The 12 Days of - Look! A Bird!

I have to be honest. I don't like ALL Christmas songs. In fact, there are a couple that really kind of get on my nerves. If it weren't for the beauty of the hidden meanings of the tune, I wouldn't be able to STAND listening to "The 12 Days of Christmas." I'm just being real. Actually, now that I think about it - Relient K did a rendition this year that I actually like. Never mind. Forget what I said. Hahahah.

Seriously, check out THIS version of the familiar song, and get ready for a little chuckle...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8

Merry Christmas, and we'll talk with you in a couple of days!

In Christ,

-Fredly.

A Little Christmas Gift...

Hey, gang! I just wanted to let you all know that my wife, our children and I all love you so much! You, our Spirit-FM family, have become a huge part of our lives, and we get a lot of joy from just knowing you're there! Your prayers over the past couple of years have really kept us going, and we are truly grateful. Many of you have been asking for some updated pictures of the kiddos, so I thought I'd put together kind-of a mini Christmas photo album for you here:

Ashleigh's First Gingerbread House

Logan's First Snowy Play Day

Daddy's Little Angels

Logan actually sat STILL for a minute...

...but only for a minute.




Daddy's Pretty Girl





DEFINITELY Daddy's Pretty Girl - Mommy wouldn't teach her this face...



This picture is only going to get funnier over the years!

We love you guys, and pray a VERY merry Christmas to you all! Be good - because there's more than ONE jolly fat man lookin' out for you!

Hahahahaha.....

-Fredly.

God's Yellow Pages

I don't know who put this together, but it had to be a lot of work! It's a great little resource, I think! Enjoy!

Have a blessed afternoon, gang. I love ya!


-Fredly.

http://web2.airmail.net/dpelc/yellow/

Shakin' Things Up for Christmas!

I love Christmas time, and I love the goofy little stuff we can find on the 'web to keep us occupied when we should be doing something else. That said, have you ever wondered what it was like for those people INSIDE the snow globe? My wife and I watched a movie on Hallmark Channel this weekend that made me think about it. I mean, we get to see all the beautiful snow, and the serene little scene depicted inside the glass. But do you ever wonder if those poor little people INSIDE the snow globe have a different experience when we shake it? Here's proof:

http://ww12.e-tractions.com/snowglobe/globe.htm


I know. It's just wrong, but I still can't stop shaking the globe!!!!

Have a good laugh, and a great afternoon!

Love you guys!

-Fredly.

Christmas can be so hectic...but we HAVE to keep our LOVE!

Here is a version of the love chapter (1 Corinthians 13) that I read today, and I wanted to share it with all of you:

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime: but do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook.

If I work at a soup kitchen carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity; but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child. Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the spouse.

Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.

Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return; but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

Love never fails.

Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost; golf clubs will rust; but giving the gift of love will endure.

*This TOTALLY spoke to me today - it's so easy to get wrapped up (forgive the pun) in all of our Christmas activities, and allow ourselves if only for a moment to take our eyes off the REASON that we celebrate. It's so vital that we keep our eyes on our savior, and keep the rest of the festivities in their proper perspective, and it's so important to make sure that even we we're dragging our tail feathers after yet another long day - we need to walk...in...love.

I love you all, and hope you have a great weekend! Be BLESSED!

(I'm a winner, I got more than enough peanut-butter, you can't put the bad stuff on me!)

Today's Water-Cooler Quiz...

Already lots of people calling asking about the '12 Days of Christmas!' Here's the basic information as we read today:

The Twelve Days of Christmas is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me.

What in the world do Leaping Lords, French Hens, Swimming Swans, and
especially the partridge that won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas? Today I found out.

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol
as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of
their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

The partridge in a Pear Tree was Jesus Christ.

Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit; Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution,
Leadership and Mercy. (Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Counsel, Fortitude, Piety, Fear of the Lord)

The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control.

The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments.


The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.
(Apostles' Creed
1. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:
2. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord:
3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary:
4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell:
5. The third day he rose again from the dead:
6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty:
7. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead:
8. I believe in the Holy Ghost:
9. I believe in the holy catholic church: the communion of saints:
10. The forgiveness of sins:
1l. The resurrection of the body:
12. And the life everlasting. Amen.)

Virtual Christmas Puzzle...

Merry Christmas, everyone! If you're looking for something silly to do with the kiddos on these chilly winter days, try a little Christmas puzzle!

Make up some hot cocoa (extra marshmallows for mine), put on some Christmas tunes (compliments of Spirit-FM), and go to this link:

http://www.jigzone.com/puzzles/52055D54E8C4?z=1

HAVE FUN!

