True Olympic Gold
Feb0
WOW! How refreshing to hear this young athlete’s view on life. Would that more young people would follow her lead and find the fulfillment and direction that Elana Meyers has found because of Jesus Christ, and to think she represents our great country. Go USA!
Washington White Out
Feb0
Against all the votes of good people in some 30 states, the Homosexual lobbyists continue to ram their agenda down the throats of the American people. On December the 19th D.C. Mayor Fenty signed the “Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009” or another Same Sex Marriage Bill. I watched with interest and sadness as a crowd of people gathered together in the All Souls Unitarian church in Mount Pleasant for the “historic” event. One could not help notice all the signs hanging in the church referencing the word love. Love? Are you serious?
Last week the Alliance Defense Fund along with the Stand4marriageDC group petitioned the Board of Elections to open this issue to the voters. On Thursday February4th the BOE denied their request. I find it interesting that on the very next day Washington DC was hit with one of the greatest snow storms in history.
Think it’s a coincidence? The ADF has reminded the BOE that the D.C Charter guarantees the voters the right to vote on any act passed by the D.C Council. How about the civil rights of those opposed to the redefinition of marriage? Think the ACLU will come to their aid? Don’t hold your breath. I think the Lord is trying to get the attention of someone there in our Capital. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Isaiah 1: 18
Hate Haiti?
Jan1
Psalm 109:2-4 “For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause. For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.”
As you watch the video below and come to your own conclusions about what Pat Robertson said please note the constant messages that flash across the screen and listen closely to what Mr. Robertson says and ask yourself this question. Does Pat Robertson hate Haiti or does he want the Haitians to come to salvation?
I know as a Father I desire to protect my children from danger. If I tell my children not to play with fire, it is only because I love them. When they get burned because they refused to listen, my love is there to comfort them, care for their wounds and remind them of their need to listen to my word. So too our Heavenly Father is there for the people of Haiti. Now I am not suggesting that God has sent this earthquake specifically to Haiti and I don’t believe Pat Robertson said that either. But what I am saying is that if God did send the earthquake to the Haitians, of which 50% are practicing Voodoo and 80% claim to be Christian, is God not a God of love? If this causes them to turn back to the Father that they might get the comfort and care they need and experience freedom, prosperity and fulfillment, is that a bad thing?
Certainly continue to pray for the people of Haiti and visit Samaritan’s Purse to find out what the Lord is doing in the name of love.
Happy New Year.
Jan0
Well, here we are in 2010. Hard to believe isn’t it? Remember when the world was coming to an end in Y2K? Many Christian leaders were even getting caught up in the whole fiasco, but now here we are a whole decade later. God be praised. If you are like me you have probably been thinking about what this New Year holds for you. Maybe you have new career ventures, maybe the current economic crisis has you concerned. Is the Health Care bill really going to help and is global warming a serious issue? Now some of you probably could care less about all those issues because your issues are the more pressing. We all have issues facing us in the unforeseen future and no amount of planning, when it comes right down to it, can prepare us for it. The only thing we can count on is the sure mercies, faithfulness and love of the Lord.
I have been guilty myself of hoping that things will actually get better in our World. Time and time again however, God’s word reminds me, that is the furthest thing from the truth. We are going to see the Nations of the World continue their revolt against the God of love and salvation. We are watching our very Nation do exactly what the Bible tells us “They frame mischief with a law,” Psalm 94:20. We have been watching our rulers ignore the American people when it comes to health care, global warming, abortion, prayer in school and homosexual marriages and it is only going to escalate as we see the return of the Lord drawing closer. But I did not want to write this to discourage, but rather to encourage.
