Okay – I forgot today was Wordless Wednesday. Technically, I think I’m supposed to put in a picture and nothing more. BUT – would ya’ll settle for Buddy Greene on the harmonica at Carnagie Hall? I hope so. You’ll have to turn off my player found on the lower right side of my blog – This video clip is too good. So please enjoy.
A Rose is a Rose
Losing all three of my pine trees out front left my yard looking more than a little sad. The sun is strong in Oklahoma and my house faces East. I thought the gaping hole left by my trees would be the perfect spot for a rose garden.
Building this garden took work, but wasn’t quite as difficult as I had thought. Friends of ours had just purchased a home in the hills of Keystone Lake and had rocks they were digging out of their yard – two wrongs don’t make a right. They learned that those rocks are what kept the dirt in place, and I learned moving roses wasn’t very bright.
Being the homicidal horticulturist in denial, I made a lot of rookie mistakes. I built the edging just fine. Found the right mixture of black dirt, compost and fertilizer, but do you notice that my roses are in bloom? I moved them without pruning them. I also moved them without checking for disease. Turns out, my roses had fireblight. I’m not sure how it started, but one went down and took the rest with them.
This is the last rose I saw before I had to dig out my new bed and start again.
Ablaze Church, Outreach Continues
One of our core values as a mission start is to be a vital part of the community. We do this by hosting events and giving back to the families in Northern Broken Arrow.
Team members have served lunch for local school teachers on numerous occasions. We’ve also collected food for the local food bank Broken Arrow Neighbors and we even held a fall festival to celebrate Reformation.
Errick and Jen headed up our fall festival and we put into practice the things we learned from our Egg Hunt. 1. Walkie Talkies 2. It was 100 % outdoors. We rented a stage from Tulsa Parks, and had several bands playing through out the day. There were about 100 or so people from the community through out the afternoon. Everyone enjoyed themselves and our fall festival is going to become an annual event.
Come summer, we’ll have car washes and free concerts including local musicians and Christian comedians.
We are starting to “get it” if you will. We’ve learned in our two plus years together that God doesn’t so much as call the equipped as he equips the called. Our team has changed over the years. Some of our original team members have gone on to lead in other places, and new members have come in.
One of the other things we do have, and need is group bible study. Once a month we meet as team at Our Savior and we are studying the book, Leadership from the Inside Out. This is our time to regroup, recharge, and renew.
What makes our mission team unique is that we are all leaders in our home congregation as well. We lead the youth group, teach Sunday school for youth and adults, play in our church praise team and do outreach there as well. On Saturdays we lead worship at Ablaze, on Sundays we rest and worship with our home congregation. It’s sometimes harder this way – belonging to two churches – and yet it’s easier because we have a place to rest.
I once asked someone who travels and speaks, “How do you lead worship and still worship yourself?” and she sent me back to Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”
Our team submits themselves to God, with great joy. This is our spiritual act of worship.
Ablaze Church Egg Hunt 2008, Broken Arrow
Our first Easter Egg Hunt at Ablaze Church was such a success and we were so inspired by the turn out, that we decided to host another one in 2008. Our team wanted to do a joint venture with Lord of Life across town and both teams had so much fun, planning, stuffing, buying things that we just knew God was going to bless our endeavor and use us to bless the neighborhood. We got to know people at LOL and they got to know us and we had so much fun planning this together.
We had over 8,000 eggs stuffed with candy and a lot of prizes. We had juice and cookies, live music and a message from pastor. We prayed for good weather. This was going to be awesome!
We learned a lot that year.
We learned that there is more to planning such an event than good intentions. We learned that we should have been outside, and that the need for such an event was larger than we could have imagined. Both churches settled in and set up and waited for the 750 people we were sure would show up.
We underestimated the crowds. Oh, we had 750 people all right give or take an additional 1,500. Mostly give. Our group of 50 volunteers wasn’t enough.
