Thanks for the Birthday Cards!

We were so excited to see these amazing cards made by some our Smile FM Fans!

Thanks so much and be watching for more cards coming soon.  Also if you sent a card, be watching for a special surprise in the mail from us!

More Tickets - A Little Boy's Prayer

Congratulations to our final ticket winners for A Little Boy's Prayer at Mount Hope Church in Lansing.


Tickets are still available for purchase at www.alittleboysprayer.com

Ticket Winners:

Dan    Mc Taggart , Owosso
Steve    Lockwood, Owosso
Tawnee    Tillotson, Saint Johns
Audrey    Sovis, Ovid
Holly    Comstock, Okemos
Melissa    Peters,  Holt
Cindy    Matheny,  Dewitt
Debbie    Cuthbertson, Midland
Susan    Lewis,  Lansing
Whitney    Craig, Lansing
Cindy    Johansen , East Lansing
Renee'    Banks,  Lansing
Bernie    Waterfield, Lansing
Angela    Keehn, Ionia
FRANCES    HASSELL ,  Paw Paw


Tickets were mailed on 12/5/11 - be watching for an envelope from Smile FM.

Smile FM's 15 Birthday - December 2nd

Smile FM is turning 15, we're having a party and your invited!

But YOU don't have to bring a gift, we'll give out the gifts to reward you for listening to Smile FM and telling your friends about us!

On Friday, December 2nd we'll be giving away:

15 - 15 CD Bricks featuring all of your favorite Smile FM artists

15 - Smile FM gift packs including t-shirts, tumblers & other Smile goodies.

The Grand Prize: Trip for 2 to Sunny Orlando, Florida in January 7 to 14, 2012. A stay at a Gold Crown Resort in Kissimee, 2 Bedrooms, full kitchen, heated pools. Plus we'll treat you to VIP passes to Winter Jam in Orlando or Jacksonville and a Day at Disneyworld (courtesy of Z 88.3 in Orlando).

Congrats to Julia Fults our Grand Prize Winner.
Complete winners list coming shortly!






Plus kids 15 and under can send us a special handmade birthday card and we will send them a special Smile gift back in the mail. Send your card to Smile FM, PO Box 388, Williamston, MI 48895 and have it postmarked by December 2nd. Parents please make sure it clearly includes your child's name, age and return address and your e-mail address. We may also feature it on our website!

Thanksgiving Guest Liability and Indemnification Agreement

What do you think?  Something to print out and post on your refrigerator, or table?

 

____________________ (hereinafter referred to as .Guest.) has been given permission to eat at the table of

_____________________ (hereinafter referred to as .Host.).

Guest acknowledges and understands that no warranty, either expressed or implied, is made by Host as to the

nutritional content of the meal. This document is offered in order to duly warn Guest that dangerous conditions,

risks, and hazards may lurk in the turkey, stuffing, vegetables, cranberry sauce, fixings, drinks, desserts, appetizers,

and any or all other comestibles that may be served.

Guest is hereby informed that Host.s food may contain any of the following: calories, carbohydrates, sodium (salt),

fat, saturated fat, trans fat, polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat, peanuts, sugar, alcohol, tryptophan, caffeine,

and good cheer.

Guest acknowledges that eating may incur risks including, but not limited to, satiation, indigestion, heart burn,

dizziness, laziness, heart disease, holiday spirit, .food coma,. and .that bloated feeling.. Host.s meal includes any

and all items served, including those brought by other Guests (including .Grandma.).

If Guest has brought minors to Host.s Thanksgiving table, Guest assumes responsibility for monitoring said

minors. eating habits and guarding against any and all attendant hazards at all times.

In consideration of being allowed by host to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal, Guest hereby indemnifies Host from all

liability for personal injury suffered by Guest . which may be directly or proximately caused, in whole or in part,

by any element of Host.s meal. Guest agrees that neither he/she, nor his/her assigns, agents, or personal representatives

in law or in fact will sue Host or his/her associates for any injury that Guest suffers, in whole or in part, from

consuming food on Host.s premises. This indemnification includes an agreement not to haul Host into court on the

basis of:

1. Failure to provide nutritional information;

2. Failure to warn of potential for overeating because food tastes too good and is provided at no cost;

3. Failure to offer .healthier alternatives. or vegetarian .tofurkey.;

4. Failure to provide information about other venues serving alternative, .healthier. Thanksgiving meals;

5. Failure to warn that dark meat contains more fat than white meat; and

6. Failure to warn that eating may lead to obesity.

GUEST INDEMNIFIES AND RELEASES OWNER FROM ANYAND ALL LIABILITY.

