Dave Arthur: KTSY morning DJ

DAVE Arthur Morning DJ lets his voice be heard

By Steve Bertel

It’s 5 a.m.

And while many of us won’t be up for another hour or two yet, Treasure Valley radio legend Dave Arthur is already at work, comfortably settled at a console of slider controls, lighted buttons, monitors, and VU meters; his headphones on, mic boom adjusted, watching the clock.

As the seconds tick down: 4 …3 …2 … Dave keys his mic. “And a very pleasant good morning! This is 89.5 KTSY. We are Dave and Tristi! Thanks for starting your day with us!”

For the past five years, “The Dave and Tristi Show” (Dave’s co-host, Tristi, is known professionally by only her first name) has entertained countless Treasure Valley listeners with the day’s news, information, and the best in Christian music.

Of course, seated behind a microphone has always been second nature for Dave; in fact, he says, his love for radio began at a very early age. “When I was seven years old and living with my parents in Illinois, I started listening to WLS, one of the most popular radio stations in Chicago at the time, and a disc jockey named Larry Lujack – who, coincidentally, started his radio career in the late ’50s right here in Caldwell. And listening to him, man, that really lit my fire. I knew right then and there I wanted to work in radio.”

Even though he was obviously too young at the time to work professionally at a radio station, nothing could stop him from pretending. “I remember saving my money and buying one of those AM/ FM/8-track stereos with a turntable, because I needed to have some kind of a radio or a stereo in my room where I could listen to music. My brother and cousin and I would be listening to the radio and goofing around, pretending we were disc jockeys or news people. My brother was ‘Walter Concrete.’ And in his deep voice would say, ‘And that’s the way it is…’ In fact, I still have tapes of myself, pretending to be a disc jockey. I’d be listening to the radio and, when a song ended and the real DJ would say something, I’d jump right in there, talking over him – speaking into my tape recorder’s little microphone – doing my own ‘announcing’.

“So I was always fascinated with ‘the radio thing’; playing records, giving the weather, reading the news, entertaining people, all the things DJs did. And over the years, I never lost that fascination, that love of being in broadcasting,” he says.

Dave also acquired another love at an early age. “Coming to know the Lord was like a natural progression for me. I grew up in a Christian home, of course, had a very stable family, a wonderful childhood. When my family moved to Boise, I remember my parents enrolled me in what is now the Cole Valley Christian School. When I was nine years old and in the fourth grade, I was sitting in one of the chapel services. The minister was talking about salvation and I remember right then asking Jesus to come live in my heart. And He has ever since. Of course, I’ve had some great years and some not-so-great years in my life, but God has always been there with me every step of the way.”

Dave has spent an astonishing 38 years behind the microphone. When he was a high school junior in 1984, “I was already working part-time for Lee Schafer, the owner of KSPD. At that time, KSPD offered its listeners Christian talk programs from Dr. James Dobson, Pastor Chuck Swindoll, John MacArthur, Dr. J. Vernon McGee – all the heavy hitters. And we’d fill the rest of the time with Christian music. Of course, this was before KTSY even existed, so KSPD was the Boise area’s only outlet back then for contemporary Christian music and Christian-based educational and talk programs.”

While a fifteen- or thirty-minute program was playing on the air, Dave would while away his time reading trade magazines, as did many in the industry. “I remember reading articles about all these big, powerful, full-time FM Christian music radio stations in major markets and I thought, ‘Man, Boise really needs something like that.’ So my life’s goal, my ultimate dream back then, was to be the morning guy at a Christian FM station in Boise, Idaho,” he says.

Little did Dave know that his dream would eventually come true.

