Jessica Hart/Afternoons 3-7pm

Greetings! Welcome to my page! And THANKS for listening! I'm glad to be sharing real, everyday life as a Christian, wife, mom, and Central Minnesotan with you each weekday afternoon!

I was born and raised in Sartell/St. Cloud, and happy to call Central MN my home. What a great place to live, raise a family, serve and worship! We joke that the St. Cloud area is the "biggest small town there ever was", and it's true! It seems like everyone knows everyone in some way, yet it's big enough to have everything we need right here at home.

I love being a wife to my husband, Nate, and a mom to my 3 kids...Jordan, Shaianne, and Brenden (you'll hear all about the funny, and sometimes not-so-funny things they do!) Listen, it's great having a family, but let's be honest, it's HARD WORK too! I'm learning every day (by the grace of God) how to make this all work! And I know you are too, so, I'm glad we're all on this journey together:)

If you have any questions, or advice, please feel free to email me ANYTIME at jessica@spirit929.com!

Oh! And if you FACEBOOK, I'd love to be your friend! Just click on the Facebook badge with my mug on it on your upper left:)


Maybe you heard me talking about...

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Focus on the Family's John 3:16 commercial

Maybe you caught FOTF's newest commercial during the Broncos/Patriots game this past weekend too. If not, you can watch it HERE. I love the sweet little girl at the end who whispers; "Wow." I had to ask myself, 'Does the awesomeness of the truth in John 3:16 still make me say 'WOW"? Does it still wow you?

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No resolutions this year! Just a personal choice statement:

After many well intentioned New Year's Resolutions in the past-I've decided to write down a personal choice statement instead this year, with the hopes that all the other "stuff" I need to change or improve on will fall into place when I choose right!

In 2012, I will choose: JOY over sorrow, TRUTH over lies, CONFIDENCE over anxiety, LOVE over hate, PEACE over unrest, TRUST over worry, LAUGHTER over tears, GROWTH over complacency, COMPASSION over judgement, POSITIVITY over negativity, GOD over self. No excuses...no apologies...NO looking back!

Happy New Year!

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Free dramatic reading of the Christmas Story!

Grab a cup of cocoa and settle in with your family by the tree to enjoy this free, 11 minute dramatic reading of the Christmas story from 'Faith Comes By Hearing'! CLICK HERE TO LISTEN!

As shared on 12/7/11

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Be a part of a nationwide virtual Christmas Choir!

Liquid Church in New Jersey is inviting everyone, regardless of singing talent or not, to be a part of a National Virtual Christmas Choir! Find out more HERE!

As shared on 12/7/11

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No more stuffy family Christmas photos!

Every year our Christmas photo in our family Christmas cards looks pretty much the same. Oh, the faces change a little each year, but I pretty much try to get the 'perfect' shot with everyone looking 'just right'-knowing this card will be on display on the refrigerators of our family and friends. But this year I've been learning to loosen up a little bit. To really enjoy my kids-especially since my oldest will be 18 soon! So-I wanted to reflect that and show that we are a FUN family in our photos this year! Here's what's going on our Christmas Card!

I 'mustache' you a question....what do you think of it? Fun and creative? Or just plain goofy? We consider both answers ok:)

As shared on 12/6/11

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Thanksgiving Printable Story Cards from imom!

Use these cards to share the Thanksgiving story with your family! CLICK HERE TO VIEW!

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Ways To Feed Your Family For Less Money (AND time!)

CLICK HERE for the article on how to feed your family for $7 or less per person!

Other Money & Time Savers:

-Plan a week's meal plan in advance & do all your shopping at once.

-Cook cubed chicken, ground hamburger all at once and freeze or refridgerate for when you need it.

-Plan "easy meal" nights at least 2 nights a week (like grilled cheese & tomato soup!). This way if you run late or things get busy, you have something quick to make at home instead of eating out.

