Tandem Bikes

If you were tuned in to BLT this morning, you heard the tale of the tandem bike. You remember the one...ding ding! HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

This adventure is best fulfilled for you by sharing pictures...so here you go.

After a leisurely afternoon by the pool, Ryan and I walked down to the little rental store and got our tandem bike.

WITH tires that work on the beach.

And let's not forget that precious bell.

 

See how his left hand is already hovering by the bell? The beginning of the end, folks. The beginning of the end.

 

My thoughts on our trial run around the parking lot.

 

(It occurs to me now that we were going the wrong direction, per the little arrow next to me. Perhaps this is why I was so scared??)

Nevertheless, I eagerly moved to the road.

Ryan's thoughts on this joyous adventure:

Even though I was scared outta my pea-pickin' mind, I won't lie to you - I love this man's adventure for life. And I love the way he draws me to do things that scare me outta my pea-pickin' mind. Just don't tell him I said so, mmmmmkay?

After darting successfully around Siesta Key Village and watching a GORGEOUS sunset.... we had a coffee date. Ryan parked the bike.

Time to ride home.

Via. The. Beach.

I wasn't kidding about how dark it was:

My last smile until we were safely back at our resort.

And at the end of the ride, Ryan said.....ding ding......helllooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

December...Weddings...and Such

Hey everyone! It's almost halfway through December and I'm just now showing up to the party! This is what a week away + half a week of catch up will do to a person! :)

First of all...I got married!!!!!!!! Thank you so, SO much to all of you who have been excited along with me and who prayed for us as we traveled to and from Florida for the ceremony...and for the wedding day itself. God completely blew our minds with how gorgeous a day He gave us and how smoothly things went. (Sans the music that stopped working halfway through the wedding.)

Can I show you some pictures? (I know - I've been BOMBARDING you all week on my own blog with that - but these are some I've not used there. I don't think, anyway....)

(All these pictures taken by my amazing mother-in-law, by the way.)

My "Jackie-O" look, as my mother-in-law called it. This is such typical Bekah. Give me my sunglasses and let me go on my merry way!! :)

 Seeing my mom for the first time on my wedding day. She cried. And then I did too.

 One of my favorite pictures. Seeing Dad for the first time on my wedding day. (Tears ALL the way around for everyone.)

 One of my favorite pictures - me with my bridesmaids! Sara's on the left and Lynnette's on the right.

 Our cake topper - the very first purchase we made toward our wedding. It's actually us. We did a photo shoot on a walking trail on a Sunday afternoon and sent a picture into a company that changed it into an acrylic silhouette. We love it.

 Our coffee toast. Because coffee is our THING.

 Sigh. How is this my LIFE?

 Posing for our very energetic photographer, Steve.

 Our amazing wedding party. Adam and Sara (Ryan's best friend and his wife) and Mark and Lynnette (my best friend and her husband).

 OH YEAH, BABY!! That's my husband!! :)

Such a fun day. Thank you, Lord!

And now I'm back and we are in the last few live shows of 2012! Hope you can hang out with Lynne and me tomorrow for BLT. Ryan will be joining us via phone too and we're going to reminisce about our wedding. (And you'll want to hear the tandem bike story.)

Maybe tomorrow I'll post the tandem bike pictures...

Almost There!

Oh y'all...this week has been so crazy busy I haven't even had time to blog. (Shhhh don't tell Lynne!)

Hard to believe that in four days...I'm getting married! It feels a little more real today since Marion (our amazingly hilarious IT guy) changed my email so I'm officially Bekah Shaffer now. I posted on Facebook that I'm now email official...so as soon as I follow that up with being God-official and Facebook-official, I should be good to go! :)

So thankful for the wildly unexpected changes God brought to my life this year through Ryan's presence in my life. So thankful for answers to 30 years of prayer.

And I can't wait to stand at the edge of the water in a pretty dress and say a forever, lifetime YES to this man who so completely captured my heart and continues to care for it so sweetly.

I'm excited to honor lives that were cut short on this earth, yet still impacted me so greatly and have helped mold me into the woman I am today.

(Our honorary bridesmaid and groomsman, representing my former roommate, Angela Kent, who died of breast cancer last December, almost a year to the day of our wedding and my nephew, Kirk Blackburn, who was stillborn when I was ten.)

I'm excited to share the elements we have planned for our ceremony - and then tell you all about them when I get back!

I'm excited to see the ocean. (Okay technically the gulf. But whatever. It's bigger than a creek. That's good enough for me!)

And no matter what happens...I'm just so excited that at the end of the day, I'll be Mrs. Ryan Shaffer!

I will be blogging over at Bekah's Bits next week, giving you peeks into the wedding! Love you all!

