Dear NEO Family, I trust you had a wonderful celebration of the coming of Christ and are preparing for an exciting and purposeful 2013. As 2013 begins, we immediately move into our focus on AWAKENING 2013. · On January 4 we begin our 21 Days of Prayer with Fasting. The AWAKENING 2013 Journal may prove helpful for these 21 days. Every local church pastor should have copies available and it is also available to download. I have included some thoughts on fasting below. More resources on prayer and fasting, especially the 21-Day Daniel Fast are available at www.awake21.org. · On Sunday, January 13, 6pm we will have Concerts of Prayer on each NEO Zone. · NEO Spiritual Renewal Weekend will be January 25 – 27 with Dan Bohi, Evangelist; Kyle Tyler, Children’s Evangelist;  and Marci Marquis, Worship Leader.

Visit the NEO website for more information.

Prayer Gathering at the Global Ministry Center All Nazarenes Welcome January 3-9, 2013 We invite Nazarenes globally to pray six months January-June 2013 for God to renew the Church of the Nazarene in the Holy Spirit. Please inform your church. Read more about If My People Pray: http://nmi.nazarene.org/10203/story.html in five languages. Breaking News: As we launch this initiative, several Nazarene leaders agreed that we urgently need and desperately desire an extended meeting with Jesus. We covenanted to plan a prayer gathering for renewal throughout our denomination. We will gather at the Global Ministry Center (GMC) in Lenexa, Kansas on January 3-9, 2013 for this prayer gathering. We will begin on January 3 at 12:00 PM and conclude on January 9 at 12:00 PM Central time USA.

Thoughts on Fasting from Bill Keller

Fasting has been one of the most misunderstood and misused practices in the Bible.  The basic premise of fasting is giving up a normal daily activity, as a sacrifice, to spend that time in prayer and seeking the Lord.  It is NOT supposed to be a physical endurance contest to see how long you can go without eating.  It is an act of sacrifice.  It can be as little as skipping one meal, or not eating for 24 hours, or even three days. Fasting does not always have to be food.  You can "fast" by not watching television for a period of time, or giving up any number of others things that you may do during the day.  There is no magic formula.  Let me warn you that fasting can be very dangerous to your health!  Anytime you fast over 24 hours, you need to be very careful.  ***I would strongly suggest that you contact your doctor to make sure you do it correctly. The reason you fast is to sacrifice the nourishment to your body, and spend that time nourishing your soul.  It is a way to focus solely on the Lord and to seek Him.  Often fasting is done at times when there are major needs, and you need to really zero in spiritually on the Lord, seeking Him for answers. I routinely fast one day a month, but during major events or times of great need, I will fast for 72 hours and try to spend much of that time just in prayer.  I keep living my normal life, but use the time I would normally be eating to spend time with God. Fasting does not make you more spiritual than someone who does not fast.  It is not a way to prove how spiritual you are.  Again, it is a simple act of sacrifice to spend that time in prayer with the Lord.  It allows you to hear God more clearly.  It is a time to really get serious about praying over a certain situation or circumstance.  It is a sacrifice on your part to get closer to God. I would suggest that if you've never fasted before, start with one meal.   Use the 20-40 minutes that you would normally be eating, go to a quiet place and just pray.  Talk to God about those things in your life He needs to clean up.  Talk to God about problems that only He can fix.  One powerful way to use fasting is to fast and spend that time in prayer for someone else. Sacrifice that meal and spend the time praying for the needs of someone else.  That is powerful!

February 22-24 Speaker: Philip Rodebush Stone Castle Resort Branson, MO Sponsored by the Joplin District Singles flyer The NEO NYI 2013 camp website  is up.  Bookmark this page and watch for more info to be posted soon!   Greetings from Manna House Our quarterly newsletter (October, November, December) is on the NEO website for your review. You can see from our report that many people are helped thru Manna House and God has blessed in so many ways. Volunteers, donations of food, clothing, money and small yard sale items are welcomed.  Just call Manna House on Tuesday from 11am to 1pm or Wednesday from 10am to 1pm or bring them by during those hours. Manna House 918-836-5541

Christmas Alive Fridays & Saturdays Nov 30 - Dec 22 6-9pm Join us for a free hay ride that will take you on a trip through time and witness the story of Mary, Joseph, the Wise Men and a beyond-the-manger look at Jesus of Nazareth.   Muskogee First Church of the Nazarene 2700 E Peak Blvd.   Call 918-682-2592 for more information. Thank You Thanks to the following churches for adopting neighboring pastors at Christmastime: Bristow Miami New Life Sapulpa Tulsa Central Tulsa Regency Park February 22-24 Speaker: Philip Rodebush Stone Castle Resort Branson, MO Sponsored by the Joplin District Singles flyer The NEO NYI 2013 camp website  is up.  Bookmark this page and watch for more info to be posted soon!   Click HERE to read the latest news in the Manna House quarterly newsletter.

