Category: From the Pastor’s Desk

Yesterday, April 26, was Administrative Professional’s Day. In layman’s terms: Secretary’s Day. I want to encourage you to show your appreciation to the world’s best secretary in the whole-wide-world. Our very own Michelle Brown. So, drop her a card, send her a text, and give her a gift to let her know how much you appreciate her!

To Live Is Christ

Bro. Danny

Over a year ago, LeBron Wilson came from the Bahamas to Oklahoma City to play summer basketball. What he did not know was that God would open a door for him to stay in OKC.

Dear Southmoore Family and Friends,

The month of January is named after a Roman god, Janus. Janus is depicted as a man with two faces: One looking back into the year passed. This face bore traces of sorrow, disappointment, trouble, and perplexity. The other face is looking forward with confidence and hope.

At this time of the year, we cannot help but look back to 2021. Not that you need my permission, but go ahead and make an inventory of the highs and lows of last year. Some of you who are reading this article are more than ready to move on. 2021 brought a broken heart, unthinkable challenges, unbelievable circumstances, and much more.

As we all begin a new year, I want to encourage you to “Press On”. These were the words Paul used to encourage the believers in Philippi. Not to compare our circumstances with the Philippians; life for them was not easy. And life for many of us has not been easy in 2021.

As Paul encouraged the believers in Philippi, I want to do the same to you. Don’t give up. Press On. Paul is describing the Christian life as a race. If a runner is going to win the race, he must keep looking forward.

Press On in 2022. Keep looking ahead. Keep straining. Keep picking them up and setting them down. And last of all, see who is waiting for you at the finish line. He is your biggest fan. You will recognize Him. He is the One with the nail-scarred hands!

To Live is Christ,

Bro. Danny.

Dear Southmoore Family and Friends,

I want to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving. I know with all that is going on in our world and in our lives, it sometimes makes it difficult to see the blessing that God has given us.

The Lord told Moses to tell Aaron and his sons to pray blessing over the Israelites:

The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:22-26)

When you gather this week, I want to encourage you to pray this blessing over your family. Choose someone to read this blessing and see how God uses it to make a huge difference in your gathering.

This blessing is a reminder that each and every one of us matter to God. He has come, though His son Jesus, to bless us, keep us, shine his face upon us, be gracious to us, turn his face toward us, and give us peace. That’s how much God loves us.

Thanksgiving is a special time to simply say, “Thank You” to the Lord for all that he has done for us. God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.

Many of you know that the Lord called our son, Woody, home to be with Him, November 24, 2017, the day after Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving now is not only a reminder of God’s goodness and blessings, but also a reminder that Woody is not here with us.

Our family is grateful for a church family and friends that pray for us during this time. Your prayers have made a difference and has helped us through this journey.

The last few days have been extremely difficult for me. The grief has hit me hard. I so miss my son. I know I am not alone. I have not only been thinking about myself, but also thinking of others who are going through the same thing. I know several who now live with a broken heart. Your pain is real. Your tears are real. Your broken heart is real.

As Judy has said before, “In my mind – this is what I have been thinking.”

The last few days I too have been thinking. To help me cope with my grief, I thought I would write a letter to Woody.

Please, please, don’t think I am sharing this letter to bring attention to myself. I am sharing this letter to be a blessing and bring help to the many who are entering the holidays with a broken heart.

Dear Woody,

Four years ago, you left us. We didn’t get to say, “Goodbye.” You were with us Thanksgiving Day, and the next day, you were in the presence of God. Your faith turned to sight. We didn’t want you to go. I know it is selfish to want you to come back. We don’t have you, but we do have our memories. That is one thing that death cannot take away from us.

I remember the lyrics of a song that reads: “If you can see me now, you would not wish me back.” The Bible tells us that heaven is a beautiful place – a place that cannot be described with mere words. But what makes heaven heaven is not what is there, but Who is there! You have seen for yourself that the only scars in heaven are on the “One” who holds you close.

