Unshackled!

We're all shackled to something at some point in our lives.  Sometimes, it's a contract.  Other times, it's a position.  Or maybe it's an addiction.  Either way, there's something that has a locked in.  But there's something more that has us in its snares.  It's just 3 letters, but oh-so-encompassing!  Even from our birth we are entangled in sin.  Sin has us shackled, and there's nothing we can do to get out of its grip.  But Jesus has come to set us free.  He holds the key to unlock sin's irons, and He will release us if we will but trust in Him.

That's why I'm so excited to hear that Unshackled!, a radio drama production from Pacific Garden Mission about lives who have been set free of sin's fetters, is going to have recording sessions at the WCTS facilities this Thursday through Saturday.  Listeners are invited to attend the sessions as well as the Friday night celebration for all the years of broadcasting.  A call to the station is requested to reserve your seat.  Whether you are unable to be there or in attendance, your prayers are appreciated and desired.

"If the Son therefore shall make you free,

ye shall be free indeed."

~ John 8:36 ~

Of Song & Psalm

How delightful it was to discover Deo Cantamus' youtube channel, and even more so to see they had uploaded videos of How Sweet the Sound! Of course, my quest was for Psalm 149, and I was overjoyed to find it there - all 11 minutes of it!  I've already played it through several times, and I just have to share it with you....

Christianity in a Changing Culture

I don't know about you, but I do so enjoy Steve Davis' book review Christianity in a Changing Culture.  It's exciting to see that it now has it's own blog!  It's simply christianityinachangingculture.blogspot.com, or not so simply if you consider the length of it.  Either way, it's a nice addition, and I've linked to it on the tab bar as well.

Podcasts of the interview are also available at iTunes.  (I have to bite my tongue while I type that because I'm not an Apple enthusiast, rather the opposite actually.  Yet I'm thrilled the podcast is available, so I'll grin and bear it.)  You can also subscribe directly through the blog, and of course, the downloads are still available at wctsradio.com.

How Sweet the Sound

Indeed, how very sweet the sound was tonight's performance by Deo Cantamus.... absolutely magnificent!  In fact, I'm not so sure there's an adjective that could describe just how beautiful the concert was.  Singing, instrumentals... and handbells!

The highlight of the night for me definitely was the world premiere performance of Psalm 149.  I've previously mentioned my interest being piqued, especially when I saw the text for the composition:

Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song,

and his praise in the congregation of saints.

Let Israel rejoice in him that made him:

let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

Let them praise his name in the dance:

let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.

For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people:

he will beautify the meek with salvation.

Let the saints be joyful in glory:

let them sing aloud upon their beds.

Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,

and a twoedged sword in their hand;

To execute vengeance upon the heathen,

and punishments upon the people;

To bind their kings with chains,

and their nobles with fetters of iron;

To execute upon them the judgment written:

this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.

Psalm 149

Just how would the Mr. Joshua Bauder piece together the arrangement for a psalm of praise-turned-judgment?  The proper balance would be imperative.  I found myself wondering whether it would have an understated, simplistic melody, which would certainly be the easier method, or something more extravagant.  I had weeks to ponder this, and even so, there is no way I could possibly have come close to imagining something so beautiful or so reverent.  It was marvelous.  The chorale, a soloist, an organ, several stringed instruments, and handbells blended together in this truly special piece.  Sincere, lovely praise with a powerful climax, culminating with a strong refrain (for lack of the appropriate word) of "Praise ye the Lord" before quietly, peacefully fading away.

Another thing of note is that both Kimball and Steve were among the chorale members.  Steve even had a solo part in the song Amazing Grace.

There is no possible way to walk away feeling disappointed in my time there.  The fellowship afterward was also sweet, but there's nothing on earth that surpasses praising and worshipping the Saviour.

A Sound So Sweet

I am greatly anticipating the Deo Cantamus autumn performance at Fourth Baptist Church of Plymouth, Minnesota!  "How Sweet the Sound" is open to the public for its one-night presentation on October 23, 2010 at 7 pm!

Deo Cantamus isn't truly affiliated to WCTS.  However, you could say there is some connection... sort of.  In the past, both Kimball Cummings and Steve Davis have been in the chorale, and while I don't know for sure, I think they will be in this upcoming performance as well.  Also, it will be held at the same locale as the station studios since WCTS, Central Baptist Theological Seminary, Fourth Baptist Church & its Christian School are housed in the same building.