The very God that has brought us to 2010 will be faithful to bring us to the end of the age. His promises have not failed us yet and there is no reason to believe that they will in the coming year. I want us in this New Year, rather than making resolutions, to simply resolve ourselves to be more like Christ. Often times when I think of being like Christ I focus many times on His ministry to man, His example, His holiness and the way He treated other people. However, this year, let us focus on His relationship with the Father. The Lord Jesus trusted the Father implicitly. The Lord Jesus did nothing without first checking with the Father. The Lord Jesus did those things that were always pleasing in His sight, (John 8:31)and because of that Christ knew His prayers would always be answered. Going into 2010, don’t you want to have your prayers answered? I do. I would venture to say that more than ever we need to have our prayers answered and we also need to take the time to pray. You and I are going to face uncertain times but we serve the God of time. We serve the one who knows the end from the beginning, the God of all comfort and care. Resolve to rely on the Father who has His everlasting arms underneath us and if His hands span the universe, think how big and strong those arms are. May you have a wonderful Christ like, Christ centered New Year. God bless you.
Beauty In The Fall
Oct2
Every time Fall comes around I am reminded of the beauty and the tragedy of the Cross. It is a beautiful picture of what Christ has done for us and wants to do in us as we take up our cross and follow after Him. (Romans 6:6-11) Have you ever thought about that?
As you look at the colors of the leaves, be mindful of the beauty of your life in Christ. People are watching you, they want to see this Jesus you speak of and Christ desires to reveal Himself to them, through you. As you daily die a beautiful array of colors will explode from your life. They won’t be tangible colors, but they’ll be there spiritually, and the beauty of Christ in you will be on display for the world to see. For those that are searching for Jesus, it will truly be a sight to behold. So, this fall, don’t think of Summer being over and don’t be sad about the trees losing their leaves but rather think about the way you can demonstrate the colors of Christ in you.
Look at the reds this fall as symbolic of His blood, the forgiveness for you and for others and the price He paid to secure eternity for you. Think of the golds and the yellows as a picture of His Deity and the glory that He wants to reveal to and through you. May the purples remind you of His royalty as King, a royalty that He not only wants to reveal but to share as well. (1 John 3:2) Remember that He is a faithful King and will provide all of your needs according to His riches. How many riches does He have? The browns remind us of His humanity and His bruising, symbolic of His desire to identify Himself with us and familiarize Himself with our sufferings. Remember that is pleased the Father to bruise Him. Are we willing to identify with Christ and suffer persecution and be bruised for Him? Also, amidst the various colors of the dying leaves remember that the trees are not dying but rather preparing themselves for the long cold Winter and it’s storms. Are we preparing our selves for the storms ahead? And all the while the deciduous foliage is falling there are the ever present Evergreens, symbolic of our lives, we who were once dead in trespasses and sins, has He now quickened. (Ephesians 2:1-6) Last thought. Just think about Fall and then think about the Fall of man. The two are closely related, one is a result of the other. Is it a coincidence that the most colorful season has to do with death or do you think the Lord wanted to remind us of the beauty of His life, death and resurrection? Just a thought, what do you think?
Happy Halloween. Treat, Or Trick?
Oct0
Well it’s about that time again. Time for all good little ghouls and boys to dress up like “harmless” little creatures, superheroes and yes, even Bible characters. What are we to do about this pagan holiday or is it Christian? Should we be celebrating it? What do you tell your children when they ask you if they can partake of the festivities? Is it really just harmless fun?
Let’s deal with the latter question first, because if we can determine whether or not Halloween is harmless then the other questions are pretty much moot. If it really is harmless then we should celebrate it, no? If it is not, well we’ll discuss that later. I am hoping that you will have a few things to add to this post and we can dialogue.