I'm Thankful...Even Though I'm Only Blogging Once This Month!

I'm grateful that the blog-loving Bekah decided to exercise her thankfulness muscle (it's large and well-toned) by writing weekday "What I'm Thankful For" posts the entire month of November. I'm especially grateful that she didn't expect me to participate but, instead, extended a gentle, no-expectations' invitation to take a day.

This, the 20th day of November, is that day!

There is much in my life that warrants a thank-you: my husband, Doug, and his restored relationship with Christ; our son, J.R. and our new daughter-in-law, Jeni, and new grandson, Elijah; Bekah and all that she brings to my work and personal life; and God's extravagant answers to our Mid-Morning prayers, to name just a few.

I'm also grateful for carpenters, those skilled workers who can create, build, and repair using their hands, a few tools, and a tape measure.

Doug's best friend in college double-majored in math and physics at a private Indiana school known for its rigorous academics. Yet when he graduated, he became a carpenter. When we renovated our kitchen (on the skinniest of shoestring budgets), Greg oversaw the project. He installed cabinets, hung beadboard, and built a banquette. In the living room, he crafted a new mantle, attached beadboard behind the shelves, and widened the bottom shelves to accommodate storage.

Every day for three weeks, this quiet man with a brilliant, inquisitive mind, measured (twice), cut, and hammered a new room into existence, and renewed our nondescript fireplace area . He brought the ideas in my head to life, and created areas so beautiful and homey, that I am swallowed up by gratefulness whenever I enter the spaces.

I love making a nest of pillows on the banquette and reading. If there's sunshine streaming through the window, even better!

              
The beadboard creates just the right amount of texture to showcase single items, like this birdhouse made from barn wood.

It's amazing what crown molding, beadboard, a beefier mantle, and molding on a cabinet door can do for a space -- and for very little money.

To all of the men and women who labor with their hands to create and repair -- plumbers, electricians, mechanics, and carpenters, to name a few -- thank you for your special forms of restoration.

You are appreciated and valued.


            

Holidays = "Opportunities for Growth"

I think most of you know that I used to work in Financial Aid. It was a stretch for me because I hate math. And math hates me right back. Were it not for the grace of God and the invention of math software, I never would have survived.

Much of what we did was driven by government regulation, and as you might imagine, those rules changed quite regularly. When our supervisor would call a meeting to inform us of change (and the subsequent steps we'd have to take to undo/redo/unlearn/relearn something) she always called it "an opportunity."

I loved that about her because I appreciated her positive spin on life, even when there truly wasn't anything positive to be found, but you can well imagine how I grew to detest the word "opportunity."

STOP GIVING ME OPPORTUNITIES!!!! I'M OPPORTUNITIED OUT!!!!!!

I might be out of Financial Aid, but I've learned that opportunities exist everywhere. Saturday I had the opportunity to extend warm hospitality and grace to a service guy who came to install something at the house. Instead, I stormed into the yard (in a very unbecoming fashion, I assure you) to aggressively rake leaves into bags while Ryan stayed behind in the house offering a second cup of coffee in Jesus' name and genuinely investing in the service guy.

It was with many tears and much self-disappointment later that  I tried to spill to Ryan (in coherent thoughts) just why the guy had annoyed me so much and how I wished I could have so easily had my fiance's giving, compassionate heart. In turn, Ryan gently wiped away my tears and explained how much the guy had really done to help us.

Opportunity failure, party of one, right here.

You might not work in Financial Aid and you might not be out punishing your yard (in such a way that leaves you with aching muscles the next day) but perhaps you have a great opportunity coming up this week.

Thanksgiving.

I always loved what Mark Lowry said about family: "You know what I'm talking about. You'll cry at their funeral but you don't want to go on vacation with them."

It's true! Family. We need them and yet for so many, nothing creates an "opportunity for growth" like an afternoon together around a turkey table.

Chuck Lynch joined us on Mid-Morning today to talk about how to relate to your adult children during the holidays. I sat at the engineering board furiously scribbling notes, and this was one of my favorite quotes: "God never gives us grace for other people's responsibility. He only gives grace, power and courage for our own responsibility."

Do you have one of those opportunity people in your family? The one that drives you to hide in the bathroom and taste the salt of hot tears while everyone else is oblivious to the pain? The one that drives you to make rather drastic "alternate plans" so you don't even have to attend the festivities?  Live in the freedom that you're not responsible for her. You're only responsible for you.

And I loved this too - straight from Scripture: "If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all." Romans 12:18

And perhaps...dare I say it? Be thankful for the person that gives you the growth opportunity. I'm not sure that today I can say I'm THANKFUL for the one in my life that God is currently convicting me. but I can say I'm thankful for the way the conflict is driving me into the arms of my Beloved.

