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For ever and ever amen
How long is forever? Can anyone really understand eternity? We, as Christians, want to live forever, but do we really understand just how long or even what that is? I have talked to many people over the years and the definitions I get of eternity...
What will I do now?
The Lite-N-Nite convenience store on the west end of Alva caught fire this week, and that was where I met some of my friends and got drinks. It will take more fuel to get to the other watering holes....
Tall orders, part 2
As we saw previously, one of the big advantages the North had during the Civil War was that it had many more people available for military service than did the South. Ultimately, this disparity in...
A red-letter reminder
I don’t know about your God, but MY God sends me reminders every day – reminders of what I am supposed to be doing, who I am supposed to be listening to and who I am not. Sometimes I listen so intently that I hear every word; however, most of the...
Bullies
One of the topics I have wanted to write about is my thoughts about bullies. From first glance, a bully is an intimidating person. Usually they appear strong, have a loud and/or menacing voice, wear...
To hurting moms and kids everywhere
One of Andy’s fondest memories is early morning coffee with his mom. Coming in from doing farm chores, he would find her pouring for both of them. Then when he went off to college, he would return o...
Sentience
“Chicken in the bread pan pickin’ out dough, Granny does your dog bite? No child, no.” – Charlie Daniels. Have you ever pondered animal capacity to perceive environment, feel pain and experience emoti...
Emergency drought commission, tuition bills signed
Last week was quiet for the Senate except for conference committee work. One of my bills, HB2282, must go through the Conference Committee to restore the title. Once this occurs, then it will head to...
Talking about spam in texts and emails
Monday, someone in the office was complaining about a scammer trying to tell her someone would be serving her with a summons. Tuesday, I had an email telling me I needed to update my email program by...
Water usage bill vetoed
For the first time, one of my House bills was vetoed by the governor. House Bill 3194 would have ensured that permitted, high-volume, industrial water and commercial water wells monitored by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board are reporting their...
Grieving
According to Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, there are five states of grief, and they’re outlined in her book “On Death and Dying.” Some people are so busy they don’t have time to grieve, so there becomes...
Where do toddlers spend eternity?
Hmmm … this is evidently an often-thought-about and frequently asked question, along with many other thought-provoking ones, like: If a baby dies, does that infant go to heaven automatically? And w...
To be successful, keep looking tanned?
Years ago, when I was a young man desperately trying to change my life and figure out how to get ahead, I read numerous books about successful people. One of the most curious characters I read about...
Standing up to adversity
Deb and I, mostly Deb, started around 300 tomato seeds. Dang near every one of those things came up and grew. We used premium seeds. We used water out of Deb’s aquarium to water them. We used grow lights to give the proper amount of light. The c...
Tall orders, part 1
As we saw recently, the U.S. Civil War was a 4-year-long ordeal that led to the death of three-quarters of a million Americans. The war also, however, saved the Union from being split in two and led...
Freedom of speech is on its way out
The House has passed a law making it illegal to say anti-Semitic things about Jews. They said it needed to be passed because of the college students’ protests. I think it is your right to voice y...
Sometimes ignorance is bliss
One evening last week I ran across a post selling a nice looking 2012 car with 77,000 miles on it for $2,500. I had a friend looking for a car and this would fit the bill. One of my other friends was...
Nothing civil about it
Every year when April rolls around, it is time to start thinking of pleasant things like the start of a new baseball season and the optimistic weather of springtime with new growth signaling that wint...
Doubt does not equal unbelief
This past Friday and Saturday evenings I attended a men’s conference in Laverne. Somewhere around 75 men from different churches and different communities came together and enjoyed fellowship, worship and scripture. It was a great couple of e...
Locked up and secure – or scary?
Do they bother you? Do walls and fences cause claustrophobia in you? How about locked doors and gates? Do they bring about a fierce need to find the key and escape? The obvious answer for most of us...
Escaping boring conversations
Have you ever been dragged into a one-sided chat that droned on with no end in sight? There is an art to extracting yourself graciously without insult or injury. According to Elizabeth Bernstein in...
4-H, ag, military kids recognized in busy week at the Capitol
Last week started with “Purple Up! For Military Kids Day.” Representative Dobrinski and I authored Senate Concurrent Resolution 20 (SCR20), which designates April 15 as Purple Up! For Military Kids Da...
University and community combine for impressive musical production
Wow, northwest Oklahoma has a lot of talented people! Friday night, I attended the musical “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva. I’ve been to musical...
Protecting our courts
The House last week failed Senate Joint Resolution 34, which sought to dismantle the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) and would instead have asked voters to allow the governor to appoint judges...
Carl's Capitol Comments
The House last week failed Senate Joint Resolution 34, which sought to dismantle the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) and would instead have asked voters to allow the governor to appoint judges...