Check out Tom Nees' postings on leadership at www.leadingtoserve.com . Here is an excerpt from a recent post: "Every leader I have known or read about has had to weather storms.   They are often caught by surprise.  Which raises the question - how prepared are leaders for trouble, if not opposition? What if leaders would take time to anticipate what might go wrong and plan in advance to deal with potential problems.  That's not negative thinking. It's prudent personal risk management. Too often leaders have no one to turn to. They try to manage their risks and challenges alone. Go-it-alone leaders miss the value of a coach or mentor - someone to confide in - someone with an outside perspective willing to give feedback. In his book Mentoring: The Promise of Relational Leadership, Walter Wright compares the Nepalese Sherpas who guided his mountain climbing group in the Himalayas to the role of mentors and coaches.  The Sherpas went before and followed behind, attached to the climbers with a lifeline. For Wright, leading, like mountain climbing, is exhilarating but full of danger.  As a mountaineer or as a leader, he would never go it alone.  The Sherpas offered him life-saving advice that he recommends for leaders: 1.  Walk your own pace. 2.  It's the journey that matters, not how high or how far you can go. 3.  The people you serve are more important than the summits you climb. Leaders don't need to fall off the cliff." Now a question I want to ask you...and need you to ask of yourself. Reliable studies indicate that pastors who have a peer group with whom they discuss, share, question and reflect have greater incidences of success in every desirable and measurable category of ministry. So, WHO IS YOUR PEER GROUP? Cheering for you, Dave

The 2013 Awakening 21-Day Journal is now available to download to begin using on January 4th.  Visit the NEO website for more information.

Southern Nazarene Key Advantages for the RN to BS with major in Nursing program · No prerequisites- Apply and start with the very next class. Classes starting twice each year: Fall and Spring · Transfer friendly. We accept up to 88 general education hours from accredited  universities and colleges. · Flexibility to meet your needs. Full time program that meets one evening a week for 14 months. · Accelerated course format: One course at a time over 5-8 weeks for 3 to 5 cr. hr courses. · Program cost includes: tuition, fees, all books throughout the program, laptop and graduation cap & gown. Call or email for an information/application packet today!  Bethany campus- Contact: Eileen Stephens MS RN (405) 717-6202 or email: estephen@snu.edu Tulsa campus starting in spring 2013. Contact Corina Holtzhauer (918) 970-4628 or email choltzha@snu.ed

Dear NEO Family, I trust you had a wonderful celebration of Thanksgiving. Gloria and I joined her family in Branson for a couple of days. We enjoyed good food, laughter and dominoes, along with a trip to Silver Dollar City. I didn’t have opportunity to go on many rides, but I loved the Broadway-style stage productions  of A Dickens’ Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life! As you know, both shows highlight how God can use us as impact players for good in our world. I am thankful for the way God can use all kinds of media to stimulate growth. This week, I feel especially thankful for the way God can use good books to change us. Two books I have read in the last few weeks have challenged me be an impact player for Christ by living an upside down life. If you haven’t read Crazy Love by Francis Chan or Radical by David Platt, I highly recommend them both. But don’t read them if you aren’t open to your world and faith being shaken (in a positive way)! My biggest fear is that I will be stirred but not changed. Please pray for me that I will not be content to settle for less than radical obedience to Christ. I also read Shift by Daron Brown last week. I have given a copy to all of our pastors and trust it will be helpful to them and our local church leadership. As the author says, the purpose of the book is not to offer a recipe for church growth. Instead it is a report of common ways the Holy Spirit is working in some churches today. I trust you will be encouraged and challenged by this fine book! Grace and peace, Dave

NEO November Statistics

Attendance for November                                    2012-13               2011-12         SDMI                           2718                    2931         Morning Worship         3429                      3774

view full report

I Want to Celebrate. . .

