WJTL recently broadcast on brand new microphones in a brand new studio.  In fact, the entire building and everything in it was brand new!  The Charles Frey Academic Center at Lancaster Bible College is now complete.   The ribbon cutting and dedication are in the history books.  The facility is the new home for six of LBC’s seven departments, including faculty offices and state of the art class rooms.  It also has an ice cream parlor, serving Turkey Hill Dairy‘s flavors!  (Charles Frey’s father founded Turkey Hill Dairy, while he and his brother helped the company grow.)

There’s an impressive television studio and radio station, too!  LBC’s Communication Department is expanding to offer students a Radio Broadcasting course starting this Fall.  I’ll be adjunct professor for the course, which will also incorporate special appearances by some of WJTL’s staff.

We are eager to share our passion, knowledge and experience with students on their way to enter the media industry. While constructing WJTL Studio B at LBC, our own Chris Strayer (of Stray Lighting & Production Services) made sure the studio had super cool lighting accents while Flagstream Technologies‘ Roy Landis and Don Horst got all the wires and equipment in the right places so that the studio functions!

If you or someone you know is currently considering where to further their education, click here for details on Charger Day!  This preview day for perspective students is coming up April 7 & 8.  (I will be back in WJTL Studio B at LBC with some students on April 8th from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. so you can see it in operation.)  See more photos on our Flickr stream.

Kristi Leigh – WJTL DJ

Kristi@WJTL.com

Five Fun Free Family Things To Do This Weekend – April 1-3, 2016

5 Haitian Festival tomorrow (April 2) from 2-5pm at Ascension Lutheran Church, Willow Street. Learn about Haitian culture while raising funds to support Haitian College Students Jean and Karl – two young men attending college in the U.S. with the mission to return to their home country. Music, Dance and a Beans & Rice Cookoff. More Info:  http://ascensionws.org

4 Lancaster Mennonite High School  will perform Ben-Hur – tonight , tomorrow and Sunday (April 1, 2, 3) each evening at 7pm at their Fine Arts Center in Lancaster. Event is free, Donations Benefit Life Mennonite Youth Group’s Mission trip to Uganda. More Info: 717-872-5552

3 The Mennonite Children’s Choir of Lancaster in concert on Sun. (April 3) from 4-5pm at Lititz Moravian Congregation in Lititz.  Free concert. More Info:  www.mennonitechildrenschoir.org

2 First Friday in Lancaster tomight  (April 1) – 5 to 9 pm in downtown Lancaster. Discover innovative exhibitions, performances and a few surprises. Art galleries, museums, performing groups, professional theater, symphony orchestra, and more from Lancaster’s arts community. More Info: http://www.visitlancastercity.com/first-friday/

1 Lego Building Party tonight (Friday, April 1) 5-8:30pm at Hammel Associates Architects, Grant Street, Lancaster. Architectural, Trains, Freestyle, Connects, Creator, and over 40,000 lego pieces. More Info: hammelarch.com

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Exploration, today’s Reason to Believe is Great Comebacks.

One of the most astonishing comebacks in football happened in the 1993 AFC Wild Card Game. The Buffalo Bills fell behind the Houston Oilers 35 to 3 in the second half. But backup quarterback Frank Reich rallied his team to an unforgettable comeback that left his team victorious at the final whistle-41 to 38.

That was an example of a team that recovered after they were down.

The Gospel is the story of a Savior who revived after He was dead. It is the greatest comeback of all time. This comeback reminds us that we are never in a hopeless place as long as we live with the resurrection power of Jesus. In Revelation 1:18, Jesus says, “I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!”

And First Corinthians 15:57 is a message to followers of Jesus: “Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The greatest comeback of all time is a reason to believe in God’s good news.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Exploration, today’s Reason to Believe is the Feast of Purim.

This Jewish festival remembers their deliverance from a threat to annihilate them under the Persian empire.

As the book of Esther recalls, a man named Haman devised a plot to wipe out the Jews, but Queen Esther was in a royal position for such a time to call her people to fasting and prayer. As it turned out, the plot had a boomerang effect on **Haman. The plot of destruction that he had planned for the Jews ended in his own death.