It did not take me long, thanks to the Internet, to determine that the roots of this festive holiday were deep, long and anything but harmless. My first stop was History.com. One of the beliefs of this celebration is that the ghosts of the dead return to Earth and wreak havoc on the living. Hmmmm sounds like fun. Not. I’m sorry but since when did it become fun to have the dead come back, not to life as Jesus would do, but still dead? That doesn’t sound like a celebration to me. Now, the business of the costumes are all part of placating the evil spirits by making oneself look like them. After all, what could make the dead even angrier then to see a bunch of healthy living human beings walking around enjoying themselves? The Druids, or Celtic priests were the ones to really kick this thing off. They would have the children dress up in costumes and perform what was known as “souling.” That is the poor people would go door to door begging for “soul cake,” or food in exchange for prayers to the dead on All Souls Day. Once Rome conquered the World, to include much of the Celtic territory, it was only a matter of time till the some of the festivals naturally blended together. Eventually, All Souls Day came to be known as All Saints Day. On the surface it sounds good, after all it is the celebration of the departing of the faithful saints. The purpose for this post is not to give a history lesson because, frankly, I don’t have the knowledge to do that. What I do have, and you do too, is the Word of God. And so I would like to hear what you think about Halloween. Are you going to take little Johnny out dressed as Moses or little Susie adorned as Ruth? Will your neighbors recognize your children dressed as Bible Characters or as little Al- Qaeda operatives? What does the Bible say? Do we know what God’s Word tells us? Better yet, do we believe it and are we willing to obey? I’ll be honest, as a father, the pressure is great from my children and sometimes I don’t have the answer as to why we don’t or why we do certain things. So let’s talk, honestly, kindly and lets see what the Lord would have us do as we look into the Word. If you tune in to WZXV for the month of October you are sure to hear some teachings on this subject. There is also a great resource available at the Chapel Store called The Facts On Halloween by John Ankerberg and John Weldon. I would encourage you to get a copy for your library. I look forward to growing with you as we “rightly divide, faithfully abide.”
Here Is Where We Stand.
Oct1
The Gates of Hell Cannot Prevail.
We first obtained our original construction permit in March of 2005 if that gives you any indication of how long things take in the broadcast industry. Certainly we have made some Minor Modifications to the original application but most of the delay has been caused, by what we believe to be enemy opposition to the Gospel, through either spiritual or physical entities. We have been met with roadblocks when dealing with a local television station in regards to tower space. We have been met with bureaucratic red tape in regards to zoning not to mention other various attacks on the sidelines to get us to either back down or cower in fear. If God be for us, who can be against? It has been a long venture but one we know God will honor in the long run because of His great name sake. You may or may not know by now, but come the end of October, Lord willing and should nothing happen, we will be on the air in Buffalo on 93.3FM.
Here are some things to think about.
The Lord has provided an opportunity for us that we just can not pass on. Our desire here at WZXV is to reach out to the lost and encourage believers to keep on keeping on. In order for us to do that we need to make sure we are being wise with our resources; frequencies and finances. That being said, let me tell you of our opportunity. We have been approached by another brother in the Lord that happens to own a tower near Ithaca and an AM Station. He has asked us to pray about trading him our Penn Yan translator for rent free space for life on his tower. He wants to broadcast his AM station over our FM translator in Penn Yan. This would mean that we could then apply those rent resources, that we are paying now for Penn Yan and Ithaca, to our Buffalo translator. Now while we understand that there will be many listeners in Penn Yan that will greatly miss the Word here on WZXV, we would like you to be mindful of the potential listeners in the downtown area of Buffalo. According to the Census data of 2000, the population of Penn Yan is 5,219 while the 2006 Census data for the city of Buffalo is 276,059, so you can see the potential, and that does not include those commuting into the city for work reasons. We see this as the hand of the Lord.
Here are some things to pray about.
We have a translator in Bowmansville and due to FCC regulations, we are currently re-broadcasting the signal of another great Christian Broadcaster. What we need is the Lord’s wisdom on what to do with and His provision for this frequency. Would you please intercede on our behalf and ask the Lord to provide a buyer or maybe another situation like we have in Ithaca? Also, please keep praying for the move in Syracuse, pray that it will happen and soon. I can tell you we have been in contact with WTVH and it would seem that it is still moving forward, but you never know. Let me explain what it will mean for Syracuse. The move will not make our signal stronger but it will get our signal higher and possibly further and without much interference as we go higher up in the air. Imagine if you will an open umbrella, if you were to hold it close to your head only you could fit under it, but as you hold it higher more people could stand under it with you. That, basically, is what it will do with our signal hopefully getting us further into the city and onto the thruway East and West.
Here are some things we’re thankful for.
We want to thank you for all of your support. You will never know, in this life, what your prayers, financial gifts and your kind words mean to us. I can tell you that it helps to keep us going and our prayer is that we keep you going also. May the Lord bless you and keep you and cause His face to shine upon you as you look into His Word, on WZXV.
