Welcome to WBCL!

Want to hear about my first day at my new job?

I have to tell you that even before I got to the station, these wonderful people had done so much to make me feel loved and welcomed. I already had a functioning email address, I'd gotten many emails (and even real mail!) from people saying they were looking forward to my arrival and that they were praying for me, and I even had a promise of a hug from one of the ladies! So I was pretty excited to show up and join the family.

But before I tell you about my lovely office, I want to tell you about that morning. I sat at the kitchen table in Jamie's house, drinking coffee and reading Jesus Calling, which said in part, "Draw near to Me with a thankful heart, aware that your cup is overflowing with blessings...Instead of striving for a predictable, safe lifestyle, seek to know Me in greater depth and breadth. I long to make your life a glorious adventure, but you must stop clinging to old ways. I am always doing something new within my beloved ones. Be on the lookout for all that I have prepared for you."

And right after it - Isaiah 43:19...one of my theme verses for the year: "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."

As I followed Jamie to work, I realized the CD I'd been playing yesterday was still rolling, and the song up next had these words: "We're in the right place at the right time - anticipating good things from You, Lord!"

Don't you love how God sets up a day? And that was before I ever even ARRIVED at work. Once I showed up there, the blessings took a bit of a gift-like turn.

Lynne found this candy jar AND filled it - with chocolate covered coffee beans.

After eleven years of DO NOT LIGHT A CANDLE rules, you can only imagine my joy at this sight (and smell):
While I was helping to open mail, Jamie ripped open a box and said "Oh! A present for you!"

And on the other side:

(Sound familiar?)

Happiness in a vase:

And just a little something Jamie picked out for me.

And because you might want to know what the big picture looks like:

I'm holding my training manual. Thirty-nine BEAUTIFUL pages Jamie wrote out for me so I could feel as comfortable as possible. God bless her.

Oh! And over there on the left you can see my gift basket too. All kinds of station goodies in that.
It was a great start to the new job. Love the office. Love my desk. Love my new work family. (Lotsa love, huh?) I'm sure this is the start of many blog-worthy adventures, so please stay tuned! (Hey that's kinda like radio talk!)

Fireworks and FUN!

I have to tell you that I love the Fourth of July. Christmas remains my favorite holiday in terms of all the atmosphere that surrounds it, but when it comes to the day itself, you can't beat the Fourth.

It's warm...you can swim...have a cookout...and best of all...end the day with fireworks. Yes, please!

This year I spent the holiday with the lovely Jamie Bennett! Since I started my job on the fifth, Jamie said I could just head her way the night before, and that would give us time to hang out and see fireworks, and then we could just go to work together the next day.

Don't have to tell me twice!

So that evening, I headed to Fort Wayne, and Jamie made some pretty impressive homemade pizza. While we ate, she gave me very helpful information about work. That helped the first day be less overwhelming.
Then her roommate joined us and we headed into town for some fireworks. Her roommate is hysterical. She was elected to drive us so we could get in and out quickly. (Apparently she's not a shy driver.)

We sat close to some very vocal kids, so after every burst, we heard "Ooooooooooooooooh." "Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh." "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." It was cute (at least at first).

We actually watched from a hotel parking lot. They charged $5 to get in, which we obviously paid, but across the street was an empty lot. Several cars opted for that free route, but they had to jump a curb to get in. Trucks and SUV's were fine, but all the cars bottomed out on their way over the curb. That was our pre-show entertainment. (Don't judge us.) The show lasted about 25 minutes - and it was good!

It was a pretty perfect evening. Minimal bugs, no rain, not too hot, not too cold - and some pretty fun friends to hang out with!

See? I wasn't kidding.

He's Still the I AM

I talked about this a bit in my weekly recap on Sunday, but I wanted to come back and elaborate because...well...God deserves that. :)

Many years ago, I read Dee Brestin and Kathy Troccoli's book Falling in Love with Jesus. I loved it so much, I taught a whole season of Ladies Bible Study on it when I taught at Chapel Pike Wesleyan. That book remains one of my favorite books I've ever read. Well, Dee and Kathy went on to write Living in Love with Jesus, which I read a few years ago and liked, but not as much as the first one. They finished the trilogy with Forever in Love with Jesus, which I bought, but never read.

