did not like. Most everything he saw was beautiful and positive. He tried to love everyone and everything. One thing he couldn't abide, though, was anything that divided people. He didn't want us to sit in judgment of each other, criticize each other or hate each other because of the color of our skin or because of our different stations in life. He told us to forgive each other and respond to evil by doing good. He told us to be kind and considerate to everyone and to be patient. He told us to love and obey our parents. There is a great deal more that he had to say and a great deal more he did.

People who knew him personally loved him and wrote about him. They really believed that if God should ever decide to walk among mankind, he would surely walk in the form of this preacher.

As they were telling his story, two of his followers wrote the story of his birth. They were so in love with this person that they used every literary device they could think of to help us appreciate the absolute awe and wonder that surrounded him. They told us about shepherds watching their flocks at night, about angels appearing from heaven and singing beautiful songs announcing his birth. They wrote about a star over his birthplace and about wise men coming from the east to worship him. They wrote about his father and especially about his mother who gave birth in a barn behind a hotel. And when they were through telling the story, the barn became a shrine that had housed a sacred child.

We don't place nativity scenes depicting this wonderful moment on our public squares anymore. That's all right. What matters is that we don't display his birth and tell these wonderful stories in our homes like we should.

Virginia, for many of us this day is a holy day and this season is a holy season. So if your mom and dad forget in the hustle and bustle of the season to tell you about the Christ child, perhaps you could get them to slow down and allow you to tell the story to them. Because, yes, Virginia, there was a baby Jesus. And, that's what this holiday season is really all about. Merry Christmas, Virginia.

Baby Jesus and Santa Claus

Our lesson in Sunday School yesterday was "Baby Jesus and Santa Claus." While there was something of a light hearted nature in this class, it is a serious subject. I originally intended to present this in one session, the Sunday before Christmas. But, there is just too much there. (And I am somewhat verbose, especially when I am using a powerpoint presentation to illustrate the story being told.) We did not finish yesterday and will continue the topic next Sunday and possibly the next.

I am comfortable placing the story of Santa in the Christmas story, even the biblical story of the birth of Jesus. Come worship with us at McFarlin and come to Sunday School next week as we continue this brief study.

Candlelight Carol Service. For those of you who attended the Candlelight Carol Service at McFarlin last night, you were truly blessed. Twenty-five years ago we attended our first such service and were so pleased with it that that service, along with dis-covering the Searchers class, played an important part in our decision to become members of the McFarlin United Methodist Church in Norman. Each year I look forward to this event.

Children's Choirs

Wesley Choir

The Children's Choir and the Wesley Choir show just how many children we have and how involved they are. Their directors and leaders are all volunteers and they do a tremendous job. The voices of these young people surely cause the angels to pause and listen.

High School Choir

The High School Choir (they have another name but I do not remember it) was striking in its performance. Look at the large number of high school kids. I only hope you were there to hear them sing. What a beautiful sound of praise and adoration. Dr. Richard Zielinski is the interim director of the adult choirs and his presence is certainly felt. An instructor at the University of Oklahoma, he brings years of expertise in directing choral groups and in a very short time he has left his impression on our musical department. He directed the High School Choir and this is the best performance that group has ever given.


The adult choirs were their same wonderful selves! As was the bell choir which performed. We have come to expect these groups to give professional quality performances and we have never been disappointed in them.

It was a wonderful night and I hope you were there. If not, or even if you were, start making plans to attend next year. I promise you, you will be blessed for having been there.

(I apologize for the quality of the pictures of the choirs. These were taken from the balcony and this was asking quite a bit of an iphone camera.)

Thanks, Tino

We had a wonderful class yesterday. Tino Harrera taught the class and did a wonderful job. I found what he had to say very interesting. I only wish we had had more time for him to do his thing.

The next two Sundays I intend to teach on the subject of "Jesus and Santa Claus." We will necessarily start with a lesson on the birth of Jesus. I was going to do this the Sunday before Christmas, but I felt I needed more time to do it right. Please come and be with us the remainder of December.