David Stevens, Vinita. . . Small (tiny) church ministry requires patience and flexibility. The live-in friend of a relative of some of our members was placed in hospice care due to cancer. Her husband, a cousin to some of our people, expressed a desire to be saved and baptized, and his live-in partner also stated this desire. We went and prayed with them, three including a daughter. Two weeks later (this past Sunday) we held a baptism service in their home with family present. Due to her weak condition we could not immerse, so I used a white flower and sprinkled them. God blessed the time with His presence and His touch. Since praying to be saved the man has stopped drinking, and others testify to a change in him. Also this has opened doors to other members of the family. Thank God for the special moments of ministry. Don Engie, Grove. . . The heart of Christ He has developed in the people here at Grove Nazarene. I am so humbled to pastor such loving, caring, and compassionate people – who love God and want to serve Him by loving others. In November we had a privilege to give away 10 Thanksgiving Baskets to families in our community – as well as provide a home for a family who were living in their car. He continues to open doors – and I pray we will continue to respond in obedience. Casey Hollingsworth, Miami New Life. . . Wednesday nights have been committed to prayer.  People are desperately seeking God, and God is honoring that desperation with His powerful Presence.  We are spending time learning about the power of prayer and then spending sweet time in His presence at His altar.  Fruit is and will continue to be birthed as a result of "pressing in" to God! Cole Weston, Okmulgee. . . New visitors, and new outreach efforts taking place. Nathan Farmer is coming into his own leading the youth group, and I am supporting him in his efforts. Scottie Behm, Chelsea. . . Our teens hosted a church-wide traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner.  They led a passionate blessings message, including their personal witness about what Christ has done in their lives. Our worship team and I participated in the Chelsea Community Revival - we focused on personal evangelism and sharing Christ with our neighbor.  (We used two key scriptures:  “You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house” Acts 20:20 and prepare yourself “...  he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.”  2 Timothy 2:21) Christmas Alive Fridays & Saturdays Nov 30 - Dec 22 6-9pm Join us for a free hay ride that will take you on a trip through time and witness the story of Mary, Joseph, the Wise Men and a beyond-the-manger look at Jesus of Nazareth.   Muskogee First Church of the Nazarene 2700 E Peak Blvd.   Call 918-682-2592 for more information. December 2 6pm Drumright Church Mike Howard’s brother, Chuck Howard, has produced another movie starring John Schneider of Dukes of Hazard.  The movie is “Luke Warm”. Drumright church will be showing it this Sunday evening, Dec. 2, at 6 pm.  New Pastor Tony Siebels will be installed as Pastor at the Pawhuska Church of the Nazarene on December 16th.  We welcome Tony and his son, Anthony, to Northeast Oklahoma!

Dear NEO family, Two-thirds of our churches had representation at our District Thanksgiving Service last evening. I want to thank all of you who made the effort to attend. Special thanks go to Tulsa Central for hosting our event and to Pastor Phil Burkhart for leading the worship. Phil did the best job I have seen of planning a worship service that was bi-lingual. We are blessed to have talented, godly servants like the Burkharts on our NEO team. In addition to thanking God for His lavish grace, we spent a few minutes last night expressing appreciation to those who serve the District throughout the year: · Our dedicated, gifted pastors · Our District Advisory Board - Jeff Cotner, Nate Burns, Casey Hollingsworth, Steve Davis, Duane Cox, Rodney Amos, Barbara Gunter, Jerry Wilburg · Our Auxilliary Leaders: NMI President – David Stevens; NYI President – Ryan Amey; SDMI Chairman – Steven Lester · Our paid staff: Marla Shepherd, Sharon Gunter, Gloria McKellips; Hispanic Coordinator - Otoniel Danneman; District Secretary – Jim Thornton; District Treasurer – Bud Lauhon · District Superintendent Emeritus – Russell Human I encourage you to drop these leaders a note or give them a call to say “thank you”! Nate Burns reminded us last night that when a disaster occurs, the Nazarene Church is there to help. We are working to form a NEO Nazarene Disaster Relief Team. A trailer has been donated and now we are raising money to buy the equipment needed by a relief team. Sunday night at our Thanksgiving Service, $980.48 was raised. Thank you! We value your input about the Thanksgiving service. Please take a moment to take our very brief survey.

