... Lisa Welchel (cont.
from page 1)
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“If you know me or have heard
me talk, you know I’m not too deep,” said
Whelchel with a laugh. “I just like to tell
good stories and I’m practical. I usually know
what I should be doing in life; I just need to be
shown how. That’s what I like to share –
the how-tos or what has worked for me.”
The Girl’s Get-A-Way Cruise falls
in perfectly with a Whelchel family tradition that
began with their oldest child. When their son turned
13, Lisa and her husband took him to a fancy hotel,
checked out the Dr. Dobson books on adolescence and
conveyed God’s take on “the facts of life.”
It just so happens that their youngest daughter will
turn 13 on Nov. 12, just in time for she and Mommy
to take that special one-on-one trip – in this
case a cruise – and cover all the bases. Of
course, Lisa will have help from Point of Grace, the
all-female music group famous for its teen-talk “Girls
of Grace” conferences; Susie Shellenberger,
editor of the teen magazine Brio; Chonda Pierce, the
queen of clean comedy, and all the other Christian
artists and speakers onboard. What a great lineup
to counter the ensuing onslaught of hormones and teen-age
challenges!
“I’d have done it for FREE,”
said Whelchel, “but I wanted to join the cruise
for other reasons, too. I think the Girl’s Get-A-Way
Cruise encourages women to get away from the daily
grind. We need that incentive to take time for refreshing
– whether from responsibilities at home or work.
It’s truly an investment in ourselves and our
families. I know women don’t give a lot of credence
to that. We feel guilty if we take a break. We need
to realize that a little time away is good for us,
yes, but it’s also good for our families. “That’s
the rhythm of God,” she said. “He worked
six days and then rested on the seventh. I know women
who haven’t had a break in six years. So what’s
a long weekend away? You need it.”
When asked what she sees as the biggest
need women have today, Whelchel replied, “There
are so many things that women need today.
“I think one of the biggest needs
is truly a time of refreshment with the Lord, even
if it’s 15 minutes a day. We need that. Before
the rush of our day begins, to wake up a little bit
earlier, to spend time with God, to reconnect and
ask Him to carry the load. We women think we are too
busy to stop, but if we could only learn to let God
order our day, we would find the time to do all that
He asks of us.”
Thinking ahead a few months, Whelchel
says, she plans to share the story of how she and
her husband met – a love story that begins and
ends with God.
“It’s all about trusting
God with one of the most important decisions of our
lives,” she said. “We think we have the
right to choose our mate, but when we lay down our
‘rights’ and give them over to God, we
find that He has so much more in store for us than
we could ever hope or imagine.”
The one thing that God is showing her
right now, she said, is “to rest in Him. That
goes along with what I’ve been reading in Hebrews
3 & 4 and Philippians. It talks about ‘being
anxious for nothing, buy by prayer and supplication,
making our requests known to God.’ I am learning
to lay all my concerns at His feet and then not take
them back, mull them over, worry about them or stay
up all night thinking about them. It’s all about
entering into His peace.”
Join Lisa Whelchel on the Girl’s
Get-A-Way Cruise, Nov. 10-13, sailing from Port Canaveral,
Florida to Nassau, Bahamas. For more information call
1-888-999-1099 or go to www.premierchristiancruises.com.
You can also join Lisa Whelchel each week for “CoffeeTalk”
on her Website: www.lisawhelchel.com
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...Radio Station of the Month (cont.
from page 1)
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The station has been partnering with
Premier Productions for more than two years. “The
professionalism of the staff makes any event we do
together easy,” she said. “Star and Premier
both share a commitment to success for both the radio
station and the artist. Working with Premier has allowed
us to have the best of both worlds.”
Michael W. Smith, Selah and Watermark
are coming to Jackson in April, as part of their Healing
Rain Tour. The concert is taking up much of the station’s
time and attention, right now.
“We are expecting the MWS show
to do very well,” she said. “Jackson is
such a
procrastinating market; it would give any promoter
a heart attack!”
Another exciting happening at STAR
right now is the June syndication of the Saturday
night show, “The Underground,” which features
rap, rock and heavy metal Christian music.
“We have had great success with
this show and the producers are ready to take flight,”
she said. “Since we are a college-owned radio
station, seeing our students ‘spread their wings
and fly’ is very encouraging to us,” she
said.
STAR has also joined Premier in promoting
Premier Christian Cruise’s upcoming Music Boat
2005, with such awesome Christian artists as Audio
Adrenaline, Casting Crowns, NewSong and more!
“We really wanted to offer our
listeners a fun alterative to concerts,” Maughon
said. “This is perfect, as our listeners have
come to expect ‘family-friendly’ activities
from our station. We would not have even considered
doing this if we were not working with Premier. I
know it will be above board (he he), and we will get
to test events like this on our market!”