My thanks to Bill Dalke for agreeing to move to January to teach the class.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

It was a good Sunday in class today. The number was small but I think we had a lot of people still our of town for Thanksgiving. We pray for the safety of all our loved ones who are on the roads.

I was unable to post something for Thanksgiving, so please allow me to say a few words now. I love Thanksgiving. It has always been a simple day of giving thanks to God for the harvest of an agrarian society. While Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday, the harvest festival is as old as mankind, something celebrated ever since men evolved from hunters and gatherers to farming and tilling the land and controlling production of their food. In our own harvest festival, Thanksgiving, we have created a number of myths to enliven our celebration.

Thanksgiving has become one of the more important family celebrations of our times. Christmas is a wonderful religious holiday, but in its secular form it has become a stressful time in which we spend money we should not spend on things to give to people who probably did not want them in the first place. This stress does not usually accompany Thanksgiving. On this family of all family holidays, we eat too much and visit with friends and family whom we do not see often enough in this day and time when we live too far apart.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. And during the course of the day it is my hope and prayer that you got to eat everhything you wanted, that you got to visit with family and friends and that you took time to thank God for His blessings.

AND NOW BACK TO SUNDAY SCHOOL....................

I apologize for having to leave class before it was over. I simply was not feeling too well and thought I should leave for awhile. I felt better after awhile. I appreciate Madge Chissoe for filling in for me when I had to leave. Please be assured I am fine. I should not have left the class. Had a few more problems when I got home, but I am fine now.

This afternoon we attended the Advent Festival. There was a good number present and everyone had a wonderful time.

Next Sunday look for more opportunities to celebrate the Christmas season at McFarlin. This has always been one of the most important times at McFarlin. Since coming here in 1985 I have tried to take advantage of all the offerings during this season. It has been a faith strengthening experience and one of the most enjoyable times in my faith life.

Next Sunday Tino Harrera will be our guest teacher. He will teach on the seven final utterances of Jesus on the cross. Tino is our director of middle school ministry and is a student at Oklahoma City Universitiy School of Religion. I look forward to what he has to say. Please plan to be there for class next Sunday.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

D.J. taught our class Sunday. He did a very good job in covering the 12th chapter of Mark. D.J. always prepares when he is to teach. The notes and books he brings into the class show his level of preparation and his dedication to the class. We are fortunate to have him in Searchers and in McFarlin UMC.

Plans are, right now, that I will teach next Sunday. The following Sunday I have asked Tino Harrera, our middle school youth director, to teach our class. He has been doing some special study in his classes at OCU on the final utterances of Christ on the cross. I wanted him to share these thoughts with us since they are timely as we are approaching the crucifixion in Mark's story about Jesus.

With Christmas coming on, we will leave Mark for a couple of Sundays. The Sunday before Christmas we will have a lesson about the birth of Jesus. The Sunday after Christmas will feature something other than Mark as well.

I believe we should expect good things from our class. We will elect new officers somewhere around the holidays so be prepared to serve. Thanks to all.

Sunday's Class

We had a good class today with Bob Brooke teaching. Mark, on first glance, is a simple book. For some reason I always considered it my favorite of the gospel stories and the easiest to follow. What was I thinking? For the first time it seems like a difficult book to follow.

Bob did a very good job with the 10th chapter. We did not cover it all in detail, it is simply too long. But we did cover the high points, discussing the topic of divorce, the rich young ruler and the encounter between Jesus and the little children.

It was good to be there this morning. Next Sunday Bill Leidy will teach.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Tomorrow Bob Brooke will be teaching our Sunday School class. The subject will be Mark, chapter 10. There are several different topics within each chapter and this chapter will discuss the subject of divorce and the prediction of Jesus concerning his death. For my part, the most interesting part of the chapter involves the encounter between Jesus and the little children. We learn great lessons from this.

Come worship with us tomorrow, November 8. We start around 9:45 a.m. and we would like to see you there. It will be good for you and we need you.

On Being Called a "Curmudgeon"--Part 1

When I turned 65 recently, on November 1, 2009, I entered the ranks of senior citizens without question. And I suppose I became a full-fledged curmudgeon in the minds of some people. I really don't like being called a curmudgeon, which by definition is a bad-tempered, difficult, cantankerous person. I prefer to consider myself a kind, considerate and thoughtful person. But, I am a kind,considerate and thoughtful person who doesn't abide stupidity easily.

