Facebook friends; to be? or not to be...

Friends, Romans, and Countrymen, lend me your ears!
Do you wanna be my Facebook friend? Well then, let me enlighten you on a few of my "rules"...
1. DON'T SEND ME FARMVILLE INVITES!!! Yes, that was all caps.
2. please don't bore me with posts like "I'm going to bed" or "I'm awake now".
3. Make sure the words supercell, tornado, storm chaser, lightning, or any other weather words are not part of your Facebook "name", please!
4. Please honor my Christian convictions by not posting exceptionally rude, nasty, or dirty posts in your status updates. I respect your choices in your lifestyle, please respect mine.
5. Keep in mind that while I welcome questions from new chasers, spotters, and the like but please PLEASE do not act like a veteran chaser when you're not. That will get you on the dreaded chaser blacklist fast!!

These new rules are a direct result of a "friend" that decided to get cute and post something really nasty in his status, sparking a whole host of other nasty remarks. Now please keep in mind that I am very tolerant up to a point, but when that point is breached, then I'm done. Now I don't mind occasional four-letter words now and then, but this dude's post was totally off the charts. Trust me, I am not Mr. Perfect either, and I don't want to come off like that. But knowing that I am a youth pastor, I cannot let my youth friends see that I in any way condone that sort of garbage (speaking of the nasty stuff).

Wow, that sounds kind of uppity, huh? Despite the way that it sounds, I do consider it a privilege to have so many friends on FB and I wish to keep it that way, but I cannot and will not tolerate junk posts like this fella posted yesterday.

Respectfully,
Jeff

R.I.P. Playoff Beard!! July 13 2008-June 13 2009

Remember my post from back in July about the "playoff beard" that I was growing in support of my best friend Mike? Well, I have great news! It's gone!! Mike is now cancer free--praise the Lord!!!! He should go home today from his surgery to correct his "innards" and life will get back to normal for my brother and best friend!! Thanks to all for your prayers & support!!!

Update on Mike/Mission of Compassion-Mena

Well, it’s over---almost!! You have probably been wondering about my best friend Mike Borrell. As you remember, Mike was diagnosed with colon cancer last year and has been through a ton of chemo and radiation, a major surgery, and a LOT of pain. Well, I am very proud to be able to say that Mike took his last chemo treatment today!! I knew that God was going to see him through this mess and He is! Soon he will be officially cancer-free and I can shave my playoff beard off that I have worn since the beginning of this mess!!! The beard has been a constant reminder that my best friend is walking through a very difficult time and that I need to pray for him like never before. Mike, it’s been the fight of your life, but, with the Lord’s help, you have WON!! WAY TO GO MIKE!! WE ALL ARE PROUD OF YOU!!!!

I have a few pics of our Mission of Compassion to Mena posted on our new website. Click here to go to the site.

A couple of updates....

Wow! It's been awhile. Well first, I want to let everyone know that Ashlea is home! she went home Tuesday and is undergoing physical therapy at a local hospital. Thank you for your prayers on her behalf!!

My best friend Mike is doing ok--he has three more chemo treatments to go!! I am ready to shave my playoff beard and he is too!! As soon as we win the "championship", I will get to shave this ugly old beard off!!! Maybe Michelle will videotape the shaving & I can post it...lol....naaa!!

I am still learning my new Rebel XSI camera--I'll post a couple of pics soon.....

Random thoughts.....

I don't know what to write, but it's been too long since my last update so here goes some run-on sentences, poor grammar, random thoughts, and whatever else I can throw in to this ol' blog so get ready all my readers! (thanks mom!)-----and thanks, Heidi:)
Well, to start off, my friend Mike is doing ok. He takes chemo once every two weeks and the rest of the time he tries not to be too sick. Thanks to all who helped Mike throughout his very hard journey. He has only five more of these treatments to go!! Please keep him in your prayers!

I read today that two teenagers died in a crash in Pawnee County last night. You all know the burden that I have for kids and for them to stay out of trouble. Alcohol was involved and led to two needless deaths. Now 2 different families will have a very dark Christmas thanks to alcohol abuse.

Busy times are coming! The youth at church are working on a Christmas float for the Claremore Christmas parade! Come by & watch us in the parade this Saturday on main street.....starts at 6pm.