As I headed out for the writing retreat a couple of weeks ago, I scanned my shelves for books I've not read yet, so I could take one with me, and this one popped out. I now call it God-timing, because this is so the book I need at this point in my life.

Kathy Troccoli, if you don't know, is best known as a Christian singer, though she's also a very good author. She's somewhere in her 50's now, and she's never been married. I think that's why I identify with her so much; we share that creative flair...and life alone with Jesus.

In the second chapter of Forever in Love with Jesus, Dee and Kathy talk about the Great I AM. As I read, I saw these words, written by Dee: "Kathy shared with me the challenges and fears she had in building her home. There were so many questions she had to answer: These contractors can be a little intimidating. Who will help me? How will I do this all by myself? As we looked at the Great I AM, she realized that Jesus was truly present with her in every step of building her home."

That took my breath away.

I kept reading and found these words, written by Kathy:

"How sweet of God to give me a home of my own, a place that was the fulfillment of a little girl's dream: a place that would reflect His beauty, His peace and His goodness. I look at it now and am filled with gratitude. As I said before, when I began to build this home in Nashville, I knew I would have to face many challenges. What did I know about shingles, sprinklers, and siding? With every question, I almost heard Him whisper:

How will I build this home on my own?
I AM your Provider.

There are so many choices. Which one is right?
I AM your Counselor.

I feel so alone in this.
I AM your Companion."

And I loved that sweet moment of love from the Lord. How will I sell this house I'm living in? I AM the best real estate agent in the world. How will I find the home I need and can afford in Fort Wayne? I AM the one who will show you.

He never changes.

Saying Goodbye to Financial Aid

Last Friday was my last day in Financial Aid. Ever.

I admit to a tiny round of tears when I awakened Friday morning. Just strange to go in and know that's the last time I'd walk in to that office!

Speaking of my office...I always referred to my office by its number: 240-F. So I had to get a picture with that before I left.
Said goodbye to Sandee. She works in the Business Office and has been there all the years I've been in Financial Aid. She's kind of a second mom to me - which works out pretty well since her daughter Kari (of blog fame) is kind of like another sister to me!

Another good friend of mine - Cindy. She also works in the Business Office and I just love her.

Friday afternoon was my last party of the week. (I know. The mind reels that there could be any end to the festivities.) I asked if the basket was an offering plate. HA!

My flowers from Lois - and amazing cupcakes made by my friend Angi Spangler. They were SO GOOD. Chocolate with cream cheese filling, lemon filled, and raspberry filled. YUMMY. (I did have one of each - though not all at the party.)

My table!! They also had cookies and the most amazing punch on the planet. Robyn had it at another farewell party a few days ago and decided we HAD to have this. I wore pink so I could match the punch. Yep, I'm a dork that way!

Our former student worker, Jodi Otto, happened to be in town from FLORIDA, and she came to my party. I told her she wins the prize for coming the greatest distance!

Seriously. GOOD PUNCH. (I was excited because Robyn told me she had to get permission to get this punch because it cost more. I figured if I scored the pricey punch, I must be at least a little loved!)

Dear Ronda Smith came over for the party. I am really really going to miss dialing her extension (every day) to say hi. Guess she'll have to learn to love texting even more!

Mark and Katy - these two are hilarious! Mark works with the phones and probably many other forms of technology that I'm not sure about. He has had to fix my phone before. Bet he's glad I'm going elsewhere! :) And of course, Miss Katy has been on the blog before. She's a sweet friend of mine! Adela Hufford is a good friend of mine - who also loves to cook, craft, and take pictures. (She's also my neighbor until my house sells!)

More BEAUTIFUL flowers - compliments of my family. I am so excited to have another arrangement of pretty flowers to look at!

My boss, Gaytha. I have learned SO much from her and she has been such a kind and loving friend to me. I'll tell you what - if you ever need to learn to handle a difficult conversation with grace and dignity - she's the best teacher in the world.