GUEST HAS READ THIS DOCUMENT AND UNDERSTANDS IT. HE/SHE IS SIGNING IT FREELYAND

VOLUNTARILYAND WITHOUT DURESS, AND AGREES NOT TO APPEAR AS A WITNESS IN SUPPORT

OF JOHN .SUE THE BASTARDS. BANZHAF, ESQ., OR ANY OTHER PERSONS WITH LAWDEGREES

WHO CANNOT OTHERWISE FIND MEANINGFUL EMPLOYMENT, ATANY TIME IN THE FUTURE.

.

PThanksgiving Guest Liability and Indemnification Agreement

Agreed to by  ________________________________________________________  Signature Date  ___________

 

Funniest pick-up lines ever for Christian singles!

I’ve seen a few lists of these in the past, that are lame, but these are really funny!  What do you think?  Single guys/ girls?  The top pick-up lines for Christian singles….

1.    I would part the Red Sea for you.”.

2.    “What’re you doing for the rest of your afterlife?” .

3.    “Did you say your name was Esther? Oh, I guess I just think you were chosen for such a time as this.”

4.    “Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?”

5.     “10% of me is 100% certain that I can give you 10% of my heart forever.” (This is to be used only during tithe and offering time and is so confusing it just may work.)

6.    “Let’s be like Noah and do this as a pair.”

7.    “You must be Egyptian because I’m a slave for you.”

8.    “You and me, we’re like loaves and fishes…we just might be a miracle.”

9.    “Do you want to be accountability partners?”

10.  “On first dates, I always take girls to get BBQ ribs. It feels the most biblical considering they came from one.”

11.  “I know you’ve already said no once, but call me Joshua because I’m going to break down your walls.”

12.  “I’m no Joseph, but I’m having trouble interpreting the dreams I’ve been having about you.”

13.  “I don’t know if you noticed but, when you walked into the room, that was me giving up a clap offering.”

14.  “I may not have a job right now, and I may live in my parent’s basement, but I swear to you I’m storing up treasure in heaven and my mansion is gonna rock.”

 

Street Stops Weekend of 11/18

You can catch the smile bug on Saturday!

The Midland Santa Holiday Parade is gearing up the the 2011 parade! Parade begins from Midland High School:November 19, 10:00 a.m
(folks can get a jump on their holiday shopping by stopping by the Smile table and purchasing some Smile Swag :) too)

Then catch us at:
Comedy Night with Jeff Allen
Saturday 11/19/2011 7 PM
Christian comedian, Jeff Allen will be performing at Brighton Nazarene Church. This is a family friendly event and all seats are general admission so arrive early. Doors open at 6pm. Advance tickets are now on sale for $18. There is also a $1.50 convenience fee for each advance ticket. Tickets can be purchased at the LCS office or online through our web link below.
Location:
7669 Brighton Rd., Brighton, MI 48116 (Map)
Website:
http://www.denbeconsulting.com/LCS_Nov2011Concert.htm
Email:
laurie@livingstonchristianschools.org

Honoring our Veterans this Friday

Do you have a veteran or service person you'd like to honor on Friday? Give us a call at 888.887.7139 ext 4 and leave a message and we'll share them on the air on Friday.

You can also post your comments or shout-outs on the Smile FM Radio Network facebook page.

Let's show our troops and veterans some love this Veteran's Day!

