^“Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” — From the Parable of the Sower, Matthew 13.

Soil makes all the difference when it comes to growing a garden. I’m finding this out the hard way as I experiment with my own garden. First the soil needs to be broken, the pH  adjusted, and then you need to add fertilizer. But the toil doesn’t end there. Then comes the watering, the war on bugs, and the never ending process of weed control. However, if you stick to it and don’t lose sight of the end goal, the harvest is well worth it!

This year I’ve decided to really work on building up the soil in my home garden. One of the ways to do that is by growing peanuts. Its a natural way to restore much needed nutrients to your soil. After much research into peanut growing, I came to realize that in Middle Georgia many folks don’t bother with peanuts because they need loose, well drained soil. And if you have ever taken a shovel to the dirt around here, then you know how hard the soil can be! However, I’m bound and determined to make this work.

Again, after much research I found that building raised beds is the way to go for determined home peanut growers with clay soil. It really didn’t cost that much for the materials — a few landscaping timbers and some potting soil. It did take some blood, sweat, and tears though. But the end result was well worth it, the soil was nice and loamy and ready for peanuts, which my girls and I then planted.

Afterwards, I was thinking about my little home project involving peanuts. How often do we as Christians try to plant the seed of the gospel in those around us? We come across many soil types as described in the parable of the sower. But how often do we try to sow our gospel seed, see it hit unreceptive soil, and then walk away saying we tried? Or do we come back and try to work with the soil, bit by bit adding nutrients, adjusting the pH, and even adding a little compost.

Soul winning can be a hard task. It may take months or years to see the fruit, but if you are in a situation where the “soil” isn’t quite ready to grow spiritual fruit — may I encourage you not to give up? Work with the soil you have, build it up over time, put a little blood, sweat, and tears into your crop. It makes the harvest much more sweeter!

Thank you to all the listeners who joined NewLife FM for The Solomon Bunch red carpet premiere at Eagle’s Landing First Baptist Church in McDonough! We certainly had a fun time and enjoyed promoting this wonderful family and faith-based film directed by Jason Prisk and produced by Creekside Christian Academy in association with Pinecrest Baptist Church.

We also want to say thank you to all the wonderful folks who signed up for our gift package at the NewLife FM display. The winner will be notified shortly.

To those of you who were unable to attend, the evening kicked off with the red carpet walk where the audience was introduced to the cast and crew of The Solomon Bunch. Both my daughters were in attendance with me, and my youngest daughter kept tell me she wanted to dress up like a princess and have the emcee announce her name and everybody clap for her as she walked the red carpet. How do you explain to a three-year-old that you have to be in the movie first in order to get credit? LOL. Fortunately for us I was able to sneak her onto the red carpet for a photo after the show.

Before the movie was shown, the audience enjoyed a bluegrass performance by special guests The Watkins Family from Toccoa, Randall Franks from Ringgold. Franks is an award winning bluegrass artist who played with bluegrass greats Bill Monroe, Jim and Jesse, and southern gospel artists Jeff and Sheri Easter. He played on “In the Heat of the Night” as well as other films with Dolly Parton and Christian Slater.

The Solomon Bunch was a fantastic film and everyone involved did such a great job. What a great film for any parent to add to their DVD collection. There is also a related book series being published — I believe the first book is now available. For the DVD and merchandise pertaining to this film you can visit www.TheSolomonBunch.com

Just before Easter we had some listeners invite us to their family farm. I had previously told them that my wife and I were homeschooling and so they thought it would be a fun field trip for the girls — which it was!

They rolled out the red carpet for us and even had a farm fact sheet printed out for the girls. First on the itinerary was breakfast which consisted of pig in the blanket sausages and cinnamon rolls. Next, they took us to their fields of red clover which was at peak bloom. We snapped a few photos of the girls standing in the waste high (to them) clover. After that we took a golf cart ride through the cow pasture.

Most of the cattle were black angus with a few jersey cows. In a lower field they had a few donkeys which the girls fed with some left over bread. One of the donkeys had the markings of a cross on its shoulder and our friends referred to it as a Jesus Donkey. The donkeys were quite nervous and I was warned not to get too close to them as they would deliver a pretty powerful kick.

With it being so close to Easter — and smack dab in the middle of “Passion Week” — the story of the “Jesus Donkey” and its skiddish nature to strangers revealed to me a hidden miracle of Jesus’ day.

