TODAY IS TUESDAY APRIL 14, 2009

THE MORNING SHOW
on
SPIRIT FM
with
JIM & KAREN


LIFE CHANGING WORD

Is faith really faith if it is never tested?

How easy it is for us to say we believe when things are going well in our lives. But when things become difficult often times we blame God and stop believing in His promises.

I have been guilty of this myself. I will be dealing with a certain struggle or situation and when my human mind and flesh has had enough all of the sudden I lash out and start wondering if God really does love me and care. If I don’t get my answer or my breakthrough right away…or within my time frame, then I throw up my hands and give up. Is that true faith?

True faith comes through the trials and tribulations in life. God does not bring these things upon us, but He does use them to strengthen us if we allow Him to do so.
So the next time you feel yourself caving in, ready to give up, ready to stop believing, don’t do it! Go to God’s Word and read it again. Spendf time and prayer even if you don’t feel like it. Ask your Christian brothers and sisters to talk it through with you and praying for you. You’ll come to see that God has been with you all along, His promises are true and everlasting and your faith will grow and you will find the next time you are not so willing to give up.


TODAY IS:

1865 : President Lincoln is shot and mortally wounded by John Wilkes Booth while attending the comedy “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C. He died the next day

1912 : The RMS Titanic struck an iceberg just before midnight on 14th April.

1956 : Ampex Corp. demonstrated its first commercial videotape recorder the VR-1000, which was the first of Ampex’s line of 2 inch Quadruplex videotape recorders. CBS was one of the early TV companies to adopt the technology which allowed a one hour long program to be recorded on one reel of tape. One reel of tape cost $300, equivalent to $2,000 in 2000. A recorder cost about $75,000 to $100,000, about a half a million dollars today. Seems like everyone remembers that first family in the neighborhood who got the first VCR. Man, we thought they were millionaires. We never had one, just drew pictures on an Etch-A-Sketch and narrated short stories with it.

1914 – We got the first auto turn signal. It was a guy named Jerry. Kidding. Actually, it was an illuminated pointer finger mounted on the front of the car that would point left, right or straight.


This is life:

My teenage son made enough money last year to pay taxes. It’s his first encounter with our wonderful system as his confusion and general sense of unfairness would dictate. So, I found a website to educate the young lad. Visit http://www.moneyinstructor.com/taxes.asp

IN THE NEWS:

An engineer says within five years you'll be watching TV on special contact lenses. Kind of adds a new meaning to the expression -- "My TV is on the blink".

Women older than 55 make up the fastest-growing age group on Facebook. Expert says the site has hit a “tipping point,” causing older people to join. Some older family members use the site to get in touch with younger generations. One mother says Facebook has become her family’s “living room”.

A 65 year old Grandma says she has family members who live nearby, but says she’s found a way to communicate with them in their own language through Facebook. “Let’s face it, kids that age aren’t really interested in talking to people my age very much. It’s more, ‘Hi grandma how are ya? … Bye!’ ” she said with a laugh. “That’s basically what I get from my grandkids, so if I can engage them through just a little bit of chit-chat [online], it’s a lot more than I can get over the phone.”


SPRINGDALE, Ark. - Josh and Anna Duggar are following in the family tradition.

The eldest of Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar’s 18 kids, Josh announced Monday that he and new bride Anna were about to start their own brood. The couple, who’s been married since September, said Anna Duggar is due Oct. 18. The Duggars live in northwest Arkansas and are featured on the cable TV show, “18 Kids and Counting.”

Michelle Duggar most recently gave birth in December, to Jordyn-Grace. The couple has 10 sons and eight daughters, whose names all start with the letter J. Josh, who is 21, and Anna, who is 20, live in Springdale, where he works at a car dealership.


It sounds like the stuff of teenage nightmares: super strong, freakishly
clever, mutant acne. But dermatologists say the bacteria that causes acne
is increasingly developing resistance to some commonly prescribed
antibiotics, including tetracycline and erythromycin. Apparantly acnes
bacterium is capable of rebelling against drugs and developing superpowers.
It’s acne gone wild.


Do You Need a Marriage Checkup? (I really liked these)
You have an annual exam with a doctor to make sure your physical health is
in order, but what about your marital health? Asking these 2 questions may
help you recognize some areas to work on. Found this from the book

The Marriage Checkup by Dr. James Cordova:

Are we curious about each other - and do we express it?

“No matter how long you’ve been together, you don’t ever totally know your
partner. Recognizing that wakes a couple up to the opportunity to
reconnect,” says Cordova. “Let yourself embrace your partner’s mystery. Then you’ll start paying attention and asking questions.” The areas to explore
are endless: What makes your partner happy? What values does he hold most dear? “Even asking him, ‘What did you do today?’ is powerfully enhancing to
intimacy,” says Cordova.