Through the years, he worked for a number of Boise-area radio stations, usually playing secular soft rock or Top 40 rock, usually alongside such local broadcasting legends like Larry Lomax, “Big Jack” Armstrong, Mike Kasper, Ken Bass – “who was on the air with Robin Scott at the time, billing themselves as ‘Bass Man and Robin’”, Dave recalls – and even the formidable male-female duo “Tracy and Margo.” Then, in 1996, the opportunity came his way to work for a brand-new radio station in Walla Walla, Washington called “Way FM”, whose broadcast coverage area included a large part of eastern Washington and northeast Oregon. “I was so excited! It was a dream come true for me; because, not only was I now doing a morning show, ‘Way FM’ was the first full-time Christian music radio station I worked for,” Dave says. “So it checked two of the three boxes of my ‘ultimate dream’ To-Do List. Christian FM radio station. Check. Morning guy. Check. And even though the third box wasn’t checked – I wasn’t working in Boise – I really felt the Lord had led me to that station.”

Many in broadcasting, both in radio and TV, usually begin their careers in small markets, where they can get their training, their experience, their “sea legs,” then gradually move their way up the career ladder to larger stations in much larger cities. Usually for much larger salaries.

And Dave was no exception. Some four years later, he and his wife moved to Portland, where he began working for “Air 1,” the national Christian radio network, then later was hired as both program director and afternoon announcer for another brand-new Christian station, 104.1 “The Fish.”

And that’s when KTSY came calling.

“In 2001, Program Director Ty McFarland called and wanted to know if I could start voice-tracking for them. So I did,” Dave says. Voice-tracking dates back to the ’70s, when DJs would pre-record their show’s “talk” segments to be played later. That freed them to do other duties at the station (if the DJ was local) and not be literally tethered to a four-hour control room shift; it also gave smallmarket stations the ability to have major-market talent on the air, since the small stations could now “hire” popular DJs from some of the country’s much larger radio stations.

“KTSY would send me the programming logs and the order of the songs they were going to play, and I would pre-record – voicetrack – all the intros and outros, then send them back what I had recorded,” Dave explains. “To the average listener, it sounded like I was live in the KTSY studios; when, in fact, I was actually in my home studio more than 400 miles away, in Portland.”

Dave would even come to Boise on occasion and personally appear at KTSY fundraisers and other events, underscoring the “live” illusion.

Then, one day, KTSY General Manager Brian Yeager asked him, “What would it take to get you to come back to Boise … and stay?”

Dave points out that “One of my favorite Bible verses is Proverbs 16:9 that says, We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. There have been a number of times in my life where I thought, ‘Yep, I’ve got my plan.’ And the Lord says, ‘Uh, no, Dave. You’re coming with me this way.’”

So, even though he loved his job at “The Fish,” in 2012 – much like the opening theme of that ’70s sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati”

where a DJ laments that he “got kind of tired packing and unpacking, town to town, up and down the dial” – Dave took KTSY up on its offer, and returned to his roots.

And he has been there ever since.

“I love it!” he exclaims. “As KTSY’s music director, I get to choose what songs we’re playing, I get to talk with music company reps in Nashville every week, I get to do interviews with the world’s top Christian recording artists and, what’s more,” he adds with a flippant smile, “I’m playing uplifting music on a morning show on an FM Christian station in the Boise market with a great and talented co-host. So, yeah, all my boxes are now checked.”

But his most memorable interview is not with any of the charttopping music stars.

As Dave tells it, “Back in 2002 when I was working in Oregon, I interviewed a young lady – a high school senior named Cassie Owens – who had cancer. She had had one of her legs amputated and was confined to a wheelchair. She was given the honor of participating in the Winter Olympics torch relay, and actually got to ‘carry’ the Flame when it came through Portland. I remember interviewing her in our studio, and she had this very powerful message: she was witnessing to her high school friends, where they were going to go to college, what they were going to do with their lives, and the like. Of course, given her life-threatening health issues, she didn’t have the same plans they did; but she told them how she was able to put 100% of her hope in Jesus and what He promised, knowing she probably would not live as long as they would.

“And she didn’t. Unfortunately, the young lady passed away before she was able to graduate. “Sometime later, when there was a local charity run held in her honor, I replayed portions of my interview with her on my radio show, because her message had spoken to me – and our listeners – in such an amazing way.

