Remembering An American Hero

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Hi friends,

We lost one of our own this past week. Major Robert Marchanti was killed in Afghanistan. Our hearts are broken for the Marchanti family and inspired by the courage and sacrifice of this amazing man of faith. I had the honor of speaking with Bob's daughter, Leah, as she shared a bit about an American hero, who she called Dad. Please pray for the Marchanti family.

Listen here to my conversation with Leah Marchanti: CLICK HERE

Tracey

Mom's Christmas Breakfast Casserole

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Hi friends!

Every year since I was a wee one, my mom has made this delicious breakfast for Christmas morning. We love it so much and only get it once a year. Many of our listeners have adopted it as their Christmas morning breakfast so, we wanted to share the recipe with you once again!

Enjoy!

Linda's Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients:

6 slices of bread, crusts removed

Butter (to lightly coat the bread)

1 lb of bacon (or your choice of meat like sausage, steak, chicken, etc)

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (we like shredded cheddar)

6 eggs

2 cups of milk

salt & pepper (to taste)

To Make:
Grease a 13 x 9 inch pan.
Butter the 6 slices of bread and place in pan butter side up.
Fry bacon (or meat you desire) and crumble over the bread.
Sprinkle cheese over the meat and bread.
In a bowl, whisk together 6 eggs, salt & pepper and 2 cups of milk.
Pour over top the bread, meat, and cheese.
Cover with foil and place in the fridge overnight.
The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Pull casserole out and let sit on the counter for 15 minutes (very important if you are using a glass pan!).
Uncover and bake for approximately 45 minutes.
Let sit for 5 minutes and enjoy!

Interview with Israel Houghton

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Israel Houghton will be at the Coppin State University Physical Education Complex on April 30th along with Martha Munizzi. Click here for ticket information.

What I Won't Put Up With

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Hi friends,

I was out shopping the other night and I don’t know if I was just super sensitive or if it was something God was showing me on purpose, but I was heartsick over what I witnessed. People were fussing with one another. Openly, just walking in the mall...loudly in the department store. I overheard exchanges between people that triggered something in me.

The first one was a married couple in Lord and Taylor.

The man says to the woman in an agitated tone, “Look! How many times do I have to tell you. He doesn’t want one of those."

She says, “But I just thought----“

He interrupts, “Well you don’t know what the h____ you’re taking about.”

I saw another couple in the mall with hands in the air in disgust. He says to her, “Just shut up!” and then walks away from her. She just stands there for a second and then silently tries to catch up with him.

It was contempt in action. This kind of thing is not a little thing to me. If someone that I am in relationship with talks to me like this I am done. Shut down. Humiliated. Hurt. Ashamed. And done. I lived like this for too many years in unhealthy relationships. I wasn’t respected. I wasn’t treasured and I wasn’t honored. And it damaged me.

Watching it from afar, I could feel that hurt all over again. And honestly, this is the thing that terrifies me about “being in love.” I long to be in a fulfilling, beautiful marriage with a godly man. I long to be romantic, close, and willing to serve someone. But when I see this, it triggers the pain of the past and the fear of ever going through that again.

Don’t get me wrong. I know people who love one another will disagree and have difficult times, but there is never an excuse or reason to treat the one you love with contempt.

And I wonder where did it start? Were there signs of this when they dated? How did it get to the point where this kind of behavior was accepted?

I find myself at 46 yrs old where I never thought I’d be. Single. Longing for love, but pretty happy just as I am most of the time. And ironically, the Lord has me mentoring young girls and women who want nothing more than to find Mr.Right.

But their desire to be in any relationship is stronger than their desire to be in a good relationship. What they are willing to accept as normal, what they are willing to put up with, just astounds me.

We teach people how to treat us. If you allow them believe that it’s ok to humiliate, disrespect and shame you now… what makes you think that they will all of a sudden be wonderful to you if you marry them?

It was the love of Jesus that turned it all around for me. If He could be so kind to me...so tender...so full of compassion, grace and mercy...if He could consistently want good for me and put me first and value me so much that He would die for me, knowing how wretched I really am...and He is God...

Then...how could I possibly put up with a mere man treating me like a dog?

I can’t and I won’t.

My dearest sisters, settle for nothing less. Don’t let your desire for romance get in the way of real love.

Instead of just asking for God to bring that man into my life, I am praying also, Lord make me the kind of woman who loves the way You have loved me.

