{"id":737,"date":"2009-04-18T04:01:33","date_gmt":"2009-04-18T04:01:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2009\/04\/when-in-tulsa.html"},"modified":"2009-04-18T04:01:33","modified_gmt":"2009-04-18T04:01:33","slug":"when-in-tulsa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/04\/when-in-tulsa.html","title":{"rendered":"When in Tulsa . . ."},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently I was out and about in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I visited this fine city for the first time in order to preach in the chapel of the First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa<\/a> and give a luncheon lecture. I was most impressed by this church. The people I met were friendly. Their facility is vast and aesthetically pleasing. I loved the classic sanctuary with its marvelous stained glass window (see photo). I enjoyed meeting several members of the First Church staff, including the Senior Pastor, Dr. Jim Miller. When I visit a vibrant, visionary church like this, I am encouraged about the state of the church in America, including, I might add, my denomination, the PC(USA), in which First Pres Tulsa is a leading congregation.
\nI stayed overnight in the Crowne Plaza hotel in downtown Tulsa. It was convenient and comfortable. But it had two features that made me smile. First, there is a Starbucks in the hotel. No need to trek all over town to find a decent latt\u00e9 in the morning! Second, and more significant, the Crowne Plaza includes a Daily Grill restaurant. This was one of my favorite restaurants when I lived in Orange County, California. There are a couple of Daily Grills in Texas (Austin, Houston), but I haven’t been able to check them out yet. There are two items on the Daily Grill menu that I enjoy: meatloaf and Cobb Salad. I should not that neither is inexpensive. But both are worth a few extra bucks on a special occasion.
\nMy favorite restaurant in Tulsa, however, is the Blue Dome Diner<\/a> (photo to right). Jim Miller and his staff took me to breakfast there. What a treat! This classic diner has exactly the sort of food you’d expect in such a place, only better. I had oatmeal, Grandma’s Oats, to be exact. It was fantastic. The more youthful members of the First Pres staff had delicious egg dishes, with fried potatoes, French toast, and you name it. Whew!
\nThe Blue Dome Diner does not have a blue dome, by the way. It is across the street from one of Tulsa’s landmarks, which does, in fact, have a blue dome. I asked Jim Miller if the building had once been an Eastern Orthodox Church, because it looks quite a bit like the small sanctuaries you see all over in places like Santorini<\/a>. But, alas, the blue dome was built for more terrestrial functions. In fact, it was once the Blue Dome Service Station. It opened in 1925 as a Tidal Oil Gas Station<\/a> (later, Gulf Oil). Given its location right on Route 66, a highly-traveled east-west highway in those days, the Blue Dome Station thrived. But with the building of the interstate highway system, the gas station turned into a bar sometime in the 1940s or 1950s. The building was neglected until 2000, when a Tulsa businessman purchased the property in order to preserve and use it. The Blue Dome Station is now the home of Arnie’s Bar<\/a>, though the space under the dome is used as an artist’s studio.
\nA recent article in The Journal Record<\/em><\/a> of Oklahoma City tells the story of the Blue Dome Station. Here’s what it says about the building’s origins: “A June 1925 advertisement in The Architectural Record supports that, with Acme Brick touting its product used in designs patterned off the grand Hagia Sophia dome by architects Lawrence Blue and Fred Knoblock.” The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey,\u00a0 is the “mother church” of Eastern Orthodoxy. Its dome is similar in shape to that of the Blue Dome Station. However, it is not blue. You will find blue domed Eastern Orthodox churches in places like Santorini, an island off the coast of Greece. (Photo: Some blue domed churches in Oia, a city in northern Santorini)
\nAll in all, I was impressed by Tulsa. A smaller city, it is clean, attractive, and growing. If you’re ever in town, I highly recommend the First Presbyterian Church and the Blue Dome Diner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recently I was out and about in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I visited this fine city for the first time in order to preach in the chapel of the First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa and give a luncheon lecture. I was most impressed by this church. The people I met were friendly. Their facility is vast and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-out-and-about"],"yoast_head":"\nWhen in Tulsa . . . - Mark D. Roberts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/04\/when-in-tulsa.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"When in Tulsa . . . - Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Recently I was out and about in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I visited this fine city for the first time in order to preach in the chapel of the First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa and give a luncheon lecture. I was most impressed by this church. The people I met were friendly. Their facility is vast and…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/04\/when-in-tulsa.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=737"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/737\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}