“Now, as Paul Harvey used to say, here’s ‘The Rest of the Story’: When I re-aired that interview, I had no idea her mother was in

a super, super, super dark place in her life at that time – and just happened to be listening to my show that day! And so, here she was, suddenly hearing her daughter’s voice again, literally speaking life back into her. “Not long after that, my wife, Shauna, went on a tour of Israel. And one of the people on that tour – in fact, the woman right next to my wife as they waited to board the flight – was the girl’s mother! As strangers sometimes do, they struck up a casual converDave Arthur is the morning DJ at 89.5 KTSY and half of the morning show duo known as “The Dave and Tristi Show.” (Courtesy photo) sation. And when Shauna told the woman who she was, the woman said, ‘Wait. You’re Dave Arthur’s wife?! The same Dave Arthur who interviewed my daughter?! You’ve got to be kidding! Let me tell you a story …’ “So yes, that was definitely the Lord at work that day, helping the mother get through probably one of the darkest times in her life – through me, through the interview, and through her daughter.” As far as his broadcasting career, Dave shows no signs of stopping. “It’s a real blessing, on a personal level, that I’m able to have a really good work/life balance. I feel truly blessed that I get to do what I love and still be able to spend quality time with my family,” he says. “My dad once told me, ‘If you find a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.’ And he’s right. I love making a living from what I know brings glory to God every day. I know lots of people listen to us. And I find myself truly blessed to be working for a company I love, with people I love, and be able to be that voice of Hope for our listeners as they start their day.” n Steve Bertel is a multi-award-winning professional radio, television, print media, and social media journalist, who recently retired after a 30-year broadcasting career. Now a busy freelance writer, he recently released his debut suspense novel, “Dolphins of an Unjust Sea,” available on both Amazon and Kindle. Steve and his wife of 40 years live in Meridian, Idaho. He can be reached at stevebertel65@gmail.com.

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“I GET TO!”®

Consistently cast your cares on Him

By Joan Endicott

It was late summer 1980 at 4:30 a.m. – definitely oh-dark-thirty. This was all new to me and I was excited and nervous to take the journey and a bit confused as to why we were asked to meet at such an early hour since we couldn’t even see well. I felt confident it would be a good experience because I had prepared in all the ways I was encouraged to by the experts.

For a few months I’d been working out and running consistently, hydrating, and eating (mostly) healthy foods, ensured I had the proper clothes, footwear, and that my backpack had the necessary supplies for this journey. Still, I couldn’t have anticipated how challenging this climb would be at times.

Our guide was Woody, a buddy from college who had a great deal of outdoor adventure experience, including climbing Mount Hood several times. He knew what he was doing. For myself and the other two guys, it was our first time. (I had been on Mt. Hood a few times before – on a chair lift and skiing down. Not too much navigation involved.) Since I was the only female, I may have also packed a bit of pride that made me very determined to not be seen as the weakest link.

By 5:30 a.m., we left Timberline Lodge and our climb up Mount Hood (elevation 11,250 feet) officially began. I was really excited about how enthused and energetic I felt starting out. The weeks of planning and preparation were now coming to fruition.

It took no time at all to see the contrast of the steep grade of this climb being nothing like running on the flat surfaces I was used to. How can I already feel this tired and breathing this hard? I’ve only just begun this journey. Clearly, I’m not as prepared as I thought. Over 1,000 feet above Timberline Lodge is Silcox Hut. Finished in 1939, it’s a small rustic midmountain lodge located at 6,950 feet. Over the years, hikers have used it as a warming hut and a starting point for their climb. Silcox Hut became a place and decision point for me. I needed to evaluate – I mean honestly and deeply evaluate – my commitment level to the rest of the journey. The reality was, 90% of my journey lay ahead of me, should I choose to go on. So, what were my options? At this point, I could easily go back by myself since the path was clear and easy. I also knew I did not want to slow anyone else down or in any way be a hindrance. In my heart, I also knew I didn’t want to give up on something I really wanted to do and this was one of the last options, timing wise, before getting married and moving 400 miles away. I shared with Woody how I felt surprised, discouraged, and disappointed at how tired I already felt when we were barely getting started. Fortunately, Woody was wise as well as experienced.

