The Flog – The Fabry Log

Andrea joined us today for a look at helping the kids enjoy their summer. Some great tips about reading, staying away from the TV, and helping them learn their states. Listen to the podcast if you didn't get to hear our exchange.

That was actually our 2nd take of the same interview. The first one...well, let's say we got stuck on the wrinkles that Glen Campbell sings about and we had to abandon that version.

It was great having Bob Moeller on the program to answer a listener's question about marriage and crisis. He gave a recommendation on what you might read if you're in a "Desperate Marriage." Check out the website for that info as well.

And finally, this is not the last time the Andy Griffith show will come up, I'm sure, but thanks to all our whistlers, on air and off, for their help with the contest. And for Bud, the police officer, who said he listens driving home. God bless you and others who serve.

I'm looking forward to June and hope you are as well!
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I was saddened and shocked by the news that Dr. Michael Easley would be unable to continue his duties as President of Moody Bible Institute. Here is a portion of his letter to the faculty, students, employees, and friends of MBI:

"After much thought, prayer, and consultation, I have asked the Board of Trustees of the Moody Bible Institute to relieve me of my duties as President so that I may devote more time and energy to seeking medical treatment for my back. Surgery has already once interrupted my tenure for several weeks, and unfortunately it has become clear that more treatment is required. I have come to the difficult conclusion that under the circumstances I cannot be as effective a President as the Institute deserves."

I hope you'll pray for Dr. Easley, his family, and the entire Institute family regarding this transition time.

Also, I want you to see some pictures a neighbor of mine took of the Thunderbirds at an Air Force graduation ceremony a couple of years ago. Emilio took these and they are stunning!

We met a fascinating man on Tuesday, Dr. John McWilliams, seen at the left in Costa Rica. John spoke to the graduating class of 2008 at Oklahoma Baptist University recently and as he spoke, fashioned a wooden mallet out of some wood. It showed how God sometimes breaks us and still uses us for his purposes. You can hear that entire presentation on the chrisfabrylive.org website, or go to the Oklahoma Baptist University site. I'm told they may have a video stream up shortly.

Dr. McWilliams' brother, Gary sent the photo to the right of big brother John on a fossil dig. Gary also mentioned that John seems to wear the same shirt all over the world, which is good with me.

Remember, no matter what breaking, sanding, or sandblasting that seems to be going on in your life, God wants to use you and make something of your life you may not even be able to dream at the moment.
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Another Memorial Day is behind us and we did not have a parade here locally. We usually do that on July 4th and honor the veterans. But as I was heading to bed, I was looking for something to read, and I came across my father in law’s book that he wrote last year. His older sister died ten years ago, and as he was going through her things, he found a stack of neatly tied letters that he had written to his parents back in 1944 as a 19 year old training as an infantryman and then heading into combat. And it’s a fascinating glimpse into that era.

From these letters, he takes the reader through his basic training, how just checking a simple box at the top of a test form changed the entire course of his military career. His embarkation to Europe, then heading into France…and being wounded in November of 1944.

It’s one thing to watch the movies portray what happened—it’s another to see a family member’s recollections. And this book, written mainly for his family and fellow soldiers, just captivated me. So on this day after Memorial Day I wanted to mention that. Here's a link to see more about the book.
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Dear-Folks/George-Kessel/e/9781425786311/?itm=1

By popular demand, here are the pictures of Andrea's A-Line Bob. The one above is her looking in the mirror at the wrinkles that weren't there yesterday...

This is Andrea looking at the clock, wondering what she will do with all the time she has on her hands, thinking of her wonderful husband. I think it's a stunning hairstyle and I'm glad our listeners have responded to her presence so warmly.

I hope you got to hear our tribute to Maria Sue Chapman yesterday. There were so many good calls empathizing with the Chapman family on their loss. Lots of great e-mails, too. Here is a picture from a caller at an airport in Indianapolis, heading to Atlanta, who just "happened to stumble across our program" while in his rental car.

I had the chance to talk with Dr. Dobson for Wednesday's broadcast of Chris Fabry Live! In 2000 I was able to sit beside him for a few weeks and catch a bit of his passion and concern for the family.