We learned so many things being over run. People kept filing in, and past the cafeteria to a holding place in the gym and finally to out back where our team of hunt coordinators waited – there were no walkie talkies between us, and no way of managing this crowd. While people inside worshipped, people outside broke past our lines and took all 8,000 eggs. Leaving about 1,000 people without anything.
Some of us ran for the hills, following in Peter’s footsteps of “I don’t know them.” Some of us tried to manage angry crowds from out front and some of us jumped under the prize pavilion splitting up prize baskets and handing out candy to the kids who didn’t get any.
We had things thrown at us, we watched parents walk right up and steal baskets from out of our hands saying their kid didn’t get anything and deserved it. We were sworn at, spit on, and screamed at – all by adults and in front of their children and ours.
Someone even stole my son’s digital camera.
Not all ministry events go as planned.
What I remember most about the day though, isn’t the screaming, crying (myself) and swearing. What I remember is watching our team (that stayed) take off their He is Risen shirts that we had made for the day and pass them out. I remember several neighborhood families jumping into the pavilion with us and drawing their swords at the angry crowd to help and defend us. We gathered up as much candy as we could, split up all the prizes that were left and passed out everything we had – including for some, the shirt off our own backs.
When it was all over, we threw away all of the previous entries for the drawing of the free bikes, and let everyone who stayed fill out a new entry and we gave the bikes away to two families.
We wanted to be Christ with skin on, we wanted to minister to the community in which we serve, and they ministered to us.
Mission work is not always fun, not always easy, nor does it always turn out the way we want. We left the school that day heartbroken, angry, and hurt – hurting not for ourselves but for the overwhelming needs that we saw.
See – we prayed over those eggs. We prayed that each person who touched an egg would be filled to the measure they needed with the Holy Spirit – we discerned some simply had greater need than others.
We all went home after the hunt, for a little while to rest before church started that evening. I went home, drank a glass of wine, cried and prayed. Then we came back at 7:00 to worship the one and only living God. 100% God, and 100% man. He too knows the crowds. He too was mocked, spit upon, sworn at and rejected. In His death and ressurection we find our life.
We all came back – every one of us to praise the living King and to thank him for the glimpse we got into the hurting of his people. And yet, one family of five stayed – and is still with us and they bring friends. Two more families remember us, and visit from time to time to pray with us and encourage us.
We made mistakes. We didn’t count the crowd and have a cut off. We didn’t have walkie talkies to communicate across campus. We didn’t have security. We over advertised. We were ill prepared.
But not this year. This year, we are trying again. This year, God willing, we will be prepared for those he sends us.
I am His Beloved, but is He Mine?
If God could write a Valentine today, what would it look like? What would He say? Would it be flowers and prose? A card from Hallmark, or maybe a rose?
If God were to write a Valentine today, What would it look like? What would He say? Would it be candy or something as sweet? A box of dark chocolates? Now that would be neat.
But that doesn’t quite do it. Its not quite his style. No, He’d probably think and ponder a while. He’d keep it simple. And that would be best.
“Come home to me Valentine, and I’ll give you rest.”
My Dearest Valentine,
You were, and are still, my first true love, created for my pleasure. Your parents gave you a name at birth. I have my own name for you. I call you “Beloved”. Do you know? Do you remember? Or have you forgotten?
I called the heavens and the earth into being with my voice, yet I saved you for my hands to create. I am still creating, making you more and more into my image, even as you live and breathe. Can you feel my touch? Have you seen my fingerprints? Your name is carved into the palms of my hand. Nothing can snatch you away. Not even your sin. I knew you would fall and I created you anyway. I already had a plan worked out from the beginning of time, so that I might keep you by my side.
I came down to be with you. To eat, sleep, walk, dance, and touch you. I gave you my time, my love, and my life. Your time, your love, your life and your faith and more precious to me than silver or Gold. Do you weigh the cost? I did.