He reminded me, “It’s okay! This is not a race, Joan! You need to pace yourself, not try and prove yourself, or you’ll have a harder time and not enjoy any of it.” He encouraged me that I was in every way prepared and had everything I needed to have a successful climb.

At that point of decision, I knew Woody was experienced enough to know objectively if I was ready and would have told me if I wasn’t. I also knew I would regret it if I turned back. I

chose to believe my trusted guide and recommit to the journey. It was time to simply watch, listen, trust, and do what my experienced guide advised. That point of re-commitment served me very well throughout our eight-hour climb up to the top of Mount Hood and two-and-a-half-hour descent. Especially during those times when I felt so disoriented that I wasn’t sure if we were going up or down. Yes, that’s the feeling I had a few times on this journey. I reminded myself to simply follow the leader, do what he does, go where he goes, step where he steps, don’t deviate, no matter how it feels. Joan Endicott My Mount Hood climb serves as an example of various life principles. With all that is happening in each of our lives, personally and in this world – from domestic to global crises – it’s human, it’s natural and normal to feel weary and troubled by it all. Let’s imagine if I had started out my climb and had been easily distracted from my purpose by all the pretty rocks and cool wood I could find. As a beachcomber since childhood, I love pretty shells, unique wood and rocks, so this isn’t a stretch for me. (Though never officially diagnosed, I have all the symptoms of Bright Shiny Object Syndrome!) “Ohhh, look at that pretty rock…that looks like petrified wood…and this one is like a piece of broken mirror…that one looks like a heart…I love hearts…” I tell myself, “They’re so little they won’t weigh much in my backpack.” As I keep adding, I reason, “See, not even noticeable.” When I run out of room in my backpack, I start cramming things in my pockets. Eventually, I finally start to feel weary from the heaviness of all I am carrying. Separately they didn’t weigh much, but ounce by ounce, pound by pound, I am now weighed down by a load I never imagined. When I start telling my guide about how weary and weighed down I feel, he suggests we stop, take off my backpack and empty my pockets. It’s all out on the ground and as I look at each one, suddenly they look different. I see each one represents something much more meaningful. The heart represents my precious family and loved ones and all the worries and care I have about them. The petrified wood represents all my past mistakes and missteps that I have beaten myself up over – again and again – and fear for the future. The broken mirror reminds me of all my striving for others’ acceptance and approval…and how I always come up lacking. “It’s too much! It’s too heavy! I cannot carry this load any longer.” I cry out as I look up and see my guide is Jesus. I see only love and arms open wide. “Oh, my precious daughter Joan, of course you can’t! You weren’t created to carry all this. You aren’t equipped nor strong enough. You will always be weary and troubled and continue to crumble under this load of care. That’s why I want you to cast your cares upon Me and let Me carry your load!”

“Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for

you.” – 1 Peter 5:7 Cast: To throw or fling with a quick motion and sudden release. To throw off, out or away.

Jesus bent down and began gathering up my load and put it in my backpack. I was a bit surprised because I thought He was going to tell me to just leave it. He gave me His backpack and put mine on his back. “Here, I’ll carry yours. You can carry mine,” He said. When I took hold of His, I realized it was weightless. “There’s nothing in this,” I said. “Exactly!” He said as He smiled and embraced me with unconditional love, understanding and compassion. “It’s time to stop trying to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, Joan. That never was your job. It’s always been mine and I finished it on the cross.”

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30

Weary – Having the strength much impaired by toil, suffering, etc.; tired, fatigued

Troubled – To agitate mentally or spiritually; worry; disturb; grieve; distress n

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

– by Helen H. Lemmel, 1864-1961

Verse 1: “O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There’s light for a look at the Savior, And life more abundant and free! “Chorus: Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

Grab your FREE copy of Joan Endicott’s “I Get To!”® book at www. JoanEndicott.com. Joan is an Award-Winning Keynote Speaker, Author and Coach who’s coaching has reached over 30 countries. Meet her and enjoy her encouraging messages on Facebook and Instagram!

