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Happy New Year, 2018: LIFE IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
Isn’t this an exciting time to be alive? Finances, health, government, safety, security … all these things we once considered to be solid ground are in fact … not. Nothing is certain. Which, quite frankly, we find exhilarating! It means God has us on our toes. Today I’m peering around every corner, looking for my Heavenly Father, waiting for Him to guide us in what He promises to be His perfect plan. We’re kids again … dependent upon Him for every step, every breath, and every bite of food. He’s just around the corner, poised to surprise and delight, always with our best interest in mind. This year, as the song goes, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”
It’s 2018. Are you ready to see God move?
RESOLUTION: RESOLVE TO LET GOD RESOLVE IT
First off, a little reminder. God’s mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). They were new every morning in 2017, and they’ll be available to you when you wake up every day this year. So with that in mind, let’s start off 2018 with these scriptural resolutions:

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:33-34). Remember that it is the daily bread we ask for … not a week’s supply.
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8). We tend to forget about the 2nd sentence, but it goes hand and hand with the first. How can we expect God to give us a fresh start when we don’t really want one? Which brings us to another point.
WEED PULLIN’
Coming down from the whirlwind that was “The Christmas Season”, it is amazing how many weeds had grown over my Bible, choking out the Word. Can you relate? No more. This year, we listen, look and wait only for Him.
This year, we won’t subscribe to the “New Year/New You” mentality. After all, we are made in the image of God. We’ve already been born again and therefore, don’t need a “new me”. What we do need is a new ear.
“Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you— the sure mercies of David” (Isaiah 55:3). As the political, social and financial climate gets more confounding, God will make sense of it only when we will listen for His voice and read His word.
A NEW VISION FOR BROADCASTING: LISTEN, LOOK AND WAIT
Need a fresh, amazing vision for your organization in 2018? God Himself is outside the box. God doesn’t fit into the confines of the world. His abilities exceed financial limitations, board leanings, cultural shifts, staff shortages and time. His plans are extraordinary, and His timing is impeccable. But are you willing to listen to Him? Look for Him in your daily walk? Wait for His timing?
But if you’re in a position of leadership, here’s a thoughtful reminder for all of us. Let us ask God to clean our house first. Pull our weeds. Reveal what’s broken inside that needs fixing. Maybe even fast and pray for a day or so, if that’s an inclination.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)
Happy New Year! See you outside the box in 2018!

CHRISTMAS ON AMERICAN RADIO

For many, the first Christmas song on the radio is a welcome change to the daily routine. It brings to mind a more innocent time. A time of wonder, of warmth, of childlikeness. Memories flood your mind. Suddenly the stress is gone from your daily commute, and you’re singing along to songs of joy and merriment.

And then it hits you. It’s nearly Christmas, and there’s still so much to do! The non-stop, heartwarming songs on the radio set the backdrop for an otherwise hurried time, helping minds and hearts stay focused on Jesus, the real soundtrack of Christmas.

When we think of the history of Christmas on the radio, we’re likely to picture a 1940’s family, gathered ‘round a lovely wooden speaker as if it were a crackling fire, huddled together with innocent smiles to enjoy the comfort of old familiar songs.

But Christmas radio has been the backdrop for many scenes, some of which may be surprising.

THE FIRST CHRISTMAS ON RADIO

In the early 20^th Century, radio was neither comforting, pleasant nor musical. Listeners were accustomed to hearing the tap-tap-tap of Morse code transmissions.

But a Canadian child prodigy named Reginald Aubrey Fessenden changed all of that. Fessenden previously worked with Thomas Edison and was now inventing solo. He and developed around 200 patents of his own, including a brand new technology called “radio”.

In 1906, Fessenden “alerted the media” using his own voice, inviting wireless operators to tune in on Christmas Eve. The invitation was monitored and duly noted in Norfolk, Virginia, and the folks in Virginia and crews on ships within a several hundred mile radius enjoyed an unforgettable broadcast that night. Accustomed only to code, they couldn’t believe what they were hearing – a man’s voice in their headphones! As amazed listeners strained to hear the sound, Fessenden serenaded them on violin. O Holy Night became the first Christmas carol to hit the airwaves on the first produced (music and voice) radio broadcast – “superimposed audio” or “amplitude modulation” (AM) generated over a continuous radio frequency carrier.

WHITE CHRISTMAS FOR A BLACK DAY

In 1941, the unthinkable happened – the attack on Pearl Harbor. 18 days later, college age fans tuned in to Kraft Music Hall and Bing Crosby warmed their hearts with his rendition of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. In the shadow of the recent attack, the song took on a somber tone, and it was a memorable broadcast

One short year later, young American troops found themselves overseas on Christmas Day. Armed Forces Radio played White Christmas over and over to remind them of the comforts of home. It remains the one of the most popular Christmas carols to this day.

JOY TO THE WORLD: CHRISTMAS IN THE TRENCHES

Wartime was the backdrop for some of the most memorable Christmas radio broadcasts because it was, for many, their primary source of comfort. While radio remained off-limits to the general public during WW1, wireless technology utilized a short-range electrostatic induction system so that hospitalized soldiers could be entertained with music and news. And at the end of the civilian radio restrictions in 1919, military personnel fired up transmitters to boost the morale of the servicemen. On January 10, 1919, Ensign Sanford Lawton remembered the broadcast Christmas At Sea in his letter to his parents. He happily reported that “All of the latest music from the states was played over the wireless” as part of the festivities.