Lastly, stay tuned for a chaser get together/gathering...whatever you want to call it coming in January! I have to find a place to have it, but I wanna get chasers together to relieve a severe case of SDS:) we'll have food, soft drinks, and chasers are encouraged to bring their videos from the past to brag on!!!!

I press towards the Mark.....

You know, I didn't want to get out of bed this morning. We all have had this feeling, that the weight of our little world is too much. What makes us go on? For me, the Lord kindly reminds me that, while I have my own problems, things could be worse. From my best friend fighting cancer, to another friend whose marriage is not going well, to elder friends that have endured pain that I cannot comprehend. When I put things into this perspective, I actually am very blessed. Just think, if I'd have stayed in bed today, then I would not have been able to shoot this gorgeous sunrise!! It's all in the way you look at things...

Update on Mike...

I just waned to give you an update on my best friend Mike....
Mike has started back to work on a limited basis, and also started his chemo last week. Please continue to keep Mike in your thoughts & prayers as this is heavy duty chemo. He has to take this for 19 more weeks. It has been and continues to be a very heavy time for Mike and his fiancee Sally. Sally has been there for Mike in his greatest time of need. To Sally I say thank you for coming into Mike's life just in time to rescue him. You have been awesome and I pray that you two have a very happy life together. To Mike I say, hang in there, bro...you have lots of friends praying & rooting for ya! We'll get through this soon!! To all of our friends let me say a very sincere thank you for supporting our fund raising efforts for Mike, and especially thanks for your prayers during these difficult times. Please continue praying....

101st post...

Looks like a rainy day today! The other day Dan had a 100% chance of rain for Wednesday. Well, looks like his forecast verified! We can use the rain & it should make for a very pretty fall here in NE Oklahoma in the next couple of weeks.

Our benefit garage sale went very well.....we raised over $1,700.00 for Mike and this will help him greatly! Thanks to all who were involved!! This year has really been a heavy time for me, but especially for Mike. I am looking forward to the day when his doctor declares him cancer free!! And then I will shave my playoff beard!! YAY!!!

I spoke with Lanny Dean earlier & he and I want to organize a chaser gathering, so stay tuned for an announcement about a gathering sometime in November, just to hang out & visit about the perils of chasing, share videos & pics, & have a little fun...

Good afternoon,
Mike is doing well--resting a lot at home. He will get the staples removed this week. He is still in quite a bit of pain so please continue to pray for him. Please pray for Mike's financial situation as he has learned that he may have to start over on his medical deductibles. He was informed by his workplace that his deductible runs from September to September, meaning that he may have to start over paying his deductibles.

Our benefit garage sale is this Friday & Saturday for Mike!! Helen Underwood and Jerrie Walden, along with several others have volunteered countless hours sorting, pricing, and organizing this huge event. To them, I say THANK YOU!! And to those of you that we'll see Friday & Saturday, THANK YOU!! All proceeds from the sale go straight to help Mike with his medical bills. Also, if you would just like to donate to Mike, please let me know.

Also...our On The Edge youth group will be having a "Cram Nite" (youth gathering) this Friday at 7:00pm. We will have dinner, fun-n-games, and a message from God's Word. If you have youth-age kids (7th thru 12th grade), they are invited!!

Update on Mike...

Good news! I just learned that Mike was able to get up & walk around a while today! He is pretty sore now, though. Please keep him in your prayers!

Update on Mike...

First of all, let me say thank you to all of you that have had your thoughts and prayers with Mike. He is in his own room as of Friday night about 10:00pm, and resting. Mike is still in a lot of pain, but when the doc checked on him yesterday he was very confident that Mike is doing very well considering the major surgery that he has just endured. They are considering sitting him up today. Once again, thank you for everything. It's a huge blessing to know that people are praying for him that he has never met. THANK YOU!! ...and don't stop.

1 more day...

Well, just one more day until Mike's surgery. His check in time was just moved to 10:00am from 9:00am. Tomorrow's the big day! I am still praying for a miracle! I will keep everyone updated as I get more info. Thanks for your prayers!!

3 more days....