I had the privilege of interacting some with the Dr. Bauder, who is the president of Central Seminary, and his wife during the Sharathon.  In one of our conversations, Mrs. Bauder mentioned that their son has composed one of the numbers that will be performed!  My interest is piqued, and I'm looking forward to hearing it.

In years past, the musicale has been a wonderful experience, filled with songs of worship & praise to our Lord.  Each performance is unique, and I have high expectations for "How Sweet the Sound."  I'm sure it will not disappoint.

Praise ye the LORD.

Sing unto the LORD a new song,

and his praise in the congregation of saints.

~ Psalm 149:1 ~

The Final Count

I suppose last Friday's entry should have been titled the Friday Evening Report, technically speaking.  Why?  Because even though the Sharathon week is over, there are always some mailed in pledges that need to be counted during the next week, as you might have heard them say on the air.

Well, it hasn't been an easy wait for me this week, but the wait is finally over!  Yes, it's quite wonderful to have that final total for Sharathon 2010, and I'm excited to share the news with you!  In fact, I can't hold it back any longer; this will have to do.  So...

The grand total for this year's sharathon is $130,000!  Praise the Lord!

Central Sunday

My pastor has some big plans for this month of October, with something special happening each Sunday.  The one I'm especially excited about occurs on October 24.  The day has been dubbed Central Sunday in honor of Central Baptist Theological Seminary, of which WCTS is a ministry.  Dr. Bauder, president of CBTS, and his wife will be joining us for each of our services.  Along with exhortation from the Word of God, there will be some time dedicated to the seminary and its plans for the future.  While I'm not sure how much the station will be mentioned, it's promising to be a good day.


We at Faith Baptist Church would love to have you join us for one or more of our services:
Sunday Morning Bible Study @ 9:30 A.M.
Sunday Morning Service @ 10:30 A.M.
Sunday Evening Service @ 6:00 P.M.

Friday's End of Sharathon Report

Sharathon 2010 has come to a close in a flurry of excitement! The phones just kept on ringing and ringing. In fact, we had 5 calls being taken at one time! That's quite a feat since there are just 4 phones in Phone Central! How can that happen, you ask? All four phones were in use when another call came in, so Kimball, the station manager, grabbed a pledge form and literally ran for a phone in another room!

Praise the Lord for His people following His leading! Today's daily total was $32,605, and although we didn't quite make that overall goal, coming in with $122,626, we know He will provide for the needs of the station in His perfect timing & perfect way. We may not know how that will be, but we do know that when God is for something, then nothing can stop it!

Thank you all for your gifts to the station. It was a privilege to take your calls & hear your comments. As my dad is always quick to remind, "you can never out-give God!" so may the Lord bless you abundantly!

The Final Stretch

We are down to the last hour of this year's sharathon! It's been kind of quiet around here for a while, and we're hoping things pick up again. We still have quite a ways to go to meet this years goal - $35,599 to be precise. The wonderful volunteers here are sitting on edge of their chairs anticipating your call.

So many have always already called in the amount the Lord has laid on their hearts to help this ministry continue, and quite a few have even called in additional gifts as the week has progressed.

God has been so good! No matter how this day ends, there is no denying His goodness to us this week.

The Phones Are Ringing!

We are 2 hours into the day, and the calls are coming in! Our Phone Central volunteers are standing (or rather, sitting) by the phones, ready to serve you. We'd love to hear from you... and your call will be answered!

It's Friday....

It's the last day of Sharathon 2010, and I hope you have been praying along with me this week that we would see each goal met. We have a ways to go towards meeting the goal of $150,000. In fact, we're going to need just under $60,000 to come in today. So what do you say about rounding up to the full 60 thousand, and pray that we hear the phones keep ringing to see the needs met.

I'm ready and waiting.... who will be the first caller?

Thursday Evening Report

When it rains, it pours, so they say. Well, we literally had quite the torrential downpour of rain several times today. John mentioned on the air that it was raining so hard he could hear it coming down even with his headphones on! That is loud!

Throughout the day, there also was quite the flurry going on at Phone Central with the phones ringing off the hook! We were swamped in a very good way. We came very close to meeting our daily goal, finishing off with $29,328. Not quite the 30 thousand we were trying to achieve, but we did reach the 90 thousand mile marker! The overall total today is $90,021.

