Words I Never Thought I'd Say: I Want to Live in a Barn!

I wouldn't mind being born in a barn if it was the barn-turned-home of Tammy and Brian Imel. Bekah, my great-niece, Kylie, and I visited the Markle homestead Wednesday in preparation for an upcoming "Spots and Spotlights interview with Tammy.

We went expecting a quick walk-through but were greeted and ushered inside by the gamine and utterly charming Tammy. Not only did she give us a room-by-room tour detailing how the couple converted the former dairy barn into their home and decorated it on a shoestring (she paid 50 cents for the creamer side table...boy, can she sniff out a bargain), the former elementary school teacher and decorating whiz also served us raspberry lemonade, strawberries with homemade whipped cream, and her scrumptious Aunt Ethel bars. Needless to say, the three of us volunteered to house it (or is it still technically a barn?) whenever the Imels want to go away.

Check out the former granary behind their house that's still in the process of being converted into a guest getaway.

After Wednesday's visit to Markle, I stopped by my nephew's house to see his family's newest pet, a pot-bellied pig named Mr. Pigglesworth. Amy Miller (she does the receipting and other money duties at WBCL) adores pigs, so I invited her for a nose-to-snout encounter with the Cheetos-loving porker. 

And while Amy quickly fell for the bristly squealer, potty-training tales and Mr. P.'s ear-splitting squeal convinced her that this season of her life makes owning a pig a no-go.

While Mr. P. looks calm, getting him into Amy's arms involved some chasing and swaddling. The blanket wrapped around him was very damp when Amy put him down.

Mr. P. is ready for his close-up...perhaps a little too close.

You can never have too many pig shots in your blog. This isn't his dish. It belongs to his four-legged roomie, Lola the bulldog, who's getting a tad frustrated with Mr. P. using her as a
surrogate mommy every time she lays down for a nap.

My "Fix Your Thoughts on This" for the week is from Dr. Edward Welch, author of What Do You Think About Me? Why Do I Care? The word repent means to turn in a different direction. When you turn away from sin, God is right there waiting for you.

The boundary line between you and God is only one step.

That's because He is always pursuing you, hemming you in, so that no matter which direction you turn to find Him, you always will.

Monday, Bekah and I open the phones to chat with you about any number of things. Check out the list on the Mid-Morning schedule page, and then call, e-mail or Facebook us beginning at 10:00 a.m. Everyone who calls gets one of our new Mid-Morning coffee sleeves.

Happy weekend!

 

 

What a Week!

It’s been quite a week.

Monday’s blog show has climbed to more than 1,000 listens, a new record for Mid-Morning shows on the archive. I thought I’d grasped the concept of a blog, but after co-interviewing our five bloggers, I now realize the real reason for blogging had totally escaped me. People blog to connect, plain and simple. We want to share ourselves, our ideas, our pain, our lives with others…to help them and to help ourselves. That reality now sits in the back of my mind as I continue my own blogging journey.

As you listened to SHARE Wrap-it-Up on Tuesday and Wednesday, were you swept up in the supernatural movement of God? We were, and I believe that our listening family was too. The WBCL staff watched the phones ignite, heard the stories of God’s special graces poured into lives through WBCL, and felt your heartfelt desire for us to reach the goal – and we did. We are grateful for God’s gifts, but love Him more than any good things He gives us.

As you can see, we didn’t tidy up immediately after Wrap-it-Up. That didn’t happen until Thursday. Sort of like what happens when you have a party at your own home.

Thursday, Jennifer Rothschild told a very funny story about her singing the national anthem at an Atlanta Braves game. I love this woman who is totally without pretense. Bekah and I will be at Jennifer’s “Fresh Grounded Faith” conference in Lima, March 30 and 31. Last year’s event included an incredible holy-healing moment. During the Q & A, Jennifer read aloud a question from a woman in the audience who’d had an abortion many years before. While she’d asked God for His forgiveness – over and over again – she’d never felt the freedom of forgiveness. This tortured woman wanted to know what she could do to finally receive God’s absolution. Jennifer spoke truth from God’s Word from I John and Romans: If we confess our sins, God forgives, plain and simple. And for God’s children, there is no condemnation, not anymore. Christ’s blood has made us clean. Then she told the woman (who submitted the question anonymously and was sitting somewhere in the audience), that on this day the old lie that has been playing in her head for years was going to be erased and replaced with the truth. Jennifer had all 1000+ women say in unison, “Daughter, your sins are forgiven!” It was powerful. If you only attend one women’s event in 2012, Jennifer Rothschild’s “Fresh Grounded Faith” Conference – with special guest Kathy Troccoli – is a fantastic choice.

Life can hum along in 4^th gear, which doesn’t leave much time for personal reflection about anything. Friday’s “Bucket, Leap and Livin’ List” show forced me to consider things I want to do before I die, in my current season of life, and in the immediate future. I’m grateful that what began as show preparation, ended up as an impetus for making some definite plans.

The books are sorted and ready to go for Monday’s “Spring Book Giveaway.” Check out the complete list, choose two or three favorites (you can only win one but it’s good to have back-ups in case your first choice is gone), and call in starting at 10:00.

Want to be jaw-droppingly amazed? Watch the Discovery Channel’s newest special “Frozen Planet.” I saw the producer and cinematographer interviewed on The Today Show this week, and was undone by the exhilarating glory of God’s creation. It airs Sunday night on The Discovery Channel.