One thing people don't know is that JCD, as he is called by his coworkers, has an incredible memory. He can pull out quotes from former guests from 10 years earlier on a moment's notice. The joke behind the scenes about "remembering" things is to always go with with Dr. Dobson says because when we find the clip he'll be right.

He was incredibly gracious on the program and I'm glad he graced our program.
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Tana, who called on the program, has provided the following recipe for cornbread using "field corn."

Use any "from scratch" corn bread recipe and just sub the good stuff for the store bought. I am pretty sure store bought corn meal is processed from regular field corn as are corn flakes. Sweet corn or popcorn would be the other alternatives. If you watch the corn fields this fall, you can go pick up ears off the ground after the cornpicker goes thru. You probably already know then that most of the ears on the groundare found where the picker makes its turns. Or you can ask a farmer as I did -- one of our volunteer worship leaders who is a farmer -- for some that he has stored. Or you can go to a local elevator and buy some from them, checking to make sure it is "as is" from the field and not sprayed with something.

Perfect Corn Bread
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour (I use unbleached)1/4 cup sugar (more of less depending on how sweet you like your cornbread)4 teaspoons baking powder3/4 teaspoon salt1 cup yellow corn meal (Mix all the above and then stir in til just smooth:)
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup soft shortening (I usually use oil anymore.)
Do not overbeat. Greased 9x9 pan. 425 degree oven. 20 to 25 minutes
(If you use muffin cups or corn breadstick pans, don't bake as long.)

I took some of the chirren to see the new Narnia film and really liked it. I thought it was even better than the first installment. There was less walking around, looking at things, being surprised at the talking animals, and more knock-down, drag out fighting! Even for those who know the story well, I think they'll enjoy this rendition.

Monday's program tackled Global Warming. I told the story of being the "lightning guy" at the Little League game last week and how cold it became. I'm not in the camp of those who are alarmed at the earth heating up. However, I try to have respect for those on the other side. If we're committed to the truth, we won't be afraid of what science uncovers, but to simply say "All scientists agree," is simply not true.
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We had Bob Waliclkasdhfpweihlksky on the program from Pluggedinonlin.com. His recommendation for Prince Caspian was helpful--basically it's a war movie, so younger children might be scared by it. But he gave a great review.

One film we didn't talk about and we received a call afterward on was Bella. It's out on video and my wife and I watched it last weekend. It has a great, pro-life message, couched in a morality play/love story. No exploding gasoline trucks or car chases, but very heartwarming.
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I’ll be talking a lot about what interests me on Chris Fabry Live! The things I observe, the people and places—I guess if it’s a noun, I want to talk about it. And one important topic is under the broad heading of animals. Our family has had several pets over the years, but none has taught me more about life than our Bichon-Frise, Pippen. At the left you can see him with his rheumy eyes and just a bit of Frodo's right ear fur.

I won’t give you all of his history because I’ll probably be using that for his obituary in the coming months. Pippen is slowing down physically. He’s 10, actually he was born a week after our daughter Kaitlyn, so it’s easy to keep track of Kaitlyn’s Birthday. Pippen is not the white, poofy Bichon Frise you see in those fancy magazines with the people all dressed up and sitting on some uncomfortable, but stylish couch. The people pippen hangs out with wear carhartt shirts and underoos. He’s not a calendar dog.

But he has been there for the kids on their bad days, wagging his tail, waiting for them at the door…and when they open it he runs out and we yell at him and eventually he comes back. He’s been a fearlessly faithful member of the family.

But Pippen now has more maladies than the people in the town I grew up in. Believe me, I hear all about them when I call home.

Pippen has adult onset diabetes. Cataracts have rendered him blind. I think he has acid reflux. He’s always been lactose intolerant. He’s a little overweight, and the kids all think he looks kind of spooky with those white eyes. He truly should be the poster dog for about 10 canine health issues. If there were a magazine called, My Diabetic Dog, he would be on the cover.

