That’s Elbert With An E

Saturday’s edition of the News Journal (7/12) featured an article on WKNZ, the new Christian radio station in southern Delaware. The online version of the article is located here. Please stop by the radio station’s blog and take the survey. Give your input regarding this new radio station!

Editor’s Note: This is a post I wrote for the WKNZ - Z88.7 blog. This is a new Christian radio station starting in our area. The station’s blog is here.

WKNZ had a planning meeting this past Thursday, June 19. This was the first meeting I attended. Being the first, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. What I found was a healthy amount of excitement surrounding the new station. Bill shared some recent news surrounding the beginning stages. Andy shared the first results of the survey taken by the station. It was certainly encouraging reading over the responses.

Bill shared some of the vision he has regarding the station’s involvement in the local Christian community. This is something that resonated in me. While I’ve listened to many Christian radio stations over the web, they don’t provide the local connection that many of us in southern Delaware have had in the past.

Bill Sammons Sr. began the meeting with a Scripture reading and exhortation. He spoke about expressing a Christian world view. This is needed today, maybe more than ever. There is certainly a decline in a understanding of the Gospel and it’s practical applications in our day. Broadcasting the truth of the Gospel in a relevant manner is certain to not only encourage the believers in Christ but also draw those who need to be transformed by it’s power.

This is certainly affirmed in the Scripture. The Apostle Paul wrote, “I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.” (Colossians 1:25-28, NIV)

One important thing discussed during the meeting was spreading the word about WKNZ. Several ideas for accomplishing this were brought up. I would certainly encourage those of you who are reading this post to past this blog along to your Christian friends in the area. Encourage them to visit and fill out the survey. Your input is valuable and needed to make the ministry here most effective. And if you have a blog yourself, please consider writing a post about WKNZ and provide links to the station’s blog located here.

This post was cross-posted on the WKNZ blog.

A new Christian radio station for southern Delaware is in the works! WKNZ - Z88.7FM is going to be a 25,000 watt station with it’s tower in Harrington and studios in Milton. For some perspective on it’s power, those of you that remember the former WXPZ - The Light FM might not know it was only a 3000 watt station. Simply put, this station is going to cover a large area!

From their web site:

Probably the #1 one question I’m asked while telling people about the station is “what will it sound like?” One thing we do know, it will be non-commercial. Other than that, we are in the process of working on that… Click here to be linked to a survey that will help us put those pieces together. What’s important to you? We can’t wait to find out!

We are just literally getting started in the process of building a radio station. What do we need? Everything… Your prayers and financial support are first though! The station will probably be built in HD (or High Definition). There is not a significant additional expense to use HD when building from scratch in 2008. (It’s a very expensive upgrade, though!) HD allows us some very neat opportunities down the line…

Please stop by their web site, Z887.org, their blog, or jump right to the survey and let them know what you think! And please spread the word about the station!

If you noticed on the blogroll, I’ve added a category for “Weather” seeing as WMDT has a weather blog. I love the idea, and they are off to a decent start. A recent post lists the 2008 Atlantic Hurricane names. The author of the post, which appears to be Ashley Meenan, writes:

Every time I look at the list of Hurricane names, I get upset that a hurricane has never been named after me. I think Hurricane Ashley would be a great one!

Some names come to my mind that I would add to the list, but someone might be offended so I will refrain. However “Hurricane Elbert” or “Hurricane With An E” would be nice.

Do you remember that one year ago it was snowing?

I’m happy to announce that thanks to Howard I’ve found another Seaford blogger: PonderMints. I’ve seen Brian commenting on Dave Burris’ blog and somewhere else but I can’t remember exactly where it was. Brian’s blog has now been added to the list. Pay him a visit sometime soon.

Michael at Monoblogue has had two posts discussing blogging. These posts drove me into some thoughts about doing this blog.

Honestly, one of the reasons I did this was to give myself a way to possibly get better at writing. In short, you get to be the guinea pigs as I try to improve my ability of communicating thoughts and ideas out on paper… err, I mean… well, on screen? I’ve not created many new things but I’ve spent a good deal of time pointing out what others are saying and doing then offering small comments to those.

It would seem that some have an interest in my feeble attempts at blogging because I do get some regular traffic. No, I’m not bragging like some would. The number of hits is nothing to brag about but something that gives me good feelings.

Networking with other local bloggers has been very good for That’s Elbert. This blog gets a good deal of traffic from local sites.

I figured out sometime last year that regular posting helps a lot. Like Michael, I’ve taken time and written some things in advance then timestamped them to publish days later. Brian at PonderMints has written that he’s been working a lot, and as a result his postings have been coming slower. That has also been a problem here. Balancing family, work, and church is always tricky but even more when one of them requires or demands more time than normal. Something has to give, and most of the time it’s right here. It isn’t that writing this blog has become a burden but that it doesn’t and really can’t have priority over any of the aforementioned three. Well, if I could make money at it, that would put blogging in the three! But that’s not even on the radar right now.

On the subject of posting, I’ve tried to suck some other folks into the That’s Elbert vortex but that’s not working (yet). I have not given up on Conservative Geek and Videoman because they are just as busy as I am. When things slow down for them, I will prod them again.

So, that wraps up the blog thoughts for now.

Starting January 1, the government of Maryland wishes all their oppressed brethren a Happy New Year by slapping new taxes on everything not already taxed and raising taxes on everything already taxed. I don’t live behind the Iron Curtain but know of the oppression present there. I mean, I can feel it every time I drive across the line to shop or visit my mother. I can feel it at church which is just across the street from it in Delmar. I thought it was coming across in the blogs I read from Maryland, but that just might be spirit of Bill Gates Steve Jobs darkness that sometimes creeps out of the technology. OK, now I’m just getting silly, but you’ve gotten the point.

I’ve gripped about the rise in DMV fees here in the First State. I still can’t figure out why they had to double auto registration fees and nearly double driver’s license fees. That touches home because both vehicles needed tag renewals this year, and my two youngest are waiting a little longer for their licenses because of that increase. Maryland’s tax increases will probably keep me spending more money in Delaware or online. It will be inconvenient but it might save us some cash.

I had an idea regarding cigarette taxes that would benefit Delaware. With Maryland jacking up the tax an extra $1 a pack, certainly their residents will be wanting to get their smokes cheaper somewhere. Why don’t we lower our tax in Delaware thus luring the bargain hunters here? The increase in sales will be good for our businesses and may generate more tax revenue. This is all fantasy, of course. Governments, especially those controlled by Democrats, don’t participate in the free market. In addition, if I am correct about this, Maryland would not be happy with it’s citizens bringing quantities of cigarettes across the border, in a legal sense of it. Honestly though, I don’t know how they’d ever stop it.

A Maryland blog, Gunpowder Chronicle, offers some ideas on how to “Starve The Beast” down there. His ideas seem well thought and reasonable. Take a look and see what you think.