Robyn, our secretary. She was in charge of my party and I loved it. Thank you, Robyn, for all your hard work! Love you!

Greg...who has become like a big brother to me. I think he might miss me just a little bit. Just a little bit. :)

And my parents even came to the party. (I knew my Dad would wear a tie. In fact, when they hadn't arrived yet, I said "I bet he's still putting on his tie.")

My last order of business in Financial Aid - eating a chocolate cupcake. :) How fitting.

The Office Farewell Lunch

Today I begin my brand new job at WBCL Radio in Fort Wayne! But in blogland...it's my farewell lunch at IWU.

Last Thursday, my office was kind enough to carry in lunch so we could have one last hurrah together before I left. (I really appreciated it because I know some of them don't love to cook all the time!)

Before lunch...I received a flower delivery. Words cannot express my joy at this. I adore flowers - and aren't they BEAUTIFUL? They were from Lois, who was in charge of our office in the early days of my 11 year run as a financial aid counselor. She was much more than a boss. She was (and is!) my dear friend and counselor and idea-sharer. Love her. She works in financial aid out in California now but we talk pretty regularly online, so she's been in the loop of all the job changing. How very very thoughtful of her to share with me in this way!
Then it was on to lunch! Sloppy joes...macaroni and cheese...potato salad...broccoli salad...fruit...TONS of dessert - mostly chocolate. I loved it. Doesn't it look yummy!?

I was concerned about eating sloppy joe in a yellow dress. Gaytha's solution...a giant bib. :)

Robyn gave me a gift - it's kind of hard to see here, but it's a little metal sign that says "Good Luck." She signed it, and I can take it to my new office so I don't forget her. (As if I could.)

And then it was time to open the gift from the whole office. Sorry for the dorky look here - they were making me laugh about something.

I l.o.v.e.d. this gift. It's a picture, and they all signed the back. I almost cried when I started reading their notes to me. That meant SO much to me.

See? Notes to me!

Angel thought I should wear the bow that had been on the gift. (I look like an Eastern Comet with the green and gold.)

And then she just shoved it into my dress. Ohhhhh the people I worked with!

Here is the picture from the front. It has a line from the Footprints poem on it - which so very well shows God's care of me in the desert.

Thank you so much, suite 240, for my great lunch. Everything was YUMMY and I adore my present. It will sit in my new office and I'll think of you every time I see it!

Healed and Restored

I'm taking a break from the breaking news that comprises my life these days to share a little God-moment with you.

If you're new to my blog, you might not know that last year was a tough year for me. Long story short, I fell in love with the man I knew God wanted me to marry, we had a beautiful dating relationship, and then we broke up. (Not my choice.) Wow. I don't think I've ever condensed it so well.

When Isaac told me - on April 22nd - he had to go into his God-ordained wilderness, God very specifically laid on my heart that our relationship would be healed and restored by the fourth of July. I asked God if He meant that year or another year, and the answer was that year. 2010. And I didn't just hear that one time. Over and over during the course of our wilderness/desert journey, God prompted me about that date. Healed and restored by the fourth of July. As the date on the calendar crept closer and closer, I wondered what sort of miracle God planned to pull out to save this thing.

When I woke up one year ago today, I wrote those painful date numbers in the journal and said to the Lord, My heart both leaps and sinks to write that date. This is IT, God. All my eggs are in Your basket. I have no other choice. Don’t let my faith fail, precious Lord. How I need You. How I am counting on You.
That last hour of the day was beyond excruciating. I sat by the front door, awaiting the sound of footsteps on the boards…awaiting the sound of the phone ringing with a call or text. I ached for God to bring about some movie-like ending. And I had no idea what I would do if I went to bed and awakened the next morning….still alone.

When that very thing happened the morning of July 5th, I wrote,

Not even sure I WANT to write all that has transpired so far today. Don’t think my faith has been this shaken since Craig died. Isaac didn’t call or show up last night. How does this match with the promise You made? How does this make You faithful to the promises I STILL HEAR YOU SPEAKING!?!?! Am I incapable of hearing You? Oh God! Come to my rescue! Help me! Help me! Jesus! Abba! Help me!