I have a long way to go, but in the meantime, I am single and loved perfectly by a God who knows what I need.


His Beloved,
Tracey

If I Had To Live My Life Over

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Here's the poem from Erma Bombeck that we read this morning. There are many versions of this on the Internet, but this is the version she wrote in her column on December 2, 1979. Enjoy and cherish those sweet moments!

If I Had My Life To Live Over
Someone asked me the other day if I had my life to live over would I change anything.

My answer was no, but then I thought about it and changed my mind.

If I had my life to live over again I would have waxed less and listened more.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy and complaining about the shadow over my feet, I’d have cherished every minute of it and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was to be my only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.

I would have eaten popcorn in the “good” living room and worried less about the dirt when you lit the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have burnt the pink candle that was sculptured like a rose before it melted while being stored.

I would have sat cross-legged on the lawn with my children and never worried about grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television...and more while watching real life.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband which I took for granted.

I would have eaten less cottage cheese and more ice cream.

I would have gone to bed when I was sick, instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for a day.

I would never have bought ANYTHING just because it was practical/wouldn’t show soil/ guaranteed to last a lifetime.

When my child kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, “Later. Now, go get washed up for dinner.”

There would have been more I love yous...more I’m sorrys...more I’m listenings...but mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute of it...look at it and really see it...try it on...live it...exhaust it...and never give that minute back until there was nothing left of it.

© Erma Bombeck

Dan Cathy, COO of Chick-fil-A, Visits Us!

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Thank you so much to Dan Cathy, COO of Chick-fil-A, for dropping by the SHINE-FM studios this morning and hanging out with us! Here are a few pictures from the morning, plus a video of Dan answering questions listeners asked on Facebook.

TMD Interview Matt Hammitt of Sanctus Real

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...And The iPad Goes To...

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Congrats to everyone who qualified to win by listening to our show, Lara Scott during the middays, and Jack & Erin in the afternoons! We thought you'd like to hear Jack & Erin give the iPad away...so listen away!

Flipping the Switch!

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Hi friends!

For me, getting healthy feels like such an intermittent thing. It's like a switch in my brain is either flipped on or off. When it's on, I'm all in. I'm eating right, I'm exercising, I'm rocking it! That's how it was for me for about 2 years. I made so much progress.

But then... my switch got flipped off. Not sure how.. Probably a combination of having some health issues, hormones and just life stuff. No excuses here. Just the reality, that I am a back-slider. I just celebrated my 46 th birthday and I refuse to believe that this is the best of me. It's not just about the number on the scale, but growing in my spiritual life, becoming more like Jesus.. and how about that fruit of self-control?

Have you been there? I know many of us have. But this fight is not over! I am determined to live a healthy lifestyle- after all, God created this body. It is fearfully and wonderfully made. In order for me to love and serve others well, I want to get my mind off myself and feeling so self-conscious about my weight all the time. So with reverence and humility, here I go again.

Join my Facebook group called "Flipping the Switch" and share the journey with me. It's for all of us who share this struggle to mutually encourage one another and share the wisdom we've learned along the way. It's for accountability. It's for victory! My switch is flipped "on"!

How about yours?

Check it out Flipping The Switch here (note: you do need to be on Facebook to participate).

Victoriously,

Tracey

Matt Stover's In The House!

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Make You Jealous?

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We just got this from Tracey...she's sitting on the beach of St. Thomas. Cruel. Just cruel.

Breakfast Casserole

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Hi friends!

This is our family's traditional breakfast every Christmas morning, but we also make it on special occasions. I'd call a blizzard a special occasion, wouldn't you? This along with some homemade blueberry muffins and scalloped apples with cinnamon... yummmmmmm.....


In HIs Love,

Tracey



Linda's Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients: 
6 slices of bread, crusts removed 
Butter (to lightly coat the bread), 
1 lb of bacon (or your choice of meat like sausage, steak, chicken, etc), 
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (we like shredded cheddar), 
6 eggs, 
2 cups of milk,

salt & pepper to taste

To Make:
Grease a 13 x 9 inch pan. Butter the 6 slices of bread and place in pan butter side up.
Fry bacon (or meat you desire) and crumble over the bread.
Sprinkle cheese over the meat and bread.
In a bowl, whisk together 6 eggs, salt & pepper to taste, and 2 cups of milk. Pour over top the bread, meat, and cheese.
Cover with foil and place in the fridge overnight. The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pull casserole out and let sit on the counter for 15 minutes (very important if you are using a glass pan!). Uncover and bake for approximately 45 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes and enjoy!