What Bait To Use.
Sep1
Often times I listen to other Christian stations, not to critique them or to discover better ways to do what we’re doing, but genuinely to listen to them. You see, much like television or the Internet, I like to surf the airwaves looking for something to listen to. Sometimes I like to listen to Bible studies other times I listen to conservative talk radio and then there are times I want to hear good Christian music, music that we don’t play on WZXV. I know, right now you’re saying, “I can’t believe he listens to other stations.” But I do.
Now before I go any further, I want you to know that my reason for posting this is purely out of observation, experience and to get your opinion. Let me assure you that I am not here to criticize. Let me start by asking you a question. When you tune into a Christian radio station what is it that you hope to hear? You want to hear all things Christian, right? You want to hear about the love of Jesus, the hope of Heaven and that no matter what you have done or will do, there is forgiveness at the Cross, right? I know I do. Then why is it that many, (not all) but many Christian stations resort to using secular music to lure the unsaved or the “un-churched?” Did you notice a few years back that there were Christian artist being played on some of the local secular rock stations? You would hear music by DC Talk, Toby Mac and even Mercy Me’s, I Can Only Imagine. Something about hearing Mercy Me playing on a station that would then play a song by Brittany Spears called “If U Seek Amy,” and I can tell you that seeking Amy is not what that song is about. Do you see my point? The messages are not only contradictory but they are mutually exclusive, there is no point on which they can agree. To me it is a message of confusion and God is not the author of that, is He?
Should we be playing secular songs on Christian radio? Some of you may be saying, “yes, use it as bait to get them to listen to the rest of the message, besides there is a Christian song coming up next or a great Bible study and they might get saved.” My question to you would be. Did Jesus use the the Mosaic system to bait new believers or did Jesus say beware the leaven? I am not trying to be legalistic here but let’s at least be realistic. Jesus did not tell individuals that they could continue in their dead works and follow after Him. When Jesus ate with the publicans and the sinners, do you think He talked with them about their need to get to Temple, or did He tell them about their need for Him? Why do you think they liked being with Jesus? I believe that it was because He was different, His message was different and He made them feel right at home in the presence of a pure, holy, loving savior without using the trappings of the world. Sure, Jesus said “I will make you fishers of men,” (Mark 1:17) but the bait is Jesus. When will men be drawn to Jesus? When we lift His name up. (John 12:32)
I have spoken to other representatives of Christian stations and quite honestly I understand their point of view, but I don’t agree with it and even if I did, it wouldn’t it make it right? Say you go to a local hamburger joint and you order a hot dog, but they bring you a hamburger. What would you say? This isn’t what I ordered, I know you would because I would. What if they said, “well we would like you to try our hamburger first and then you can by our hot dog, we just thought you would really like our hamburger too.” What would you do then? You might take the hot dog but you certainly are not going to pay for both of them are you? Now think in terms of Christian radio. Why is Christian radio here? Is it evangelistic? In many ways, yes, it is, but I would suggest to you that the greater ministry of Christian Radio is to encourage believers to stay close to Jesus. There are so many voices out there calling us to forsake our Lord and many of them seem to be innocuous, but I am sure Eve thought the fruit was innocuous too. What about those Christians that want nothing to do with the old life, it’s thoughts, it’s music? Are we as concerned about stumbling them as we are about baiting someone with a secular song? When I was a teenager I did everything in my power to prove to my parents that a particular artist was Christian so that I could buy their album. Do you want your young child to listen to the rest of, for example, the Brittany Spears album just because one song on the album may be innocuous? One gentleman at a local Christian station told me that the message of a song was more important than the lifestyle of the Artist. I’m sorry, what would you think about Jesus if His lifestyle did not line up with His message? At the least you would not respect Him and at the worst you would not follow Him. If you say you would then you’re deceiving yourself.
I think we need to be very careful with what we allow to go on in our lives, myself included. When attaching the title of Christ to our lives, to a political figure, an artist and a radio station should we expect Christ and Christ alone to be exhibited? I know that we are imperfect people living in an imperfect world but we’re serving a perfect Lord and He wants us to present Him to the world. What are your thoughts? I would like to know.