What are You doing? Where is Your promised deliverance? Do You still love me? Do You still see me? Where are You, Jesus?

Sweet Father, this is Your baby girl. I’m hurting because I long for the restoration of my love with my sweet Isaac. I wonder if You forgot – if You changed Your mind, if you found me unworthy of the gift of Isaac, if You are punishing me for my sin and impatience.

But my heart still feels sure of Your promise. Certain that he is Your choice for me. Confident that I DID hear You right.

Jesus, I have to trust You. I have to. It hurts. I don’t understand. I’m not celebrating the victory I thought I would be…my heart burns with pain. But I trust You. Speak to my Isaac.

The restoration never came. Though we tried to start over a couple of weeks later, our relationship did end.

The other day, as I thought ahead to the start of my new job, the date hit me.

July fifth.

Tomorrow, one year after I woke up in such emotional agony that I couldn't even breathe, I start a whole new life.

Healed and restored by the fourth of July. Not in 2010. Not with Isaac. But not forgotten. God took a broken girl with broken dreams and a broken plan...and healed her. (Well, I'm not fully healed. But He's working on it.) He restored her. He gave her something new and beautiful where once she never imagined she could smile again. And He orchestrated it all to happen on a date that sorely needed redeemed.

It's much like my friend Julie Crandall said in an email she wrote me a year ago today:

Relax. The outcome of this situation is not on your shoulders. It is in God's hands.

"The one who calls you is faithful and HE will do it." I Thessalonians 5:24
Lifting you up,

Julie

It's the Weekly Recap!

* Last Sunday I finally unpacked from vacation and tried to get life and house back in order before returning to work for my last week at Indiana Wesleyan. I also really enjoyed my Bible study time with Marie. I love hanging out with her...no time agenda...just catching up on life and studying about Hannah. Great Sunday.

* Monday I spoke at devotions for the APS building at work. I did that last fall, too, and they invited me back. I sat down feeling I'd done a perfectly terrible job, but I had some emails later in the day thanking me for what I shared - so I guess God can work through potential disasters! I also got to have my last lunch with my friend Ruth. She (like me) started out as a student worker in Financial Aid and now works there full time. Thanks for going with me, Ruth! :)

* Tuesday was crazy...busy...exhausting. One of my work pals, Judy, treated me to lunch at Ivanhoes. Well - the food was from Ivanhoes. They were fresh out of tables, so we took our food to a park and ate there. SO fun!
That night I officially signed the paperwork to list my house with the realtor! It is now ON the market. That was a strange feeling. The other huge highlight of the day was getting to talk to Olivia for a long time on the phone. I just saw her at her showers on Saturday but she had so many people to talk to and not much time to talk. So as she drove back home, we talked on the phone for almost two hours. I may technically be her mentor, but I learn so much more from her than she ever could from me!

* Wednesday I got up early and went in to work to make breakfast for the office. Was I nuts? They liked it though!! Pancakes with the Princess Goes on the Road! I only worked half a day - at which time I drove to Fort Wayne for my first ever house hunting adventure! I saw ten houses in about four hours. Then I had dinner with Jamie, came home, found a For Sale sign planted in my yard, and ran through the place like a mad woman for the rest of the night - trying to get everything ready for the realtor to show to her co-workers so they can, in turn, show my house!

* Thursday I had my exit interview at work...turned in my keys and parking permit and everything! (I kind of feel like I'm not a real person anymore - for a minute.) I received these beautiful flowers at work from my former boss, Lois. LOVE them.
Then I enjoyed a carry-in lunch, compliments of my office. They even gave me a present. Love presents! :) In the afternoon, I received a phone call that someone wanted to see my house the next day, so I had to hurry home and clean again!


* Friday was my last day ever in Financial Aid. My emotions were very mixed - but I did love the party I had that afternoon. Especially the punch.
It is truly a strange feeling to know I'm not going back to 240-F to work - ever. I'm very excited about the future, but this was certainly a day of reflection and a few tears. Oh - and one more time in the old office:
* Saturday was a whole day at home. I sorely wanted to go to the lake because 1) I had an invitation and 2) it was GORGEOUS outside, but I knew I needed to get stuff done here, so I stayed. Mowed the yard (in shifts because it was too hot for the mower to start and stop too many times). Worked out. Paid bills. Went grocery shopping. Sorted through stuff in my house. Packed the entire craft closet. You're jealous, aren't you?