Did you see the sunshine I sent you today? I wanted to watch it shine off your hair and in your eyes. Did you feel the warmth? Did you hear the songbirds? I wrote that song just for you. Does my music fill your heart? Yours does mine. Oh, how I love to hear you sing. And that breeze? It’s me caressing your face like I did for Elijah. Did you notice me? Do you hear the leaves rustle in the trees? That’s my whisper. Can you hear me?
I can’t wait until you see what I have in store for you on Easter morning! Will you be there? Will you see me? Or will you miss it? Please be still beloved and know that I am God and that you are my first true love. Would only that I could be yours.
So tell me Beloved, will you be my Valentine?
Love,
God
Copywrite: Deana O’Hara, Red Bridges Home 2009
Winter Storm Part Two
I couldn’t complain really. About the storm I mean. Tens of thousands of people were without heat, electricity and water for weeks. We were lucky because even though we lost power, we had a fireplace and we had hot water. Clean hot water, which is more than a lot of people.
Friends with chainsaws helped other friends remove debris. Friend’s with power let other friends stay with them. We spent the first three days at home, huddled up in front of our fireplace, and cooking on our gas grill, thinking this will pass in a day or two. We were wrong. By the third day we stayed with my Dad, he had power. 
These aren’t my photos – but if you want to see more about how widespread the impact was and how hard American Electric Power worked during this time period – see their link.
It’s Probably Just My Thyroid – A Night with Anita
Grace Fellowship in Tulsa Oklahoma hosted a night with Christian Comedienne Anita Renfroe and what a night it was. From the looks of it, the place sold out and the room was filled with women (and about six token males)who came to laugh and be encouraged. – Not to be crass, but if you are over 40 – come poise protected. If you are over 40, you know what I mean and that’s all I’m gonna say about that.
I’ve seen Anita on Good Morning America, and most of the world knows her from her Youtube video Momsense. She also travels with Women of Faith. This woman is a crack up. She’s written books like The Purse-Driven Life, and If you Can’t lose it, Decorate it . Both of which I own. I read those books and I feel normal. She is every woman I’ve ever met. Anita and her husband also wrote a devotional book for marrieds called, “Songs in the Key of Solomon:In the Word and in the Mood. another great book.
Anita speaks to the heart of all women, mostly the over 40 set, who are coming into their own and learning not only who they are in Christ, but who they are in real life.
I like Anita – a lot. And spending time with my girlfriends, at Anita’s Concert, laughing ourselves stupid, was probably the best way I can think of to spend a Thursday night.
25 Random things about me.
Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.
1. I was born near Syracuse NY and raised in: Buffalo NY, Bridgeport NY, Endicott NY, Cleveland OH, Cincinnati OH, Columbus OH, Atlanta GA, Fort Walton Beach FL, Detroit MI, Southfield MI, Redford MI. – I’e also lived in Sweden, IL and OK.
2. I’m an artist – I love scrapbooking, photography, and designing jewlery.
3 – I have a knack for speaking first and thinking – eventually – making my husband laugh from under a lot of tables and my pastor to hang his head and blush. – I call it being a UFO – Unintentionally Funny Orator. Basically that little filter from the brain to the mouth – doesn’t work.
4. I met my husband at work in Chicago 20 years ago and wouldn’t go out with him until he told me that he played guitar in a rock band – true story.
5. I love a lot of people but don’t get to spend nearly as much time with them as I would like.
6. I used to be an actress, my “claim to fame” was a Work Place Issues video filmed while I worked for Williams Companies. Depressing really, but I still have the video. It was my only paid acting gig, ever.
7. I used to think I knew who I was until I realized that I spent the first 40 years of my life defining myself by how I thought others saw me. I lived to please others, and hurt myself a lot in the process.
8. If God lined up all of the teenage boys in the world and told me I could pick whichever two I wanted, I would pick Charlie and Dillon every time.