And the winner is....

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We want to send out our congratulations to those who picked up a Grammy last night in LA!

Best Gospel Performance

* "Wait On The Lord" - Donnie McClurkin Featuring Karen Clark Sheard

Best Gospel Song

* "God In Me" - Erica Campbell, Tina Campbell & Warryn Campbell, songwriters. Performed by Mary Mary featuring Kierra "KiKi" Sheard - Track from: The Sound

Best Rock Or Rap Gospel Album

* Live Revelations - Third Day

Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album

* The Power Of One - Israel Houghton

Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album

* Jason Crabb - Jason Crabb

Best Traditional Gospel Album

* Oh Happy Day - Various Artists - EMI Gospel/Vector Recordings

Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album

* Audience Of One - Heather Headley

A Prank Gone....Right!

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Dave has been telling us about the Kansas school kids who wanted to prank one of their teachers by telling him that they had tickets to Basketball's Final Four if he could make a half-court shot - Blindfolded!! Check out the video...

So the students had to admit that they didn't have the tickets but would treat teacher Joel Branstrom to a nice dinner. However, since the video went viral someone anonymously has provided the tickets, lodging and transportation to the Final Four!

Movie Reviews, Jimmy Page, and Josh Wilson

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CLICK HERE to listen to our interview with Josh Wilson. We talk with Josh about the Newark airport sing-a-long that changed his life!

CLICK HERE to listen to our interview with Jimmy Page, Heath and Fitness Director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, continues the conversation from last week about making exercise fun...by yourself.

Today is the Day

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Hi friends,

So you know how we say, "my diet starts tomorrow, or I'm going to work out tomorrow, or I'm going to do everything right- tomorrow"? Well my tomorrow is here, today. January 18th, 2010 is my day. I had hoped it would be Janury 1st, 2010, because I love it when things just tie up in nice neat little packages like that, but my life seldom wraps up that way. And.. as it turned out, I really wasn't ready on January 1st, as evidenced by my many false starts. (see my blog from January 17).

Today. My start day is today. I had good healthy food today, consisting of oatmeal, eggs, whole wheat bread and veggies. I went to the gym and pushed myself hard on the weights. And I did the "Shred"- Jillian's killer 20 minute workout, that if you do it 30 days in a row, will make your body look like a sculpted masterpiece. Part of me actually believes that, and another part of me, just hates Jillian. (You know, "hate" meaning I really admire you but you really bug me)

So... Any other false-starters out there? How about we encourage one another and push through this thing together? It's hard to make big changes in your lifestyle but absolutely necessary if you want to reach your fitness goals. And remember, the change won't just happen on the outside. On the inside, I am really a dead-ringer for Beyonce. Really.

Smiles,

Tracey

Movie Reviews, Ravens, Matt Stover and More!

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CLICK HERE to listen to Jimmy Page, Heath and Fitness Director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes talks about making exercise fun!

CLICK HERE to listen to Dave Paul’s interview with Matt Stover. The former Ravens kicker talks about his new job with the Colts, God’s calling and keeping the home fires burning back in Baltimore.

CLICK HERE to listen to Dave’s locker room chat with Ravens players and a big birthday no one seems to know about.

Dirty Car Contest - And The Winner Is....

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...Skip Lee!!! Mike says it looks like Skip painted his car to look like a salt landscape. Tracey agrees that Skip's car may be even dirtier than hers. Skip wins The "Gold Package" wash from Ritchie Car Wash in Brooklyn Park!
Congrats and thanks to all who sent in pictures!

Now, go wash those cars!

Dirty Car Contest - Some of the Photos

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Here are just a few of the photos sent in this morning...

Your Family Safe Movie Review & More!

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MORE INTERVIEWS FROM THIS MORNING

CLICK HERE to listen to the family safe movie review from Bob Waliszewksi of Focus on the Family's Plugged In.

CLICK HERE to listen to Jimmy Page, Heath and Fitness Director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, share healthy weight loss resolution goals.

CLICK HERE to listen to us convince Aaron Shust why he should switch to being a Ravens fan now that the Steelers are out of contention.

CLICK HERE to listen to Henry Cloud's tip #9 for New Years resolutions.

CLICK HERE to listen to Henry Cloud's tip #10 for New Years resolutions.