(I'm a wimp - my first time was 12 minutes!)

Now THIS is a light display!

Wow! If you're looking for some spectacular Christmas lighting ideas...check out what this family did - talk about having a little too much time on your hands...

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/video/14736853/index.html

Merry Christmas!

-Fredly.

Liberty Counsel's "Naughty or Nice" list:

I know that there are many of you who take Christmas very seriously as the celebration of our Savior's birth. Yes, we love to exchange gifts, and that means shopping - but many of us like to make sure our shopping dollars aren't going to a company that has taken CHRIST out of the holiday. It's like the song says - "It's called Christmas!"

Here is the link for the Liberty Counsel's "Naughty or Nice" list for 2007:

http://www.lc.org/media/9980/attachments/2007_Naughty-Nice.pdf

If the link doesn't work, just highlight it, copy and paste it into your browser's address bar!

A day for celebration and reflection...

Today is special.

It was a year ago today that my family's world turned upside-down. We were to bring our newborn son, Logan home from the hospital. My family was going to bring Julie and the baby home, and I was going back to work. On my way to the studios, I stopped by the hospital to see Julie and Logan. The nurses had Logan in the nursery, checking him over and getting him ready to head home. I hadn't been in the room with Julie for long when our nurse, who was a wonderful woman of God, came in and said, "Kids - your baby has a fever, and that's not good."
The day spiraled away from that point forward, and before the day was over - we were with Logan at the neonatal ICU in Springfield for what was to be the most difficult 10 days of our lives.

That's the background. Now, the continuation of the story - Logan is a year old! Healthy, happy, and INTO EVERYTHING! We just had a ball celebrating his first birthday, and I thought I'd share a couple of snapshots with you.

Before I get to that, I want to say, "Thank You, and May God Bless You" to everyone who stood with us a year ago. We all prayed and prayed and prayed some more, and God blessed us so very much! Thank you for being part of our extended family! Julie, Ashleigh, Logan and I all love you very much!

Now the pictures:

Fred's Favorite Pasta Recipe...

Okay - Fall weather is here this week, so here's one of my absolute favorite comfort meals. Serve this with some nice Italian bread and a side salad - you can't miss!

Rigatoni al Zucchini (Zucchini Pasta)

You need:

1 box Rigatoni noodles (Penne & Moustaccioli work, too)

3 Medium-sized zucchini

1 Pint heavy whipping cream

1 Bag (12 oz) shredded parmesan cheese

2 Sticks salted butter (you may not need it all)

1 Package (16 oz) cubed ham

To prepare:

In pasta pot, heat water (with a few drops of oil) to a boil; begin to cook pasta.

While water is heating, slice zucchini in half lengthwise, and then crosscut into thin slices. While pasta is cooking, sauté zucchini in butter over medium heat until tender, but DO NOT BROWN. It is best to do in small handfuls. As each handful is cooked, place in large mixing bowl and cover to keep warm.

After last batch of zucchini is cooked, place ham in skillet to warm. Again, DO NOT BROWN. When ham is warm, add to zucchini and mix well.

When pasta is cooked to desired tenderness, drain very well, and add to mixing bowl. Mix well with other ingredients. Add heavy cream, and mix well.

Finally, add parmesan cheese, and mix well.

Serve!

Buon Appetito!

A Word of Encouragement Today...

"That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good." - Romans 8:28 MSG

As I was on my way into work this morning, I had the chance to speak with an old friend on the phone. We used to work together, and this man helped me in many ways to return to Christ and get my life on the path I'm on today. My friend has had to endure some very difficult trials during the course of the past couple of years, and I noticed that he was tired. You know - even the STRONGEST people...get tired. As we talked this morning, I offered my friend some encouragement that my pastor taught me. he said to think of our walk through struggles and hard times as if you're walking up an escalator the wrong way. Remember doing that as kids? You have to work much harder to make headway. By the time you fight to the top, you're tired. But if you can muster your strength and take those last couple of steps - BAM! You break through. You're off the escalator, and moving forward much easier. It's like that with our trials. The enemy throws everything he's got at you to wear you out, and you get the worst of it right before your breakthrough.

Today I want to encourage you to keep taking those steps, even if the enemy is throwing everything he's got at you. I truly believe that if you will press on, press in, and keep moving - you will have your breakthrough, and God will bless you in many beautiful ways.

I hope this has been an encouragement to you today. God bless, and I'll write again soon.

In Christ,

-Fredly.

Be Encouraged Today!

I just feel like there's a heaviness out there today. I may not be right (wouldn't be the first time I've been wrong), but I just feel like there's something going on. My prayer for you today is that you will be encouraged to rise up, and to walk in the victory and joy promised us by Christ!

