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Thanks with Our Whole Heart" - 1 February 2026

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  We give you thanks, O LORD, with our whole heart; before the gods we sing your praise; we bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. On the day we called, you answered us; our strength of soul you increased (Psalm 138:1-3). Hear us as we pray for your world and Church. We pray that the day will soon arrive when all the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O LORD, when they will hear the words of your mouth, and sing of the ways of the LORD, for great is the glory of the LORD (Psalm 138:4-5). To this end we pray for you to raise up men and women, individuals and families, who will take the Gospel of Jesus Christ into all lands, to every tribe and ethnic group. Bless the work of (…). Fill the manpower gaps and the monetary essentials. Open doors that no one can shut and grant them favor with local officials. Also, we implore you on behalf of this cou...
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Prayer for Revival and Reformation Pt 4

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  We have been praying for the revival and reformation of God’s church in the U.S. these past three weeks (To catch up see  Pt 1 , Pt 2 , and Pt 3 ). But last week we began praying with more focus for revival and reformation of God’s church in Oklahoma. Today, we will end this short series, still lifting up the churches in Oklahoma. And the passage I have in mind is toward the end of Romans.   Paul was concerned about the potential divides in Christ’s church in Rome, many of them ethnically caused, but also brought about by pride (Romans 14:1-15:3) and false teaching (16:17-18). It’s into this section Paul offers his readers Jesus freely offered in the Gospel, and makes applications: “ For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesu...
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"Great and Amazing Are Your Deeds!" - 25 January 2026.

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  With all of those who conquered the beast and its image, and with our brothers and sisters world over, we lift our hearts with the song of Moses and the Lamb: “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed” (Revelation 15:3b-4). O Lord God the Almighty, whose deeds are great and amazing: you have not only called to yourself men, women, girls and boys from every tribe, tongue, and town, but you have been faithful and called us into the fellowship of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Corinthians 1:9). We pray for all of your people on every continent, our own congregation, Bethany Church of Christ, Bridge Creek, Britton Road, and Green Pastures Church of Christ. Bring us all to happily submit ourselves to your Scriptures as the final rule of faith and life, not ju...
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Prayer for Revival and Reformation Pt 3

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  (Picture taken by John of Dallas. Rural Oklahoma Church building in Southeastern Oklahoma) [The following is from my letter to my congregation on 21 January 2026] We have been praying for the revival and reformation of God’s church in U.S. the last couple of weeks ( Pt 1 and Pt 2 ). But now I want us to be a little more limited and pray for revival and reformation of God’s church in Oklahoma. As I look around our fine State I see plenty of churches. And if the number of cars on the roadways and in church parking lots on Sunday morning are a real indication, then the number of church-going people in Oklahoma is much higher than in several other States in the Union. But all might not be so rosy. For example, if 30% of the citizens of Oklahoma are part of a congregation, that means 70% of Oklahomans aren’t part of a church. On the one hand, we have a lot of work to do in this State just in the area of evangelism. On the other hand, if 30% (ish) are regularly in churches, and hearin...
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"To Him be the Glory Forever" - 18 January 2026

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  With Paul, all the Apostles, the saints and martyrs who have gone before, along with our brothers and sisters world over, we lift our hearts in adoration saying: Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen (Romans 11:33-36). O God, deep in riches, wisdom and knowledge: we pray for your one, holy, catholic and apostolic church, to include this congregation and Village Christian, Western Oaks Christian, Christ’s Church Yukon, and Greater Cleaves Memorial Church. Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old (Lamentations 5:21). Rouse the hearts of your church in this land to humbly seek you, instead of other sources of success and prominence, power or ...
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"No Hopeless Future: Expositions on the Book of Ruth" by Dale Ralph Davis. A Review.

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  The biblical book of Ruth is a short, gritty, witty, and chancy little work. Four chapters full of grief and questions, risk and surprises. Then Dale Ralph Davis, one time professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary and pastor, comes along and adds to the adventure of Ruth a 96-page paperback, "No Hopeless Future: Expositions on the Book of Ruth." The title succinctly announces the focus of Davis's work and the message of Ruth. Together the reader should walk away confirmed in the recognition that " God takes common and complicated circumstances in the lives of his people and makes them contribute to the coming of his kingdom in this world " (pg. 95). The chapters are Davis's sermons on Ruth from when he was pastoring Woodland Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Hattiesburg, Mississippi several years ago. A teenage young man heard those sermons, and then years later, while a Major in the United States Marine Corps, found the audio recordings and t...
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Prayer for Revival and Reformation Pt 2

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  (From my letter to the congregation sent out on 14 January 2026) Last week we began praying for the revival and reformation of God’s church in these United States of America (see Part 1 ). We also want to invite other believers to do the same with us. We continue this theme today from Zephaniah.   Zephaniah recorded how the Day of the LORD was coming upon God’s people. This short work is quite sobering. And it becomes quickly recognizable that the Day of the LORD in Zephaniah was a season of national judgment brought about through natural, social, political, local and regional catastrophe and calamity. It is a day of distress, anguish, ruin, devastation, darkness, gloom, armed conflict (1:15), and economic collapse (1:18).   And what is clear is that the arrival of the Day of the LORD is because God’s church had become so similar to the immoralities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Ekron, all of which were Philistines (1:2-6, 2:4). Many in God’s family were acting, re...
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