Street Stops Weekend of 11/10 - 12

Here's where folks can catch the Smile Team this weekend:

Thursday night at 7 PM
TIM HAWKINS - LIVE IN CONCERT
Stewart Road Church of God
Location: 1199 Stewart Road, Monroe, MI (Map)
__________________________________________________________________

Friday Night @ Ford Field in Downtown Detroit (the event is 24 hours, Sara will just be there on Friday night)
THE CALL 11/11/11 - Prayer Rally
Friday 11/11/2011 5 PM Length: 24 Hours
On November 11–12, 2011, thousands from across America will gather to Detroit to fast, pray and cry out to God. We will gather to this city that has become a microcosm of our national crisis—economic collapse, racial tension, and the shedding of innocent blood of our children in the streets and of our unborn. But the place where they say there is no hope, God has chosen as His staging ground for a great communal healing and His house of prayer for all nations. Therefore, we are calling the nation to a 24-hour solemn assembly, daring to believe that Detroit’s desperation can produce a prayer that can change a nation. Come and take your place on the wall in Detroit, where we will ask God to send fire on our hearts, to forgive our national guilt and establish justice in our land
Location:
Ford Field, DETROIT, MI (Map)
Website:
http://www.thecall.com/

___________________________________________________________________

Saturday Night - 7 PM
TIM HAWKINS - LIVE IN CONCERT
Mt. Zion Church. 4900 Maybee Road, Clarkston, MI

Be sure to stop by the Smile FM table and say "HI" if you're coming to one of the events this weekend!

Tim Hawkins Ticket Trivia (Nov 4 to 6)

Congratulations to our winners, they have all been notified via e-mail.

Tickets are still available for purchase.


Be listening this Friday, Saturday & Sunday for your chance to score tickets to see Tim Hawkins in Monroe on November 10th or Clarkston on November 12th.

Watch Tim's video and tell us the punch lines of his stories for your chance to score tickets to his shows.

RWRS - Finalists

Smile FM congratulates our Opening Act Winner

Kelsey Rottiers and The Rising Tide

They will be opening up for the Rock and Worship Road Show in Saginaw this Thursday night!




And congratulations to our finalists...

The Michael Maher Band from Fenton




Only 9AM from Gaylord, MI




Honorable Mention -Luke Cyrus from Bath, MI

Luke Cyrus “Teach Me To Breathe” *Official Music Video* from Luke Cyrus on Vimeo.

Congratulations to our 3 finalists. We will announce the winner as soon as we hear back.

Thanks to everyone who applied, we were blown away by the amazing talent we have here in Michigan.

The Rock & Worship Roadshow is Back!

Thursday, Nov. 3rd - Dow Event Center - Saginaw

Friday, Nov. 4th - Van Andel Arena - Grand Rapids

Just $10 at the door

Mercy Me, Jars of Clay, Matt Maher, Hawk Nelson, Rush of Fools, Group1Crew and more! Find out more & RSVP for the show.

(Please note Disciple is not at these shows, Rush of Fools filling in.)

Comparison chart: Smile FM artists that sound like Secular artists

If you are a new listener to Smile FM, you may want to know more about this amazing positive hit music.  It may be a good time to ditch all of your old music and so you never have to worry about what is playing in the car or at home?  Did you know that there is a Christian band that sounds like Queen, and another band that sounds like Coldplay.    Here is a list of positive hit artists that pretty much cover every style of music.  http://www.otterbeinchurch.org/documents/MusicComparisonDoc.PDf

Take the Courageous Challenge

A picture that will rock you today!

From the Diceman!  This picture rocked my world today!

Faron's African Drum and Tambourine

That’s right.  These are an authentic African drum and tambourine given to Faron this week by his missionary in-laws.  They were hand-made in Kenya.  Now, the Diceman thinks he can play along with every song on the radio!

Get ready to win Sweet Eats, Greets & Seats

Congratulations to our Sweet Eats, Greets & Seats winners with the Rock and Worship Road Show and dinner with Matt Maher. The Rock and Worship Road Show is coming to Saginaw on November 3 and Grand Rapids on November 4th featuring MercyMe, Jars of Clay, Matt Maher, Hawk Nelson and more.

Saginaw Show Winner - Pati Issac from Flint

Grand Rapids Winner - Ann Herrygers from Shelby

Smile FM encourages you to get Courageous!

Smile FM encourages you to get Courageous! Coming to theaters this Friday, September 30th.

Who's with us? Let's go this opening weekend and get Courageous!

Remember 9/11

We'd love to have your thoughts on September 11th.

Give us a call at 888.887.7139 ext 4

Let us know....

What were your thoughts when you heard about the attacks?

How do you think our country has changed in the past 10 years?

How have you seen God get the glory since 9/11?

Feel free to leave a pray for our country, servicemen and women, the families affected and our leaders.

We will be sharing comments back on Sunday - 9/11

Awesome cheeseburger!

