First Time Ever...

[David Flick]

.
.I've heard it said that there's a first time for everything. A "first time" event occurred for me this weekend. Watonga Indian Baptist Church (WIBC) is affiliated with the Oklahoma Indian American Baptist Association (OIABA), which is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches of the Central Region (ABCCR), which is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA (ABC-USA). Friday and Saturday the OIABA held their at Redstone Baptist Church, located half-way between Anadarko and Ft. Cobb.

The "first" ever experience for me was appearing on the same program in the same session with General Secretary of the ABC-USA and the Executive Minister of ABCCR. Never done that before. Pretty hefty stuff for a nobody like me.

Now I'm ready to go to heaven to rub shoulders with Peter & Paul...

[Jim]

The Flickster made it to the gate,
Rubbed shoulders with St. Pete, St. Paul…
They asked him “who he was” to state –
He simply said, “No one at all.”

St. Pete, St. Paul exchanged a wink
And said ol’ Flick was out of place
To even halfway start to think
Nobodies lived in Heaven’s space.

And so they said to poor ol’ Flick
Nobodies were not in the Book
Since only names would do the trick…
Nobodies were not worth a look.

They said to Flick he might go down –
A place where books were never kept –
Since only ashes marked the clown
Who welcomed no-ones, with respect.

[Ed Pettibone]

Ed: Jim when Flick referred to himself as a nobody he was speaking of the ABC-USA's ecclesiastical pecking order, not of his relation ship with the creator. David is still getting use to the differences in the ABC-USA and That other Baptist gorup that we once served in. But as they most often do, your poem rhymed quite nicely.

And Congratulations David! We did eat in the same restaurant with Roy M., at the NBC in Atlanta three years ago. But He also came to an ABCNYS Ministers council meeting, that I attended with Trudy. Also as you may recall, Tim B. served on the national board with Roy.

[Haruo]

Roy Medley's a nice guy.

[Tim Bonney]

[David Flick]

[David Flick]

[Tim Dahl]

Were you smiling in that pic? I can't tell.

Tim

[David Flick]

[Tim Dahl]

Granted, I'm not up on ABC church happenings, but you usually are so chipper and jolly! What is happening?

Tim

[Michael]

[Gene Scarborough]

Love the verse!!!!

Flick rhymes with so much like bick / sidekick / brick / quick / you name it!!! And who says we can't have fun and be religious!

Speaking of such, I note the wonderful newspaper article = 2 Santas and Native American helper!!! (my silly title)

It's Tuesday and I'm in a joyful mood. No harm intended! It's just nice to be around people who (mostly) have a sense of humor, ED!!!

On the Native American note---I live beside the Pamlico River where the first town in NC was established / Blackbeard was a resident / the first Governor, Supreme Court Justice, etc., etc., etc. walked!!! The "first anything" gets is history!

Anyway, I think often of those lovely Indian maids doing the majority of the hard work while men hunted and fished all day and were fed and cared for at night----and ask myself, "And just why did we call them 'heathens' and try to convert them to British ways / laws / land deeds / depleting a river and polluting it when they didn't / etc., etc., etc.?????"

Just a-thankin' out loud!!!