One of the biggest struggles at STAR,
said Maughon, is overcoming the stigma that comes
with being a college-owned radio station. Her talented,
student crew is quickly putting any doubts and potential
criticism to rest.
“We train our students to be
very professional and learn to speak to our listeners,”
she said. “Our popularity has continued to grow
and our students are leaving (college) with the skills
to influence Christian radio.”
Maughon cites the example of one “live”
afternoon show by two on-campus juniors, Jen Taylor
and Brad Michaels.
“They’re the best I've
ever worked with,” she said. “We
are very excited about what we are able to do in this
market and very
grateful for relationships in the industry like ours
with Premier.
Christian Radio has come a long way, and we are so
excited and feel
completely blessed to be part of this voice - changing
lives in our
community.”
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...Building 429 (cont. from page 1)
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Songs like “Above It All,”
and “Space In Between Us” definitely focus
on the goal of living as Jesus would. There are many
different themes that occur on this project, but again
the big one is
the simple fact that we don’t live alone, and
there is always the hope
and anticipation of seeing “Glory Defined.”
Q. Where did the band
name "Building 429" come from? What does
it mean to you personally?
A. Ephesians 4:29
says this; “Do not let any unwholesome talk
come out of your mouths except that which is helpful
for building others up, according to their needs,
that it might benefit those who listen.” This
verse has definitely been a tough one to live up to,
but simply being conscious of it helps in everyday
life to be a better and more Christ like person. I
don’t know about you, but I’ve been in
my share of stressful situations where uplifting and
wholesome talk wasn’t the “in” thing
at the moment, but as I grow and mature I’m
learning that even in the tough situations an uplifting
word or two can change the dynamics completely. What
we like to stress about this passage is that the effort
to live out 4:29 is more than just staying silent,
it’s about lifting people up when they need
to be lifted. Every time we speak it is an opportunity
for Christ to slip into our conversation... I’m
not talking about quoting the entire book of Revelations
in order to win one to the Lord, I’m talking
about letting your life be living proof that you have
something special inside of you. Remember 429 the
next time you speak, and see how the world around
you will change!
Q. How is Winter Jam
2005 going? Have you seen God working through these
concerts? If so, in what ways?
A. Winter Jam is the
best tour we’ve ever been on bar none. We’ve
been on some pretty amazing tours leading up to this
one, but nothing could prepare us for the impact that
these artists would have on our lives, or on the lives
of those people who decide to come to the shows. The
tour is selling out almost every night, and the backstage
area is electric with people who understand how to
live out Eph. 4:29. I’ve never been so nervous
on the first night of a tour, nor have I ever felt
as uplifted as I have every night since. On top of
the personal benefit we are receiving, we are seeing
huge numbers come to decisions every night. It’s
thrilling to feel the presence of the Lord in such
a tangible and powerful way as I have on this tour,
and we as a band are truly thankful to be able to
watch, listen to, and learn from some of the most
amazing artists ever to step into the spotlight in
CCM.
Q. What are you involved
in right now that is bringing you closer to God?
A. Right now we as
a band have embarked on a year-long crusade to read
the bible from cover to cover and we are truly loving
every minute of it. On top of that we spend time in
devotion/prayer sessions every day in our dressing
room at the venue in order to prepare the way for
the Lord’s Spirit to move through us. And just
to top it off, we have our home pastor Mike from Brentwood
Baptist sending us devotions on email everyday for
us to stay connected and fueled up so that our cup
will overflow into the audiences that we are in front
of.
Q. What is God teaching/showing
you right now?
A. Honestly the Lord
is teaching us a lot about who we surround ourselves
with. As a newer band on the CCM scene in the past
we’ve been very naive and quick to make new
associations that aren’t always the best for
us. We are definitely learning to spend more time
in prayer, instead of just thinking really hard about
decisions, and then to check out the backgrounds of
every person that we bring into the circle of our
lives. I think that is important for every person
to remember. Not everyone who comes along with a great
personality and a plan for success is the right person
for you to befriend or work with. When all is said
and done, we are learning to” lean not unto
our own understanding” because we are just not
capable of making the decisions that the Lord is.
Remember He knows what’s best for you and your
family, so make the decision he would have you to
make, and then trust Him to work out the details.
Q. If you could describe
your life right now in one word, what would that be?
A. Fast
Q. Anything else you
wanted to mention?
A. We’re about
to release a new single called “No one else
knows”. We are truly excited about the ministry
potential of this song and we can’t wait to
have the opportunity to tell the story behind it so
that people will remember this... People make mistakes,
huge ones, but God doesn’t. What Satan intends
for evil, the Lord will work for good. What Satan
would use to end all your hopes and dreams, Jesus
will use to bring about new dreams far greater than
the ones you left behind!!
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WinterJam 2005 Snapshots
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