I recently had some leg problems which deteriorated rather quickly. In a day's time I went from hobbling to walking (or shuffling) with a cane. The next day I was barely moving with a walker and when I finally was able to get in to see the doctor, I had to use a wheel chair. We don't know what caused it, but we treated the symptoms and made improvement. (There are still times I feel more comfortable with a cane in hand.)

A few days later I was back moving ever so slowly with a cane. My wife had tickets for a concert by the musical group, U-2, at the football field at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. I wanted to go and it was important to her, so we, with a couple of friends, set out. They drove me as close to the field as they could and then, like others ahead of us, we turned left and stopped so I could walk the three blocks or so to the field while they parked the car further away.

I struggled to rise to a standing position from the car as a young police officer watched me. I then used my cane to shuffle to the trunk where I was getting my coat. As I raised the trunk, the young officer said, "You'll have to move that car."

I turned toward him slowly, looked him in the eye and with deliberation, said, "Officer, I'm moving as fast as I can." Then I remained silent and kept staring at him. It was a pregnant pause.

I thought he might want to say something like, "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't notice you were barely able to walk even with that cane. Is there anything I can do to help you?" Or, "I'm sorry, sir, but I didn't ask about your physical capabilities, I simply want you to know you have to move that car." Or, even, "I'm sorry, sir, but I was born with mental deficiencies and it has caused me to have a lot of feelings of inferiority but this badge and this gun make up for it."

To my surprise he didn't say anything at all. I should have let it go, but I took my cane and hit the car and called to my wife loudly. She got out of the car and asked me what was wrong. I said, "You can't leave the car here." She allowed as how she wasn't going to, to which I replied, "Well, me and this young officer thought you were going to park here all night. And we just wanted you to know you'll have to move that car."

She got in the car and drove off and I hobbled past the young officer commenting on his intelligence, or lack thereof, and probably commenting on his parentage. I also expressed my hope that he would be old someday and unable to walk well and I hoped he remembered this. To his credit, he still had nothing further to say.

Perhaps I am a curmudgeon after all.

Charlotte's Web

Charlotte Kesinger did a wonderful job teaching this morning. She helped place the priorities of living the Christian life in this current time and place. I have always enjoyed her teaching. There was a good number present in class. I would guess somewhere around 70 in number, including some guests from Blackwell. It was a good morning.

Bob Brooke will be teaching next Sunday on Mark, chapter 10. Be there. You will enjoy it and we need you.

Sunday, November 1, 2008

All Saints Day. It is a Christian holiday, coming the day after Halloween. It always comes on the first day of November. Halloween was a pagan holiday which was borrowed by early Christians. The suggestion was that on the day before All Saints Day all the ghosts, goblins and demonic creatures were let loose knowing they would be shut up all the next day when the saints were being honored. The demonic forces tried to do all the damage they could on the evening before they would be supernaturally prevented. Thus, the night before, the evening before the hallowed day, Halloween, was their day. They engaged people with all the mischief they could muster.

Modern Halloween celebration came about particularly after World War II as an effort to make it a day for the kids to celebrate and have fun. It was an effort to curb vandalism which had become associated with the evening.

At McFarlin we celebrate the departed souls who have been members here in the past. We make banners honoring friends and family. And on those banners we place our departed one's name and certain symbols signifying their life, their hobbies and their employment. We either place or carry those banners before the congregation so we can remember them. We look at the different names, surprised at some we may not have remembered as having been members here, and noting some whom we remember with fondness. A husband or a wife. A parent. A child perhaps. Or simply a loved friend who left all too early. We swallow hard and a tear creeps down our cheek as we remember a loved one gone on. But, for that moment we remember. It is a good thing.

* * *

This Sunday, 11/1/2009, Charlotte Kessinger will be leading our class in a discussion of Mark, chapter 9. We will discuss the Transfiguration and then will continue on with the healing ministry of Jesus as recorded by Mark.

Please make plans to attend and enjoy the day with fellowship and study of God's word.