I read a great word from Bill Burns, and I'm going to share it with you today - it really encouraged me, and my prayer is that you will find what you need in there, too.

From "The Trumpet" by Bill Burns:

Rise up and regain your joy. Refuse to allow the enemy to bring destruction and heartache. Rejoice! Again, I say, rejoice! Dare to believe again. If I am for you, who can be against you? Who can have victory over you? Who can have victory over your circumstances? I say, no one, no person, no devil, no power can defeat you. Walk over all the power of the enemy. Come and walk on the water with Me. Come and dance with Me. Come and rejoice with Me, for surely as you regain your joy, victory is assured. I am the God of love and peace, but I am also the God of victory, says the Lord.

Psalms 98:1 Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.

Fred's Giddy Today!

I'm all wound up. My wife and kids are returning home, even as I write this post. I miss my family. I thank God for their safety, and for the joy of reunion. I'm just a happy boy. Check out these pictures that Julie sent me yesterday - you'll be able to see why I miss them so much.




Can't wait to see them. Hope you all have a blessed day!

-Fredly.

My name is Fred, and I'm a dufus...

I know, I know. It's been like forever since I've done a post. Big no-no in radio world. I do sincerely apologize for my lack of blogging - I get phone calls all the time asking about updates and stuff, and it always seems to get bumped to the bottom of the totem-pole. I'm not going to say that I'm going to try to do better, 'cuz every time I do that - it's like a year before I post again.

I promised some pictures of one of our listeners' 1-year old's birthday party...these are TOO cute! Can't wait to let our Logan dive into a chocolate cake of his own! Get a load of these...












Thank you for sharing these with me! I would love to share the cute photos of YOUR little ones! Just email them to me: fred@spiritfm.org Maybe I need to come up with some kind of cute photo contest or something. We'll see how this goes right now. Drop me a line!

Here are a couple of shots of my own little ones:



I'm looking forward to seeing your photos! Don't forget the email address:

fred@spiritfm.org

Talk with you soon!

-Fredly.

Thank you for your response to our service men and women!

Yesterday, I shared an email that I had received, and since then I have sent countless emails with the script attached. I wanted to post it here, so that you would have easy access to the copy. It blessed me tremendously, and I hope that it blesses you as well! Please keep our American servicemen and servicewomen in your prayers constantly!

THE FINEST STATEMENT PRINTED TODAY

A mother asked President Bush, "Why did my son have to die in Iraq?"

Another mother asked President Kennedy, "Why did my son have to die in Viet Nam?"

Another mother asked President Truman, "Why did my son have to die in Korea?

Another mother asked President F.D. Roosevelt, "Why did my son have to die at Iwo Jima?"

Another mother asked President W. Wilson, "Why did my son have to die on the battlefield of France?"

Yet another mother asked President Lincoln, "Why did my son have to die at Gettysburg?"

And yet another mother asked President George Washington, "Why did my son have to die near Valley Forge?"

Then long, long ago, a mother asked..."Heavenly Father, why did my Son have to die on a cross outside of Jerusalem?"

The answers to all these are similar -- "So that others may have life and dwell in peace,
happiness and freedom."

This was emailed to me with no author, and I thought the magnitude and the simplicity were awesome.

Blessings Are By Choice!

I hope you're having a great week so far! It's been a good one for us - Logan is feeling better after an ear infection has been bugging him. All is well, and he's doing fine. We're still waiting for those teeth to start popping out - maybe that will help the 'fussy' attitude a little bit, too. Poor guy. He's chomping on everything he can. Sure likes that wet washcloth!

This has been a week of revelation on the subject of blessings for me. I have known for a long time about sowing and reaping, blessing and cursing. But this week in particular, God has shown me some really neat things. I just want to encourage you - if you see a need in someone...no matter what it is - and you feel like, "Hey, maybe I should help out here." - THAT'S THE HOLY SPIRIT! Listen! Even if your natural mind is telling you that there's no way you can possible help - God will show you the way! All we have to do is BE AVAILABLE - God will do the rest! He just wants us to be WILLING and OBEDIENT to His call. I have a word to share with you today - you'll hear it on the show this afternoon at about 2:20.

I’ve talked a lot here lately about rejoicing in God’s blessing, and about making sure that we take the time – MAKE the time to give thanks. This is so important! We have to take God’s word seriously, and knock off the complaining and grumbling! It’s a choice WE make, and our decision takes us down one of two paths: We can obey God’s word by rejoicing and giving Him our thanks and praise, which leads us down the path to more blessings…or we can disobey by constant griping and complaining, which takes us down the road to being cursed. Black and white. Only two ways we can go here, folks. I pray that we all choose wisely.