The winner is.
Aug0
Tyndale National Giveaway Winner.
We had an absolute glorious time participating in the promotion of Coach Tony Dungy’s new book, “Uncommon.” It was great to see your excitement and enthusiasm to contact us in trying to obtain a copy for either yourself or a loved one.
We are doubly blessed to know that the winner is one of our family members. Out of all the participating radio stations the winner is devoted listener, Kathryn. Please join us in congratulating our sister in Christ. This week Kathryn stopped by the studios and we were able to snap a shot off of her and Patrick. What a thrill to join Kathryn in celebrating her win.
Pictured below you will see Patrick and Kathryn standing in front of our display at The Chapel Store. Kathryn walked away not only with her Tyndale winnings but she also proudly walked away with a new “the WORD” WZXV t-shirt. You’ll notice we have new Polo shirts and some really cool coffee mugs with saucers, you have to see them up close to appreciate them. If you would like to support the Gospel and spread it at the same time, stop by the Chapel Store and purchase one of each, if you can. I can tell you that 100% of the proceeds will go to furthering the Kingdom of God. It would bless us to know that you are wearing, sharing and showing people where they can turn to get the ultimate answers to life.
The Uncommon winner is, Kathryn.
Answered Prayer
Aug0
What an amazing God we serve. Just when you think that He has forgotten us or that He doesn’t hear us, He answers our prayer and on top of that He answers it concisely, clearly and immediately. You know that we have been asking you to pray for Syracuse, right? For those of you new to WZXV, we have been in negotiations with a WTVH in Syracuse to move to their tower in hopes to clear up our signal. We knew the Lord was the author of the whole thing. The Engineer for the station had spoken with us right about the time that our lease with our current Landlord was up. He was very helpful and offered to take us up higher in the air for a cost that was just too good to pass up. So, we prayed, we talked and then we began the build. Back in December of 2008 Patrick, Jeff and Grey set out for the day. The goal was to build the non penetrating roof frame on which our receive antenna would be mounted and to set up the equipment in the building. Once that was done we would contact the tower crew to climb, disassemble our current location and relocate us on the new tower that was only some 200 feet away. Seemed like it was going to be an easy transition, that was our first mistake. This is a battle being waged and you and I are smack dab in the middle and we are in the middle because we are the soldiers not the pawns as the world would have us believe. You see when you are talking about taking territory from the prince of the air for the Lord Jesus you are going to have to fight for it and the way we fight is on our knees. Maybe that is why prayer, often times, is neglected. I speak for myself when I say that it seems like much more gets accomplished when I am doing something not realizing that the Lord wants to do it (whatever “it” happens to be) for me. Does “not of works lest any man should boast,” ring a bell? Well as this process continued ownership of WTVH changed hands, out with all the old staff in with the new, to include the Engineer that started this whole process for us. Save for the large rack and countless cinder blocks we had left on the roof of their building no one had heard about this wonderful venture. Time for more prayer, searching the mind of Christ and learning to wait patiently on the Lord. Ever been there? I know you have and you may be there right now. Is that such a bad place to be? What did we do before the Lord? We charged, without direction and without orders and without certain victory. Our Lord tells us that “in patience we are to possess our souls.” So many times in the past we have been driven by emotions, feelings or by others. Much of our world system is driven by the “act now” mentality. Now that the Holy Spirit is in our life we are led by reason, rationale, and a mindset that is completely opposed to that of the world, the mind of Christ. His ways are not as ours and His thoughts are not as ours but He wants them to be and so we pray, we enter into fellowship with Him and if that means waiting patiently upon the Lord, then we wait. Prayer strengthens us, it gives us resolve, it purifies our thoughts as we realize that we are approaching the true and living God. I say all of this to say this, the Lord has answered all of our prayers. The new General Manager of WTVH has contacted us and he has told us that he is going to “move this move” forward. My point? Don’t doubt the Lord’s ability or His desire to hear and to answer your prayer.