Today is the first day of Labor Day weekend.  Many people left work today super excited about having 4 days off.  They are ready to enjoy the last little bit of summer. I actually saw lots of smiles at each stoplight on my way home today.  It reminded me of Christmas.

I can’t help but think about all the people that WILL work this weekend.  The pizza guy on his way to my house, the grocery checkout girl, the police officer and the DJ.  🙂  Yep – my staff works this weekend and I will work on Monday.  Do I have the blues?  No, not really because I just had a week off for vacation.  Does anyone else have the Labor Day working blues?  I think yes.  You could probably find someone working over the weekend that would rather be sitting in the sun, cooking at the barbeque or hanging out with family or friends.

So…I SALUTE the Labor Day weekend workers!  May your hard work and commitment be honored! May your customers and/or clients be gracious and thankful that you are serving them.  May the tips be large, may the words “thank you” be heard and may the many laborers feel appreciated. 
Now…I am not saying that you should feel guilty if you have 4 days off.  Enjoy it!  But – why should we wait until the first Monday of September to think about “thanking” and “honoring” our laborers?  Let’s learn to say thank you on a regular basis.

Hey – I have to go get a bigger tip.  The pizza guy is here! 🙂
Thanks Bill from Papa Johns!

Marcy

Tuesday marks the first day of classes here at MVNU, and I’m excited. For as long as I can remember, I have always anticipated the first day of school with excitement. There is just something very traditional about the way I get all of my new notebooks, pens, and pencils out of their packages and into the book bag. Planning the first outfit of the new school year is also just as equally as important. All of these things I do while reflecting on the past three months of summer.

Ah, summer. I love the smells, the sights, and the sounds of the lawn mowers as I’m driving about town. It’s very relaxing to me. September has snuck up on me this year. It just seems as though just yesterday I was taking my last final for spring semester. I’m not sure that I’m ready for the change that fall semester brings. Incorporating school into my crazy life is going to be a challenge, but for the first time since I set my schedule in May, I think it is going to be okay. Slowly, but surely I am coming to grips with the reality that the greatest summer ever is coming to a close.

I was thinking about it earlier today and realized that I have many people to thank for making my summer the most memorable of the short 21 years that I have been on this Earth. First and foremost, I need to thank you, the listener, for your generous support. It was through this support that I could spend my summer getting to know you and becoming a better broadcaster. For me, this isn’t just a summer job that someone hired me to complete. It was the experience of a lifetime. I learned a lot about myself as well as broadcasting. This experience would not have happened without your love and support. I feel as though God has laid it on my heart to tell you this. I know it might seem sometimes like we are consumed with our own lives and not here to serve you, but that isn’t true. If you need anything from us, just let us know. We will try to help you or point you in the right direction. We are here to help support you in your life, and we want to encourage you to have a deeper relationship with Jesus. I’ve realized how fortunate I am to be put in this position as a Morning Thing co-host, and I have you to thank for that. I hope that I can serve you to the best of my abilities for this next school year. Even though it is my last school year at MVNU, I hope that you never forget me, because I won’t forget you.

I hope you have a great day and may God bless you!

Sarah Boston

Do you like change?  HA!  Not many people would answer yes.  I’ve been thinking about that crazy word this week.  Two years ago, this week, the Rineharts made a decision to change our lives forever.  We decided to get a dog!  I will never forget the afternoon that we made the call to buy our little Belle.  We were all together downtown at the Dan Emmett Music and Arts Festival.  Rachel and I had been doing our research for about 2 months.  We needed a non-shedder since we all have allergies.  We wanted a small dog that could go with us to our many events.  We also wanted a dog that would snuggle.  So we found a cute 1.5 pound miniature Yorkie (who is now 3 pounds)! 

She has definintely changed our lives and has given us some new experiences. Some of these new experiences have been challenging, like cleaning up her little “deposits” from the back bedrooms, getting her to eat her own food or teaching her not to bark at everything that moves.  It’s amazing though that through every challenge, there is always a reward.  I LOVE having my little Belle greet me at the door every day when I come home.  It doesn’t matter what has happened during the day or what is waiting for me inside; I know that Belle will be super excited to see me when I walk through the door.  I know that she will be there to show me love.

