Today my thirteen-year-old son Logan and I begin a four day road trip across Oklahoma. I am researching the early Baptist mission work among the Native Americans and we will make our way to the old Fort Arbuckle in Southern Oklahoma, Fort Towson in Southeastern Oklahoma, Fort Gibson in Eastern Oklahoma and Mission Hill near Tahlequah in Northeastern Oklahoma. My son is the photographer and I am the interviewer as we will be preparing for a special presentation I will be making for Oklahoma's Centennial Celebration and the Cherokee Outlet Run Anniversary on September 16, 2007. We also will be interviewing a couple of professional golfers in Tulsa, Oklahoma, courtesy of my friend and deacon Herman Hackett. Logan told me to be sure and publicly thank Herman for his generosity in giving us the clubhouse passes for the PGA Tournament at Southern Hills -- Logan says it makes researching the Indians worth it! :)
In addition, today, August 6th, 2007, Rachelle and I celebrate our twenty-fourth wedding anniversary. I can honestly say I am more in love with my wife today than I was on our wedding day. She is not only a wonderful wife and mother, she is my best friend, my soulmate and an absolutely beautiful person in every sense of the word. In other words, she's still one hot mama! :)
Finally, our church is welcoming to our pastoral staff the soon to be Dr. Ben Cole. Culminating a two month long process, our Personnel Committee unanimously voted one week ago last Sunday night, and we announced yesterday morning, the hiring of Ben Cole, Pastor of Parkview Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas. Ben will help us in our small group and media ministries as well as other pastoral duties. Ben will be introduced to our church Sunday morning, August 19th, and he will be sharing with our church his testimony that night. Though he has already briefly worked with our staff in preparing for some of the technical and structual changes needed to launch our new ministries on September 2, he will play a key role in implementing some of those changes this fall. We all believe Ben will be able to contribute greatly to the people and ministries of Emmanuel Baptist Church. I know Parkview loves their pastor and we will be praying for them as they prepare for this time of transition.
Due to the upcoming road trip I will not be posting again until next week. Lord willing, I will respond to any comments or questions late tonight. Have a great week and God's blessings to you all.
In His Grace,
Wade Burleson
32 comments:
Happy Anniversary!
Ron P.
Wade,
Happy 24th Anniversary to You and Rachelle. Irene and I have our 50th coming up on the 21st of August.
I want to congratulate your Church for their calling Ben Cole to join in the ministry at Emmanuel Baptist Church. As I have told you many times that I see your Heart for the Lord and His Church. I also have seen Ben’s Heart for the Lord and His Church. God has a Great Team with the Two of you working together for His Glory.
In His Name
Wayne Smith
WOW . . . Wade & Ben under the same roof!!!! This will really be interesting! . . . all jokes aside, I pray the Lord's blessings upon Emmanuel!!
chadwick
Wade:
You didn't mention the part of my "job description" that involves counter-terrorism maneuvers in Valliant and Perkins, or that bit about my relaunching the trail of tears from those municipalities.
BSC
Wade,
The brief time I spent with you in Texas in the lobby of the Marriott and in Ben's suite revealed that Rachelle is a lovely woman both physically and spiritually. My heartiest congratulations to you both.
Also, congratulations to Ben on his impending move. I know he will be a great asset to your church.
Les
This is great news for Emmanuel.
I'm going to have to start making some road trips.
Congrats to you and Rachelle.
Agape
Wade:
I appreciate your commitment to Baptist history. Blessings on your trip and I look forward to hearing from the golfers!
Mark Hollingsworth
Ben,
Welcome to the staff of the greatest fellowship in Oklahoma and to the fellowship pastored by the greatest staff in Oklahoma. [Only my humble but accurate opinion.] :)
I think it only fair to now inform you that I am Pastor in-absentia of Emmanuel. Wade often forgets to inform new staff personnel of that, but I thought you ought to know. We will discuss how I like my coffee later.
There will be no problem I'm sure as I am a typical SBC Pastor, albeit in-absentia, so the only staff rule is I rule the staff.