Tweets n Blogs

Call me crazy, but it's true...God uses tweets and blog posts to speak to me. Sometimes to comfort, sometimes to encourage, sometimes to convict. But He's using them. And today, it's what I'm thankful for!

Can I share a few tweets that came through on our feed today that just blessed me?

"We want clarity & God gives a call.We want a road map & God gives a relationship. We want answers & God gives His hand" - Ann Voskamp

"To discover grace is to discover God's utter devotion to you, his stubborn resolve to give you a cleansing, healing love." - Max Lucado

"Don't expect everyone to accept, understand, affirm, endorse, approve of, or support your obedience to God. Can you handle disapproval?" - Christine Caine

"Prayer is the difference between THE BEST U CAN DO and THE BEST GOD CAN DO." - Mark Batterson

"Although we're mostly stinkers, more deserving of discipline than mercy, our Redeemer chooses to lavish us w/affection. Makes my heart leap!" - Lisa Harper

"It's only 7:45, and already I need to start today over...resetting my attitude at the Throne of Grace." - Carol Floch (Appreciate the honesty!!)
Maybe you're not into Twitter for yourself...but I tell you...it's worth following some of these folks just to be inspired! And every now and then...a good laugh accompanies a few of them!

And then there are the blogs. The ones I know I can get great encouragement from. Check some of these out!

ANN VOSKAMP - Blogs at A Holy Experience. Always such good things to take away from her deep and practical approach to life!

ANGIE SMITH - Blogs at Bring the Rain. She's on a trip with Compassion right now and her blogs are so heart rending!

THE (IN)COURAGE GIRLS - from Dayspring. Angie and Ann are actually both part of that circuit, but there are many others too and they take turns blogging much inspiration.

MANDY - Blogs at Biblical Homemaking. She does it all and still manages to be relatable and lovable.

BETH MOORE - Need I say more? The Mama of the Living Proof Ministries blog has great, moving things to say - alongside her daughter Melissa and her assistant Lindsee.

CAROLINE ROTHSCHILD - Blogs at Jane Caroline. The daughter-in-law of Jennifer Rothschild is wise beyond her years and I love her style.

Thankful for all these people and how their words lift me up - from 140 characters and beyond!

Random and Frivolous

I told Lynne during BLT this morning that I really feel like I'm hogging the thankfulness factor on here this month. Been trying to coerce her into writing a blog post, but y'all, she's been SO BUSY. Some days are a 3 diet coke day for her and that's so serious. SO serious.

Today, perhaps in honor of We Like It Wednesday (and yes, I know it's Thursday, but we talked about them on BLT) - I'm picking some random, perhaps frivolous, things I'm thankful for. But I am, nonetheless, thankful.

Speaking of We Like it Wednesdays, I'm thankful for Pinterest. (HEY. I told you in the title it was random and frivolous. But I've gotten SO many good ideas for food...for gifts...for house decorations. Seriously. How did I function before Pinterest??

I'm thankful for peppermint mochas. This is hilarious to me since peppermint actually gives me a headache. (So if you're ever eating peppermint or chewing peppermint gum, please oh please do not come sit next to me. I beg you.) But the peppermint in the mocha is subtle and chocolatey enough that I can handle it and it makes me SO SO happy.

This one seems super silly to me, but maybe you can relate. Ryan talked to someone the other day that we went to high school with. I was such a wallflower in high school and most people didn't know I existed. Maybe that was you too - and you know it can be kind of a hard thing to get over. You feel...a little ugly and forgotten. Anyway. Ryan told me that this girl (who was, in my estimation, in a very high and beautiful league) told him she reads my blog and she likes it. I'll take acceptance 15 years later. Oh yes I will! Dumb, but slightly healing to me. And for that, I'm thankful.

I'm thankful for blogs. I can still remember when my co-worker Jim talked me into blogging. I resisted. I said no. I was so afraid! But he finally set UP the blog for me and gave me the password...and said, "Here. Blog." And now I can't imagine NOT blogging. I am thankful for the outlet it is for me...thankful for the friends I've met through that adventure!

Thankful for brand new Bibles. I blogged about this over at my own blog today. I love a new Bible for a new season in life, and I'd say marriage qualifies as a new season!  So thankful for the fresh, crisp pages and the journey I'll walk while living in those pages!!

That's my randomness for today. What are you thankful for today? No item too frivolous!!

Rest...

Denise George visited Mid-Morning today and gave us permission to rest.

Praise. The. Lord.

Do you ever feel guilty for resting? Feel guilty for saying no when people ask you to do things? Feel guilty for sitting when there are 210,000 things that demand your attention?