Pippen runs into things. He does remarkably well memorizing where all the furniture is, but when he’s just awakened by the sound of our other dog, Frodo, and Frodo’s tags jingle, Pippen can become a little confused. The kids still talk about the time that Pippen, sound asleep as they watched a movie, was suddenly awakened by Frodo’s bark as Frodo hurried for the back door. As all good dogs will do, Pippen jumped up from a sound sleep and ran up the two steps leading from the living room to the dining room. Except he was pointed in the wrong direction and literally jumped into the TV set and fell backwards, which was actually more entertainment for the kids than the movie they were watching.

Pippen runs into chairs that aren’t pushed all the way into the kitchen table. Pippen runs into walls every now and then, and the reason for this is usually because he is going too fast.

When I let him out of his kennel this morning, Pippen’s tail was wagging as fast as it was when he was a puppy. There’s still a bit of the wonder dog in him. He thinks he’s a lot younger and a lot more spry. He barks by faith and not by sight.

I grabbed the kennel handle and his body was just wiggling and tense. “Slow down, Pippen,” I said. At the sound of my voice he seemed to calm a little. “Slow down, Pippen.”

He looked up at me and I realized the kids are right. This is one spooky looking dog. He deserves to be on Stephen King’s dog poster. This is a little Cujo without all the slobber.

“Slow down, Pippen,” I said, and I gently lifted the handle, the door flew open, and he was. Into the wall by the kitchen, but he was off. He skittered to his left, just grazing the island with the stove, narrowly missed my wife’s chair near the computer, turned right at the kitchen table, and dutifully took his spot by the back door, whining and panting.

Slow down, Pippen. Those are some pretty good words for me today. I get all excited about something that’s happening. I forget that I am, in a sense, blind…and I go running off on my own way without listening to the gentle voice of the one who loves me most.

Slow down, Pippen.

I’ve made a lot of mistakes the last few years. Many of them could have been avoided had I only heeded my own advice to my dog.

Maybe you’re in a hurry today. Literally, you’re going over the speed limit, or it’s the speed limit of life. Ease your foot back off the accelerator, of if you like the dog metaphor better, as the kennel door is opened this afternoon, take it a step at a time.

One thing I like about Pippen is that he’s not so afraid of running into things that he’s just given up. He could easily do that. We’ve all run into walls in life and that can make us want to stop running.

I guess what I learned from Pippen is that I need to remember first—whose I am. My owner loves me and cares for me and wants good things for me. He also is excited that I’m excited enough to run. But he sees a lot more of the picture than I do. In fact, I’m blind to much of the truth about myself and my surroundings. If I stay close to him, I can navigate the kitchen or the living room.

Just some thoughts from one dog owner to another.

On Friday's Chris Fabry Live! we were going to give a tribute to mothers, but the timely return to the states of a friend, Tom, gave us a chance to hear more about the tragedy in Myanmar. Tom was in Yangon when the Cyclone hit and survived to tell us about the struggles of the people.

I've known Tom since we moved to Colorado in 2000, and his heart is with the Burmese people. The story he told about his interpreter, where he has come from, and the role his mother played in his coming to faith was a perfect Mother's Day tribute.

If you would like to reach Tom to find out how to get support into the country, or other questions about that storm ravaged region, email us at chrisfabrylive@moody.edu and we'll make sure your email gets to him

Tuesday on the radio program, Kim told us a story about her son, Carson. This is a picture of Carson and his friend from Waste Management, David. A picture doesn't paint the whole scene but it sure does a lot for me. I'm telling you, if Oprah hasn't heard about this story, someone should tell her quickly.

The weird thing is, I've been talking with David for a number of months myself. His route takes him to our house every Tuesday. He's always telling me what I can and can't toss out in the trash. In one conversation he mentioned something about having family back east.

"Where?" I said.

"You wouldn't know the place," he said.

"What state?"

"West Virginia."

I couldn't believe we're both from the same state. He played basketball at a high school near where I grew up. Now we both live under the wide open skies of Colorado.