9. I love God with everything I have and I‘m learning to believe that the feeling is mutual.
10. Raising boys is harder than I thought it would be. I find myself saying things I never dreamed would ever come out of my mouth – phrases like “No you cannot drive your go cart off the roof to make it look like it’s flying for your video.” and “No you cannot send that frog into space. Please untie the helium balloons and use a GI Joe instead.” There are other phrases, but you get the gist.
11. I have a half sister I never really knew.
12. I left corporate America to be a stay home mom, and learned that staying home is harder than working for a corporation – but the benefits are fabulous and I’d do it again in a heart beat.
13. I am a bibliophile and have a room in my house dedicated to books and reading. I want to be an author and study other authors to learn how to write better.
14. I’m a really good cook – but don’t take the time as often as I’d like.
15. I actually love public speaking – I’m not sure if it’s because I was raised an only child by a single mom and think it’s all about me – or what. I tend to crave attention – mostly though – it’s just really fun for me today because it used to scare me.
16. There was a time when speaking in general terrified me, even if it was just to say hi to someone. I used to be so shy and so scared that I would literally shake in new situations. I preferred to be invisible, but secretly wished someone would notice me. Learning how to overcome that took years of prayer and practice.
17. I love facilitating Beth Moore Bible Studies (personal hero)- and I love going to our Mom’s Group at Church (Bad Girls of the Bible) and just hanging with my friends.
18. I love praise and worship music and I love the old hymns. I believe that both bring pleasure to God. He looks to the heart of man, and I’m thankful for that because my singing ain’t all that great.
19. I wasn’t raised in the church – and when I finally joined one, it took me years to get over the fear of being kicked out. – That’s what happens when you look through broken glasses. – I didn’t really know what Grace was until I experienced a personal failure and then got drowned by Grace in ways I still cannot put into words. – I actually turned in my ministry resignation to God that year – funny thing is, he acted like he never saw it and just kept pouring out more and more gifts and opportunities to serve. I’ll never figure him out.
20. When I was growing up I wanted to be, a circus clown, an actress, or married to a rock star. – uhm.. Goals were not my strong suit. – so I married an up an coming rock star – who is now a praise and worship leader on top of his full time corporate career – and is strongly studying to be a worship pastor and I’m thinking God has an amazing sense of humor.
21. I love Oklahoma, but wish we did not live so far away from my family. We’ve been here for 16 years and we didn’t’ get to see our nieces and nephews grow up, and my boys don’t know their cousins. And I think that’s sad.
22. I have the heart of an artist – and weird (eclectic) taste in clothing.
23. I sometimes miss my corporate job – I audited line costs and kept track of regulatory pricing, negotiated local contracts with Bell Companies, designed long distance circuit layouts, and installed switches. I felt smart when I worked there – I have had to remind myself sometimes that smart is smart no matter what you do and a career does not define my value. But I still miss it.
24. When I was 15, I wanted to be an exchange student. I didn’t’ think I could, but I applied any way. The essay question was tell me about your life. I wanted to throw it away but an adult friend told me to tell the truth and turn it in. I lived in a single parent home, my mom only made about $10k per year and she was a recovering alcoholic. I’d moved almost 15 times in my life, my grades were B’s, our house was only about 1,000 sf – I knew the competition – kids from two parent homes with stay home mom’s and straight A’s. – I didn’t think I stood a chance. He knew all the lofty “right” answers – his favorite author was Shakespeare and mine was Erma Bombeck. I really thought there was no way.
After the essay – I was first runner up – then came the interview – this is what they told me – “Because of what recovery has done for your family, and the life issues that you have overcome, which have made you stronger – we believe you are the right candidate” – And just like that I got to be a Rotary International Exchange Student and live in Sweden for a year and they paid for the whole thing – I even got to go to the Nobel Awards and meet the King (which would be when I told him he was shorter than I thought he’d be. ) That’s when I really learned that my past can be my greatest asset.
25. For this decade in my life, I’m exploring the world God has called me into – studying everything I can get my hands on – learning public speaking, writing sketches and learning stand up. I’m learning how to find the courage to say “I want to learn from you.” I’m learning about who I am – and more and more about who He is – and I feel like I’m falling in love all over again.
