Thanksgiving...I'll Give Some Thanks.

Holidays get interesting in most of our lives--whether they are exciting and fun filled, or extra stressful and painful. Regardless, they bring a change of pace and a time where we look at the world a little differently. As Thanksgiving comes around, I find myself focusing on the things that I'm extra thankful for this year.

I'm thankful for the privilege of living in America where we can proclaim His glory openly. I'm thankful for being able to live in such a beautiful area. I'm thankful for those who work along side of me in a ministry to bring good news over the airwaves. I'm thankful for my family, those gone and those that remain. I'm thankful for my friends, both new and seasoned, for those that challenge me and those that encourage, those that make me laugh and make me cry. I'm thankful for my mentors, who live out wisdom in a daily example and show unconditional love and won't let me settle for less. I'm thankful for the students I work with who teach me more than I can teach them. I'm thankful for hope and joy and freedom that comes through Christ, that becomes more real every day. I'm thankful for the hard times and for the good times, for sunshine and rain, for music and silence. I'm thankful my God is as faithful as the sunrise.

This Thanksgiving, let those in your life know how you are thankful for them. Let them know they are loved. Above all, spend some time thanking God for what amazing blessings He has given you.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

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Clergy Appreciation

October is Clergy Appreciation Month. Pastors have a tough calling and need our encouragement and prayers. There's a good resource at ClergyAppreciation.org for ideas on what to do. I know we're planning something extremely special for one of our pastors, and we're super excited about it. Let your pastor and his wife know that they make a difference and you care about them.



Update 10.27.2006 I've seen first hand the important and impact of putting something together to appreciate your pastor. As with anyone, it's not so important for them to receive expensive gifts--it's more important for them to know 1) that you sincerely care about them and 2) that they make a difference. Our pastor appreciation project went beautifully well.

Plenty of Early Christmas Presents

Look at the lineup of new music coming out in the next week or two:

Mark Schultz-Broken & Beautiful
Chris Tomlin-See The Morning
By The Tree-World On Fire
Hillson-Celebrating Christmas
Phillips, Craig & Dean-Top of My Lungs
Big Daddy Weave-Every Time I Breathe
Israel & New Breed-A Timeless Christmas
Nate Sallie-Ruined For Ordinary
X 2007
WOW Hits 2007
Facing the Giants Soundtrack
Skillet-Comatose
Casting Crowns-Lifesong Live
"Best of" albums for Rich Mullins, 4Him, Twila Paris, and Michael W. Smith
PLUS 2 new Gaither Christmas Videos.


Now that's an exciting line-up.

And if for the unlikely reason you don't see anything there to fit your fancy, in the next month or two you'll see albums from the Newsboys, Jeremy Camp, Michael W. Smith, Avalon, Phil Keaggy, Lincoln Brewster, Grits, Kutlass, Switchfoot, Matt Redman, Passion, and Toby Mac.

Now that's enough to make your want to dance and get a second job. :-)

Macon County Fair

Added Oct. 1: Photo our our famous gazebo at the Macon County Fair.

September 13-17 boasts one of the biggest events of the year for Macon County residents: the annual Macon County Fair. It is one of the last purely agricultural fairs in North Carolina and draws thousands of people from all over. It's a great opportunity for education and fellowship and meeting up with people you haven't seen in a while. It's a unique aspect of culture in Macon County.

WPFJ is going to once again be a part of this big event by bringing you live broadcasts all week during the fair, keeping you informed about the events going on at the fair. It's an exciting thing to be a part of event that brings so many in our community together. We're proud to be a part. Stop by and see us in the gazebo if you're in town. Brenda will be signing autographs.

Bebo Norman

I have been able to listen to Bebo Norman's new album slated to release next month (you can too if you pre-order at certain online retailers). Amazing album--very excited about this release. We play "I Will Lift My Eyes" on the station now--great tune. Be looking for this album to be released September 19th--you won't be disappointed.

Shane & Shane

Hey, Shane & Shane are coming to Highlands in just a few weeks--September 3 (Labor Day Weekend). Check the website for more info(www.wpfj.com). I'm pretty excited about this. Shane & Shane frequent our mountains and never fail to leave us with hearts uplifted and souls refreshed.

A lot of new music on the radio these days. You'll hear new ones from Barlow Girl, Bethany Dillon, PCD, Michael W. Smith, Chris Rice, By The Tree, and Todd Agnew.

Oh, and we've got lots of free tickets to the Shane & Shane show. Listen for more info!

The Untold Story

Spending a week in New Orleans can be discouraging. But I also want to point out that it can be very encouraging. It's been almost a year since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. And it's been almost a year since thousands of homes have even been touched. Everywhere you look you see FEMA trailers and blue tarps and empty parking lots. There are abandoned cars, boats and houses sitting where they shouldn't be, and piles of debris everywhere. You see encouragement with signs on stores that say "Now Open" and signs in the yards of homes reading "I Am Coming Home: I am New Orleans." I could tell stories of what we saw there. But I won't.

Driving down the road you experience a host of different thoughts. But what you see you don't forget. And this is what I can't forget: every day, every week groups and groups of volunteers from Christian organizations and churches are making the journey to New Orleans and surrounding areas to help those who have nothing left. I saw their vans, their youth groups, their buses, their signs, their hope. I saw Christians down there for a week taking Christ's commands literally and offering His love through their hard work and through their love.

It is a privilege to be able to offer such a devastated city a hope not only about their restored homes and lives, but hope that a caring God sees them and loves them and cares for them, in the midst of this really difficult, unimaginable situation.

The people in New Orleans and the Gulf region need our prayers and encouragement. They need our hammers and our hands and our help. They need the hope that we have in Christ. And beyond that, the people we live next door to need our hands and our help and to know the hope we have. They need to know someone cares.

Show someone they are valuable today.