Purim was recently celebrated on the Jewish calendar, remembering this event.

The reason why this is observed is recorded for us in Esther 9:28: “These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never cease to be celebrated by the Jews, nor should the memory of them die out among their descendants.”

Purim celebrates deliverance from the hands of the enemy. This is ultimately what Jesus Christ does for us when we call on His name.

The Feast of Purim is a reason to believe in God’s good news.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Exploration, today’s Reason to Believe is the accusation against Jesus and the empty tomb.

In John chapter 10, some of the Jews were picking up stones, getting ready to throw at Jesus. He said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”

They replied, “We are not stoning you for any of these, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”

Some people today claim that Jesus never claimed to be God, but in John 10, His critics made that very accusation.

No other living person could have made the claim to be God and be right, but Jesus was different. According to First Timothy 3:16, Jesus appeared in a body and was vindicated by the Spirit. The voice of the Father at Jesus’ baptism, the miracles that Jesus performed, and ultimately, the empty tomb are significant indications that Jesus’ claims were true. Romans 1:4 says that through the Spirit of holiness, Jesus was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead.

So, the accusation of blasphemy explains the reason why His enemies wanted to kill him, but the resurrection reveals why we have a reason to believe in God’s Good News.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Q and A Segment explores the question, “what is the significance of the number 3 in Scripture?”

The number 3 refers to completeness. We are made in three parts, “Body, Soul, and Spirit.” The Trinity consists of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” Human capability has three dimensions “Thought, Word, and Deed.” According to First Corinthians 13, there are three enduring virtues: Faith, Hope, and Love. Eternity can be put into one of three categories-past, present and future.

These are some examples of how three represents completeness. It is not a coincidence then that Jesus would rise from the dead on the third day.

In Acts 10:39 and 40, Peter was referring to Jesus when he said, “They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen.”

The death and resurrection of Jesus marked the complete fulfillment of God’s plan to redeem us. Because of what Jesus accomplished, we can experience new life and be made complete in Christ in the Year of Exploration.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

Here is your playlist for the special Easter Weekend March 25/27) episode of Some Sort of Rock Show:

Hour 1

1. I’ll Bleed – Seventh Day Slumber
2. Feel You Falling – Devin Williams
3. Clarity – Come Wind
4. Enemy – I Anthem
5. Running With Giants – Thousand Foot Krutch
6. Heart Attack – Manafest
7. Choices – Graceful Closure
8. Something to Say – The Red Airplanes
9. Where The Money Is – NEEDTOBREATHE
10. Guiding Me Home – StompTown Revival
11. Commonwealth – Plankeye
12. Wake up Screaming – House of Heroes
13. Come Alive – Matty Mullins
14. My Allegiance – ILIA
15. Born To Live – About A Mile

Hour 2

1. Running From The Scene – Manic Bloom
2. Redemption – Switchfoot
3. Darkest Part – RED
4. Breathe Again (Ft. Matty Mullins) – Spoken
5. Adam’s Son – Rhett Walker Band
6. Lift Your Head Weary Sinner (Chains) – Crowder
7. Resuscitate – Fireflight
8. The Rescue – Kutless
9. The Veil – David Crowder Band
10. It Is Finished – Dustin Kensrue
11. The Story of Love – 6th Day Made
12. War Is Over – Run Kid Run
13. Rebirthing – Skillet
14. Alive – Tree63
15. Nothing But The Blood (feat. The Blind Boys Of Alabama) – Jars Of Clay

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Exploration, today’s Reason to Believe is the practice of communion among followers of Jesus.

It was Jesus who established this practice on the night before He died on the cross. In Luke 22:19, He took bread, gave thanks and broke it. He gave to His disciples, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Then, after supper, He took the cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

First Corinthians 11:26 says, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” And so, the practice of communion among Jesus’ followers continues until His return.

The practice of communion is a reason to believe in God’s good news.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com