Denise said to knock that off. (Actually she was MUCH more eloquent than that, but that's the Bekah paraphrase. Even Jesus needed rest, she said. God ordained it.

And can I just tell you...I am so thankful for rest.

When I was growing up, my parents were very fastidious about keeping the Sabbath as a day of rest. They never made a deal out of it. In fact, the first time I really knew it was a purposeful things was when I was in the third grade and forgot to do some homework on Saturday. When I asked Mom for help on Sunday, she did help...and then gently told me that I wouldn't be allowed to do homework on Sunday in the future, because it was a day of rest.

Like any kid, I found the whole process of life coming to a screeching halt on Saturday to be quite an inconvenient. But as an adult, I'm so grateful for that precedent. I love Sundays so much now, because it's one day a week when I'm guaranteed to sit and...dare I say it??....rest.

I can take naps without guilt...take walks...scrapbook...read...write...cook...journal...whatever seems most restful to me!

But Sundays are just one day.

What if I dared to be more restful throughout the week? To say no to something in favor of extra time with the Lord or extra sleep?

It's a thought to ponder.

Meanwhile, I'm thankful for parents who set a rest precedent!

New Families

Today on Mid-Morning, we shared a day of thankfulness. Lynne and I offered ides for everything from kids' activities for Thanksgiving day to what to do with your leftover mashed potatoes. Oh, and I learned that ginger comes in forms OTHER than ground up in a jar on the spice shelf. WHO KNEW?

Then we opened the phone lines and you all called in with BEAUTIFUL tributes of thanks for what God has been doing in your lives. Several of you were thankful for your families, and that led Lynne to mention the joy of good mothers-in-law.

Lynne LOVED her mother-in-law and always is quick to pay her a kind word any chance she gets. I love that about Lynne and I always appreciated the hope it gave me that I could maybe someday have a good relationship with my own mother-in-law!

Actually I've been praying for that since high school.

Praying for God to open up the door for me to have a great relationship with the woman who raised the man I would come to love.

And He so did.

Ryan's mom and I were actually friends before he and I ever started dating. She was such an encouragement to me and she has (ahem) a photo obsession similar to mine. :) She prayed for me and loved me and was just an all-around good friend.

I'll never forget the night Ryan "took me home to meet his mom." Of course we'd already met but she didn't know he was pursuing me. And I'd never been taken home to meet anyone's mom before. Ryan drove me to her house and I hid in the garage, heart pounding, while he went inside to tell her that he had a surprise for her. He came back out, took my hand, and led me into the house where the looks of surprise, thankfulness, and utter relief collided on her face. And I had tears in my eyes because I knew God honored my request.

She's lovely in every way, and I not only adore and appreciate the way she has welcomed me into the family, but I appreciate the relationship she has with Ryan. I appreciate how she raised him to love and honor the Lord.

If I'd dreamed up a family to enter, this would have been just the kind of family I would have picked. Not only is she great...but all the rest have welcomed me with open arms too. Aunts, uncles, grandparents, siblings, cousins - all of them.

I'm grateful.

Prayer Warriors

Today on our Author! Author! program, one of Lynne's authors was Gary Neal Hansen, who has written a book called Kneeling with Giants.

Do you know people like that? People whose prayers are so powerful that you crave the opportunity to pray as they do? Giants of the faith who got there the same way we can...by the journey of life and by hard trials that press us into His side until we're connected to His power in ways we didn't even expect.

I have a prayer warrior like that in my life. Her name is Sue Ann, and she lets me call her Grandma Sue. (My own grandmothers are in Heaven now, so I love having an adopted Grandma here on earth.)

A couple of years ago, when I walked my desert journey, Sue Ann was a kneeling giant for me. She listened to me cry over the phone and she prayed for me - both right there on the phone and also in moments I didn't even know about. And in one very divinely appointed conversation, she told me this story, which redeemed years of heartbreak for me over the way my life had begun.

This past Saturday was my bridal shower, and Grandma Sue was there. At one point in the shower, she shared the story from that link above, and there was not a dry eye in the place as she explained how God had answered the prayers of the ladies at that retreat, praying over my yet-unborn life.

And then she prayed for me:

I loved that moment, and I love this picture. Her prayers (and the prayers of many other warriors) have sustained me and I'm so grateful. Thank you, Jesus, for prayer warriors. Thank you for giants of the faith. Thank you for the hard roads they walked that pushed them into Your side. Thank you for their choice to persevere through those moments.

Thank you.