On Studying the Bible

The following is an excellent note from Al Palomar. I submit it for your reading and careful consideration.

* * *

I am not interested in the scholarly study of the bible. I approach the bible as a blessed self-help book that will guide me in my understanding God, and help me see how he wants all of us to conduct ourselves before we pass on. It all boils down to the main message of His ONLY begotten Son: love your fellowmen. I capitalized "only" because although He refers to us as His children He has but ONE SON that he begot.

When I teach I deliberately skip any discussion of geography or genealogy because I believe that's something class members can do on their own. At least in my case, what I can't do on my own is answer or interpret the difficult questions posed by the Great Book. For me to attempt to do that would be presumptuous.

One of the hardest is: why do (and did) the loyal servants of God have to suffer? And not only have they suffered, but many of them suffered a violent, harrowing death, Jesus included. Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of Man because he foresaw that, like an ordinary man, he would feel the pain, the humiliation, the insults and the inhumane degradation that these people he loved would inflict upon Him when His ultimate sacrifice comes .

And God had allowed this to happen in much the same way that he had allowed the devil to inflict all the pain on Job -- all the untold torture that he had magnificently endured.

What does this have to do with all of us? Jesus often admonished his disciples for having eyes that won't see and ears that won't hear. I can hear Him now telling us: can't you see what my Father is trying to say to you? Fear not when tragedy befalls you; don't despair when your health fails or death stares at you ; don't lose faith when evil appears to triumph all around you because when you fail to overcome human suffering, I, your God, the God of Moses and Abraham, will be there for you, and I will see to it that good triumphs over evil.

Al Palomar

On Feeding Five Thousand

If you were present in Sunday School yesterday, you were treated to an excellent class presented by Al on the 8th chapter of Mark. The feeding of the five thousand, and related miracles, are interesting events presented by Mark as part of the gospel story. Christians have always had difficulties with the miracle stories in the Gospels simply because they have not had personal experience with such miracles. This may, in part, be the result of a Protestant reaction to the claim of miracles by the Catholic Church. The Protestant Reformation, generally, taught that miracles ceased with the end of the apostolic era. With the advent of the Pentecostal movement in the early 20th century, with its services of miracles and healings, there had to be a rethinking about the entire subject. I am of the opinion that we all bring our own prejudices to this question.

Al simply went beyond the miracles and asked what we learned about Jesus. This is a wonderful way to approach the subject. Do I want to spend time wondering how the feeding of the five thousand could have occurred or do I want to spend time wondering at the act of Jesus feeding all of us the spiritual bread of life. And, not coincidentally, this was the way John related this event in his Gospel.

Charlotte Kesinger will teach next Sunday. Her subject will be Mark, chapter 9. Plan now to attend. We need you and you will be blessed.

Teaching Sunday, October 25, 2009

Al Palomar will be teaching next Sunday (10/25/2009) and the lesson will deal with Mark, chapter 8. We look forward to spending the time with him.

Bob Brookes is scheduled to teach Mark, chapter 10, on Sunday (11/8/2009).

If you want to volunteer to teach, please contact me. My email address is hersh1144@yahoo.com and you should have access to my phone number.

A New Blog

"Of the writing of many books there is no end." The man who said that should see us now. Everyone's writing. But, one of the benefits of the internet with its mail, blogs and other outlets, is that we aren't cutting down trees for so much of this. It just gets read, maybe, and then it simply goes off into the far reaches of "somewhere."

Since 1985 I have attended McFarlin United Methodist Church in Norman, Oklahoma. Why did I land there? It's a long story, too long to tell now. Perhaps sometime. We started attending the Searchers Sunday School class and have remained with them ever since. And that is another story also.

This is a simple way to communicate with the people of that class and with those who have passed through to other locations. It is a simple way to keep abreast of happenings and to engage in a little dialogue along the way. I want to limit this blog to religious matters. Share your thoughts. Ask your questions. We will try to respond to you wherever you are on your faith journey.

You are invited to join in. And you are invited to join us in our class at McFarlin UMC in Norman, Oklahoma, on Sundays. We will treat you so many ways you're bound to like one of them.