 “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” Matthew 21:5

Here-in is the miracle — Jesus riding on a colt that had never been ridden. And moreover, the donkey’s mother paying no never-mind. I couldn’t even get close enough to feed these tame donkeys without the threat of getting a powerful and injurous kick, and here is Jesus, the King of the Universe riding an unbroken donkey’s colt — that donkey knew who he was carrying, don’t doubt that!

And just think about it, the donkey knew, but God’s own people failed to recognize Jesus! For it was later that week that his own people crucified him on the cross. I pray that today God’s people will be as smart as that donkey in the gospels. May we recognize our Saviour for who he truly is!

Just a quick lesson I learned on a farm tour one morning.

One of the things I love about my line of work is all the interesting people I get to meet. At NewLife FM one of the programs I produce/host is the Georgia Town Crier (GTC). GTC is a fun interview program that is about a half hour long and focuses on issues, events, and the people of Georgia.

A couple weeks ago, Georgia legend Okefenokee Joe sent me his latest single “A little more Sunday everyday”. The song deals with the crazy times we currently find ourselves in and how we need to focus on Jesus to get through. I liked the song and thought the music video on youtube was clever, so I decided to see  if he would come on GTC to discuss the song and talk about his life — which he was more than happy to do.

Okefenokee Joe is quite the character. Back in the 1990s, he made an award winning documentary on the Okefenokee swamp called “Swampwise”. You can still watch it online on the Georgia Public Broadcasting website. But before that Okefenokee was actually known as Dick Flood. This was back in the 1950s-60s when he had a career as a country singer/songwriter. Although he wasn’t well known, some of his songs were picked up by Roy Orbison, Porter Wagoner, and other contemporaries.

Later in life Dick Flood moved to the Okefenokee swamp and lived on Cow House Island with his dog swampy. It was here that Dick Flood changed his name to Okefenokee Joe and had sort of a religious experience living off the land. Today Okefenokee Joe travels Georgia doing snake shows at schools and teaching children that mankind can live in harmony with God’s creation.

During our visit on GTC, Okefenokee shared his heart about the state of America and how he is concerned with the direction we’ve taken politically — how we’ve parted the path our forefathers. And how we’ve thrown morality and faith in God out the window. Then we discussed wise stewardship of creation.

Okefenokee Joe shared his take on how we can live in harmony with snakes. “Leave them alone,” was his advice. They don’t want to be your friend and they don’t want to be bothered. Even the poisonous ones — just leave them alone. Don’t kill them and they won’t bother you.

His advice on nature in general — everything serves a purpose and works together the way God created it too. If you can’t use it, leave it alone. Only use or take what you absolutely need.

My final question was one of personal curiosity coupled with a bit of soul searching. I asked Okefenokee Joe, “you’ve seen some difficult times and you’ve been on this journey called life longer than  me, what would your advice be to the next generation of Christians following in your footsteps?” His answer was simple, he clarified the fact that he was not a preacher and stated that his advice would be to stay in contact with Jesus, keep your faith strong, and stay as close as you can to Him.

Just a little bit of “Swampwise” wisdom.

I love this photo that a family friend snapped during an outing at the Atlanta Zoo. When we approached the gorilla exhibit, all the other gorillas where happily playing with each other, except for this one grumpy gorilla sitting all alone with arms crossed and lip protruding.

For some of us, this sums up our outlook on life all too well. While all the other folks are busy enjoying life, some of us would rather eat sour grapes and be a grump. I mean come on! Look at the times we live in! Unemployment is high, health insurance is getting ever more expensive, for some retirement is out of reach, grocery prices are rising, gas prices are high — there are plenty of reasons to grump. But is there really?

Nothing annoys me more than folks who have a negative outlook on life. Just a quick browse on the Internet will give me my fill of negativity for a life time. The economists are crying doom for 2012 over the “what ifs”, the politicians are crying doom over the future of the country — must be another election year, and the average Joe is listening to all this and stressing out over what the new year may hold for him. Put all that worry and fear aside.

Chase the fear, the worry, and the grumps away with this awesome verse found in Hebrews 13:5 – Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,  “Never will I leave you;  never will I forsake you.” The Bible is full of verses like these where God promises that He will take care of his own. As children of God we should be excited and thrilled at the great potential 2012 has in advancing the kingdom of God.

My word of encouragement to you, as we leave 2011 and head into the unknown journey that is 2012, is this — look back at 2011. Look back and count all the ways that God provided for you this past year. Look back and remember how He fulfilled the promise that He would never leave you nor forsake you. Hold fast to those blessings and look forward to 2012.