How's this for a labor day idea? This burger is being sold at the
Florida state fair. (Love the scoop of ice cream on top!)

Smile FM sends YOU to Pointfest

Be listening for the Pointfest Phrase of the Day, when you hear it, text us at 909.2Smile4 that's 909.276.4534 with the Phrase of the Day and your chance to win a pair of tickets to Pointfest at Cedar Point on Saturday, Sept 17th. You can enter once a day. Each day we'll give away a pair of tickets, plus on Friday - 9/9 we will announce the grand prize winner who gets a pair of tickets and gets to ride the Magnum with Brian Dumont & John from Skillet.

Friday - 9/8 - Grand Prize winner announced @ 7:20 AM

Please text us with your name, city and keyword to 909.2Smile4. Must be 18 years or older to win.

Smile FM & Facebook

Be sure to "like" the Smile FM Radio Network on facebook. We've maxed out the number of friends we're allowed on our first facebook page, so now we've got an offical Fan page. Be sure to "like" us and tell your friends about us. Once we get to 5,000 likes on our Smile FM Radio Network page, we've got some cool prizes will be tossing out there! Including some Pointfest Tickets. Click to "Like" us.

Making your kids Money Savvy

Jenn & Brian shared some tips about how to help your kids manage money.

See all 23 tips!

Join the Smile crew at Pointfest - Sept 17th

Pointfest featuring Toby Mac, Skillet, Disciple and Manic Drive is coming to Cedar Point on Saturday, September 17th. Get a full day of fun at CedarPoint, then a full evening of music and ministry. It's a rocking way to start your fall, usher in the cooler weather and make the most of your time and money. You get all the fun that CedarPoint has to offer, over-the-top live performances and a dynamic speaker - all in one fun place! Be listening soon for your chance to ride the roller coasters with Brian from the Morning Espresso and John from Skillet! Link to Pointfest from Smile dot FM.

Smile Store

Don't forget you can find about a dozen Smile FM items in our Smile Store at our website.

Everything from our hand-crafted t-shirts to beach balls, glow sticks and Smile Drink tumblers. Each available with free shipping.

All proceeds for Smile Merch goes to help keep our events department on the road and our Smile stations on the air.

Check out the Smile Store!

Send a special couple to Celebrate Your Marriage Retreat

One special couple will be attending the Celebrate Your Marriage Retreat on Mackinaw Island courtesy of you and Smile FM.

Congratulations to our winners for the retreat, Gary & Gloria Knapp of Montague.

Also a special congratulations to our finalists. You'll each be receiving a special prize pack in the mail shortly.

Josh and Beth Bently- Monroe

Diana and Jon Priebe- Holt

Cliff and Carla Corrette- Mason

Pastor Lisa Saliga & Joe Saliga- Lapeer

Dennis and Jennifer Bierbusse- Lapeer

Ken and Tina Day- Lake City

Laura and Phillip Balk- Holt

Antonio & Cristine Perez- Ludington

Jaime and Sidney Ibarra- Shelby

Mary and Robert Reames- Southgate

Phillip & Debra Webb- Benton Harbor

James and Renee Kuhn

Dominic and Amanda Moes- East Jorden

Celebrate Your Marriage is coming up on Mackinaw Island on Sun/Mon - October 9 & 10 and Mon/Tue October 10 & 11th. Find out more http://www.jayandlaura.com/

Tenth Avenue North Ticket Giveaway

Congrats to our Tenth Ave North winners!

VIP Winners
Sandy Willoughby
Peter Jewell
Jennifer Gaydos
Michael Mckee
Robbi Schmenk


General Ticket Winners
Stephanie Kuczynski
Anita Young
Theresa Fehse
Brianna Currin
Summer Foster-




Find out more about the show.

SKG Volunteers - Lansing ONLY

We need about 30+ adults to help us with Secret Keeper Girl coming in Lansing on Saturday, Sept 17th in Lansing, MI. Everything from security, ushers, merch helpers and general volunteers. Please sign up today. At this time volunteers are only needed for the Lansing show.

Secret Keeper Girl Trivia - your chance to win tickets

Check out our weekly Secret Keeper Girl Moments and answer our Trivia question with your daughter for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the Secret Keeper Girl show closest to you.