Each year at Thanksgiving, Nazarenes around the world raise money for World Evangelism. Is your money being invested well? Let’s hear a recent report from the Church in Cote d’Ivoire: After noticing a major disorder in Protestant-Evangelical churches, Côte d'Ivoire's Department of Religion of the Ministry of the Interior launched the registration of evangelical churches in August. Pastor Djaha N'da Ésaü, in charge of the Côte d'Ivoire's Sassandra-Marahoue zone for the Church of the Nazarene, and a group of pastors from the town of Daloa went to town hall to present the denomination's registration papers. When Tra Lou Xavière, the official in charge of cultural affairs, saw the documents, she exclaimed, "I know this church through the broadcast The Nazarene Hour (l'Heure du Nazaréen) on the radio Fréquence-Vie from Abidjan. I was edified thanks to your broadcasts. Therefore, for the Church of the Nazarene there is no problem; it is a true church of God." Pastor Ésaü told her that she would receive copies of the broadcasts from the district superintendent, who is the producer of the broadcast. "It is with joy that our leaders left the building of the town hall with the feeling that they belong to a great church of God, very respected in Côte d'Ivoire," said Central District Superintendent Prao Kouakou. Thanks be to God!

RA Dickey wins National League Cy Young award

New York Mets pitcher R. A. Dickey became the first knuckleballer to win a Major League Baseball Cy Young award last week, and a Nazarene general superintendent couldn't be happier for him.  Dickey, 38, received 27 of 32 first-place votes to win the National League's award for being its top pitcher. The all-star won 20 games for the Mets this season, a far-cry from when Dickey was toiling in the minor leagues for Oklahoma City. It was there he met a Nazarene pastor — Stan Toler. "I'm thrilled with R. A. Dickey winning the Cy Young award," said Toler, now a general superintendent. "His persistence and discipline have paid great dividends." Dickey began his baseball career when he was selected by the Texas Rangers in the first round of the 1996 draft out of the University of Tennessee. The Rangers offered the Nashville native an $800,000 contract, but during a physical doctors discovered he was missing a bone in his right elbow. When doctors told Rangers leadership Dickey wouldn't be able to continue pitching without seriously injuring himself, Dickey's contract was reduced by more than 90 percent. He spent the next 14 years in the minor leagues, including six seasons with Oklahoma City's AAA team, the Redhawks. Stan and his wife, Linda, were Dickey's host family for parts of four seasons.  "It was a pleasure to keep him in our home," Stan Toler said. "We love him like a son." In 2006, the Rangers signed Dickey again and he switched from being a traditional pitcher to a knuckleball pitcher. The knuckleball, thrown by gripping the ball with the thumb and two to four knuckles or fingertips, barely rotates, making its motion unpredictable and difficult to hit. Over the years Dickey perfected the pitch and later earned stints with the Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers, and now the Mets.  He was named an All-Star this year for the first time in his career. Toler and his two sons, Seth and Adam, met up with Dickey during the All-Star Game in Kansas City. "Going to the All-Star Game was a dream come true for me since my days of playing baseball," Toler said after the game. "The event was made even better because R. A. Dickey made the team and pitched the sixth inning. I was like a proud father when he stepped on the mound." Toler said Dickey, who studied briefly at Trevecca Nazarene University, is a strong Christian. "His commitment to Christ and his family is evident in all aspects of his life," Toler said. "The Cy Young is a great honor for a man who told me, as it relates to this baseball season, 'only God could orchestrate a script like this!'" In January, Dickey risked his career by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for Bombay Teen Challenge, a nonprofit organization that combats human trafficking in India. He works with a nonprofit organization called Honoring the Father Ministries, which began spreading the gospel through baseball in Cuba. Dickey's co-written biography, Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball, was released in March. NEONYE!?! NYI New Year's Eve event. $10 at the door. Concert. Food. 8:00pm - 1:00AM /OR/ 7:00AM -- you choose! X-Box tourney. 9-Square in the Air. Human Wrecking Ball? Whose Line is it Anyway? NEONYE will be the best New Year's party you have ever been to. Dec. 31. 8:00 PM. Central Church.tv  More info coming.

Grace and peace, Dave