Spirit FM Morning Show

The Morning Show
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Spirit FM
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JIM & KAREN

TODAY IS TUESDAY FEBRUARY 24, 2009

LIFE CHANGING WORD

LOVE DARE # 12

Love Lets the Other Win

Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:4

Stubbornness usually comes as a standard feature in both the husband and the wife. Defending our rights and opinions is a foundational part of our nature and make-up. It’s detrimental, though, inside a marriage relationship, and it steals away time and productivity. It can also cause great frustration. For example: it is good to defend things that are worth standing up for and protecting, however, too often we debate over things like what color to paint a room, how to rearrange the furniture, or where to eat dinner out.

TODAY’S DARE: Demonstrate love by willingly choosing to give in to an area of disagreement between you and your spouse. Tell them you are putting their preference first.

Ask yourself later…what did giving in cost me?


TODAY IS…..

Today is Basking Day, a day to get outdoors and bask.

Today is Pancake Day, Shrove Tuesday,, Bursting Day, Fasching, Mardi Gras, or Carnival, depending on where you are. No matter where you are it's the day before Ash Wednesday.


IN THE NEWS…..

Oscar Winner – I still don’t understand the Big Winner of the evening
"Slumdog Millionaire" won the Academy Award for best picture Sunday night and a total of 8 Oscars. The voters thought the film was about a laid off hedge fund manager. I will say it was a special time for Hollywood — celebrities take a break from worshipping President Barack Obama to worship themselves.

Of course the good news was…WALL-E won an academy award. It’s an amazing story about a robotic creature dealing with over-polluted air. It’s actually based on the life of Al Gore. Did you know that?

I think one of the biggest films of this coming year is actually going to be somewhat reality based and it's titled "The Curious Case of Benjamin Bernanke"
You know if President Obama is serious about ending torture in this country then he ought to start with canceling the Academy Awards. That is 4 and half hours of pure torment if you ask me!


U.S. Airways Drinks
U.S. Airways says it's going to reintroduce free drinks in coach. But to get those free drinks you're going to have to drink them straight from the Hudson River.


European Incentives
European carmakers are giving away lavish incentives to buy their vehicles. German automakers are giving out rebates, Italian manufacturers are slashing car loan rates, and the French car companies are giving every new buyer someone to help them push the car once it inevitably breaks down after two months.


Arnold Schwarzenegger is taking time off as the governor of California to shoot a new movie. The movie’s about a terrible disaster — it’s called, “Arnold Schwarzenegger is the Governor of California.”


A pet pig saved its own bacon by jumping in the bath tub after it burned its owner's house down in Sweden. The Vietnamese pot bellied pig had knocked over a table lamp setting fire to curtains and was trapped in the house in Lulea. But as firefighters searched the property they discovered the terrified, singed pig cowering in the bath tub. No report this morning if the home owner still wants the pig as a pet.



Free Meal at TGIFridays
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The tough economy has just about everyone looking for a good deal, especially at restaurants.

T.G.I. Friday’s may have it with its "buy one entree, get on free" deal.

The company said the offer is its own economic stimulus package.

But you will need to hurry, the coupon expires March 1.

The free meal applies to one of equal or lesser value.

Weblink to print off coupon!
http://tgifridays.com/promos/bogo_coupon.aspx?fromhome



A Story of Modern Day Christian Persecution?
A lawsuit has been filed against Orange County by a veteran group home counselor who was suspended six weeks for exposing four teenagers to Christian music. The counselor is represented by affiliate and staff attorneys of Pacific Justice Institute.

The lawsuit states that, in the summer of 2006, the counselor took four teenage girls from the Orangewood Children's Home on an approved field trip to a 5K run and then to the beach. At the beach, the group encountered a "Surf Jam" taking place at the Huntington Beach pier. The group also overheard Christian music for about ten minutes while they were eating.

Following the beach outing, the counselor, an eighteen-year employee, was summoned to a disciplinary meeting focusing on the Christian music. Several months later, the same incident was brought up again and the counselor was slapped with a six-week suspension for "exposing children to unapproved religious activities."

After many months of exhausting state administrative remedies, the counselor filed suit late last week in Orange County Superior Court to recover the financial losses she suffered from the suspension and to vindicate her constitutional rights. The counselor is represented by John and Laurie Messerly Stewart, attorneys in Orange, California, and the Pacific Justice Institute.

Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, commented, "What happened to this counselor was insane and unjust. Allowing teenagers to overhear a few minutes
of Christian music while at the beach should not result in a six-week suspension."


They Are Not Calling it The State of the Union Speech
President Obama Speaks Tonight!
The first speech by a new president to a joint session of Congress is one of Washington’s magnificent ceremonial events.

Filling the House chamber will be almost all of the members of the House and Senate, joined by black-gowned Supreme Court justices, members of the diplomatic corps, and perhaps a few “ordinary heroes” chosen for the occasion.

The president’s inaugural address is for the people, and for the world audience.
Focus on the economy, but...

Obama press spokesman Robert Gibbs said last week that the president’s speech will focus mostly on efforts to revive the economy.

He will speak at a time of unprecedented federal spending — the highest level since World War II as a percent of Gross Domestic Product. Such massive outlays raise questions about the magnitude of the federal debt, future inflation, and especially about U.S. indebtedness to China, whose frugal savers are in effect helping pay for the stimulus by buying U.S. Treasury securities.

The president’s budget proposal will follow the day after his speech.

The president’s speech to a joint session, whether it's called a State of the Union address or not, has the feel of a high school football rally attended by the student bodies of both the home team and the visiting team. Members of each team take turns, leaping to their feet to applaud statements they like, or groan in dismay at passages they don’t.



