Dear NEO family,

What a beautiful week in Northeast Oklahoma! Hope it stays that way over the holiday weekend! What do you have on the schedule for the weekend? Many of our students will be with a thousand other students at Extravaganza 09 at SNU. Whatever else you do (yard work, round of golf, etc.), I hope you have a barbeque with family or friends and an energizing worship experience with your church family.

Can you believe we are only 9 days away from our Annual Celebration of Mission and Ministry? I know we will have hundreds of delegates and guests for the three days of conventions and assembly. I hope those who cannot join us for the business will make a special effort to join us for the three evening services. I am so excited about the services. Besides great music and preaching, we will stories of God’s work in our midst – youth making a difference, progress of three NewStart churches; “Cardboard Testimonies” from Celebrate Recovery (you will be talking about this for weeks!) and more.

My experience in two churches this week lifted my spirits. Sunday I had the privilege of attending one of our NewStart Churches – Connection Church, led by Pastor Brad Farnsworth. Do you ever wonder if our new preachers know how to communicate the holiness message to a young audience? If so, I wish you could have heard Brad preach on purity of heart in his “Happy Don’t Live Here” series last week! The message was compelling and clear. Thanks, Brad.

Wednesday night I went to the Wednesday night community dinner at Skiatook. After dinner and Pastor Jesse Madaffari’s devotional, I met with many of the congregation to discuss what God is doing within the congregation. I heard new families tell of coming and experiencing love and acceptance. I heard may ways this small church is making a big impact in this community with their love and sacrificial service. There is unity and harmony as they join hands in mission. Thanks, Jesse and the Skiatook family!

Here are pictures of recent visits: (I don’t have Skiatook yet!)

BA Connection, May 17, 2009
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Abt2TZizYsWTJag&emid=sharshar&linkid=link5&cid=EMsharshar

Owasso, May 10, 2009
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Abt2TZizYsWTJSA&emid=sharshar&linkid=link5&cid=EMsharshar

Drumright, May 3, 2009
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Abt2TZizYsWTJLg&emid=sharview&linkid=link5&cid=EMsharview

And don’t forget to check out our website: http://neonaz.org/


Thanks to all of you who gave so generously to make sure our connectional budgets were paid! Do you ever wonder if paying your Pensions and Benefits budget really impacts anyone in NEO? Well, it does. This past year, as usual, we received more benefit dollars than we paid. NEO churches paid $155,315 this past year, but received benefits totaling $213,036. $143,514 was paid in Basic Pension benefits to our district ministers and widows; $53,500 was deposited in our minister’s Nazarene 403(b) accounts; $8,972 was used to pay life insurance claims and $3790 was given in emergency medical assistance.

THANKS FOR PAYING YOUR P & B BUDGET! IT IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

AN OLD FARMER'S ADVICE

(provided to me by Mollie Myers)
* Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

*Keep skunks and bankers at a distance. (sorry Josh, Mike and others!)

*Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

* A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

* Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.

* Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.

* Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.

* Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

* It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge

* You cannot unsay a cruel word.

* Every path has a few puddles.

* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

* The best sermons are lived, not preached.

* Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.

* Don't judge folks by their relatives.

* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

* Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.

* Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't bothering you none.

* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain dance.

* If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

* Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

* The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with watches you from the mirror every mornin'.

* Always drink upstream from the herd.

* Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
* Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.

* If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
* Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply.Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.--
Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.

Have a blessed weekend! You are loved!