Carson has an amazing way of getting past all the exterior stuff and making you smile from the heart. If you didn't get to hear the story, go to the Chrisfabrylive.org site and listen to Tuesday's broadcast--about 10 minutes into the program. And bring your Kleenex.
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Wednesday's program on Chris Fabry Live! presented an interesting look at the Evangelical Manifesto, a new document created by several evangelicals concerned with the politicization of the faith. One of the drafters, Os Guiness joined us.

There are many other evangelical leaders who have not signed the document, which is one of my main concerns. Why haven't they signed it? Why wasn't I asked to sign it? (That's supposed to be humorous.)

I think the discussion created a lot of thinking about how we interact on political issues and hopefully we'll come back to the topic soon. The last thing we want to do is demonize people and create a wedge between them and the message we hold so dearly.

Our first caller was Josh, a Schwann's driver/salesman. Several people found him in Sterling, Illinois and got his Chris Fabry Live! special.

To all those who listened, thank you! We have a great program ahead tomorrow.

After the show, the following e-mail came in regarding "scams" targeting Christians. Some good content here from Phillip R. Weisbrod, CPA.

"I heard your program but did not have a chance to call in regarding the Money Scams that people fall into. I run into this a lot in my business and here a checklist I give them regarding such “opportunities”

1) Think Guilty Until Proven Innocent - Ask for the Prospectus or Legal Filing Documents – public investment offerings are registered with the governing bodies and require full disclosure. If this is a private offering – stay away – there is no protection – this is a buyer beware situation.
2) Get That Mans Credentials - Ask for the “sellers” credentials (if you have ever seen the movie/show “The Music Man” you know how slick salesmen can be) – be sure to find out who the seller is connected with. Investment regulations require that those selling investments have a license and that license is usually held by a Broker/Dealer or some “authority.”
3) Delay of Game - Ask for time to think it over, beware of the salesman who says this is a limited time offer
4) Proverb 15:22 – Plans fail for lack of counsel but with many advisors they succeed – ask those who know better
5) Over ten think again – any investment offering more than a ten percent return needs to be researched thoroughly (a rule of thumb is that the stock market has returned about ten percent over its history)
6) Less is Better - Offer to invest smaller amounts – if the “seller” is not willing to accept a lower amount of investment – stay away
7) If in doubt stay out – if you feel uncomfortable about the opportunity then stay away

JFB Financial Services
Brunswick, OH

Monday, May 5 is here and I'm excited to ramp up for our first program of Chris Fabry Live! (Don't forget the exclamation point.) There's now a video of my vision and dream for the program. Click on this link and you'll see me in beautiful full screen. http://www.moodyradio.org/brd_programmainpage.aspx?id=18012

26 years ago, a satellite fed call-in talk show premiered on the Moody Radio. Wednesday night that program ended. I was privileged to work on Open Line for 12 years, from 1985 – 1997, and then the past year or so. Wednesday we talked with Radio Pastor Donald Cole and the other “first host,” Stan Ferris. You won’t believe his profession now, though if you knew Stan, it wouldn’t surprise you.

What a treat to talk with Tedd Seelye, one of the voices of Christian Radio. We were also joined by Wayne Shepherd, who hosted the program from 1997 until 2007.

It was a bittersweet end to a program that has touched many lives. Nancy Alton Hoy, who was an administrative assistant to Wayne, Jim Warren, and any one who needed any work done, called, as well as the first producer of Open Line, Jeff Jacobsen. He was our final caller.

Perhaps the most surprising call was from a woman who had asked Pastor Cole a question more than a decade ago. If you’re a long-time listener you’ll remember the spot announcement that came from that call. Her problem was that she was having physical trouble and the people in her church said if she had more faith she would be able to walk. Pastor Cole asked if she used a cane.

“Yes.”

“Next time they say that, hit them with the cane and when they say it hurts, tell them if they had enough faith it wouldn’t.”

That’s not an exact transcript, but it’s the gist of what he said. What a treasure we’ve had in Pastor Cole. And great guests throughout the years have helped many. It’s truly the end of an era, and we thank God for his use of very fallible people to reach out to listeners over the years. To Him be glory for any good that was achieved.