I started blogging way back. It was enjoyable. It was a fun way to vent and make my statements about whatever I felt like commenting on. I never set out to develop a following or win any awards. I have, nonetheless, made some great friendships with people—some of whom agree with me and some who don’t—and I love that. I’ve been nominated for Okie Blog Awards (I’m a perpetual loser), and Oklahoma Magazine named the WynnBlog one of the top 75 blogs in Oklahoma. I was honored.

And then I just kind of quit.

And I never really started back up again. I’ve thought about it, but I never really got it rolling again. And I’ve really been thinking on why why I haven’t. There are lots of peripheral reasons: too busy, Twittering instead, Facebooking instead, operating http://WelchOK.com instead, yada, yada, yada. There are all kinds of excuses. But they’re not really the big reason. I have always been busy—at times extremely busy—and still found time to blog. That’s what got me to the main reason I checked out of the blogoshpere. I simply quit caring enough to comment.

I got to a point where I thought (and I largely still do) that nothing I had to say made a difference. I do my best to advocate for a faith in Jesus Christ that I believe to be the one true means to God, and my fellow “Christians” play politics, lie, cheat, gossip, and basically worship a god made in their own image. I, and my ilk, did our best to make the case against the candidacy of Barack Obama. America elected him anyway. I did my level best to point out what I view as serious, serious problems with higher education in Oklahoma, specifically at Rogers State University, and no one—and I mean NO ONE, even highly respected conservative politicians—will even dare to take a real look at the mess, even when provided documentary evidence. It just all felt so worthless. No one cared. I didn’t care anymore.

Sure, I still have opinions. I’m as conservative as ever, and I think it’s the best political hope this nation has. I still believe in open, fair, and accountable government. I’m still a Christian, and I know Jesus Christ is the only hope this world and its peoples have. I have an unshakeable faith in my Savior, even when I doubt those who claim to be His people.

I guess, all told, I just got tired of contributing to this big swirling mass of opinions that like-minded folks loved, those with differing philosophies hated, and which really had no serious effect on the world. I didn’t see it accomplishing anything. It just made me feel as if all my efforts and time were worthless, and if I want that feeling I can always go back to pastoring.

So, here I am, a blogger without much to say. Maybe I’ll have more; maybe I won’t. Time will tell. If you’re a reader—or I dare say, fan—of the WynnBlog, you’ll just have to hang around and see what happens. I’m doing the same.

Yes indeedy, we just posted a new WynnCast. Can’t believe it’s our fiftieth! Click to go listen.

My responsibilities over at http://WelchOK.com have been keeping me pretty busy in the cyber realm (there’s that whole Wynn-Wynn Media thing, too). The big news is that our Welch Wildcat basketball team is rocking the house this year. As I post this, I am in Enid for the area basketball tournament. The Cats are two wins from the state tournament. Visit http://WelchOK.com to stay up to date on how they do.

And, I also want to thank those who nominated both the WynnBlog and the WynnCast for a 2010 Okie Blog Award. It was an honor to be nominated again, even though both of the sites have been fairly neglected of late. I’m fast becoming the Susan Lucci of the Okie Blog Awards, but I do appreciate our readers and listeners. Congrats to the other nominees and winners. And that whole neglect thing will soon be changing. Hang with us.

Go Cats!

People are tired of the “Christianity” we peddle. Check that. I am tired of the “Christianity” we peddle.

Jesus Christ is my living Savior and Lord. He is the Eternal Source of my faith and security. In Him alone do I hope. He gives meaning to every aspect and situation of life. He gave the very last ounce of Himself to redeem my utter sinfulness, though He did not stop at dying for me. He went on to rise for me. And for all who will look upon Him and say, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” In Him all things hold together and have their subsistence. People can’t help but love that Jesus—the real Jesus. But, we’ve quit introducing him to the world, now haven’t we?

Jesus Christ came that all might be redeemed and made new. Satan is not so powerful that he can ever contaminate something beyond the point where Christ can make it new again. He heals broken relationships—if we give them to Him. He overcomes our inborn sin—if we give it to Him. He overcomes our world—if we give it to Him. He gives us strength to struggle for the right in the midst of voices who call for complacency and inaction—if we give our motives and passion to Him. He sees into our inner being and sets about making us into reflectors of His grace, mercy, and compassion—if we give ourselves to Him. He redeems all that is given to Him. The world both needs and wants that Jesus—the real Jesus.

And so what do we Christians give to the world? Our structures, our formats, our pride, our arrogance, our self-righteousness, our utter contempt for the true Person of Christ. We pore over the Scriptures and do not recognize the authentic Christ—and that God’s Word also serves as a mirror each time we see the legalists, the Pharisees, the hard-hearted religious. That is not the faith my Savior gave His death and life to preserve. That is the religion my Savior defeated.

But we keep resurrecting it and trying to breathe new life into it. I have news, folks, if Jesus killed it, it’s gone—and gone for good. He came that we would have, not death, but life, and life more abundant.

People hate our Jesus because we have made Him into us—our passions, our priorities, our prejudices, our policies, our procedures. If and when we are willing to let Him make us into Him, the world will get a whiff of genuine, sin-killing, life-giving, make-me-a-new-person faith lived out in how we speak, how we respond, how we love, how we worship, and how we live. In short, people will love Jesus when we introduce them to Him by acting like we’ve met Him ourselves. Let’s get to it.

I’m looking for a few folks who are serious about being Christ’s representatives to the world.

I have been at odds with some of my blogger pals because I favored the new area-code overlay for the area currently served by the 918 area code (rather than a split). Most of those who favored the split seemed to be from the Tulsa metro, and I had to assume they thought the metro would keep the 918 while us more rural folks would get the new area code. I favor the overlay because a whole bunch of folks and businesses who have had 918 numbers for years simply shouldn’t arbitrarily have had to switch to new ones and endure the costs associated. More importantly, area codes are becoming more and more meaningless with number portability. You can get a Vonage phone line with virtually (pardon the pun) any area code—even multiple areas codes—in the country and have it ring wherever you happen to put the VOIP device online.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission voted 2-1 Monday for the overlay rather than the split. Dana Murphy, of whom I am usually very supportive, was the dissenter.

The new area code will be 539 (Charles Hill was right about it starting with 5), and it will apply to new phone numbers within the current 918 area code after April 1, 2011 (if they are out of 918s by then). It will mean 10-digit dialing, even for local calls, which is the only downside I see to the overlay, but I frankly think we’re headed for that anyway. And honestly, we’re also headed to more pre-programmed calls from contact address books, so the extra three digits aren’t that much of a burden.

Glad they ruled the way they did. I’m remembering a Seinfeld episode about the perception of the new (646) versus the old (212) area code.

Looks like my tech guy finally got my blog back up. Thanks for bearing with me. You should check out my newest project: WelchOK.com