We can’t bring you back, but one day, we will come and join you. Knowing that we will see you again helps us down the road of life. Thanksgiving is not the same anymore. Life is not the same anymore. I know you would want us to keep living life to the fullest. And with God’s help, we will until we see you again.

We love and miss you,
Mom and Dad

Dear Southmoore Family and Friends,

This past week, I was out running some errands. I had my to-do list and was pleased I was making some progress. It was a beautiful fall day. The sky was blue, the temperature was mild, and the wind was not blowing. One could say, “It was a picture-perfect day!”

I came to a stoplight, and while waiting for the light to turn green, I looked over my left shoulder and noticed a woman talking on her cell phone. She was the only one in her car. I didn’t want to stare, and I didn’t want the lady to look my way and think I was a nosey neighbor, so I turned my head and looked straight ahead.

The light was still red which gave me the opportunity to take one last peek. The woman was very animated while she was talking. Her hand was moving back and forth, and her head was bobbing up and down. I couldn’t help but think, “What’s going on?”

I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but I was hoping for the best. One never knows.

The “what ifs” began to set in. What if this woman is facing some health problems? Maybe she has a child who is struggling in school? Maybe the rent is due, and she doesn’t have the money to pay? Maybe she is going through a divorce?

Or maybe this woman is not facing a crisis, but has just received some good news? Maybe she was so excited she could hardly control herself.

This leads me to ask you, “What is going on in your life as you read this article?” Are you experiencing happy days? Are you living the dream? Or are you facing tough times?

I’d like to make a couple of recommendations.

#1 If you are facing tough times, I want to remind you that you have a God who loves you. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1)

# 2 If you are enjoying happy days, be sure and thank God for blessing you. “Give thanks to Him and praise his name” (Psalm 100:4).

To Live is Christ,

Bro. Danny

Dear Southmoore Family and Friends,

I was looking out my backdoor recently and couldn’t help but notice two squirrels playing. I had seen them before, but this day they seemed extra spunky. They were chasing each other, jumping, and something I had never seen before, they were wrestling like a couple of puppies. I called Judy to come take a look. We both agreed that these two squirrels were having a good time.

And why not? It was a beautiful fall afternoon. I feed them. The sun was shining. They were healthy. Full of life. Not a care in the world. Are you jealous yet?

These two squirrels weren’t concerned about the gas prices going up – the cost of a gallon of milk – the debate about being vaccinated for the coronavirus. They were not even concerned about who was going to win the football game between OU and Baylor this weekend.

I thought to myself, those two squirrels are living in the moment. No stress – no fuss. Having fun. what more could they want? Everything they need is being taken care of: food – shelter – companionship – health.

Do you ever wish that life wouldn’t be so difficult and demanding? Me too!

Is the thought, “I can’t take it anymore,” running across your mind? Are you at the end of your rope? Keep reading.

First of all, you are not alone. You may be lonely, but you are not alone. God promises that He will never abandon you (Hebrews 13:5). He is near. Hear His still, small voice.

One last thing. Four years ago, when I was about to have open-heart surgery, my then, twelve-year-old grandson, Hagen, wrote this on a piece of paper. “Cast all your care on Jesus because He cares for you,” (1 Peter 5:7).

It’s true!

To Live is Christ,

Bro. Danny

Dear Southmoore Family & Friends,

Basketball season is here. Can you believe it? The “round-balloons” are excited. The fans are as well.

Locally, there is not only a great measure of excitement, but also a lot of unanswered questions when it comes to the OKC Thunder basketball team. Last season was a disaster. As they say, time will tell as to how good this year’s team will be.

Last week, the Thunder basketball team was playing the LA Lakers. I was looking forward to watching the game on TV. The Thunder got off to a bad start. What could go wrong did go wrong for the Thunder – missed shots, bad passes, poor rebounding, and no defense. When the Thunder got down by 26 points, I decided to watch something else.

