I’m excited. 2 weeks from today is Purple Door!!! I’ve been involved with the festival one way or another since it started and I really love it. This year I’m very excited about the line up. You can check out the schedule and other details at purpledoor.com. If you haven’t seen the artist line up yet… you might be surprised… since there’s a “Main Stage”, “HM Stage” and “Gallery Stage” there is something for a variety of tastes and a combination of bands/artists/speakers you might not find at other festivals. I, personally, am usually found at the Gallery Stage in my free time… though you might be surprised to see me bouncing around to some of the heavier bands, too. 🙂 Leigh Nash, John Mark McMillan and Paper Route are on my hope to see list… as are August Burns Red and Project 86…Oceans in Love and Family Force 5 and…. well o.k. everyone. Plus I love just working together with my friends to put together this kind of event.
For those of you who can’t make it out, (well and also for you who are coming) please pray for those attending and for the artists/speakers/youth leaders/staff/attendees, etc and their opportunities to impact each other in creative ways. Many of our attendees might not be as apt to walk into a lot of other traditional settings, might never turn on WJTL, or could be daily listeners, but we hope that either way that people make positive connections and most importantly to find Jesus in the midst of the music, teaching, art, and community at the festival.
JOHN SHIRK – In Psalm 5:3, David prayed, “In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.”
Mornings have the potential to set the tone for a day depending on what happens. One way to clarify our purpose is time well spent with God. This is what Jesus did on one occasion in the Gospel of Mark. He got up early, while it was still dark, and prayed with His Heavenly Father. Then, when others around him tried to set the agenda for His day, Jesus knew that He was to go somewhere else, because He was tuned in to the purposes that His Father had for Him.
There is greater clarity to our plans and priorities when we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. E.M. Bounds once said, “The men who have done the most for God in this world have been early on their knees. He who fritters away the early morning, its opportunity and freshness, in other pursuits than seeking God will make poor headway seeking Him the rest of the day.” Tomorrow, we can wake up refreshed by remembering that God’s compassions are new every morning. With our thoughts on God each morning, each sunrise can seem like a holy kiss from heaven.
That’s today’s Mission Statement for representing Jesus in the world today.
KRISTI LEIGH – The David Crowder Band has released their “Oh Happiness” music video–and if you were at Creation (or some other summer festivals)–you might be in it, too!
If you see yourself in this video or anyone you know, let me know! Comment below!
JOHN SHIRK – When the man and woman was created in the garden of Eden, the LORD blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number. Fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
The LORD has called humans to take care of His creation. We are meant to be wise managers of the environment that we live in. In a recent Probe feature, Patrick Zukerin noted in an article that “we are not to exploit the earth, nor are we to worship the earth.” We have been entrusted with the responsibility of exercising care and guardianship over what God has created.
He noted sound ecological principles like recycling, using cleaner energy sources, and the conservation of energy. That is not the only place where God wants us to fight against pollution. He also wants us to guard our heart and keep it clean. The most effective way for this to happen is to call on the name of Jesus for forgiveness of past sins, and a willing heart to live a pure life today. The righteousness of Christ is able to purify a polluted heart and restore our fallen nature to God.
That’s today’s Mission Statement for representing Jesus in the world today.
“We just got DSL were we live (we hunt from our back porch) and I was going through some of my old links and came across WJTL from when we lived in Atglen Pa. 3+ years ago. I down loaded the link to listen over the internet and and the first song I heard was Trains up in the Sky. This brought back memories like you can not believe. Before we moved WJTL was the only station we listened to for over 20 years. You were always a blessing and many years ago something Fred said saved my life. Keep up the good work and we will be listening. Can you tell all my friends at Sight & Sound I said HI over the air?
Thank You and god Bless
Jim Evans
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Thanks Jim!!! So encouraging!!!
Speaking of listening to WJTL from out of the area… in a couple of months I’ll be FAR out of the area… using my passport… and communicating back to WJTL. This is a teaser, more details to come… but let’s just say I think I will have new Compassion for children and families on another continent and I’m very very excited and humbled for this opportunity.
FRED MCNAUGHTON – 28 years ago, on July 28, 1982, Keith Green went home to be with the Lord. He was 28 years old. Keith was killed in a tragic airplane crash in 1982 along with two of his children, the Smalley family and pilot, Don Burmeister. Tonite at 7:30pm you can experience Keith Green in concert by visiting his website.
JOHN SHIRK – If we follow Jesus with an upright heart, our influence will most likely extend well beyond our living years.
Philippians 1:6 says, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
This message is directed toward those who were engaged in partnership in the gospel, working with the Apostle Paul to share the good news of God’s grace through Jesus Christ.
Notice that the good work that is begun in us will be carried to completion not at the end of our lives, but when Christ returns in glory. The writings of Christian authors influence people for Christ beyond their lives. The songs of Christian artists influence people for Christ beyond their lives. The recordings and quotes of faithful pastors will influence people for Christ beyond their lives. And the influence of faithful parents often live on through their children and children’s children. These are some of the ways that God works redemptively through our testimony even after our physical death.
That’s today’s Mission Statement for representing Jesus in the world today.
EDDIE DANIELS – Yesterday I posted a blog about a mystery food lurking in the WJTL refrigerator. Without any evidence, I went ahead and accused Lisa Landis as being the culprit who left the baggie of UFO (Unidentified Food Object) and it turns out I was correct. Eat your heart out, Gwenda Gumshoe!
In a comment left on the blog, Lisa confessed to leaving them in the fridge and identified them as sugar plums.
Seriously? Sugar plums?
They exist?
I’ve never seen a real-life sugar plum. Actually, I’ve never seen a photo of one. Or a drawing, even. The only time I’ve ever heard of them is in the Christmas poem where the kids have “visions of sugar plums” dancing in their heads. But in all the books I used to see this poem in, the accompanying drawing reveals the kids are actually dreaming of candy canes.
So now I’m left with even more questions that I’m too lazy to Google on my own. Are sugar plums a natural food, or are they sweetened and man-made, like candied apples? Do you just eat them with your fingers? Do they have pits? Are they actually plums, or do they just happen to have plums in their name?
I’ll be honest, seeing as how this was my first encounter with sugar plums, it may have ruined me on them even before I’ve had the opportunity to taste them. Sorry sugar plums. I’m prejudiced against you now.
Lisa said I could throw away the sugar plums. So I did.