All joking aside, welcome to a fellowship of people you will not believe and to a staff that knows how to love and respect one another as unique gifts from God. You're in for a real treat as, I believe, the church is also.
Wade,
Fort Towson is just over six miles from where I sit. If it's near meal time when you're there, stop by and let me treat you gentlemen to some of the great food at Dad's Big Belly BBQ.
You can then do a little recon for the upcoming counter-terrorism maneuvers. ;-)
Congratulations on the anniversary, and enjoy the trip.
Is it the Alamo? Anyway.
Ben, I'd like to extend your head-hunting safari to Shawnee, America, too. Just be careful of the anti-pejorative land mines which surround the countryside!
Happy Anniversary Wade and Rachelle. My husband and I both wish you more years of wedded bliss. We love you both.
Why is it everyone is moving to Oklahoma?
Come one, come all, to the center of the SBC blogospheric universe: Oklahoma. :)
Congrats, Rachelle. You deserve a medal. Wade, you deserve a medal, too, for marrying so far over your head. Then again, that is its own reward.
Have fun at the PGA. I am going tomorrow. :)
Holy cow! Our anniversary is today, too! Happy anniversary, Wade!
Jason
Wade: Small world! This year was our twenty-fourth anniversary too! Only in our case, it was the twenty-fourth anniversary of our twenty-fourth anniversary.
Happy anniversary to the two=one of you.
As to BSC joining your staff, will you accept an absentee member in service in Alabama, who wants to move his letter?
Happy Anniversary!
And grats on hiring a capable sparring partner for your ongoing career in aggilator rasslin'.
greg.w.h
p.s. i know you guys don't know me that well...so I have my right hand raised (so everyone knows it's supposed to be humor...a requirement we used to impose for all presentations at Johson Space Center when I worked there) and my tongue firmly in cheek.
Happy Anniversary, Wade & Rachelle, and good luck straightening out Ben's political views.
I have to ask, though - who's gonna mow the lawn around Pecan Manor now?
Steve Austin
Congratulations, congratulations and congratulations.
Good news all around!
First of all, Happy Anniversary!
Second, congratulations on the addition of your new staff member. ;-), I never imagined Enid, Oklahoma would become a bastion of opposition to the conservative resurgence in the SBC (kidding, of course!).
Third, as a history buff myself, and with a special interest in the history of the Westward movement, I've spent a good amount of time in Tahlequah, Ft. Gibson, Stilwell and around that area. I've been to the Trail of Tears drama and Cherokee Heritage Center and the museum there, it's first class stuff.
If Art is right about everyone moving to Oklahoma then maybe there is hope for this wayward son to return to his native land someday. Which train do I catch?
Congrats to Ben. Wade, I would be interested in your research. Will you give us a sample on this blog?
Wade,
Congratulations on your 24th anniversary. May God bless you and your family by granting you another 24 years of marital bliss.
We celebrated ours by my going on a music mission trip to Monterrey, Mexico. Of course, we have plans to "make up" our traditional celebration soon.
I am very interested in your research on the beginning of Baptist mission work among the Native Americans in Oklahoma. My grandfather did mission work in North Louisiana in the early part of the 19th century. You inspire me to do some research on the churches he started there.
Glad to hear of Ben's "promotion" but sorry to see him leave, since I had hoped to be able to visit after moving here. But our loss is Enid's gain.
By the way, our son-in-law's parents live in Enid, and attend a Baptist church that needs a pastor.
You're putting Ben Cole on staff...wow...I hope you're well stocked with aspirin or Tylenol Wade.
Oh...happy anniversary!
have a great trip!
Fox -
Aspirin and Tylenol aren't all that Wade needs to stock up on, this might come in handy too.
:)
Dorcas
oh my goodness Dorcas...I almost fell out of my chair in laughter! that is classic!
Dorcas,
Wade is advised to use extreme caution should he decide to wash down the tylenol with a gulp of fire water:
SIDE EFFECTS: When used appropriately, side effects are rare. The most serious side effect is liver damage due to large doses, chronic use or concomitant use with alcohol or other drugs that also damage the liver.