I guess you could say that I am not a true-blue Thunder fan. If I was, I would support them regardless of the score.

Don’t get me wrong, I do want the Thunder to win – every game. I want them to not only succeed but win the NBA Championship.

When I changed the channel and began to watch something else, I concluded that the Thunder has a lot of work to do.

I thought that this year’s team would not do any better than last year’s team.

Before I turned the TV off, I decided to check the score and see how bad the Thunder got beat. Boy, was I surprised. The Thunder rallied to win the game!

I’ve noticed that a lot of Christians have given up on the church. Things have been tough this past year and a half. Things are not the same. And what I discovered is that when people stop coming to church, they also stop praying, reading their bible, and sharing their faith.

So let me encourage you to be a Jesus fan. Support your church. It may appear that Christians are losing, but be very sure of this, Jesus is coming again (Rev. 22:7). Which means, we win in the end!

To Live is Christ,
Bro. Danny Frazee

Can you believe it? Empty shelves at small grocery stores and big supermarkets. Doesn’t matter how big the store or its name. The businesses are scrambling to keep food on the shelves for the consumer.

Times are changing is an understatement. No one saw this coming nine months ago. Many of us are responding to this new reality like Gomer Pyle, “Gaaaleee!” (Parents, you may have to tell your children and grandchildren who Gomer Pyle is.)

The people in the know tell us that it all comes down to “Supply and Demand”. The consumer wants it, and the supplier is more than happy to supply it. Of course, the problem that the supplier is having now is that they can’t get the products. The results – empty shelves.

And no one is happy. The consumer wants what they want, and now that they can’t get what they want. the supplier is unhappy. He can’t provide the products. ☹

Now comes the finger-pointing. Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m writing about. Yes, 97% of us are pointing to those who we believe are causing the problem. The other 3% are lying.

Will things get worse before they get any better? I’m not sure. But I do know this, “My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19). Notice the word in this verse, needs. It doesn’t say, wants.

Must I remind you, God promises to meet our every need. And God always keeps His word. Our salvation is trusting that God will do what He says He will do…always.

Let me ask you a personal question. Are you more concerned about the empty shelves in the grocery stores, or the empty shelves in your heart?

God so wants to fill the empty shelves in your heart. You have a need, and God can and will meet that need.

What are you waiting for? Ask Him!

To Live is Christ,

Bro. Danny Frazee

Dear Southmoore Family,

Drip- Drip- Drip

This past Sunday, Judy and I were driving to church. Judy looked at me and said, “Dan, you’re dripping.” I quickly grabbed my handkerchief, wiped my nose, and said, “Thank you for letting me know.”

Then I asked, “Do you know what’s worse than a dripping nose?” She said, “No, what?”

I answered, “Having a dripping nose and not knowing it.”

I am grateful that I have a wife who lets me know when I’m not aware of what’s happening. There was a time that I would have been embarrassed by being told I have a dripping nose. Not now. I’ve gotten past that.

But what I am thankful for is that I have a wife who looks out after me. God saw fit to give me a “helper” (Genesis 2:18). And he gave me the best!

A helper is someone who supports, encourages, comforters, guides, assists, sustains, gives a hand, and much, much more.

Although Judy has spent the last 50 years taking care of me, she is limited. Is she a superwoman? Yes, of course. Is she a Proverbs 31 woman? You bet. Am I blessed? Yes. Am I spoiled? Completely.

My Sunday going to church with a dripping nose reminded me that dripping noses and going to church has something in common.

Say what?

Read on, Pilgrim.

How many times have you gone to church and, while you were minding your own business, God revealed to you that you had a drippy nose (sin)? And when the Holy Spirit convicted you of your sin, you were led to confess your sin. And by confessing your sin, God forgave you and cleansed you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

Think of it this way, you came to church with a dripping nose, and left with a dry one!

To Live is Christ,

Bro. Danny Frazee