Pat Dougherty

Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Seiling, OK

[Shane Pruitt @shane_pruitt78]

If you don’t want church to feel routine this weekend, then approach it differently.

1-Pray before you go.
2-Worship in the car on the way.
3-Get there early.
4-Invite someone.
5-Bring your Bible.
6-Take notes.
7-Talk to people.
8-Sing loudly.
9-Serve.
10-Live out the sermon.

[Enes Kanter FREEDOM @EnesFreedom]

To my Oklahoma family;
this piece comes straight from the heart.

I hope you’ll take a moment to read it and feel what I felt.
Thank you for allowing me to be a small part of it.

I came to @okcthunder to play basketball. I left carrying 168 lives.

When I was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, I was thinking about basketball, nothing more.

I didn’t know that before I ever stepped on the court, this place would show me something that would stay with me far longer than any game.

Like any player, my mind was on the game. A new team, a new city, a new opportunity. I expected the usual routine when I landed in Oklahoma City. Physicals, practices, meetings, and a jersey waiting in a locker.

But before any of that, Sam Presti pulled me aside and told me there was somewhere we needed to go.

He didn’t explain much, and I didn’t think to ask. I was focused on the next step in my career.

What I didn’t understand was that, before I could represent the place I was about to play for, I needed to understand it.

So instead of heading to the facility, he took me to the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum.

I walked in without knowing what I was about to see, and within minutes, everything slowed down.

There are 168 chairs at the memorial, each one representing a life lost on April 19, 1995. They are arranged in quiet rows, each engraved with a name, each standing where a person once stood in that building. Then you notice something that is impossible to process the first time you see it. Some of the chairs are smaller.

They belong to children.

There is no speech that prepares you for that, no headline that captures it. You simply stand there, and the silence carries a kind of weight that is hard to describe but impossible to ignore.

As you walk through the memorial, you pass between two gates marked 9:01 and 9:03. At first, they seem like simple numbers, but then you understand what they hold. One marks the last minute before the attack. The other marks the first minute after. And in between those two gates is 9:02, the moment when everything changed.

That minute does not feel like history when you are standing there. It feels present.

The reflecting pool stretches across what used to be a city street, its surface calm and still. When you look into it, you do not just see water. You see yourself standing in a place where unimaginable loss occurred, and for a moment, everything else in your life becomes quieter.

Nearby stands the Survivor Tree, an American elm that was damaged in the blast but endured. It is not untouched. Its scars are part of what it represents. But it is still standing, and in that, it carries a kind of strength that does not need to be explained.

We did not speak much while we were inside. It did not feel like a place for conversation. Some places ask for words. This one asks for reflection.

When we stepped outside, Sam Presti looked me in the eye and said, “This is what this state has been through.”

Then he said something I will never forget.

“Every time you step on that court, you are not just playing in front of fans. You are playing for a state that carries this with it. Give them everything you have. They deserve that.”

In that moment, basketball felt different.

Not smaller, but clearer.

Because what I had just seen was not only about what was lost. It was about what remained. A state that had experienced unimaginable pain and still chose to come together, to rebuild, and to move forward without losing its humanity.

From that day on, every time I stepped on the court, I carried that with me.

On the nights when I was tired, when I was hurt, when I was dealing with challenges that felt heavy in the moment, I would think about those chairs, about that minute, about the people behind those names. And I was reminded that what I was going through did not compare to what this state had endured.
https://t.co/XfNLliRVaO

[MLFootball @MLFootball]

POWERFUL: #Ravens legendary RB Derrick Henry gave all GLORY TO JESUS CHRIST after his historic performance.

“I just want to give thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. All our strength, you know, comes from him”

Beautiful message from Henry.

🙏🙏🙏https://t.co/GOBC6uoLPa

[Houston Stressans @TexansCommenter]

DeMeco Ryans after the Texans defeated the Chargers:

“The light is shining bright on the Texans but that light is really reflective of it guys belief in our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. That’s what’s driven our team& I’m so proud of our guys & thankful to the Lord for allowing us to allow our lights to shine though him & just all praise & honor goes to him.”

[Brett Favre @BrettFavre]

For more than 20 years I put my hands up in celebration on the gridiron.

Now, I put my hands up to the One that gave me all my talents and abilities — the King of my life, Jesus Christ.

I’ve never claimed to be perfect, but my aim is for the direction of my life to honor Christ and I pray my faith increases.

So I do want to wish you all a Merry Christmas, whether you’re solo, with family, or friends, and if you haven’t done so, put your faith in Him who can save, Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-9

[8] For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

[Jon Root @JonnyRoot_]

“My faith & my family is what’s most important to me… I don’t think I’m anything special because some weeks I’m better at shooting a lower score than other guys are.” 👏
- British Open Champion Scottie Scheffler

[Shane Pruitt @shane_pruitt78]

How to prepare for church:

-pray
-read the Bible
-sing worship songs
-point folks to Jesus
-serve others

Don’t wait to get to a building. Do those things before the service & continue afterwards.

Church isn’t an event, it’s a lifestyle. Prepare for church by being the church!

[Stewart Mandel @slmandel]

Whoever the new pope is, Mel Kiper will be furious it's not Shedeur Sanders.

[Riley Gaines @Riley_Gaines_]

“My victory is secure on the cross...It doesn’t matter if I win this tournament or lose this tournament; my identity is secure forever.” - Scottie Scheffler

Amen!

[Jon Root @JonnyRoot_]

“I want to thank my Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ for blessing me… At the beginning of the week, our doctor [and I] went to Life Church… I was listening to the sermon and it was talking about David & Goliath. David had a vision of victory…and I kinda carried that with me all week.”
- NCAA Champion Wrestler Wyatt Kendrickson After His Upset Win vs Gable Stevenson

🎥: @USAWrestling YT

[Shane Pruitt @shane_pruitt78]

Coach: “Your child needs to be at practice. It benefits them, & the team. Commitment matters.”

Parents: “Yes, coach. Wouldn’t miss.”

Pastor: “Your child needs to be at church. It benefits them, & the faith family. Commitment matters.”

Parents: “Wow, pastor. That’s legalistic!”

[Shane Pruitt @shane_pruitt78]

The greatest of all time.

[The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee]

Rudolph Changes Name To Rolanda, Dominates Female Reindeer Games https://t.co/vPq3knyN0l

[Shane Pruitt @shane_pruitt78]

👀😂

[OSSAA @OSSAAOnline]

Twenty-three outstanding men and women were recognized today at the OSSAA November Board Meeting as being the 2023-24 NFHS/OSSAA Oklahoma Coach of the Year for their respective sports. Each winner can now be considered for Sectional and National Coach of the Year awards. #okpreps

[OBU Softball @OBU_Softball]

Signee 1⃣

Welcome, @keirstin2006! #OnToVictory

[Pat Dougherty @PatDougherty5]

@keirstin2006 Awesome! Congratulations!

[Shane Pruitt @shane_pruitt78]

The King James Bible and the Message Bible.