Little Guests

How fun it is to have classes from Fourth Baptist Christian School come into the station for some time on the air.

The 2nd grade class was in just a little bit earlier. Their teacher, Mrs. Davis, happens to know one of the radio hosts quite well... she is Steve's wife. It was a bit disappointing that it didn't work out for him to be here to talk to the class, but it looked like they still had fun.

And now Mrs. Goetz has brought in her 1st grade class to be here with us. It looks like John is having as nice of a time with having his wife's class in the studio as the kids are having!

It's so cute to watch them & hear their sweet voices... and it's a learning experience for them as well. How cool to take a "field trip" down the hall to the radio station!

Good Morning!

It's Thursday morning, and I'm back at Phone Central. Today our daily goal is $30,000, but I know all of us volunteers would like to surpass that amount. We're ready to be at your service, and looking forward to a day of hearing from you!

Wednesday Evening Report

Thank the Lord for answered prayer! We conclude today with a daily total of 24,340! The overall total is looking quite nice, too, sitting at $60,473! What a wonderful way to jump in tomorrow... I'm already looking forward to it!

More to Love While Here in Phone Central

Pastor Matt

Another thing that is so nice about being down at the station during Sharathon is that you can meet the guest speakers who come in!

It has been  a delight to see Pastor Matt Morrell & Dr. Kevin Bauder again, and I am absolutely thrilled to see my pastor, Julian Suarez, here in the studio this morning! I just love the fact that Pastor Suarez has opportunities to be back on the air here after having been one of their radio hosts in the early 80s.  Of course, I don't have a recollection of that time, being as young as I was then, but it's so fun regardless.

Between phone calls, we also able to hear what the speakers talk about on the air, and I have deeply appreciated some of the conversations that I've heard.  What a blessing it is to have such men and women as leaders in our churches, communities, & organizations.

Midweek is Here!

It's the third day of Sharathon, and once again I'm stationed in Phone Central! It's so nice to hear from other listeners who enjoy the music & programs on WCTS as much as I do!

Today our daily goal is $14,092, and it is my prayer that we will again surpass it. Although we didn't meet yesterday's goal, we're not really behind because there was such a good response on Monday. Even so, it sure would be nice to finish the day with something that would act as a springboard for our last days.

Tuesday Evening Report

Well, those of you listening in might have noticed that today was rather a slow day for those of us here on the phones. That's okay, though. People give what the Lord lays on their hearts, and that's what matters.

Today's total was $9,582 towards an overall total of $36,133.

Another Day!

It's Tuesday! I'm excited... how 'bout you? Yesterday ended so well, and I would love for the same thing to happen today.

Today's daily goal is $13,396, and we're still waiting for that first caller. Have you considered calling in?

Monday Evening Report

What an exciting day it was! It was unexpectedly busy here for a Monday, but nobody is complaining - that's for sure. Indeed, praise the Lord for His goodness and that we not only met our daily goal, but more than doubled it! Our total for the day was $26,551.

Reflections on Phone Central

Experiencing our Lord's provision for this Christ-centered station is the pinnacle of this blessing. The atmosphere here in Phone Central is such an amazing thing, each call is cause for excitement, and it thrills my heart to have even young children pledging to the work of this ministry. I count it an honor to take some of the calls. It is a joy talking to people who had prayerfully considered what He would have them to give as they pledge the amount He had laid on their hearts.

The bond we have as believers in Christ is so sweet, so precious. Three years ago, when I was a new face to those who have worked at the station or volunteered for many years, it was like walking into a group of long-time friends, and the bonds deepened as the week progressed. Now, when I come in, it's like reuniting with friends you haven't seen in awhile. The fellowship throughout the day is overflowing with uplifting conversations and a magnificent testimony of the God we serve.

What a blessing to have such an opportunity to get to know other believers and help His work continue!

Sharathon Is Here!

The WCTS Sharathon 2010 if finally here! And I'm looking forward to another wonderful week in Phone Central. In fact, I'm at the station right now!

The goal for the week is $150,000. This year, we also have a daily goal, increasing as the week progresses. Today we are hoping for $10,960. Already the phones are starting to ring, and I hope that means we're off to the start of a good day of callers.

Hope to hear from you, too!