I wish that I could remember that with each new challenge, there is a reward coming.  Are you like me?  I fight change.  My stomach gets upset, I don’t sleep well and I analyze every possible scenario of a situation.  God is teaching me to rest in His grace and to let Him have control.  In fact, Proverbs 3:5 and 6 are my favorite bible verses.  It’s kind of funny that God would give me a job with constant change – working in an office with the revolving door of college students as my staff members!

So what are the new challenges/experiences coming to your life? 
– a new school year
– a new job
– a new baby
I am facing a new school year with a new student leadership team.  Will you pray for our Leadership Retreat, which is coming 8/19 – 8/22?  Joe and I will take our 10 student leaders away for an intense 4 day planning and spiritual retreat.  WNZR has just come through the experience of a power increase.  You won’t believe how many challenges this project has revealed…..and is still revealing (since our engineer was here yesterday talking about some equipment that is failing).  I am trusting God that the rewards will be revealed in the days to come.  I am also praying that every listener that tunes in to 90.9FM will hear a message of hope and grace.  Proverbs 3:5 & 6 is true – when you trust in God, he will direct and guide your path.

I’m so glad that on a sunny afternoon in August, our family decided to take on a new experience with all its challenges and rewards.  Little Miss Belle Marie Rinehart is a tiny reminder that it’s good to face a new challenge!

Marcy

This morning on the show, I talked about conflict resolution.  Hmm…heavy topic, huh?  Well, it is something that we all deal with every day.  If we are honest, we probably aren’t experts on how to handle conflict.  So I went to the experts, Focus on the Family, and found some wonderful tips on how to become the peacemaker at home and at work.  I was really encouraged by these tools this morning, I hope you are too.
*Pay close attention to the four forgiveness promises below!*  Making these promises will be difficult, but I believe they can help transform our relationships.
God Bless You!
Marcy Rinehart

From www.focusonthefamily.org (article by Mary J. Yerkes)

Tips for Biblical Conflict Resolution

Skill and practical tools for resolving conflict are important. But, according to Ken Sande, author of The Peacemaker—A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict and president of Peacemaker® Ministries (www.peacemaker.net*), “As important as practical skills are, the focus always has to be on motive. If our desire is to honor Christ, everything else will follow.”

Keeping that in mind, here some practical tips, gleaned from professional conciliators, that can help you resolve personal conflict:

• Define the problem and stick to the issue. Clearly define the issue and stay on topic during the discussion. Conflict deteriorates when the issue that started the conflict gets lost in angry words, past issues, or hurts tossed into the mix.
• Pursue purity of heart. “Take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matt. 7:5 NASB). Before approaching others regarding their faults and shortcomings, prayerfully face up to your own. Confess any way you might have contributed to the problem.
• Plan a time for the discussion. Plan a time to meet with the other person when you are both rested and likely to respond in love to the other person’s concerns. When you are tired, stressed, and distracted with other responsibilities, things rarely will go well.
• Affirm the Relationship. Affirm the relationship before clearly defining the problem. For example, “Our relationship is important to me. But when you don’t return my calls, I feel rejected and unimportant.” Avoid blaming the other person and saying, “You make me feel…” Instead, say, “When you do ‘A’, I feel ‘B’. ” Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend, How to Have That Difficult Conversation You’ve Been Avoiding (Grand Rapids: Zondervan0 2005), 51.*
• Listen carefully. Once you share your feelings, listen to the other person’s perspective. Lean in; be present. “One of the most powerful communication techniques I know is to listen well,” points out Sande. Make sure your body language conveys that you are open to the other’s perspective. Reflect back to the individual what you believe you have heard. For example, “I heard you say that you feel expectations from me. Is that correct?”
• Forgive. Forgive others as Christ has forgiven you. “Forgiveness is both an event and a process,” Sande says. He suggests you make forgiveness concrete with four promises:
• • I promise I won’t bring this up and use it against you in the future.
  • I promise I’m not going to dwell on it in my own heart and mind.
  • I’m not going to talk to other people about it.
  • I’m not going to let it stand between us or hinder our personal relationship.
• Propose a solution. Remember the relationship is more important than the issue. When working toward a solution, consider Philippians 2:4-5: “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” Seek solutions that keep everyone’s best interests in mind.

By applying these practical tips and tools for resolving conflict to your relationships, you can turn obstacles into opportunities to demonstrate the love and power of the gospel. What’s more, you will know the deep, abiding joy that comes through obedience to God’s Word.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).