It's the Music

Good thing I love music since I work at a radio station...huh? :)

Ryan and I have been planning our wedding ceremony and we are HUGE advocates of things that demonstrate meaning. Even in the music we're choosing. The song we've selected for our families and wedding party to enter to is meaningful in lyric and artist. I don't even know what song I'm walking in to yet, because I told Ryan I wanted him to choose it...any song that he wanted to forever associate with the moment he saw me walking toward him...and I don't want to know what it is until I hear it that day as I walk to meet him. The song we'll play during the wedding is one I've always longed to use, because it sums up the kind of life and marriage I hope we share. And the song we walk out to will be one that shares what we hope our guests will see in our love toward each other.

Music is so meaningful. Its words carry such weight. Such conviction. Such hope. Such promise.

Such memory.

I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful for the opening notes of a song and the immediate flood that washes over me as I think of the time it ministered to me for the first time.

This is one of my favorites. You might have heard us play it on the station, but this song says one of the foundational truths of relationship and something that Ryan and I both cling to and promise one another:

I will love you for you...not for what you have done or what you will become..I will love you for you. I will give you the love, the love that you never knew.

Thankful.

Manicures and other Forms of Thankfulness

Today on BLT, we talked about doing nails. Lynne talked about the most expensive nail polish bottle on the planet, which is reportedly a quarter of a million dollars. (No, I am not wearing THAT to my wedding.) Seriously. A quarter of a million dollars for NAIL POLISH?? It has black diamonds in it. Give me my diamond in a ring that I can wear for the rest of my life, thankyouverymuch.

 

Anyway. As part of our show, Lynne and I did an experiment for y'all. (You're welcome.) We tried out these nail strips:

 

Basically you peel off the backs, apply them to your nail beds, and they adhere through the warmth of your fingers. You use the orangewood stick to trim off any excess and secure them to your nails. They are made of real nail polish and are supposed to last two weeks. (Plus there's no drying time to factor in, which as all girls know...is the biggest pain of a manicure.)

 

I was worried because all of them are bigger than my freakishly small nail beds (the ONLY petite thing on my entire body) - so I was a skeptic from the get-go.

 Lynne was busy applying hers at her desk....

 And I was fighting with them at mine. (Excuse the massive NOSE in this picture!) We determined that my problem was my strips were dried out. When Lynne brought in the package a few days earlier, I'd ripped into mine to see what they were all about. The air got to them and they dried, leaving me unable to use them. :(

 Lynne finally shared some of hers with me, so I started over, using the fresh ones. They did stick immediately, so that was good news!

 We both only tried applying them to our left hands, and we're both right handed...so I'm not sure I could have applied it to my right hand without it looking like a 2 year old did it.

 Thoughts on the process:

 Lynne got hers on pretty easily and it looked good. Me...well...one of mine was crooked and didn't go clear to the edge. Fail.

 Happy camper!! :)

Neither of ours lasted two weeks. Mine lasted four days before it chipped badly on the side. And it was way too much hassle for me. Give me my Essie polish any old day. :) Or my former days of Shellac. (Which is what I WILL be getting for the wedding.)

Having said that - you can't beat a job where you get to do a manicure as part of the day! :) Not bad, my friends, not bad.

Today I'm thankful for BLT. Lynne and I love that show so much and we get the impression you like it too! Thanks for being our listening family and spending part of your day with us!

Now That's Just Fun!

Today was Spots and Spotlights day on Mid-Morning!! And I had a really great time hanging out with our guests. If you missed it - catch the show here on the archives!

We started out with a sweet lady named Lynn McLendon. Lynne read about her in a magazine, I believe. She found herself fascinated by dollhouses, but have y'all checked out the prices of dollhouses? Even if you make them yourself, all the little pieces and parts cost a lot of money when you add them all up. So Lynn and her daughter got creative and made their own with bits and pieces of things they already had - the repurposed dollhouse, if you will. She wrote a blog about the adventure, and I think my favorite thing about it was hearing how she made beautiful memories with her daughter in that time. 30 years from now the dollhouse might have perished, but those memories will still be there!

And then there was this really fun creation: the Fridge Coaster! Ashlyn Rudnick created them because she felt like she spent enough time scrubbing dishes and she didn't need to spend more time scrubbing fridge shelves after the chocolate syrup leaked or the milk flaked onto the shelf...you know how it goes. You have a fridge too! So check out these really fashionable and functional mats for your refrigerator shelves! (Great Christmas gift idea!!)

Lynne saw this featured on QVC, I believe...and I had no idea it was even possible. Did y'all know thieves can steal your credit/debit card information THROUGH YOUR WALLET? They don't even have to be holding it in their hands if they have the right equipment. Freaky!! So Michael Lyons created a shield you can put around your cards to protect your info - and he also created the Rogue wallet - which is designed for guys to wear them in their FRONT pants pocket. (This he learned after throwing his back out FROM HIS WALLET!!! I rest my case with my ginormous Mary Poppins purse...)