11-11-11. A day set aside to honor America’s veterans. We thank you for your sacrifice, and we thank you for our freedoms.

Veterans have played a huge role in shaping me into the person I am today, and I’d like to pay tribute to them in this blog. First there are the veterans from my own family. My father served in the Navy during the Vietnam war as did my father-in-law. Then there is my late Uncle Ricky who was a former Marine Vietnam combat Veteran. Spending time with my Dad and Uncle Ricky in the woods during deer season was quite the experience. Nobody could out shoot my Uncle Ricky, which is an entirely different story altogether!

Another veteran who I remember dearly was a gentleman by the name of Mr. Buck. Mr. Buck taught Sunday School at our little church in Vermont and the only time I heard him talk about his service to America was when someone asked him if he had ever been to France. “Yeah, years ago with a rifle on my back,” he replied. The next veteran who played an important role in my life was Mr. Fondry who lived near the high school I attended. Mr. Fondry landed on Normandy in 1944. One summer, Mr. Fondry gave me a job mowing his lawn for $10 a week and afterwards we would have ice cold cokes while sitting on his front porch discussing philosophy — which centered pretty much around the topic of his displeasure with the changing world. But perhaps one of the most intriguing veterans I knew was my wife’s grandfather Aiken Gelo. 

Like the rest of the veterans I knew, Aiken was a native Vermonter. Aiken served in the European theater in World War II in tank support. Before he went on to be with the Lord, Aiken documented portions of his life in a journal and I found the read to be quite fascinating. He grew up in hard times, but didn’t expect a hand out or the government to bail him out. He expected to succeed in life through hard work and service to his country. During his wake, there was a display of his military service and contained in that display was a letter that his wife Uta penned to him in 1943 in the middle of the Second World War. As a befitting tribute and memorial to our veterans I thought I would share that letter with everyone.

February 28, 1943

Sunday Night

Darling,

 How shall I begin? My heart seems so full tonight. – of happiness mixed perhaps with a little sadness and loneliness. Its strange how you can feel happy and sad at the same time. When I think of the many many blessings which I can count as mine I think how fortunate I am. When I think of my home, my parents, my loved ones, my friends. – the wonderful country I live in – I think how can I be anything but happy. But then I think of what is happening in this world of ours. People fighting instead of loving. Children cold and starving. Homes broken by war. Loved ones missing. When I think of these I think my heart cries – “Oh God can this happen to us?” Do you have that feeling of happiness and sorrow? Of course the happiness overshadows the sorrows. I think – because the happiness starts because God loved us so muchthat he gave His Son that whosoever (that means me) believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life. There’s a joy in that that cannot be overshadowed ever.

             God’s love. – there are a great many kinds of love isn’t there. His love for us is so great that its hard to describe. It had no beginning nor ending. It is from everlasting to everlasting. Then there is the love of mother and father and isn’t that love sweet and wonderful? It’s next to God’s love I guess.

             Then there’s a brother’s and sister’s love – a friends love, etc.

             Then there’s the love that one person gives to another – a man and a woman, or a boy and a girl. This love can’t be explained can it? It’s something that must be experienced – and we’ve experienced it haven’t we dear? I can’t tell you how very much I love you – all I can say is – “here is my love – all of it – take it for it belongs to you.” And when you offered me your love I took it and prayed that I should never do anything to hurt that love. I want you to be always glad that you love me. I want you to be always proud that you love me. I hope that you always will be. I know that if ever you regret loving me it will somehow be my fault. Oh my darling I love you so very, very much. God bless you and keep you safe.

 Your sweetheart

Uta

Tybee Island Lighthouse

 It’s that time of year again when NewLife FM gears up for our annual fall sharathon. The theme of this years sharathon will center around letting your light shine for Jesus.

Recently my family and I took a trip to the coast of Georgia and took a tour of the famous Tybee Island Lighthouse. The history surrounding this lighthouse and the many keepers throughout the centuries is quite fascinating. It was the job of the keeper and his assistants to make sure that the light was in peak condition otherwise ships would meet their demise on the sandy shores of the island. The light served as a warning beacon on dark nights.

As you can imagine, the task of keeping the light in working order was not a simple one. Part of the tour is climbing 178 steps to the top and we were so exhausted from just one climb. Can you imagine doing that several times a day! No wonder the keeper required assistance!