Secret Keeper Girl is a fun, fast paced night for Mom's & tween girls to connect together and talk about things like purity, modesty and our value in Christ. It's designed for tween girls from 8 to 12, but all girls and their moms are welcome. See the tour schedule.

The Diceman's new Granddaughter

Hello world, from Daisy Blue Thorne!  (Diceman’s Granddaughter) born this past Saturday.  5 pounds and 11 ounces.

 

She’s waving at you!

10 Signs Your Christianity Has Become Too Comfortable

by Bryan Dodd  (Read the whole blog here http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-blogs/152439-brian_dodd_10_signs_your_christianity_has_become_too_comfortable.html#.Tj39dmL4YQ0.facebook )

 

1. You are not attending church with a high level of expectancy.

2. You no longer seem to be concerned about the spiritual condition of neighbors, family members, or your co-workers.

3. You haven’t had a spiritual conversation with a non-Christian in a long time.

4. The Bible seems like a history book.  It’s lifeless to you.

5. Your happiness on Sunday mornings is more important than what it takes to reach the unchurched.  As long as you get your parking spot, your seat, and hear the music you like, everything’s fine.

6. The plight of the poor doesn’t concern you.

7. Pictures of overseas suffering do not move you to action.

8. You do not give your financial resources sacrificially.

9. Your prayers don’t seem to be making it past the ceiling.

10. It doesn’t even dawn on you that God could do something incredibly radical in your life at any moment today.  It’s not even on your radar.

Scary Monkey at the Diceman's house

Is this monkey scary top you? At the Diceman's house, we have been placing this toy monkey on the stairs and it keeps our 18 month old, Truly Rose, from going up the stairs. Is this horrible parenting/ grandparenting?

Smile FM - Making A Difference Tour

Sponsored By





For more information on the Making a Difference tour with Jenn and Brian from the Morning Espresso got to

http://makingadifferencetour.blogspot.com/

OMG Burger!

WOW! The OMG Double Double burger contains two meat patties, two slices of cheese, bacon and lettuce sandwiched between two Krispy Kreme doughnuts. The OMG Double Double burger is being sold at fast-food outlet Chompers

Michigan Post Offices facing closure

Jenn & Brian talked about which post offices may close in Michigan. Plus a good article about what criteria they are considering when closing post offices.

Casting Crowns of Love Award

Do you know someone is always serving and always loving others in their community the way Jesus did? You can honor them by telling us their story. We'll share some of the great examples on the radio, plus we will select 4 nominees to each Casting Crowns show in Lansing and Saginaw with 4 tickets plus a Meet n Greet with the band. Casting Crowns will be in Saginaw on Tue, 8/2 and in Lansing on Thursday, 8/4. Buy Tickets.

Congratulations to our winners!

Saginaw Show:
Don Acres- Lake City
Pastor Tim Martin - Attica
Laura Frawly - Harrisville
Bobby Jackson - Flint

Lansing Show:

Sean McCormack - Allendale
Jennifer Woodruff - Ortonville
Johnathan McMahon - Cadillac
Linda Hughson - Mason

Morning Espresso - Making a Difference Tour

We are pleased to partner with the following non-profit organizations on the Making a Difference Tour sponsored by Great Lakes Christian College of Lansing.

Week of 8/8:

Monday: * YMCA - Southgate, MI

Tuesday: Lapeer County Young Life - Event at the Eastern MI Fair, Imlay City, MI

Wednesday: Royal Family Camp - Bay City, MI

Thursday: Care Net of Cadillac - Cadillac, MI

Friday: *Christian Freedom International - Sault Ste Marie, MI

Saturday: Remeberance Ranch - Allendale, MI

Sunday: CHUM Theraputic Riding Stables - Event at Cooley Law School Park, Lansing, MI

*Tenative

Each day the Morning Crew will be broadcasting from that community, working along side the selecting organization in the afternoon and hosting a benefit concert featuring Jeremy Horn that afternoon or evening. Stay posted for more details and your chance to attend the show.

Casting Crowns - 2 dates this summer

Casting Crowns is coming for 2 amazing events this summer.

August 2nd to the Heritage Theater in Saginaw

August 4th to Mount Hope Church in Lansing

Please note that each event is priced separately.

Secret Keeper Girl is coming back Sep. 15-18!