Do you get a live Christmas tree? I never have in my whole life, but I thought it might be a fun tradition to start with Ryan, so we have plans this year to trek our way down to Dull's Tree Farm, not that far from Lafayette, IN. Might be a bit of a day trip for some of you in the Fort Wayne area, but the activities are endless! Sledding and a wreath barn and a petting zoo and hot chocolate....AND the tree. Doesn't it sound SO FUN? I can't wait. I'll have to post pictures when I go. (Because you know, I'll take some!)

And then - oh my goodness. Who doesn't love JEWELRY??? Ever heard of Bead for Life? They are a company dedicated to eradicating poverty in Uganda by providing a way for women to make jewelry and sell it. All their proceeds to into the poverty project and the jewelry is SO pretty. It's made from paper, actually! Devin Hibbard was our last guest this morning and talked about that - and GUESS WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!  WBCL is hosting a Bead for Life party on Thursday, November 29th in the afternoon/evening!! It's true! You can shop for Christmas, eat some yummy Fort Wayne Chocolate Fountain goodness, and help kill poverty for the Ugandan woman - all at once! Mark your calendars!!!

So that was our show today - and to that end, I say for today's thankfulness stop...I'm so thankful for this very fun job! I am thankful to spend my days with Lynne and guests that teach me and make me laugh and think and sometimes even cry (in a good way). What a blessing!!

Have You Thanked Your Office Guru Today?

People.

Yesterday afternoon I played receptionist here at the station, while our Diane Hooley took a much-deserved day off.

I will tell you RIGHT NOW that nothing makes you appreciate a front-lines-office-staffer more than pretending to be her for a day. Or half a day. Or during a bathroom break. Because it is in that moment that you realize how much random knowledge, how much multi-tasking, how much smiling, how much compassion, how much goodness it takes to do that job.

When I was college student at Indiana Wesleyan, I was hired as a student worker in the Financial Aid Office. My "desk" was at the front beside the receptionist. I learned a lot by osmosis and in the summer, when I worked full time, I just filled in anytime she was gone. By the time I was hired full time as a Financial Aid Counselor after college, I knew better than anyone else in that office how much it took to work the front desk. I knew what an under-appreciated position it was. And I told everyone around me, Anyone in this office can take a vacation day and most people probably won't even know someone is missing. But let that front desk person take a lunch hour and this whole place falls apart.

It's true. They know more about the place than most of the rest of the staff put together. They know where things are stashed - like a new roll of Scotch tape or a replacement bulb for a lamp. They know all the codes and passwords by heart and exactly how to gently pat (or kick) the copier to make it work from tray two. They recognize callers by name - and more than that - they know exactly what is going on in their lives and how to encourage them. They know what every staff member does and where calls should be fielded.

They know how to fill in the blanks for questions people coming in should ask but don't even know they should ask.

And quite frankly - I'd say most offices are under-thankful for their front line people.

Call them whatever you want - administrative assistants, secretaries, receptionists - whatever. They are the ones who make the rest of work smoothly every day of the week and we don't say thanks enough. So today this Mid-Morning staff says to our Diane Hooley:

THANK YOU!!! WE APPRECIATE YOU AND ALL YOU DO AND ALL YOU KNOW.

And I (Bekah) am sorry for any fires you have to put out today because I did your job yesterday. Hugs!

(This is me with Diane Superstar Hooley at the Mercy Me concert a couple of weeks ago!)

Thankful for the Wisdom on Mid-Morning

Lynne Ford is one very wise woman.

She is partly wise because God just made her that way. (Just this morning, in fact, I wheeled around in my chair and said, "I need some Lynne-wisdom." And she delivered with quiet, profound confidence. That kind of confidence that is not arrogant because she doesn't sit around thinking of herself as profound.)

But she's partly wise because she hosts Mid-Morning for a living...and people, you cannot host this program without soaking up some sweet wisdom along the way. You just can't.

I can't even imagine the list of guests she's interviewed over the years. I know that a few of them she's talked to in the year since I've been here have infused me with wisdom as I sit at my perch over at the engineering board. You always learn twice as much (perhaps four times as much?) when you are the one preparing the interview as you do when you hear it. That's why she's so wisdom-laced. Here are just some of the guests who have profoundly impacted me with their wisdom since I first started working here. If you missed them, visit the archives!

* Lorraine Pintus - (7/25/11) - spoke with great confidence and insight on Intimate Issues. There's a chapter in her book that talks about how to confront body image issues. As a bride-to-be, I am SO thankful for the wisdom and practical application found in that chapter!