Books I'm Reading: Jesus Calling and Sparkling Gems from the Greek of course, plus another chapter in Entrusting Your Dreams to God, and a little bit in Forever in Love with Jesus. I'm surprised I had time for even that much. Did you see how crazy my week was?


Favorite God Moment of the Whole Week: There are two that are almost equal this week, but I'm going to say this one. When I was reading part of Forever in Love with Jesus, there was a section where Kathy Troccoli talked about the process of building a house and how it overwhelmed her as she made decisions alone, but God used that experience to say to her that He is still the I AM. Even in house-building. Though I'm not building, it was such a comfort to me as I work on decisions of selling and buying. Perfectly timed. (I might even blog about it more later.)

Update on Last Week's Goals: I am satisfied with the way I finished work at IWU. The job is really never done, so at some point I had to say, "Bekah, you've done what you can do - and you can't worry about what you're leaving." I really savored the last days with my work friends, too. And I did get some good cleaning and organizing - and even packing done on the house this week!

Goals for the Coming Week: I want to have a strong start to my new job and try to remind myself that it does not all have to be mastered - or probably even learned - in the first week. This may seem a silly goal, but I also want to be diligent in working on a new routine for myself. I now have two extra hours on the road each day, which means I have to get up earlier, which means I need to go to bed earlier...pack a lunch...find a different workout routine. All these things will just require some trial and error - I mean success!

Pancakes with the Princess: June

I don't know if you've noticed...but I've been a little busy this month. You know...quitting my job and getting a new one and putting my house on the market and taking a vacation and house hunting.

Couple that with everyone else's vacations...and it was hard to schedule a Pancakes with the Princess dinner this month!

So...I took the show on the road! As an I'm-going-away party for the office, I decided to treat them to pancakes. My whole office. And the Business Office. Pancakes for thirteen...on the road. What was I thinking??????

I made an egg casserole and baked it the morning of the breakfast. That was the easy part. The night before, I also mixed up all the dry ingredients for the pancakes, made the cinnamon swirl mixture and the icing mixture (because...oh yes...I made the cinnamon swirl version of the pancakes), and packed all the stuff I thought I could need. Before work, I added the liquid ingredients to the pancake batter, packed up the car, and headed to the office.

I had to borrow Judy's griddle because Mom had mine. This is me shortly after the cinnamon swirl mixture bag exploded all over her griddle.
A few minutes later...all better. (And Robyn was laughing at me.)

I had the meal ready by a little after 8. The boys were particularly happy about this. Greg had pancakes at my house last month. Sorry for the repeat, Greg. :) I stored the pancakes in the crock pot until people were ready to eat.

Everyone was all about the breakfast...they came into the break room, sat down, and enjoyed! This is Robyn and Gaytha (my boss) - deep in conversation apparently.

Thomas and Greg got creative with the forks. Those are my initials in case you are unable to decipher.

Angel waving goodbye to me. (Neil stole my camera and took tons of pictures....)

This is Craig. He's our compliance guy. Every week when we have devotions, during prayer/praise time, he says he's thankful for the Lord's help. And that is the thing I appreciate most about Craig. No matter what's happening - he's always thankful.

I took some food over to the Business Office ladies, Sandee and Cindy. Love them!! (They double as waitresses, apparently.)

A successful breakfast was had by all. Thomas, our main boss, even ran out to pick up some milk and juice so we could have drinks. (Don't judge me. Pancakes for thirteen people...something was bound to slip my mind!)

So that's the pancake report for this month. I loved it! Chaos, exploding cinnamon mix, and all!

SSMT: Verse 13

** If you didn't see it, my friend Jamie posted here about the transition of her MidMorning producer job from her perspective. I loved it. **

I have been waiting...and waiting...and waiting...for God to bring about the verse for the first of July. I have been excited about it, too, because July is a whole new chapter for me. And as of last night...no verse came.