-Plan ahead for snacks. Bake up some cookies or banana bread on the weekends, chop veggies and divide into baggies, hard boil eggs, keep a bag of trail mix in the car. This keeps you from buying expensive and unhealthy snacks at the gas station on the go!

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1/2 Price Tickets for Spirit Listeners to Building 429 & Leeland in Concert!

Love you some Live music and worship? The friendly folks at Friendship Church in Shokapee are offering Spirit listeners half price tickets to the "Sounds of Hope Tour" featuring Building 429 and Leeland on Friday, Oct. 7th! To get tickets for just $8 you'll need to order them from the church at 612-554-4804. You can also get them at any LifeWay book stores-the closest ones to Central MN are in Coon Rapids and Maple Grove.

THANKS to our friends at Friendship Church for this awesome opportunity to enjoy great music at a great price!!!

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The Waiting Place by Eileen Button

Eileen shared stories from her book "The Waiting Place" on the afternoon show on Monday, June 27th. Find out more about Eileen and the book HERE!

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"The Cause Within You; Finding The One Great Thing You Were Created To Do In This World."

This is the book we discussed with author Pastor Matthew Barnett on 6/8!

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A Great Way to Help Someone Going Through Cancer Treatment!

If you or someone you know is currently going through chemo therapy treatment, "Cleaning For A Reason" will send a local cleaning company to their home once a month for 4 months, free of charge! Find out more at CleaningForAReason.org!

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Great advice for graduates!

This "10 Ways Not to Waste Your Life" article from iMom is great to share with Graduates!

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Looking for ways to keep the kiddos busy this summer?

• Visit our Central MN Community Calendar: CLICK HERE!

• For a list of Summer Camps in Minnesota: CLICK HERE!

• Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program: CLICK HERE!

• Day Camps, Swim Lessons & Teams at the Y: CLICK HERE!

• Operation Summer from iMom.com! CLICK HERE!

• The Metrodome is giving tours Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays through November for just $4 per person. See the repairs in progress and behind the scenes, beneath the concourse, and locker rooms!

• Visit a new local park a day, or one each week, and create a photo album or "passport" as you go!

Have an idea to add? Email it to jessica@spirit929.com!

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Teen Driving Contract

Got a teen learning to drive? This is a great resource to talk about and sign together!

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Want Him to Propose? Cook up some "Engagement Chicken"!

Here's the link to the recipe! Engagement Chicken

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E-Mealz.com

As I work toward a healthier lifestyle this year including daily exercise and healthy eating, e-mealz.com has been a great tool to help me find low cost, low calorie meals. They even create the shopping list for you! At just $5 a week, and based on a weekly budget of only $75 (based on 6 people)...it's a great deal!

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(A More Real) Love Story spoof by Anita Renfro

Gotta love Anita for telling it like it really is! CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO!

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My Favorite Recipe Websites!

Feeling "uninspired" about what to make for dinner tonight? Check out these websites for great ideas:

www.allrecipes.com
www.pillsbury.com
www.crockpotmeals.com
www.rachaelray.com

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Tamara Lowe's Motivational "Rap"

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Cut Back on your food budget with these great coupon sites!

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Not sure what to make with what's in your fridge?

Check out this website I found! www.supercook.com. Insert what ingredients you have in your fridge/freezer/cupboard..and it will customize a list of recipes for you! No more staring into the fridge for a half an hour every evening trying to figure out what to do with leftover chicken, pickles, and horseradish anymore? Find out! And let me know how it goes!

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90 year old woman witnesses to thief!

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Adorable 911 call from 5 year old Savannah!

This segment was featured on the Bonnie Hunt show, and we played it on the air on 2/24. Listen to sweet little 5 year old Savannah as she talks with the 911 operator while waiting for an ambulance to come help her Dad who is having chest pain! She is so cute, so brave, and SO funny! LISTEN HERE!

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Parenting Todays Teens

This is one of my favorite resources for helpful tips and tools on learning how to relate to and parent my teenagers.

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