As a boy my favorite toy was a cardboard box. We could break it,tear it,and damage it. No one really cared because nobody really wanted it. Yet, it was a magic place--a castle, a boat, a train, a spaceship, a cave for a cowboy to hide, and endless possibilities as vast as the imagination could stretch. Then when we were through playing, we could nimbly roll over and out or simply step skyward and re-enter the real world by tumbling out of it. Our real world was not exactly full of real boats, train rides,or similar activities that required a bit of money. In a sense, it was a rather limited and confining world, but it was a wonderful fantasy world! Now, many years later, I am reminded of that box as I am free to find another, sit in it, and well...play or work. After a lifetime of serving as a minister and a shorter time as a husband (married a beautiful lady, who has five handsome sons with five cute daughters-in-law that have produced seven marvelous grandchildren) and as a grandfather, I once again have the opportunity to play in a box with my precious grandchildren. It’s my joy to introduce them to the wonderful world of imagination and fantasy within a box.

Separation from God is a person’s greatest problem, and because of that separation they cannot experience the abundant life coming from a personal relationship with God. Life can be filled with a great many problems, sometimes seemingly overwhelming. That’s when I often hear people ask the question: “Where is God?” “Why doesn’t He answer me?”

King was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesman and leader in the American civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. King advanced civil rights through nonviolence and civil disobedience, inspired by his Christian beliefs and the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi. He was the son of early civil rights activist and minister Martin Luther King Sr.

Bristow Indian Alcoholics Anonymous 325 East 10th, New Life Intenational Church, Tuesdays at 7 p.m. For more information c all (918) 210- 8056.

January is National Blood Donor Month, and to start the year off on the right foot, Our Blood Institute is asking everyone in the community to make giving blood part of their New Year’s resolution. Donors of all blood types, especially type O negative, are asked to donate today.

As the aviation industry continues to grow across the state of Oklahoma, local aviation companies began contacting Central Tech regarding their struggle to find workers. To grow their own labor force and expand the pool of qualified applicants surrounding the Bristow and Stroud area, Consolidated Turbine Specialists, Mint Turbines, PAS MRO, and Vertical Aerospace, partnered with Central Tech to find a solution for hiring a skilled workforce.

Rep. Rick West, R-Heavener, has filed legislation that would require federal agencies to inform county sheriffs before any raid or warrantless arrests are executed within their jurisdiction.

The Bristow Pirates rank 3rd in State. The Pirates pushed their wrestling record to 5-0 with a 59-8 thumping of Glenpool..