We're super excited that Secret Keeper Girl is coming back to Michigan for 4 dates September 15th to 18th! Tickets go on sale on Monday June 13th with a special deal where you can get any number of ticket for the group rate of just $12, it's happening on Monday using promo code "Pajama Party" Find out more at :

http://www.secretkeepergirltour.blogspot.com/

Making a Difference Morning Show Tour

This August Jenn & Brian will be taking the Morning Espresso show on the road with the Making a Difference Tour. They will be visiting 7 different ministries that are truly Making a Difference in Michigan. Each day the Morning Espresso tour will broadcast from their community, serve along side that ministry throughout the day and then provide a benefit concert that evening with Smile FM artist Jeremy Horn. Nominations have been completed and the tour schedule will be announced on Monday, July 18th at 7:20 AM on the Morning Espresso.

The Making a Difference tour is sponsored by Great Lakes Christian College of Lansing.

How to avoid moral failure

Wow!  This is refrigerator material.   5 easy things to do, to avoid moral failure by Pastor Shawn King/Atlanta.

1.. Multiple people have access to every account I own and check them often: Twitter (public and private tweets), Facebook, Email, etc.

Secrecy and privacy are the breeding ground for moral failure.  When we are confident that nobody will see our ugly side, it is much more tempting to dibble dabble in craziness.   If (former) Congressman Anthony Weiner knew that several aides were checking his Direct Messages, his inbox, etc. it would have been far less likely that his current scandal would have happened.

2. My wife is busy, but I regularly leave my cell phone with her when I’m not around. She looks at it.  She’s not obsessed with it, but I think she checks it out with a healthy level of skepticism.  Her skepticism does not irritate me.  She and I have seen friends and mentors and leaders walk right into the worst types of moral failure.  This level of transparency builds trust.

3. I generally don’t meet with any single person (male or female) privately anymore. I will meet with couples or small groups in my office, but now hold more meetings in restaurants, coffee shops, etc.

4. I stay with my family. We travel together as much as possible.  We run errands together.  We eat out together.  We go shopping together.  We stay home together.  Very rarely am I alone without one of the kids or my wife.  This keeps my mind centered, but also prevents me from having idle time that leads many folk to an unhealthy place.

5. I keep pictures of my wife and kids everywhere (particularly my son EZ) on the wallpaper of my cell phone, in my office, on the walls, on my desks, etc.  They serve as a constant reminder for me why I should have a good work ethic and fight to make healthy moral decisions.  I didn’t grow up with a dad that set a good example and I so badly want to be that guy for my son that his pictures always keep me focused and centered

Read the rest of the blog here.  http://www.shauninthecity.com/2011/06/drastic-measures-to-avoid-moral-failure-the-weiner-edition.html

 

Best Diets

Jenn & Brian talked about the best diets for different health aspects such as losing weight, healthier hearts, diabeties and blood pressure. See all the ratings here!

Get Your SMILE GEAR on this Summer!

Smile Fans: check out our new Smile Gear that will be premiering at the Big Ticket Festival and other great Smile events all summer long. Proceeds from the sale of these items go to helping us continue to Build Families, Touch Hearts, & Change Lives.

The purple shirt's design GLOWS in the dark. The black shirt features a silvery ink. The purple glowsticks turn on & off and have pen-style clip & laynard so you don't loose it. Watch this blog for more items in the upcoming days!

Sarah Palin’s email to her family from God…

You've probably heard in the news that they are going through all of Sarah Palin's emails and letting the world see them.  You might not have heard about this one.  A few years ago Sarah found out from her doctor that her unborn baby was going to have "downs syndrome" she wrote this email to her family and friends.  It is powerful as she writes it from God's point of view.

 

To the Sisters, Brother, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and friends of Trig Paxson Van Palin (or whatever you end up naming him!)

 

I am blessing you with this surprise baby because I only want the best for you. I've heard your prayers that this baby will be happy and

healthy, and I've answered them because I only want the best for you!

 

I heard your heart when you hinted that another boy would fit best in the Palin family, to round it out and complete that starting five

line-up. Though another girl would be so nice, you didn't think you could ask for what you REALLY wanted, but I knew, so I gave you a boy because I only want the best for you!

 

Then, I put the idea in your hearts that his name should be "Trig", because it's so fitting, with two Norse meanings: "True" and "Brave

Victory".