Some look forward to Fridays. I do as well. I am anxiously awaiting Friday. You see, that's the day of Mike's surgery. I know he's not looking forward to it, and I totally understand, but I want to see my friend declared cancer free and the sooner the better. I'm tired of seeing him hurting, and I often wonder why our loving Lord lets cancer run so rampant. Maybe it's to remind us that life is ever so delicate, and we all need to cherish this gift more than we do. Maybe He wants us to spend more time with our families. Maybe He just wants us to do Matthew 6:33......Seek first His righteousness, & His Kingdom, and wait for Him to do the rest....I dunno, but it's not good to watch someone suffer with cancer--especially when it's your best friend and his pain is your pain...
We are still getting things together for the big garage sale. If you have anything to donate, let me know, as all of the proceeds will go directly to Mike to help with his medical expenses. A big shout out to Jerri Walden & Helen Underwood & gang for organizing this!!!! Thank you ladies!!!
Well, that's all I got for now, I will keep you up to date as Mike goes in Friday...

Update on things....

Well, I have a lot to write about...so get ready for a long post, complete with frequently changing subjects, and lots of run on sentences!
First of all, an update on my friend Mike. He is doing ok, and he is scheduled for surgery on October 3. Please pray for him and for a speedy recovery. I will update you on his progress as time permits. We raised over $800.00 for him last Friday at Adams Creek Racing Complex!! I still am amazed at how generous people are. You see, hardly anyone at the race track knew Mike, until Friday. Thanks to Bryan & Necie Rainbolt, the track owners for hosting this event!! The playoff beards are in week 13, and looking pretty scraggly!! (is scraggly a word?)

We have another fundraiser for Mike scheduled on October 17-18. It will be a huge garage sale help at the Verdigris car wash at Hwy 66 & Gordon Rd. Come on out & buy lots of stuff!! Special thanks to Jerri Walden & Helen Underwood for helping us out on this project!!

Ok, on to other things.....
I just spoke with good friend & fellow storm chaser Lanny Dean. We talked about the possibility of doing some sort of storm chaser get together which has been in the back of my mind for a while. Lanny bagged (saw) 37 tornadoes this season!! He asked me how many I caught and I said.....ummm......errr......well.......2! I bagged two tornadoes in central Oklahoma on May 24. I did get to see a lot of tornado damage on 2 different Mission of Compassion trips, and that was enough for me. I have updated my links to include Lanny's blog and his storm chase tour website. For those of you that have said that you want to go chasing with me, if you really want to see tornadoes, book a tour with Lanny. He will get you to the "action", but hang on--it will be a wild ride!!

And finally I will try to post more pictures....I had several in the Rogers County Fair and took third & fourth place in professional photography!!

Miracles...

Well, the car wash was awesome!! It all started with rain moving in from the west and my asking God what He was doing. Did He want to wash the cars? apparently so but then the rain stopped & the sun came out. At the cars rolled in to get a wash, people were asking what we were raising money for. One generous fellow said that his wife was battling brain cancer & I heard several other stories about how God has walked with them during bouts with cancer. The day really was a big encouragement to Mike and I. Please continue to pray for him and feel free to post comments about how God has walked with you during hard times...

Car wash benefit for Mike coming Saturday!!

Well, Saturday is almost upon us, and so is the benefit car wash for Mike Borrell. Mike is doing pretty well, and is facing major cancer surgery sometime in October that will keep him off work for several weeks without any income. He does have insurance which is a big help in this situation, but as we all know, insurance does not pay everything.

Here’s the scoop. On The Edge youth group will meet at the church at 8:15 for doughnuts! We will have coolers loaded with water, and will take some folding chairs. I could use a couple of buckets, sponges, and car wash soap if someone can help me out w/ these items. Also we will need an EZ-up for shade. We will start the car wash at 9:00am and run it until 1-ish, depending on how things are going. We also have help coming from kids from Youth at Heart, and Woodlake Assembly of God. Thanx guys!!

So, everyone be sure & get your cars dirty and come on out & get ‘em washed for a great cause!! ALL proceeds will go directly to Mike, who is a ministry partner & best friend. Someday I will share a testimony of how big of a role Mike played in my coming to know the Lord, and how he has been a true friend throughout the years.

I will share more info on future events we have planned such as the Sept. 19th benefit race and the community garage sale on Oct. 17-18th as those dates get closer.