You are free to hire/call anyone to the staff of your church that you so desire and for whatever reason. However, if I were on the personnel committee of your church I would have had to ask why you were considering someone for the position of "media minister" whose church does not even have a web site. It would seem to me that one of the key components of media today would be a web presence. Other than Cole's blog, I can find no web presence for his soon to be former fellowship. I just find that interesting. I would want to know why Parkview did not have a web site.
Tulsa OK is so unbearable in August that Tiger Woods, on the day before the PGA (one of the major tourneys around which he orders his life) chose not to play a practice round, for probably the first time.
ONE person ONLY told me a story that every year Satan lets his top ten demons take a vacation during the PGA tournament, but thie year, with the PGA in Tulsa, they all stayed home.
Steve A
Anonymous,
Thanks for the anonymous advice. It is anonymously rejected. :)
By the way, Dr. Cyril Kumar from India is our technical internet person on staff.
Ben will be responsible for content, not tech.
Wade: WRT Anonymous' comment, one might ponder what effect Rev. Cole's web presence has had, on SBC matters, to date. I can assure you it is many, many times the effect that our own church's website has had.
I've gotten to know Ben over the past 12 months or so, in person, over meals, drinking coffee, hearing him preach, reading his writing, hearing him teach a Sunday School class, pick others' brains as how best to go about attaining a worthy goal, etc.
Excellent choice for Emmanuel.
Whoops .. that last comment was me. I'm on a different computer
anonymous,
Is there really any question why Ben Cole has his own web site and not his church? If there is then you have not had much experience with Ben Cole.
BH- Carl
Wade:
Not trying to pour salt in our mutual friend David Flick's wound--I don't think he is wounded; I was just kidding him about bringing books to your Meal soon there in Enid.
But I do hope you and Ben cole can make time to begin an immediate reading of Charles Marsh and Randall Balmer's latest books.
Wayward Christian Soldiers and Thy Kingdom Come.
Follow Marsh back to his book God's Long Summer as there is some exquisite thinking there about the abuse of EY Mullins and lack of prophetic preaching.
Hope things otherwise are well.
You and BC join as Bl.com when you can.
Here is their latest takedown of me
Reply with quoteReport this post Re: Flick
by Joseph Patrick on Mon Aug 13, 2007 8:41 pm
David Flick wrote:
fox wrote:
I want you and UP and Dr. Gourley to do a fundraiser--get Buddy Shurden in on it if you have to--and go to this meal with Marsh and Balmer's, book and and Harold Bloom's The American Religion. We got to keep Burleson and Cole thinking while they're thinkin
I see that wink, Fox, but I think you're more than half serious. Several comments:
First, this is Wade Burleson's deal. It's his meeting and I'm invited out of friendship because he and I happen to reside in the same Oklahoma town. I'm to be his guest and I'm not about to barge in with some sort of grand political agenda designed to keep Wade and Ben thinking about anything. That would be incredibly rude.
Second, I'm not going to barge into this meeting with books of any sort, be they Marsh's, Balmer's, or Bloom's. That would be absurd. I loaned Wade a book awhile back, but there was no political agenda attached to my loaning the book.
Third, I'm not into fundraisers. And I'm definitely not into initiating fundraisers. For anything. Period. I don't know about Uncle Prentice, but I don't believe Bruce or Buddy Shurden are into fundraising either. They are both into Baptist History. Fundraising for political purposes is the farthest thing from their minds.
Fourth, As Wade's guest, I have no right to invite anyone to this meeting. For that matter, you have no right to suggest that I invite others as guests to this meeting. Neither Uncle Prentice, Bruce Gourley, nor Buddy Shurden have been invited and I don't expect to see them there. I'm embarrassed that you would suggest, even with a wink in your eye, such a blatantly absurd idea.
I hand it to you, Fox, you come up with some of the craziest darned ideas I've ever heard...
From Joseph Patrick...
Foxy, thanks for asking David the question you did, his answer saved me from major embarrassment of asking the self-same question myself...but would like someday to see ALL of these notable Baptists in the same town.
Grace and Peace,
Joseph Patrick
Selah,
Stephen Fox
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