 

Then, finally, I let Trig's mom and dad find out before he was born that this little boy will truly be a GIFT. They were told in early

tests that Trig may provide more challenges, and more joy, than what they ever may have imagined or ever asked for. At first the news seemed unreal and sad and confusing. But I gave Trig's mom and dad lots of time to think about it because they needed lots of time to understand that everything will be OK, in fact, everything will be great, because I only want the best for you!

 

I've given Trig's mom and dad peace and joy as they wait to meet their new son. I gave them a happy anticipation because they asked me for that. I'll give all of you the same happy anticipation and strength to deal with Trig's challenges, but I won't impose on you...

 

This new person in your life can help everyone put things in perspective and bind us together and get everyone focused on what

really matters.

 

The baby will expand your world and let you see and feel things you haven't experienced yet. He'll show you what "true, brave victory" really means as those who love him will think less about self and focus less on what the world tells you is "normal" or "perfect". You will grow and be blessed with greater understanding that will be born along with Trig.

 

Every child is created special, with awesome purpose and amazing potential. Children are the most precious and promising ingredient in

this mixed up world you live in down there on earth. Trig is no different, except he has one extra chromosome. Doctors call it "Down's Syndrome", and Downs kids have challenges, but can bring you much delight and more love than you can ever imagine! Just wait and

see, let me prove this, because I only want the best for you!

 

Some of the rest of the world may not want him, but take comfort in that because the world will not compete for him. Take care of him and

he will always be yours!

 

Trig's mom and dad don't want people to focus on the baby's extra chromosome. They're human, so they haven't known how to explain this to people who are so caring and are interested in this new little Alaskan. Sarah and Todd want people to share in the joy of this gift I'm giving

to the Palin family, and the greater Alaska family. Many people won't understand... and I understand that. Some will think Trig should not be allowed to be born because they fear a Downs child won't be considered "perfect" in your world. (But tell me, what do you earthlings consider "perfect" or even "normal" anyway? Have you peeked down any grocery store isle, or school hallway, or into your office

lunchroom lately? Or considered the odd celebrities you celebrate as "perfect" on t.v.? Have you noticed I make 'em all shapes and sizes?

Believe me, there is no "perfect"!)

 

Many people will express sympathy, but you don't want or need that, because Trig will be a joy. You will have to trust me on this.

 

I know it will take time to grasp this and come to accept that I only want the best for you, and I only give my best. Remember though: "My

ways are not your ways, my thoughts are not your thoughts... for as the heavens are higher than the earth, my ways are higher than yours!"

 

I wrote that all down for you in the Good Book! Look it up! You claim that you believe me – now it's time to live out that belief!

Love,

Trig's Creator, Your Heavenly Father

 

 

 

Smile Street Stops - Weekend 6/17

You can catch Sara on Mackinaw Island this Friday from 3 to 6 pm as part of the Lilac Festival. However, you'll have to pedal fast to catch her (no cars are allowed on the island so she's taking her bike w/ a bike trailer full of Smile goodies. We couldn't find her a green & purple horse to ride...LOL).

Sara will be hanging out at the Island Horse Stables for the annual blessing of the animals and the Jr. Horse people fundraiser.

4pm Feast of Epona Lemonade Sale & Stable Tour - Join the Mackinac’s youngest horsemen and women raise funds to benefit their equine programs. Mission Hill Stable

5pm Feast of Epona Blessing of the Animals - Join us as we bless the horses, dogs, turtles and more at this auspicious event. Mission Hill Stable. Presented by the Mackinac Island Horsemen’s Association and the Mackinac Island Dog & Pony Club.

Then Saturday Sara will be out at the Treetops for the Impact Music Festival fundraiser golf outing. We still have room for golfers!

RSVP to Casting Crowns & Win

Casting Crowns is making 2 stops in Michigan this August. RSVP to either show, invite your friends and get a chance to win tickets.

Step 1. Become a fan of Smile FM Radio Network on Facebook.

Step 2. RSVP to either Casting Crowns show in Saginaw or Lansing.

Step 3. Invite Friends
Step 4. Check in on Monday to find out if you are one of winners! Tickets go on sale on Monday for Casting Crowns.

Tickets for the Lansing show will be onsale Monday June 6th

Tickets for the Saginaw show will be onsale Friday June 10th