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BIBLICALLY Responsible Investing Take some advice from ‘wisdom literature’

By Doug Hanson

My family and I like to play board games and our favorite is the strategic game, “Settlers of Catan.” The goal of the game is to become the largest settler on an island through acquiring resources (brick, wood, grain, ore, and wool) and building structures (settlements, cities, and roads). Players can strategically trade resources to gain the right material to build. Players that trade without forethought jeopardize their chance to win – they trade away resources they need, or they provide key resources to a competing player.

Using strategy in a board game like “Settlers of Catan” is important, but it pales in comparison to strategies we need in life. What’s our strategy for raising our children, for our marriage, for our health, for our spiritual well-being, for our money? Scripture encourages us to think strategically in all aspects of our lives: “Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways” (Proverbs 4:26). A good strategy involves wisdom.

Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary defines wisdom as “knowledge, and the capacity to make due use of it.” Wisdom is replete in Scripture, especially prevalent in three books of the Old Testament called wisdom literature (Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes). Wisdom literature provides general principles of life, not promises. In wisdom literature we see the astute application of knowledge, guiding us in the way we should live. Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 provides us wisdom for investing. If we want to be biblically responsible investors, the passage has four principles for us to consider.

Invest for Profit – Ecclesiastes 11:1 encourages us to “Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days.” This verse may refer to merchants sending their ships full of grain across the seas, anticipating profits in return. Or it could refer to farmers planting seed in rain-soaked or flood-soaked fields, anticipating a fruitful harvest in return. Either way, the emphasis is on putting our resources to work and waiting for them to grow. Let’s not sit idly by while stewarding God’s blessings in our lives, let’s invest to care for ourselves and to bless others.

Invest Diversely – While verse one encourages us to invest, verses two and three encourage us to spread those investments around: “Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth. If the clouds are full, they pour out rain upon the earth; and whether a tree

falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it lies.” A wise merchant transports grain on multiple ships, in case one ship sinks. A wise farmer plants in multiple fields, in case one field doesn’t produce. Likewise, we should diversify our investments in case one investment doesn’t perform as expected. Invest Now – I am often asked when the best time is to invest. A wise response is found in verses four and five: “He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap. Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things.” The best Doug Hanson time to invest is “now” because it is notoriously difficult to time the market. The market will fluctuate but has always recovered with time. Just as a farmer can’t always wait for the perfect day to plant, we shouldn’t try to time the market when we invest. Invest Regularly – The final principal found in Ecclesiastes 11 is from verse 6: “Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.” This verse encourages the farmer to sow in the morning and in the evening to be most successful in raising a crop. In the investing world, this is referred to as Dollar Cost Averaging. If we invest the same amount monthly, let’s say on the first of the month, studies have shown that we end up with more shares over the long-term since we organically take advantage of down days in the market. If we have a poor strategy in board games, there is little impact on our lives. However, if we have a poor strategy in the more important aspects of life – including investing – there can be a significant impact on our lives. Scripture’s wisdom literature exists for our benefit. Let’s use it. n Doug Hanson is an investment advisor with Christian Wealth Management in Boise, providing biblically responsible investment advice to Christians. For more information, visit investforthegloryofgod.com or contact him at doug@christianwm.com or (208) 697-3699. Investment advisory services provided by Creative Financial Designs, Inc. Securities are offered through CFD Investments, Inc., Member FINRA & SIPC. 2704 South Goyer Road, Kokomo, IN 46902, 795-453-9600. Christian Wealth Management, LLC is not affiliated with CFD Investments, Inc. or Creative Financial Designs, Inc.

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UNDERSTANDING Relationships Which bunny are you: hollow or solid?