Happy weekend!

The Week That Was

Ten books. That’s what we featured on this week’s Mid-Mornings. Three were children’s books and the rest covered a divergent group of topics, which is what (I think) makes Mid-Morning so appealing.

On Monday’s “Author! Author!” Robert J. Morgan, author of Then Sings My Soul, called hymns “little portable units of praise,” I treasure their power to lastingly imprint God-truths on my soul.

Come Thou Fount captures the pull to have my own way and my plea for God to mark me with His Spirit until I’m Home:

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Guide Me, O, Thou Great Jehovah, by its very title, paints a picture of an all-powerful God, whose muscular arm protects, defends, and provides spiritual food for His children. The last two lines are an ardent request and a praise!

Guide me, O thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land. 
I am weak, but thou art mighty;
Hold me with thy powerful hand. 
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,
Feed me 'til I want no more;
Feed me 'til I want no more.

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty never ceases to amaze me with its two-sentence explanation of God's will.

Praise to the Lord
Who o'er all things so wonderfully reigneth
Shelters thee under His wings
Yea, so gladly sustaineth
Hast thou not seen how thy desires e'er have been
Granted in what He ordaineth

My husband rarely forwards anything You Tube-ish to me, so when he sent me Wintley Phipps explanation of The Black Keys, I knew it would be worth watching. Trust me, it is.




Tuesday, Zonya Foco, the energizer bunny of nutrition, shared her cold oatmeal recipe, which she promises is delicious. It’s kid- and adult-tested (her 12-year-old son, his sleepover friends, and Zonya’s overnight guests gobble it up). I’ve never met an oatmeal that didn’t trigger my gag reflex, but I’m thinking about giving Zonya’s a try.

Did you catch Wednesday’s show with Dr. John Townsend? The good doctor suggested we do a little role playing. Role playing! Was he crazy? My initial thought was to pull the “I’m-the-host-and-I-don’t-role-play” card. My palms were a sweaty mess. My heart was pumping so hard even my always-cold feet were getting blood. I had to remind myself to breathe slowly so I wouldn’t hyperventilate. But then I did something counterintuitive: I kicked fear to the curb and said, “Yes!” The out-of-my-comfort-zone moment was yet another chance to act on what I know is true: God has given me the call to host Mid-Morning and has/is/will supply what I need to do the job – including ideas for a spontaneous interplay. Who knew my prayer before going on the air that morning, a prayer that included declaring to God, I am ever mindful of the Lord’s presence. He is at my right hand. I shall never be shaken, and I can do all things through God Who gives me strength, would actually be answered that hour?

The One Who knows everything.

If I ruled the world, every current and future mother- and daughter-in-law would be required to read
Why Her? by Becky Hunter and her three daughters-in-law. Thursday’s Mid-Morning was a gentle yet unwavering spotlight aimed at the heart, and the ugly things that can prevent mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law from loving, serving and celebrating each other and the man they both love: her son and his wife.

Check out their blog for more advice. In the meantime, enjoy a few memorable quotes from their book.

"When our sons marry, we should transition from hands-on to “hands up” and celebrate that God loves to meet their needs.”

"Tradition all too easily can switch from being an historical aspect of a family to being the hysterical requirement of a family. When it comes right down to it, you are going to have to decide if the traditions you cherish matter more to you than to the very family that they were meant to strengthen.”

"Is your desire to be a blessing greater than your need to be blessed?”

Who isn’t a bit nervous or uncertain when it comes to sharing Christ with a family member or close friend? Friday’s guest, Randy Newman, author of Bringing the Gospel Home, put things in their right perspective with this gentle, essential reminder: “…the process of witnessing to family needs to begin in our hearts. For us to have fruitful outreach to our family, we need a wellspring of grace flowing from within.”

Ruth Graham (wife of Billy) knew a thing or two about witnessing to family member and learned to stop worrying once she figured out what was her part and what was God’s part in saving those she loved (taken from Prodigals and Those Who Love Them).

My Part (the possible):

Express love
To pray intelligently, logically, urgently, without ceasing, in faith
Enjoy being a mother (father, sister, brother, grandmother…)

God’s Part (the impossible):

Conviction of sin
Creating a hunger and thirst for righteousness
Conversion
Bringing to the place of total commitment
Continually filling us with His Holy Spirit for our sanctification and His service

Thanks, Ruth, for putting things in perspective.

The week-end is beckoning. It’s always nice to kick it off with a good laugh. This should do it.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/U5Bo5xAOXrk"

I'm Waving the White Flag

I’ve been denying the reality for weeks now and I can’t do it any longer: I have bitten off more than I can chew in attempting to write a Monday - Friday blog. Just typing the words makes me feel like a failure. Okay, I’m over it now. Whew!

What was I thinking?! I obviously wasn’t. But here’s the surprise: I’ve grown to really enjoy blogging and want to continue, so let's try a new plan. I’ll blog just on Friday’s, recapping highlights from that week’s shows. And it begins this Friday, March 9.

Come back on Friday to see what I've learned this week on Mid-Morning and, as always, I love hearing what's catching the attention of your heart, mind and spirit.

I think this new Friday's-only blog is just the right-sized bite!