Much like the Tybee Island Lighthouse, NewLife FM serves as a beacon of hope in Georgia. Through our tall radiotowers we shine a light into your radios warning folks of the danger of a life without Christ, while at the same time offering a message of hope through a new life in Christ. Through our signal we shine a light into a dark world. But just like the keeper of the Tybee Island Lighthouse required assistants, we too need your assistance. We don’t have 178 steps to climb every day, but you can imagine the work it takes to operate a radio station and the finances required to broadcast our signal 24/7. That is where your assistance is greatly appreciated!

We need financial supporters and volunteers to help keep our signal in working order. Through your gifts of support we can make sure NewLife FM is in peak operating condition and shining the light of Jesus brightly for all to hear. To our faithful supporters we thank you greatly for your gifts of support and we hope to hear from you during our fall sharathon as you renew your support. For those of you who have supported us in the past but it’s been a while since you’ve sent a financial gift, we look forward to hearing from you too! And of course, we always love to hear from new friends each and every sharathon.

So as we continue to prepare for our fall sharathon at NewLife FM, we hope that you will prayerfully consider participating. Be sure to visit our website and be listening on 90.7, 91.7, and 107.1 for more details concerning our fall sharathon. Together we will keep the light burning brightly!

In the vast wasteland that is reality TV, there is rarely anything redemptive — until now. Recently I had the privilege of talking with reality tv star and winner of America’s first Master Chef title Whitney Miller. Her love for God, family, and food is inspiring and I am excited to share that conversation with listeners on an upcoming edition of Georgia Town Crier this Thursday at noon.

My wife and I are self proclaimed foodies and we love to watch cooking shows on television. So we were intrigued by a brand new reality show called Master Chef. At first we approached the program cautiously expecting lots of bad language, back biting, and back stabbing — fare we could do well without. However, early in the competition we were intrigued by a young lady from Mississippi who handled herself rather well and we knew there was something different about this contestant — so much so that we rooted for her from the beginning. Long story short she blew away the competition and clinched the title of America’s first Master Chef. And I was thrilled to have the opportunity to discuss that one aspect that set her apart from the others. And what exactly sets Whitney Miller-Master Chef apart from her competitors? Her faith in Jesus.

In our Georgia Town Crier interview, Whitney dishes on how the Master Chef competition was God’s calling on her life to point others to the Lord. She tells the story of how she was viewed as the “underdog” and even questioned about her age as one of the judges felt she was too young to compete. Yet Whitney chose to remain strong and encouraged herself in the Lord by reciting 1 Timothy 4:12 — “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

Whitney lived out that verse on Master Chef. She wowed the judges with her skills — which she says were given to her by God. Whitney also wowed audiences with her composure. There was no need for the network to bleep her speech, no back biting, no back stabbing — rare for a reality show. Whitney shone as a bright example for Christ and she wants to use her Master Chef title and experience to further the gospel of Christ.

I encourage you to tune in this Thursday at noon to find out more about Whitney Miller’s testimony on Georgia Town Crier.

From time to time I get these email notes from the folks at focus on the family and this one I thought was worth passing on. Some interesting thoughts about summer relaxation…enjoy!

Dear Friend,

Rest is a four-letter word. Unfortunately, we treat is as such.

Life is a numbing rush of deadlines, over-scheduling, too many projects and too much information. For some reason, we are compelled to overload our lives with “doing” — equating success with having a bigger to-do list than the other guy.

But that’s “doing.” Not “living.” Our families need us to let go of the busyness and take time to live.

Summertime is a good time to pause for a moment and examine our crazy, hectic schedules and ask ourselves where family falls on our to-do list.

Dr. Archibald Hart — a close friend of Focus on the Family — once told listeners, “I’m not saying, ‘Don’t finish your projects. Don’t tackle that pile of dishes. Don’t tackle that pile of paper.’ I’m saying to make it a point to sit back and relax with your family.”

While on the surface, Dr. Hart’s comments might seem simplistic, you might be surprised to realize how counter his idea runs to today’s culture, and how deeply an impact that decision can make in our families. He goes on to say, “Go hug your child; play a game of Monopoly®; spend a few minutes thanking God for your home, family and job. Believe me, your children will take notice.”

This summer, dare to let go of the busyness and make time to rest.

Helping families thrive!

Brian Krause
Media Representative

A big thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s spring sharathon. Your sacrificial giving is helping to keep the Heart Warming Life Changing message of a New Life in Christ on the air in your community. We understand that things are tight and the economic future may be uncertain, but we also know that God is in control of our destiny. When we step out in faith He is faithful to provide our every need, and we thank you for taking that leap of faith.

May God bless you as you continue to bless us and the listeners in your community!