By Gary Moore

When you observe some couples, you say, “They’ll never make it.” And looking at other couples, you say, “They’re going to make it. They’ll be great together.” What enables a marriage to hold together and thrive?

Let me answer this question by looking at two bunnies. As a kid I always liked getting a chocolate bunny at Easter. But you know, it didn’t take me too long to learn that there are really two different kind of chocolate bunnies you can get at Easter. They looked the same – they were both chocolate, but they were far different. One was hollow and one was solid. It was easy to crumble the hollow bunny, but I couldn’t even put a dent in the solid one.

Marriages are like those bunnies. On the outside they can look good and solid, and nobody can tell what they’re made of. But put pressure on them – and every marriage experiences pressure – and you’ll find out whether they’re really solid.

How marriages stand up is determined by what’s inside. The hollow ones will crack and crumble under pressure. But those that have been solidly built can take it. Squeeze them all you want, and they are unmoved, unshaken, unaltered, unharmed.

A solid marriage, like a solid bunny, weighs more, costs more, and withstands more. It’s got substance. It’s been “filled up” on the inside with wise principles, tested practices, good decisions, and painstaking discipline. The process of making it solid isn’t quick, cheap, or easy. But it’s worth it, because solid marriages last under pressure.

In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus taught the same principle using a different metaphor. You’ll remember the story of the wise and foolish builders. The wise builder built his house on the rock and the foolish man built his house on the sand. You could substitute the word marriage for house in that passage and it would reveal truth. The wise couple builds their marriage on the rock of Jesus’ words. And then when the storms and winds of life beat against that marriage, it does not fall. Why? Rock is solid. But couples who don’t build their marriages on something solid will fall with a great crash. They’re like hollow bunnies. But notice something about the parable of the wise and foolish builders. The houses were the same. So were the storms. The difference was the foundation on which the two houses were built: one was on a solid foundation; the other was on an unstable foundation. Continued on page 21 Image by ivabalk from Pixabay

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‘22 National Day of Prayer set for May 5

The 45th Mayor’s Community Prayer Breakfast is set for 7 a.m. Thursday, May 5, at the Nampa Civic Center. The breakfast is presented by the Kiwanis Club of Nampa and sponsored by the Nampa Civic Center and Good News Community Church.

Special music for the breakfast will be provided by the St. Paul’s Catholic Church Choir, and the keynote speaker will be Dr. Bryan Taylor, prosecuting attorney for Canyon County.

Cost of the breakfast buffett is $15. For more information, call (208) 442-3232. n

By Mark Thornton

“Exalt the Lord who has established us.” – Colossians 2:6-7

I am rejoicing as I reflect back upon the unmistakable God-story: the many answers to prayer that we witnessed the Lord accomplish this last year; the countless ways that He lavishly poured out His love, grace, mercy and blessings upon the Body of Christ throughout our city. Even as our culture wrestled with darkness, division, hopelessness and fear, we appeared to gain footholds in the hearts and minds of believers. We were constantly reminded of this TRUTH – our God is ALMIGHTY, and He is ABLE.

Ephesians 3:20 from the Passion Translation reminds us: Never doubt God's mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination!

Over the past two years, Covid threatened to hinder and even stop the gathering of the saints. We experienced a surge in prayers because it was the only thing we could consistently do. God gave us a way to facilitate His Kingdom agenda on earth regardless of what obstacles come our way. No external force has ever been able to stifle the power of prayer.

Prayer worked for Moses and the children of Israel in the wilderness. Prayer worked for Daniel and the three Hebrew boys in Babylon in spite of the political climate. Prayer worked for King David and his son Solomon. Prayer worked for Jesus in the garden. Prayer worked for the Disciples and the Apostle Paul – and prayer still works for us today! Did God not promise in His Word that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (James 5:16 KJV)? Prayer is and will always be “an earthly license for Heavenly interference.”

It seems like we only emphasize verse 14 out of 2 Chronicle 7, but if we were to honestly take a look at the passage in the context of what the world has gone through over the last two years, we will see the difference prayer has made.