* Damian Lonsdale (8/12/11) - our guest on the topic of distracted driving. While I will be the first to admit I'm still more distracted than I should be behind the wheel, his interview helped me hone my driving skills and straighten up to pay attention to things I didn't even realize I was missing!

* James Banks (8/23/11) - author of Prayers for Prodigals. His book is such a helpful guide in praying for and relating to those who aren't pursuing the Lord. It was such a helpful reminder to be faithful in prayer for those in my life who don't share my faith!

* Renee Swope (10/25/11) - author of The Confident Heart. I sat at the board and cried through her ENTIRE interview because my heart so longed to be confident and her words fell over my soul with such healing grace.

* Ann Voskamp (1/3/12) - the author of One Thousand Gifts urged my heart to be consciously thankful this year. So loved taking on that challenge.

* Angie Smith (1/18/12) - I have learned so much from Angie through her blog and her books. She joined us to talk about What Women Fear and I was set free from several fear-based strongholds as I read the wisdom of this book!

* Edward Welch (3/23/12) - author of What Do You Think of Me? Why Do I Care? As a compulsive people pleaser, I NEEDED this show...to learn how to find fulfillment in the Lord.

* Sheila Walsh (4/29/12) - this Women of Faith speaker has written many books and Bible studies and I've learned much from her across the board, but she was with us to talk about the book God Loves Broken People and it was such a blessing. Feeling broken? This one is a good reminder of His unconditional love.

* Susan Miller (5/16/12) - the founder of justmoving.org was part of our show to talk about the emotional push and pull form moving. As a person who has (hopefully!) a move in her future, I was very excited to learn from her wisdom.

* Bruce Marchiano (6/16/12) - he played Jesus in the Matthew film and was with us to talk about his more recent reprise of portraying Jesus in Apostle Peter and the Last Supper. I had the privilege of interviewing him and it was an amazing moment to be able to talk to someone whose interpretation and portrayal of Jesus changed everything about how I relate to my Abba.

* Shaunti Feldhahn (10/23/12) - love her book For Women Only and though I read it years ago when it first came out, it was so good to be reminded of her wisdom as I prepare for marriage!

We had, of course, dozens of other guests with wonderful topics and insights. These are just the ones whose wisdom hit me at the right time and in the right place. And they fill Lynne every day with such amazing wisdom. And for that - I am thankful.

Thankful in Suffering

Teske Drake was our guest today, and she talked to those who have faced miscarriage and infant loss. Those of you who have walked that road know what a painful thing it is to have to say goodbye to a sweet baby you wanted and learned to love...often before you even got to meet him or her.

I've never had a baby of my own, but my sister's first baby was stillborn 24 years ago, and then 12 years ago, some very dear friends of mine lost their first child on her sixth month birthday. Two funerals...two tiny caskets...two times my heart broke through completely in ways that have never completely healed...and I wasn't even their mommy.

To those of you who wonder when you will ever "get over it," I loved what Teske said. You don't. You walk through it. God walks with you, holding you and comforting you, but never will He look at you from Heaven and ask you to snap out of it and move on.

Please know that while we might not know your pain from personal experience, we ache for you, we love you, and we hope Teske's words give you hope today. (Please, please go to her website or check out her book if you are walking this road - even many years after it happened - and find encouragement from her!)

And I also want to say to you today...as we walk through this month of thankfulness...that today I'm thankful for the way God has used suffering in my life to draw me to Him.

When I was 10 years old and that doctor walked in the hospital waiting room to tell me (and our family) that my sister was fine but they'd lost the baby, I was not much more than a baby Christian myself. But God used the painful loss of that sweet little boy to speak to my heart and teach me that life is hard...but God is good. And faithful.

And when I was just out of college and I received the phone call that little Carol had died unexpectedly...I had no choice but to collapse at the foot of God's throne and offer Him my brokenness. And He offered love and healing and the reminder of my need for Him.

And there have been other losses as well. Some rocked me until I wasn't even sure my next breath would form in my lungs. You might know those kinds of losses in your own life.

I'm thankful for them.

I'm thankful I can say it is well with my soul. I'm thankful for the lessons I learned. I'm thankful for the comfort I can now offer to others out of the depths of comfort I received when I was in that moment. I'm just thankful. It is NOT easy to be thankful for suffering when it's happening. Those are the moments when I just want to pound the air with my fists and exclaim all the reasons why my trial is NOT fair.

But those moments made me who I am. They are the ways God has chosen to use to shape me. Refine me. Remind me of my dependence on His holiness and sovereignty.

And I'm thankful.

Happy November!