Do we each understand when the other needs advice versus simply needing support?
“This is a frequent area of miscommunication between couples,” says Cordova. “When one partner vents the day’s frustrations, the other will often suggest solutions, but usually the first partner just wants empathy. It’s hard to
fault your partner for trying to help, but it doesn’t always feel good - you
want support, not the feeling that someone is taking away your power to
solve problems.” Next time you catch yourself slipping into problem-solving
mode, practice active listening instead: Try to empathize with what your
partner is saying and express understanding of what he’s going through.



Check it out! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked aimlessly around the toy store aisles trying to find just the right birthday gift for one of my son’s friends. And just when I think I’ve found the perfect one – the price tag indicates otherwise. Fortunately two brilliant moms, Lisa Fielding & Stefanie Katz-Rothman, started Gift Hero which not only makes spot-on recommendations for children’s gifts sorted by gender, age and price, but they sell them right there on the site.
http://www.gifthero.com/



Have you seen any Larpers in your neck of the woods? LARPing is Live Action Role Playing. If you’ve ever passed a park and seen men and some women dressed up like medieval elves, trolls, and warriors battling with nerf swords, maces, axes and the like, then you’ve seen a Larper. Actually, it’s pretty entertaining. I want to start my own Larping club based on Bible characters. Since it’s my club I get to be God and am able to smite you with my nerf lightning bolts.


These are funny - More Wacky Warning Labels from Fox News:
You’re not supposed to use birthday candles as earplugs “or for any other function that involves insertion into a body cavity like your nose”. It says so right on the box. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know you shouldn’t use your power tool as a dental drill .. but just in case, it’s right there in the manual.
1. A Cell Phone Manual Warns: Don’t Try to Dry Your Phone in a Microwave Oven
2. A Hair Dryer Warns: Never Use While Sleeping
3. A Curling Iron Warns: Do Not Use While Bathing or in Shower
4. A Watercraft Warns: Never Use Lit Match or Open Flame to Check Fuel Level
5. Two-Pronged Fishing Hook Warns: Harmful If Swallowed
6. iPod Shuffle Warns: Do Not Eat iPod Shuffle
7. Children’s Dimetapp Warns: Be Careful When Driving a Motor Vehicle
8. Razor Scooter Warns: This Product Moves When Used
9. Washing Machine Warns: Do Not Put Any Person in This Washer
A Vanishing Fabric Marker Warns: Should Not Be Used as a Writing Instrument for Signing Checks or Any Legal Documents


American Idol fans! There is talk of Simon leaving once his contract is up next year. I say they’ll pay him more and he’ll stay, but let’s say he does leave. No one could replace him, right? You need a Simon Cowell for the show, but only Simon can provide that. Any other replacement would seem like a wannabe. Who could fill in Simon’s shoes? Judge Judy? Al Sharpton?


DID YOU KNOW? More than 5 billion crayons are produced each year?
More than 100 billion crayons have been produced so far. The first crayons consisted of a mixture of charcoal and oil. In the early 1900s, cousins Edwin Binney and Harold Smith developed a nontoxic wax crayon. Binney’s wife, Alice, attached the French word for chalk, craie, with “ola,” from oily, to form the Crayola name. Their first box of Crayola crayons were sold for a nickel in 1903.

The first Crayola crayons came in a box of eight colours: black, blue, brown, green, orange, purple, red and yellow. By 1957, 40 new colours were introduced. Today there are more than 120 crayon colours, including Atomic Tangerine, Blizzard Blue, Mango Tango, Outrageous Orange, Laser Lemon, Screamin’ Green and Shocking Pink. Over 5 billion crayons are produced each year. From my understanding, that familiar crayon fragrance is due in part to beef fat. Crayons still taste bad, though.



From Womans Day Magazine - 1 in 4 women lose their lives from heart disease, but you can help change those odds. Just go to the Sister to Sister Foundation website www.sistertosister.org and sign up for their Screen 4 Challenge. Pledge to get a heart disease screening and enter the e-mail addresses of at least three other women whom you want to do the same. If three or more of your friends sign up, Sister to Sister will donate a free screening to a woman in need–up to 1,000 free screenings. By the way, a screening includes getting cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, blood sugar, weight, and waist circumference measured, as well as discussing family heart-health history with your doc.


Honda Unveils Dog-Friendly Car!
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dog-crazy Americans will soon be able to buy a pet-friendly car with a cushioned dog bed in the trunk, fitted with a built-in water bowl and fan and a ramp to help less agile dogs climb in.
With the help of a rescue dog named Sammy, Japanese car maker Honda Motor Co unveiled the pet friendly version of its Element utility vehicle at the New York Auto Show.