What is Your Mission Statement?
I’m busy today, looking for lost car keys, picking up my kitchen and finishing forms that I procrastinated on. It’s Anti-Procrastination Day – a day late. Leave it to me to be behind on a scheduled day.
I’m a little off this week, what with my hardrive crashing on my lap top and trying to get that fixed and here we are on Thursday and I’m having to remind myself that “I’m not behind, just jump in where ever I am.”
I am too behind, I’m just trying not to get anxiety over it.
While answering the last few questions on my form that has to be mailed no later than tomorrow – I’m stuck on the “What is your mission statement” question. I really don’t have one, and I know they are popular and all, but I’ve never really thought about that one long enough to actually write one out.
If I could have one – I know it would be similar to these paragraphs by Henri Nouwen, from The Wounded Healer. (pp 38-39)
“The key word here is articulation. The man who can articulate the movements of his inner life, who can give names to his varied experiences, need no longer be a victim of himself, but is able slowly and consistently to remove the obstacles that prevent the spirit from entering. He is able to create space for Him whose heart is greater than his, whose eyes see more than his, and whose hands can heal more than his.
This articulation, I believe, is the basis for a spiritual leadership of the future, because only he who is able to articulate his own experience can offer himself to others as a source of clarification. The Christian leader is, therefore, first of all, a man who is willing to put his own articulated faith at the disposal of those who ask his help. In this sense he is a servant of servants, because he is the first to enter the promised but dangerous land, the first to tell those who are afraid what he has seen, heard and touched.
….the minister tries to help people to recognize the work of God in themselves. The Christian leader, minister or priest, is not one who reveals God to his people-who gives something he has to those who have nothing-but one who helps those who are searching to discover reality as the source of their existence. In this sense we can say that the Christian leader leads man to confession, in the classic sense of the word: to the basic affirmation that man is man and God is God, and that without Go, man cannot be called man…it is a deep human encounter in which a man is willing to put his own faith and doubt, his own hope and despair, his oven light and darkness at the disposal of others who want to find a way through their confusion, and touch the solid core of life. In this context preaching means more than handing over a tradition; it is rather the careful and sensitive articulation of what is happening in the community so that those who listen can say: “You say what I suspected, you express what I vaguely felt, you bring to the fore what I fearfully kept in the back of my mind. yes, yes-you say who we are, you recognize our condition…”
Emphasis mine.
I am not in the place of the Holy Spirit, I cannot reveal God to you or anyone else. I can only travel as a fellow sojourner, it isn’t even my place to hand over tradition as if in following that, we find God. All I can be is one who helps those who are searching, find their source. I like this thought right here, the minister tries to help people to recognize the work of God in themselves. The Christian leader, minister or priest, is not one who reveals God to his people-who gives something he has to those who have nothing-but one who helps those who are searching to discover reality as the source of their existence.
Somewhere in there is the answer to the question on the page, and maybe a clarifying thought for myself.
To quote John the Baptist, “I am not the Christ.” – But I can help you see him, by finding Him in me.
Easter 2007, Ablaze Church
I can remember the awe over having 500 people show up for our first ever community egg hunt at Ablaze. Seeing the faces, the families and the children just filled our hearts with joy. 
Tina Funkhauser and I led the kids in songs while everyone was coming in. 
We did have to change a few things like bring the inflatable into the gym of the school, and we actually ran out of parking. People began parking along 209th East Avenue and walked to the school. But you know, it was okay. Things did get a little cozy after a while, nobody seemed to mind. Everyone was in a good mood. Everyone who came in was treated to hot chocolate, music by Zion’s Fire, and a great Easter message by Pastor Dreier. We also gave away t-shirts made just for that day that said Ablaze Live Church so that people would remember where to come back.
Say “goodnight” Emma!
Deana O'Hara - Speaker, Comedian, Writer 
