Things We Talked About Today

-Millie Schumaker from the Family Y told us about the grand opening of the Miracle League Baseball field this Saturday. The field provides barrier-free baseball games for disabled children and young adults. A special rubberized surface and flat bases eliminate obstacles for those in wheelchairs or with other assistive devices, like walkers or crutches. The specially adapted field is located at an existing sports complex behind the Uptown Division of the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center on Wrightsboro Road. If you would like to sign up a child for the league, visit http://www.thefamilyy.org/.

-The FDA and the CPSC are saying that infant sleep positioners are not safe. They're meant to keep babies sleeping safely on their backs, but they could be a suffocation hazard. Read more

- Dr. Gary Chapman joined us to talk about his new book, Things I Wish I'd Known Before We Got Married. Listen: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4

-If you haven't registered to vote for the November 2nd election, the deadlines are approaching. You have until Saturday to register in South Carolina and until Monday in Georgia.
Links: GA Voter Registration / SC Voter Registration

-Bowen Hammitt, son of Matt from Sanctus Real, has improved enough after heart surgery to be moved to moderate care. He still has two more heart surgeries ahead, but things are looking good for him. Updates are at http://www.bowensheart.com/.

-Coming up Friday...Our movie guy, Bob Waliszewski, joins us at 7:10 AM with a family-friendly look at the weekend's new movies. As we get ready to kickoff Operation Christmas Child on Saturday, Izabella McMillon will join us at 7:40 AM to tell about receiving a shoebox as a child in Romania. Also, another Backstage Pass Friday takes place in the 8 AM hour, where listeners like you get to come be part of the show.

Things We Talked About Today

-Bowen Hammitt, son of Matt from Sanctus Real, continues to make progress. He is only a couple of weeks old and was born with a heart condition. Matt has some really insightful thoughts on suffering in his latest journal entry at http://www.bowensheart.com/.

-The song "Live Like We're Dying" from Kris Allen talks about living life to the fullest each day and not taking tomorrow for granted. Jim called to tell us about something he does with his FCA students called "Paint a Rose Day." One day a month, his students are very intentional about "painting roses" in the lives of others by letting them know their appreciated and loved, rather than waiting until it's too late.

-We're kicking off the Operation Christmas Child campaign for the CSRA this Saturday. John will be at the Evans Chick-fil-A, and Cleve will be at the Aiken Chick-fil-A. Between 11 am and 1 pm, you can stop by and pick up a shoebox and information to help you get started on a fun way to make an eternal impact on a child. We'll also be giving away Chris Tomlin concert tickets at each location.

-We talked about the importance of knowing what you believe and why you believe it, in regards to your faith. A new study out from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life finds that atheists and agnostics have a better handle on the major religions and their beliefs than most Christians. This information points to the importance of having some knowledge of other beliefs so that, as a Christian, you can provide a Biblical perspective. Read more

-New research shows that there are driving distractions that are actually more dangerous than texting while driving. The North Dakota woman pulled over for having 15 cats in her car is a good example. We talked about how letting your animals roam around your car or sit in your lap can be dangerous for you and those around you. A listener called to tell us they do make a doggie seat belt that you can attach to the car seat belt, and it will keep your pet strapped in while on the road.

-Melissa Harpring provided us with a very easy and very chocolatey Triple Chocolate Cake for our Simple Cooking feature. You can get the recipe from the post below this one.

-Matthew West, Jonny Diaz and Josh Wilson will be at New Hope Worship Center this Friday night for "The Story of Your Life" Tour. You can meet them in person from 11:30 am until 1:00 pm on Friday at Lifeway Christian Store in Augusta.

Coming up Thursday...Mille Schumaker from the Family Y tells us about the new Miracle League baseball program for disabled children and young adults at 6:10. Later, Dr. Gary Chapman, author of The Five Love Languages, joins us at 7:10 and 8:40 to talk about his new book, Things I Wish I'd Known Before We Got Married.

Simple Cooking - Triple Chocolate Cake

1 Box Chocolate Cake Mix (I like to buy the one with the pudding in the mix, so it's real chocolaty)
1 3/4 Cups Milk
1 Pkg. ( 12 oz.) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 Small Box Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix
2 Eggs
Non-Stick Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a bundt pan with the non-stick spray. Mix all ingredients together, stirring well. Pour evenly into bundt pan and bake 40-45 minutes, until knife inserted in middle comes out clean. Let cool before turning pan over.