I had to have one, of course, so I decided to "cheat." I went back to Beth Moore's website to look at the verses posted in the last round of SSMT listings, to see if I could find one that seemed to fit.

As I scrolled down through the site to get to that post, I passed this post she put up a few days ago. I remember reading it and loving the concept of the family altar. I glanced at the pictures of the Scripture cards she featured, and as I looked, I found my verse.

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us;

establish the work of our hands for us -

yes, establish the work of our hands.

Psalm 90:17

I didn't do my usual word study and commentary digging on this one. I just took the words - and their deep longing - at face value.

Next week, I will get in my car and drive to a new job. I will meet new people that will become my new work family. I will make new friends. I will learn new tasks. I will seek God's direction for selling my house and finding a new place to live.

In those things, I need His favor to rest upon me. I need Him to establish the work of my hands. I need Him to be wrapped up in every little detail of my day and life.

Next week...everything changes. Except my Abba. He stays the same. His favor stays the same. His involvement stays the same.

And I need that.

June: Done

This month has been filled with the unexpected...the exciting...the hope-filled...the sad...endings...beginnings...my goodness!

* The biggest news of all was my God-led decision to resign from my job at Indiana Wesleyan and accept a job with WBCL Radio. I've never before resigned from a job, so this was a first for me. While I was (and still am) confident and at peace with the decision, it's a risky little feeling to put the words "my last day will be..." on a piece of paper and hand it to your boss!

* In the land of entertaining, I had my first cookout of the summer - with Jonathan and Ronda. I enjoyed having Jamie Bennett come to visit for part of a weekend; I don't often get guests that stay overnight! And while they may not have found it entertaining, I did cook dinner for my parents the night they came over to help with Habitat for Bekah. Miss Marie came over for a Bible study/movie night and we ate dinner while she was here! I took Pancakes with the Princess on the road this month and cooked for my entire office.

* Worked my last freshman registration at Indiana Wesleyan. What a gracious bunch of families! As I shared with them that they'd be working with another counselor in the future, many stopped to inquire about my future plans and shared genuine excitement for me. I really appreciated that.

* Began the great purge 'n pack of 2011. Though I have no idea when my house will sell, I figured I might as well start going through my stuff...throwing away things that should have been thrown away a while ago, setting aside other things for donation or sale, and leaving the rest to be packed when the time is right. I have a lot of stuff. A lot.

* Cleaned, cleaned, cleaned. You know - I might want to move into this place myself! While I'm not a slob (ever) by any stretch of the imagination, this place is pretty spiffy now! Lots of hard core cleaning inside and out, preparing it to be put on the market. The challenge is keeping it that way on a constant basis.

* Wrapped it up at work. One of my goals for my last few days at IWU was to finish well. I did begin to understand what people mean when they say "What are they going to do - fire me?" It definitely is tempting to coast to the end. But I tried hard to get as much done as I could while also cleaning everything out and writing down detailed instructions on tasks I do that others don't do...and saying goodbye to my work friends. It was a lot to pack in to the three weeks I had in the office after I resigned.

* Got my first ever smart phone. This will, in the words of Jonathan, replace the dumb one I had before. While this is all new territory for me, I kind of feel like a brand new person now that I have my new fancy pants phone.

*Tried a few new recipes. I made Ronda's strawberry shortcake - which is now my new favorite thing. Tastes ALMOST like what they serve at Ivanhoes. I tried my hand at making up a strawberry smoothie recipe, too...didn't turn out too bad! I also made Oreo cupcakes with Oreo cream cheese icing. They were very good!

* Took my first ever writing retreat. Rachel and I spent a week in southern Indiana, off the internet grid, writing...writing...writing. It was not only a great time to get a lot of writing done, but it was a much needed break from the mayhem that was the rest of my life this month!

* And then there was the other stuff...like attending two bridal showers for Olivia, going to Joe and Sarah's baby shower, finally getting the overheating issue with the car fixed, receiving the first hints of life at my new job (I'm gonna love it!), listing my house with a realtor, and spending many hours house hunting online.

Stone Altar: June