Happy Wednesday! Welcome to the Summer heat!

Whew! I'm glad that I'm shedding pounds - it's hot out there! I know - I'm whining, and we haven't gotten anywhere NEAR the hottest part of the summer. I guess I still have enough Colorado blood in my veins that I thrive in the Winter!

Today I thought I'd just kinda give you a couple of funny family stories. You're actually getting these before the air audience, because I won't be sharing these on the air until later today!

Have a very blessed day, and I'll catch you on the radio later!

-Fredly..

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Today’s “Logan” Story…

Dinner time can be a real adventure when you have small children. Between trying to get one to eat her vegetables or the other one from trying to store macaroni in his nose – you’ve got to be on guard.

Last night we all just stopped and had to laugh. Logan was drinking some iced tea from a sippy, and he spilled a drop on the table. It must have been some great tea, because our son proceeded to bend down and SUCK the tea off of the table top!

It was the funniest thing I’ve seen in I don’t know how long.

I’m gonna have to start calling him “slurpee” or something…

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Today’s “Ashleigh” Story…

We had another surprise from Ashleigh last night. She was riding bicycles with one of her little friends, and decided to try something new. Ash still has the training wheels on her little bike, but her friend doesn’t. Ashleigh comes bursting through the front door with a mile-wide grin and her little eyes just all lit up, saying, “Mommy! Daddy! I rode a bike on two wheels!”

Julie and I looked at each other and followed our daughter out the door, and sure enough – she had taught herself how to ride on two wheels with only a little help from her friend.

She’s not sure she’s ready to let go of the training wheels on her own bike, but I’m sure it’s going to be soon…

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Today’s “Julie” Story…

My wife works hard. All day, every day – she’s hard at it, just to keep up with our children.

Today she got up, scrubbed out and re-inflated their little swimming pool, filled it – one bucket at a time from the kitchen sink, and got it all clean and ready for them to go swimming. She tracked down the kids, wrestled them into their swimsuits and got their pool toys together, and set them outside for a little splish-splashing.

And after about forty-five seconds in the water, both kids decided to so play in the dirt and rocks…soaking wet.

Yeah – my kids are the ones that will look at $100 in toys at Christmas and play with the cardboard boxes, too…

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OH - ONE MORE VERY IMPORTANT NOTE - PLEASE READ THE STORY BELOW, ESPECIALLY IF YOUR LITTLE ONES ARE STILL SLEEPING IN A CRIB!

Maker Recalls About 320,000 Cribs

About 320,000 cribs sold at Toys R Us, Babies R Us, KidsWorld and Geoffrey Stores may not be safe.

The maker, Jardine Enterprises, recalled them because wooden crib slats and spindles can break, creating a gap, which can pose an entrapment and strangulation hazard to infants.

Many different styles and finishes are included in the recall, and a full list can be found at JardineCribRecall.com.

The cribs were sold January 2002 through May 2008 for between $150 and $300. One model, the Mahogany Positano Lifetime Crib, sold for $450.

A news release said consumers should immediately stop using the recalled cribs and contact Jardine to receive a full credit toward the purchase of a new crib.

Owners can call Jardine at (800) 646-4106 or visit the Web site for more information.

Today’s Tip for Spouses…

How many of us really have involved our spouse in our prayer life? I mean, how many of us really take or MAKE the time to pray together with our spouse? I know that’s something that my wife and I do, but we need to be more consistent about it.

Take the time…even make the time if you need to – to pray with your spouse!

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Today’s “Logan” Story…

Sunday night after supper, we gave Logan a couple of sandwich cookies. He’s already got the routine down with those. He takes them apart, and goes straight for that yummy icing. After he had all the icing gone, he was left with two little chocolate cookies, and two little vanilla cookies. So Logan did what any imaginative little boy would do – he built a stack of cookies, and proceeded to cram them into his mouth. I looked over at him and just had to laugh! Here’s my son, with his little glucose Big Mac, and he’s just chomping and swinging his little feet in the high chair – a picture of contentment.

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Today’s “Daddy” Story…

My wife had a retreat for her Mothers of Preschoolers group this past weekend, so I had the kids by myself Friday night and all day Saturday. As always – it was an adventure. It started out with chasing Logan all over creation and explaining to my daughter that it was wrong to pick the neighbor’s flowers when they weren’t home. Then we let Logan play in his room while Ashleigh and I cleaned HER room (which looked like a twister had been through). Naturally, while we cleaned Ashleigh’s room, Logan demolished his. *sigh* Corndogs and Macaroni, chasing my son and telling him “no, we don’t climb on that,” and keeping an eye on Ashleigh while she played outside with her friends – I had to come back to work to get a break!

All I can say is, my wife is one amazing woman to be able to keep up with our children the way she does. I mean, she does this every day, and I’m pooped after a day and a half!

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Today’s “Ashleigh” Story…

I’m sure that if you have preschoolers in your home, you’ve had them do things that just make you shake your head and wonder, “What could they POSSIBLY have been thinking?” Okay – maybe that’s just kids in general. Well, this weekend I had one of those moments with my daughter, Ashleigh. It’s the first time I’ve had to deal with the issue, and naturally – it was when my wife was gone on a MOPS retreat. Ashleigh was playing outside, and her friends all had to go inside for supper. So, being the creative little four-year-old, she decided she would make a pretend cake, and so she set out to find the proper decorations. Her final decision – a bouquet of pretty yellow daisies. And so she picked a bunch of them. The problem – they weren’t from our flower bed. No, she had plucked the flowers from our neighbor’s flower bed, and to make it worse – they weren’t even home. Sooooo, I had to do the whole, “explaining why it’s not right to take things without asking” speal, and had to play the hard-nosed Daddy for a while. And girls when they do something wrong – did you know that? Yeah – they feel bad, and so they cry, which makes big, mean old Daddy feel awful. *sigh* Well, I know I did the right thing in correcting her, and she later repented to her friends, so all’s well.