Don’t Spend It All In One Place!
OLYMPIA, Wash. The state of Washington sent out $1 checks to the 250,000 food stamp recipients in the state.

The director of the Community Services Division for the Department of Social and Health Services, Leo Ribas, says the checks mailed Feb. 17 trigger an additional $43 million in federal food benefits. They also connect recipients to an energy assistance program.

Ribas says the $1 check is a one-time move to leverage the federal money. He says next year the state will be able to trigger the federal assistance through a routine deposit in food stamp accounts.



Tomorrow Is Ash Wednesday and the Beginning of Lent
An opportunity for "spiritual self improvement", Lent focuses on an increased emphasis on prayer, fasting. Repentance, restoration and rejoicing in the resurrection of Jesus on Easter!

A food that symbolizes prayer and fasting is the pretzel (from the Latin word, bracellæ, "arms".) It is a traditional Lenten bread of very ancient origin. Early Christians made the bread from flour, salt and water only, shaping it to represent the folded arms in prayer, just as they are made to this day. The German tribes who invaded Rome called the bracellæ "brezel'" or "prezel". Pretzels are traditionally eaten throughout Lent, and in some places are especially associated with Saint Joseph's Day [March 19] which usually falls within Lent. A recipe for soft pretzels follows:

Pretzels

The pretzel represents the shape of the penitent's crossed arms, and was a traditional Lenten food in central European towns.This recipe is for a chewy soft pretzel, like those hot pretzel vendors sell.

Combine in a mixing bowl:
1 cup warm water
1 package (1 1/2 T) active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
Add and beat at least 3 minutes:
1 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour
2 Tbsp soft butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
Stir in 1 1/4 cups


A DAILY LENTEN DEVOTION FOR WOMEN

A Woman's Stations of the Cross

During this season of Lent, I invite you to spend some time meditating on Jesus' road to Calvary, and on the ways we can better carry our own crosses in life.

1. Jesus is Condemned to Death
Jesus stood before Pilate an innocent man yet he was condemned to death.
Dear Lord, help me to not be so quick to judge others. Help me try to understand them and why they act as they do. Help me to see other people as you see them.

2. Jesus Carries his Cross
Jesus, already tired and broken, picked up the heavy cross to begin the journey to Calvary.
Dear Lord, help me, even when I am exhausted and worn out, to fulfill my daily duties. Please help me to accept the crosses that come my way and to bear them with a willing spirit.

3. Jesus Falls the First Time
Jesus falls down under the weight of the cross, yet somehow he finds the strength to get up and try again. Many times I feel overwhelmed and ready to collapse under the weight.
Dear Lord, help me to keep going even when I feel I can't take another step.

4. Jesus meets his Mother
Even in his darkest hour, Jesus' Mother Mary was there.
Dear Lord, please help me to be with others in their pain. Help me to offer comfort and consolation and to be a source of strength for others as they travel through life.

5. Jesus is helped by Simon
Simon wasn't looking to help. He was just one of the crowd, but he was pressed into service.
There are many times I don't want to help, either. It's easy to turn away and think someone else will do the work. Dear Lord, help me to help wherever I am needed. Don't let me turn my back on anyone in need.

6. Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
Veronica reached out to Jesus, offering an act of kindness at a time when he needed it most.
Who do I know who is hurting. Dear Lord, help me to be the person who comes in to offer kindness when the whole world has gone out.

7. Jesus Falls the Second Time
Again Jesus falls and again he gets up.
Sometimes life can be so discouraging. It feels like the whole world is against me. I want to give up, to fall down and surrender the fight. Dear Lord, please help me to have the courage to continue. Help me to face another day.

8. Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem
Even in the midst of his pain, Jesus stops to comfort the women who were weeping by the side of the road.
It is so easy when I am in pain for me to just think about me. Dear Lord, even when I am hurting, help me to remember that others are hurting also. Help me to not be self-centered and to continue to reach out to those who need me.

9. Jesus Falls the Third Time
The end of the journey is near and Jesus falls again. He struggles to get up and continue one last time.
Dear Lord, help me to continue when the way is hard and I have lost all hope. Please guide my faltering steps.

10. Jesus is Stripped of his Garments
In the end, Jesus had nothing, not even his clothes.
Dear Lord, please help me to share my material goods with others, to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. Also let me help those who are emotionally naked and who have been left exposed to the world. Help me to never revel in another person's shame but to instead reach out a helping hand or offer a word on her behalf.

11. Jesus is Nailed to the Cross
With each nail, the pain grew greater, each blow a vivid reminder of our sins.
Dear Lord, thank you for your love for me. Thank you for dying to forgive my sins. Help me to do your will.

12. Jesus Dies on the Cross
Jesus suffered immeasurable torment on the cross, both physical and emotional. He cried out to his father in heaven, "My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?" Yet he also found the strength to forgive his persecutors.
Dear Lord, at times when I feel abandoned, help me to remember that you understand and are always at my side.

13. Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross
Jesus was taken down from the cross and his lifeless body was laid in his nother's arms. The pain Mary must have felt as she held her son. She was the mother of a convicted criminal. Truly a "sword had pierced her heart."
Dear Lord, help me to remember the mothers who have lost children to violence and criminal activity. Help me to pray for them as they suffer so much pain.

14. Jesus is Laid in the Tomb
And then there was darkness. The tomb was a place of transition for Jesus - a stopping place between death and new life.
Dear Lord, please help me as I go through my own times in the tomb, times when I feel lost and scared, fearful of change. Help me to see your light, guiding me safely to new life.