Can y'all believe it is NOVEMBER??? Crazy! Yesterday we had one of those bleak rainy days here in Indiana - the kind that make you want to run home, make a pot of chili and drink coffee. (Okay, every day makes me want to drink coffee. But I digress.) Today it's so sunny out - makes me feel like it should still just be September. Ohhhhh Indiana. How you tease us.

Anyway. Thought I'd introduce the month with some bullet points of things you might need to know about! :)

* I sent out the MMe-Note this morning. Not familiar with the MMe-Note? Well check out the November sample of it here. It's a monthly newsletter Lynne and I send where we give you an idea of what's coming up for the month - and we alternate writing a little note at the end of it. If you haven't signed up and want to - you can do so here. It will be delivered to your email the first day of every month!

* There's also a new round of Fiction Fix up for grabs! Fiction Fix is a monthly contest we run...you can go here to read about the five novels we're giving away this month, and you can register for your top two choices. If we draw your name, you win one of those two books and after sitting out of the contest for three months, you can register to win again! Pretty simple, huh? I'll be drawing this month's winners a day early - on November 29th - so you have until then to register!

* Just a few (very few!!) tickets remain to the Fresh Grounded Faith conference taking place next weekend, November 9-10 here in Fort Wayne at The Chapel. If you need a refresher for your soul, can I just recommend that you go to Fresh Grounded Faith? Jennifer Rothschild, Lisa Whelchel and Michael O'Brien will offer laughter, wisdom, probably a few (good) tears and a chance to draw closer to the Lord. And Lynne (and most of the WBCL staffer ladies) will be there too, so you can say hi and get some hugs!

* We've planned some shows for the heavy hearted during November. If you've suffered a miscarriage or infant loss, please, please, please join us tomorrow to hear Lynne's conversation with Teske Drake. She's walked the road three times and knows the deep ache and wants to offer hope to you! And next Friday, November 9th, we'll welcome PeggySue Wells to talk about single parenting at the holidays. That can be such a tricky balance to find and she has great, practical wisdom for you. And then on November 19th (right before Thanksgiving), Chuck Lynch will be back to talk about relating to adult children during the holidays (the other great balance of parenting...).

* And we've planned some fun shows too! Of course you can catch BLT (Bekah, Lynne Thursdays) every Thursday during the month of November EXCEPT Thanksgiving Day. (We'll be knee deep in turkey and green bean casserole that day!) But we also have Spots and Spotlights coming your way on November 7th, a Thanksgiving palooza show on November 13th, Kitchen Caboodle will be back on November 27th, and the very last day of the month, we'll do a big book giveaway! So don't miss those fun shows!

* Last but NOT least...since it's the month in which we focus on thankfulness, I thought we'd do that here on the Mid-Morning blog. I'll start...how's that?  This is a person I'm so thankful for. This face familiar to you?

Our dear, dear Jamie Bennett! She was the Mid-Morning producer until July, 2011, when she followed God's call on  her heart to attend ministry school. She worked so hard to teach me the ropes of being a producer and I've many times over told others how grateful I am for her insight and HOURS of hard work. Beyond that, she's just an incredible prayer warrior and I am so thankful for her friendship and her love. Some of you have written to find out how she's doing, and there's no better way to tell you than to direct you to her blog, which she writes so well! Jamie, love you so much, so thankful for your friendship, your obedient spirit, your faithful prayers, and your encouraging heart! Praying God' BIGGEST blessings over you in this next season of your life!

Mercy Me!

Hey there! Did any of you get to attend the Mercy Me concert this past Saturday night out at Blackhawk Ministries? GREAT concert! I was out there with Scott Tsuleff and Diane Hooley, and we had so much fun. Thought you might like to see some pictures!

 

Scott was the quizzer extraordinaire for the Meet and Greet - which started with Adam Cappa. He opened for Mercy Me. GREAT guy. What a humble heart and desire to serve the Lord!!

 Then Mercy Me came in and answered questions for a while.

 Scott with the whole crowd....

 And Diane with the band (and Adam).

 I was so excited to have Ryan with me that night and we had our picture taken with them too but I have to wait until I can get it from Trinity's photographer. My arm was not long enough to self-photograph that many people! :)

Scott and I made a few announcements before the concert began. This was Scott announcing my engagement. I'll clap for that!!!!

 Doesn't it look like I'm singing to Scott? LOL!!! I'm not. I was talking about the Fresh Grounded Faith conference.

 And then we threw fling rings. Oh sweet people. Here's your public service announcement. If you're ever in my line of fire....BEWARE!! I did not play sports for a reason!!!

 Adam did the opening part of the concert - great worship leader!

 And then Mercy Me took the stage.

 They sang so many great songs...I love this group so much!

 Lots of worship going on....

 A sweet night.

For those of you who came up to the table to talk to us - we loved that! We always love meeting you!!