Kids – What an adventure, huh?

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Just a quick update on my fitness program progress - As of today, I've dropped another 6 pounds! For those of you keeping score...that's 19 pounds total. God's really blessing me on this! I want to sincerely thank all of you who have called or emailed in your support! It truly means a lot to me! I thank you for your prayers, and certainly ask you to continue to pray for me. I know that God has brought me to this place, and I can see His blessings flow, so I'm really motiviated! Thanks again!

Have a blessed day!

-Fredly.

Heavy and Light Today...

First - THE HEAVY.

How are you doing with the "kindness factor"? Are you aware of your tone of voice when you speak to your spouse? Are you thinking about how they’re doing before you speak to them? We need to be appreciative of our spouse and the things that may or may not be going on with them, and be sure to be kind when we speak.

Today think about what you can do or say that would encourage your spouse and just generally be seen as a gesture of kindness!

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12 NIV

AND NOW - the light!

Lame Excuses for Not Going to the Gym

I'm trapped in my recliner.

I didn't want to increase my carbon footprint by driving to the gym.

I can't leave the TV without knowing if Gilligan and the rest ever get off that island.

The parking is so bad, I have to walk over 15 feet to get to the door.

It doesn’t work for me. The chicks just aren't interested in a fat guy sitting on the bench press eating pies.

Buon Apetito!

-Fredly.

Random Thoughts...

As I got ready to read the Word last night before bed, I prayed that God would give me wisdom through His Word, and that I would be able to understand the things I was about to read. I opened to my bookmark, and here’s what I read:

¹Watch your step when you enter God’s house. Enter to learn. That’s far better than mindlessly offering a sacrifice, doing more harm than good. ²Don’t shoot off your mouth, or speak before you think. Don’t be too quick to tell God what you think he wants to hear. God’s in charge, not you—the less you speak, the better. – Ecclesiastes 5:1-2

Thank you, God – for showing us the things we need to hear. And as we prepare to enter your house tonight to offer our praise and worship, I pray that we are entering with presence of mind and heart, and that we are entering to learn. In Jesus’ name…Amen.

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Last night my wife and I were sitting on the back porch while the kids played, and I commented, “You sure look cute, honey.” Julie smiled at me and said, “Wow – haven’t heard that in a while. Thank you!”

And it hit me – I haven’t been as attentive as I should be. It’s my job as a husband to keep my wife built up, and one of the ways I can do that is to offer the more-than-occasional praise or comment that tells her how much I love her, and how beautiful she is to me. I’m not telling YOU what to do, but I’m telling you what I think I need to be doing a little better…maybe you’ll agree.

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Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
(Matthew 11.28 NRSV)

I read that verse today and something welled up inside me, and I knew I needed to share it with you today. I don’t know if you’re tired because the kids have been running you a little ragged today, or if the funds are a tight this month. What I DO know is this – God tells us that if we COME TO HIM, he will give us rest. I pray that gives you some peace today, and that you WILL go to our heavenly Father, and let Him give you the rest and refreshing that you need.

Love you all! Catch you later!

-Fredly.

Where have I been?

Hey everyone! I'm so sorry that I haven't been doing well with posting lately. It's been a very busy season in my life and in the lives of my family, and I've allowed this to slip. My apologies. I'm working hard at getting back into a routine, though - so please keep checking!

Please keep my younger brother in your prayers. He has been dealing with some pretty hefty health issues here as of late, and it has affected not just his life, but the lives of everyone around him. Pray for a swift restoration and a quick manifestation of his complete healing!

Also, if you would - please keep Julie and I in your prayers. Together we have begun a comprehensive lifestyle program that includes completely changing our dietary intake, our schedule and fitness programs. We've only just begun, but we can already feel the results, so it's very exciting for us! Please pray that we will have the strength and commitment to continue with the program and turn it into our everyday lifestyle, and that I will finally be able to lose the weight that I have carried for so long. This week, for the first time in 2 1/2 years - I stepped on a scale and weighed myself. I have to admit - I had a little breakdown over it. I've known that I was overweight, and I've known that I feel awful, and I know that I need to DO something about it - but I had no idea to what extent my weight has affected me. I literally have to lose 194 pounds to get to my target weight, which is actually several pounds higher than the 'ideal weight' suggested by my doctor. 194 pounds! That's like carrying FOUR 50 lb. bags of feed on my shoulders everywhere I go! Praise God that He has kept me in good health despite my weight - so many have it worse than I do. But - with God's help - we will get through this, and I will be changed on the OUTSIDE as much as I have changed on the INSIDE! Yeah!

We're all looking forward to Crossover Christian Music Festival this weekend - drink lots of water, 'cuz it's gonna be toasty! We'll see you there - make sure you drop by the Spirit-FM tent to register for FREE GASOLINE! Love you guys! See you this weekend!

-Fredly.