It features easy-wash seat covers, a fitted dog bed with restraints to keep Sammy safe in the event of a crash, and a paw logo on the side. Honda said the car would go on sale across the United States from the fall of this year.
Honda spokesman Sage Marie said it was designed with both safety and comfort in mind. "(It's) a car we think is of interest to many of today's dog-crazy consumers," he said.

Senior product planner James Jenkins said Americans spend $41 billion a year on their pets, a figure forecast to rise to $52 billion in two years, indicating a big market for the car.

"Pets have become more like family, more important to households than ever before," Jenkins said.

The current model of the Element starts at a little over $20,000 and Honda has yet to determine how much the pet friendly features will add on to the price tag, Jenkins said.



Students Encouraged to Stay Home From School on Friday
A national coalition of pro-family groups are urging parents to keep their students home this coming Friday in protest of the annual "Day of Silence," when students vow silence to bring attention to the discrimination of gay students.

Over 20 Christian-based conservative groups have called for the massive walkout from middle and high schools participating the April 17 event, arguing that the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)'s sponsored event politicizes the classroom to support the belief that homosexuality is moral. They include state chapters of American Family Association, Concerned Women for America, Illinois Family Institute, Liberty Council and Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays.

"This day is not about 'tolerance' as it claims, but about forcing propaganda and acceptance of high-risk behavior into the schools with no opposing views allowed," said Linda Harvey of Mission America, which also supports the walkout.

The groups have encouraged parents and teens who are not willing to risk teacher retribution or missing school to send a letter to schools officials expressing their objections to Day of Silence.

The coalition has also called attention to a resolution sitting before Congress that would urge the federal government and public schools to officially recognize and celebrate Day of Silence. The legislation also requests that "the President issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe the National Day of Silence with appropriate ceremonies, programs, and activities."

House Concurrent Resolution 92 was introduced on April 1 and has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee.

One Christian professor, however, has come against the walkout, saying it's not very productive.

"How can we get anything accomplished if we leave the field?" Dr. Warren Throckmorton, professor of Psychology at Grove City College in Pennsylvania, wrote last week on his blog on Crosswalk.com.

The expert in mental health and sexuality issues contends that students taking part in Day of Silence have a point, saying he has spoken with Christian students who have admitted to bullying or harassing gay students.

Throckmorton has created an alternative response to Day of Silence, asking Christians to take The Golden Rule Pledge and show up at school to live out the teaching of Christ to treat others as they want to be treated.

When Day of Silence students hand out cards asking, "What will you do to help end the silence?" Christian students should respond: "This is what I am going to do. I pledge to treat others the way I want to be treated. 'Do to others as you would have them do to you.'"

Meanwhile, several other Christian-based conservative groups are promoting the Day of Truth on April 20, the following Monday, as a direct response to Day of Silence. According to Day of Truth's Web site, it was established to "counter the promotion of the homosexual agenda and express an opposing viewpoint from a Christian perspective."

Alliance Defense Fund and Exodus International, the promoters of Day of Truth, are encouraging students to speak the "truth in love" and engage in conversation about homosexuality.

Participants are also asked to hand out cards reading: "I'm speaking the Truth to break the silence. True tolerance means that people with differing - even opposing - viewpoints can freely exchange ideas and respectfully listen to each other. It's time for an honest conversation about homosexuality. There's freedom to change if you want to. Let's talk."



SoulWow.Com is a HUGE hit on the web!
NEW YORK – Sinners, take heed: There's a product available now in parts of New York that will leave you with that "almost baptized feeling."

It's called SoulWow — with the cleansing power of confession.

In a YouTube parody of the popular ads for ShamWow absorbent towels, a priestly pitchman named Father Vic calls on Roman Catholics in Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island to partake. As Father Vic says, "Nothing soothes the soul like a true confession."

The ad campaign was launched before Palm Sunday by the dioceses of Brooklyn and Rockville Centre in an effort to increase the number of people who confess during Holy Week.

Church officials say they've seen an upsurge of followers seeking absolution.
www.soulwow.com



Nicer IRS
In light of the economic downturn, the IRS is telling all of its agents to be "nicer and friendlier.

INCOME TAX DEADLINE IS WEDNESDAY!!!!
Interesting Things That Have Been Taxed
• Bachelors (England in 1695 A.D., and Missouri in 1820 A.D.)
• Beards (Russia, 1702 A.D.)
• Cooking Oil (Ancient Egypt, approximately 2000 B.C.)
• Souls (Russia, approximately 1682 A.D.)
Besides taxing beards and souls, Peter the Great of Russia also taxed: hats, boots, beehives, basements, chimneys, food, clothing, birth, marriage, and burial.