Melissa Harpring sent us this easy chocolate cake recipe. She says her girls request it all the time. If you have a recipe to share, send it to john@wafj.com. Please include a phone number where we can contact you. If we use your recipe on the show, you'll receive a gift from us.

Things We Talked About Today

-Besides being heartbroken over the losing streak of his Georgia Bulldogs and working on a new body with P90X, Bebo Norman has a new album out today called Ocean. He joined us this morning. We've been playing the song "Here Goes" from that project, and Bebo told us he wrote that song with Brandon Heath. It came from a 10 year-long conversation in their friendship about the fear they feel as artists in making themselves vulnerable to their audiences. Bebo said they don't fit the mold of a typical artist, but in spite of feeling inadequate, God has used them and confirmed their calling.

-MAU is hosting a job fair until 4 PM today at the Jameson Suites on Claussen Road in Augusta. They are trying to fill 148 industrial positions around the CSRA including forklift drivers, packers, welders, mechanical assemblers, machine operators and more. Come prepared for an interview because they will do some on-the-spot hiring.

-Google is making predictions about the hot toys for Christmas 2010. At the top of the list is the Nerf N Strike Stampede Blaster, basically a fully automatic dart gun. A set of creatures called Sing-a-ma-jigs that can sing in harmony are also expected to be big. Other notables are vintage or unique Silly Bandz, Japanese "Iwako" erasers and balance bikes.

-Southwest Airlines is merging with AirTran Airways, putting the discount carrier even closer to Augusta. Analysts say this could lead to lower fares among all the airlines, and we hope it also means the end of paying for baggage, something you don't do on Southwest. There's actually a Facebook group that has been started to bring Southwest to Augusta.

-Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue has been speaking publicly about his disappointment in the Georgia Bulldogs football team. Perdue played for them in the 1960's and said the team needs more "intensity" and must get "serious about winning." Read more

Coming up Wednesday...Simple Cooking with John and Cleve at 8:10. We'll talk about Melissa Harpring's Triple Chocolate Cake.

Things We Talked About Today

-Monday Morning Mindbender
Q: A survey of women asked where their worst first date was and this was the number one answer. What is it?
A: mini-golf
Why? Maybe the competitive nature of guys is too much for the first date!

-There were a lot of inspirational athletes at the Augusta Ironman yesterday. One blind man competed with the help of a partner and a tether for the swim and run. Both of them rode a tandem bike for the 56-mile run through Aiken County. There were also amputees who were able to complete the challenge.

-You would think that training for an Ironman (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, 13.1 run) is a yearlong process. Starla called us (she provided massages to the athletes after they finished) and said some of the athletes she talked to only started training in July! She said some of them were not as fit as you might think, so maybe it really is a question of mind over matter.

-Matthew West joined us this morning. He spent two months in a cabin writing the songs for his new project, The Story of Your Life. Over 10,000 stories came in from his fans telling their stories, and they inspired the songs on the new project. One of the songs, "Survivors," speaks to those who are battling or have battled cancer and seems to really be connecting his concert audiences. You can meet Matthew, along with tour mates Josh Wilson and Jonny Diaz, this Friday from 11:30 to 1:00 PM at Lifeway Christian Store in Augusta. Their concert is at 7:00 that evening at New Hope Worship Center in Grovetown. Tickets can purchased at www.wafj.com and at Lifeway and Family Christian Store in Augusta.

-The Cheapie of the Week is Nestle Toll House Refrigerated Cookie Dough. See the post below this one to get the deal that ends tomorrow at Publix.

-Coming up Tuesday...Bebo Norman will be with us at 6:10 and 7:40. His new project, Ocean, debuts tomorrow. Also, we'll be talking about some of the hot toys for Christmas 2010.

Cheapie of the Week - September 27th

Thomas Anderson of Stapleton correctly guessed that the Cheapie of the Week is Nestle Toll House Refrigerated Cookie Dough. It is on sale at Publix (through Tuesday 9/28) as a "Buy 1, Get 1 Free" special. When you buy one pack, it rings up $1.45. Use the printable $1 off coupon to get it for $.45 plus tax.