Deuteronomy 30:19 "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live."

I love you all, and I truly hope and pray for blessings in your life! Until next time, be blessed and favored!

In Christ,

-Fredly.

Happy Monday!

I hope that everyone had a great weekend! Ours was truly blessed! So many great things, I don't know where to begin. How about if I start with our daughter?

Children are a blessing from God. I love our kids. Kids can say and do things that will make your head spin. Saturday morning, my wife Julie took our three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Ashleigh out to run errands. And as it happens on a beautiful Saturday morning, the gravitational pull of a yard sale is too great for the girls to escape. While milling around at one sale, Ashleigh came upon some children’s bracelets. One was a giant ring, filled with a purple glittery stuff. It was faded and obviously well-played with. But Ashleigh was insistent that she needed that bracelet. Since it was only ten cents, and it seemed to be something that Ashleigh was so adamant about, Julie conceded and bought it for our daughter. As they were getting into the car, Ashleigh offered the bracelet to Julie and said, “Here, Mommy – I got this for you to bless you since I broke your other bracelet.” The whole time Ashleigh was bugging Julie for this faded old ten-cent piece of plastic, she had wanted it to give to her Mommy. See, about three weeks ago, my wife’s ‘Secret Sister’ had given her a bracelet, and Ashleigh, being a curious child, tried to check it out. While Ashleigh was trying to get the bracelet out of the box, she managed to break it, and it wasn’t repairable. It broke Ashleigh’s heart to realize that she had ruined her Mommy’s pretty bracelet, and Mommy never even got to wear it. So, on Saturday, Ashleigh gave her Mommy something to say, “I remember that I broke yours, and I want you to have mine as a replacement”

Like I said – kids can say and do things that will make your head spin.

Well, for those of you who may be wondering, my wife Julie and I went out on our first real “date” in about a year-and-a-half this past Saturday night. We had a wonderful time. I took the kids to our friends’ house for the evening while Julie finished getting ready to go out, and while I was out of the house, I picked up a dozen roses, which I gave to my wife right before we went out. We then headed for Springfield, where we had a reservation at Nakato’s. We love that place. It’s like this great dinner and a show all-in-one! Dinner was perfect, and we topped it off with a cappuccino before heading home. But here’s the cool part, and it’s a testimony to how great our God is –

Things were a little tight for us this month, and we were probably pushing it pretty close by going out to dinner. But through three random blessings that we weren’t even expecting, God paid for our date! God blessed us with what we needed, and He threw in something that was of our heart’s desire, just because He’s a giving God!

And as if that's not enough, our church family, Lebanon Family Church, celebrated the 10th anniversary of LFC yesterday. We had two amazing services that took us through the journey of Pastor Matt and Aimee Flanders, the humble beginnings of our church, all the way up to the present, where we are praising God for the beginning of construction on a much needed new building! We met last night as a church at our property, worshiped, prayed, and cheered as Pastor Matt broke ground. No ceremonial golden shovels, though. No - Pastor Matt broke ground with a giant EXCAVATOR! It was awesome!

Like I said - it was a great weekend! Thank you for letting me share with you about it! I hope you've enjoyed the post! I pray blessings for all of you today, and I will look forward to sharing more with you later!

In Christ,

Fred.

Hey! I'm Baaaaaaack!

For all of you who have written, called, and stopped me at Wal-Mart and said, "Hey Fred - what's up with your blog?" Well...long story. I'll put it in terms that I can understand. It was busted. But now we have a new one! Life's good.

Lots of things happening now at Spirit-FM. I mean, God is rockin' in this place, and we're working on some HUGE ways to connect with you all better, as well as some really fun things for the not-too-distant future! I'm excited! I'm pretty much always that way now - God's just so good, I don't know how else to be!

Julie, Ashleigh and Logan are all doing really great. Logan's growing like we're fertilizing him or something - that kid eats more than I do! Well, maybe not quite that much, but pretty close! Ashleigh is always coming up with new and creative ways to astound us. Yesterday, she put two and two together and figured out that "when we give somebody something, that's a bwessing!" And now she's ALL ABOUT blessing others! It's the coolest. I look at our kids, and I just praise God, knowing that they're going to grow up and learn about Him all their lives, and I know that I know that I KNOW that they're going to be so much better off than Julie and I, and that's just another reason to jump up and be joyful!

Anyway, I'll try really hard to be consistent on this thing, and I hope that you will be able to consistently read it! Thank you for taking the time to drop by, and I'll catch you again later!

Be blessed, and be a blessing!

-Fredly.