“If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send a plague among my people and my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears will be attentive to the prayer offered in this place.” – 2 Chronicles 7:13-15 (NASB) In spite of the obstacles during this time, many churches are experiencing greater success in ministering to their congregation both spiritually and naturally. I don’t think it’s because the pastors are preaching better than they were pre-Covid. I don’t think it’s because the worship has become better than it was before. And I certainly don’t think that the trials and tribulations of the world have become any less significant. I do believe that because prayer has been more passionately and consistently prioritized that the majority of churches in our community have flourished when it seems like all the obstacles should have caused otherwise. That’s the power of prayer! By the time this article is published, I would hope that we will have seen the saving of tens of thousands of souls in our valley from the Easter weekend services and the Boise Harvest Crusade. Make no mistake… The enemy of our destiny is still at work trying to suppress the movement of God in our valley. And spiritually, we have taken too much ground over the last 18 months to get complacent now. The National Day of Prayer provides us with an opportunity to not only acknowledge and thank God collectively for what He has done but to also collectively pray His Kingdom come and His will be done in our families, churches, businesses, schools, government, media and in our nation. It’s a privilege and an honor, as well as a directive from Heaven, for us to be watchmen on the wall and to intercede and petition the God of grace for His will to be done in all of these areas.

God is a God of principles. Systems and seasons may change, but God’s principles do not.

The power of unity has always been unrivaled. As the collective Body of Christ, let us come together at the Idaho State Capitol on Thursday, May 5, at 5 p.m. and use the principle of unity to pray God’s Kingdom come and His will be done throughout valley, state and nation. n

Which bunny are you? Continued from page 19

We often want to blame what’s falling apart in our lives on the strength of the storm. But in truth, everyone’s life experiences storms. Everyone’s marriage experiences challenges. Everyone has to deal with difficult finances. Everyone faces temptations that test their character. No one escapes intense trials and storms. Some crumble under the pressure while others stand strong because of what is inside.

I’ve read that it takes 75 percent more chocolate to make a bunny solid rather than hollow. It also takes 75 percent more effort to build a solid marriage and family instead of a hollow one. What does that mean? It means being much more intentional about investing in your marriage and living your principles consistently day after day.

Begin first with the nonnegotiables of faith. Not only is this the place to begin, but you will need this solid foundation on which to build your solid marriage house. Spend time with God daily – individually and as a couple. Worship God together weekly – as a couple and as a family. When you’re consumed with your own problems and ambitions all week, worshipping God reminds you of what’s really important. And, it helps us put Jesus back at the center of our lives if we’ve drifted off course in our thinking.

With a solid foundation, you can then begin constructing the various walls and rooms that make for a happy and successful relationship. This is going to take planning and intentionality. And, since no one teaches us how to do relationships, you may even need some outside help to get you started. As you begin this process, together you will decide what you believe are important “walls” and “rooms” for your family house. In this process make sure you consider a couple of things. One is the fact that most relationships naturally drift apart, not together, if couples aren’t intentional about doing things together. To build a solid marriage and family, you will have to be very intentional about sharing your lives and staying close. And remember, no matter how you slice it, love is spelled t-i-m-e. And two, consider that pretending that something isn’t true doesn’t make it go away. Instead, it creates pretense, and that is destructive. Learn how to make your marriage a safe place where you can speak the truth in love. Gary Moore How your marriage weathers life’s storms has little to do with the severity of the storms. What’s inside you will always determine whether your marriage falls apart or stands strong. So, which bunny are you? n Gary Moore served as associate pastor at Cloverdale Church of God for 15 years. He does couples’ coaching and leads couples’ workshops and retreats called MUM’s the Word. He does a weekly radio program called Life Point Plus on KBXL 94.1FM at 8:45 a.m. on Fridays. Monday mornings at 10 a.m. he does live relationship teaching called MUM Live on his Facebook page Mutual Understanding Method. He may be contacted at glmoore113@gmail.com.

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