Christmas Broadcasts in 1940, particularly in England, were rays of light in an otherwise war-ravaged land. Christmas dinner was nearly impossible. Families spent their holiday in air raid shelters, searching desperately for the highly coveted “short Christmas tree” – one short enough to fit in the shelter confines. Instead of giving gifts, people were encouraged instead to give their meager funds to the war effort. Among most popular gifts were flasks, sleeping bags and “pretend gas masks” for dolls.

Home-made presents were popular too, as were second-hand ones. For working-class people ‘make do and mend’ was the norm. Dads carved sailing ships and dolls’ houses, whilst mums knitted with spare bits of wool and made sweets. Children’s gifts were also donated from other countries and charities. – BBC History

You can imagine the impact those heartwarming melodies and sweet words – broadcast so rarely but treasured like gold – had on wartime families. As Europeans made their homes in submarine-style bomb shelters, huddled together, there was the radio, broadcasting entertainment whenever signal allowed. BBC Radio broadcasted Kitchen Front, the King’s Speech and variety shows. They also broadcast a Christmas sermon from the ruins of Coventry Cathedral. People were allowed to attend church, but bells were forbidden. Bells became a signal of an oncoming invasion, so no bells, and no heart-warming lights in the window.

MEANWHILE, IN AN SUV SOMWEHERE …

Bells, colored lights, Christmas activities, store displays, and seasonal music piped in 24/7 on your favorite radio station. What’s not to love about Christmas?

Isaiah said, “Comfort, my people.” Take comfort. The word for comfort here is also the word, “repent.” Jesus was born to bring comfort, repentance and subsequently, eternal life with Him. He’s the One who formed us from our mother’s womb, who has known us since the beginning. He forgives us, and cleanses us of sin.

When we forget that, we’re left with only trimmings and trappings hustle and bustle, followed by a dead pine tree and debt and a messy house to clean.

That’s why Christmas radio is as important as it’s always been, featuring songs that glorify God to the highest; songs that bring us closer to the One who came to set us free. Whether we’re in a hospital, in the trenches, in our cars or at home, Christmas is still on the radio.

And Christmas provides you with great opportunity for ministry!

ONLINE REFERENCES:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/topics/christmas_in_world_war_two

http://earlyradiohistory.us/sec013.htm

http://ethw.org/Milestones:First_Wireless_Radio_Broadcast_by_Reginald_A._Fessenden,_1906

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Part 1 of this series can be found HERE.

“Preaching to the heart entails. . .preaching affectionately, imaginatively, wondrously, memorably, Christocentrically, and practically. . . .Some modern preachers [have little] time to think about two other things: practical applications and striking, memorable, fluent use of language. . . [the] I never heard it put that way before.” (p. 177, Preaching)

When we read these comments by Tim Keller in his book, Preaching, we wondered—lightheartedly—if he had been in our playbook. Our consistent advice: Every morning, afternoon or evening show can be improved by speaking clearly and understandably—including pithy or memorable comments. To cut through the clutter of life, we try to reach the “I’ve never heard it put that way before”.

Chuck heard an afternoonshow discussing death, and how to handle the surrounding grief with a friend who lost a loved one. A host said, “Button your lip and open your arms.” Now that’s memorable!

Brene Brown had said the same thing in a softer way: If you don’t know what to say, say “I don’t know what to say”.

Back to Tim Keller. He sums it up nicely, we think, when he concludes, “Oral presentations differ from written communication. Oral presentations must not contain as many ideas—they should be repetitious because listeners cannot stop and pause over words as readers can….Oral communicators must use simpler vocabulary.”

That says it quite nicely, we think—in written form. And verbally…why not take a fresh listen…to yourself?

NOTE: We do coaching on speaking this way. And we’re gentle about it. See our page on Talent Coaching HERE, that lists our experienced, friendly, and wildly helpful Coaching Team.

HOLIDAY CHEER 2017

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” ~ Isaiah 52:7

It’s Christmas. The distinctive music everywhere. Lights on most streets. Yet many hearts are heavy now, for some more than ever before. It’s not enough to say, “We need your support. We need your gift. If we have blessed you in some way, won’t you prayerfully consider blah blah blah … “.

If you’re a listener supported ministry (and even if you are not), why not include the word cheerful in your messaging? Ask people to call in and tell you why they’re cheerful about giving. Don’t forget to record their answers. Were they transformed somehow? Were they once donating out of duty, guilt or pride … now brimming with delight to help out your (or some other) cause?

Bottom line: Stop asking your listeners for money and ask them what they need.

WANDERING YOUTH AND THE CHEERFUL GIVER

We remember a young couple. They had to leave their hometown in a hurry for some reason. The girl was very pregnant and about to give birth, so they were wandering around the city looking for a place to stay, just in case she went into labor. They weren’t married, and to make matters worse, the young man she was with was NOT child’s father. Would you have taken them in? Or would you have ignored them?

One business owner was willing to help them out. Just in time too … she had her baby that night in his barn. Of course, by now you’ve figured it out.

The man who helped them was none other than the innkeeper. Now … don’t you and doesn’t your listener want to be that innkeeper? He was a cheerful giver … probably more so when he found out he was ushering in the Son of God.

CALL TO ACTION = CALL TO FELLOWSHIP

Come and see. Though He may require everything from you, come and see this Savior, this Good News that rises above your every earthly trial. Come and hear this Glad Tiding we broadcast. Come and hear what makes our givers so cheerful.

People don’t need to hear how much you need their money. They need to hear how much they need Jesus. How much the world needs Jesus. How much Jesus loves them. Why He came to this world so low.

And where, pray tell, can people who need hope hear about Jesus? From you … more than any random Christmas song-playing-station.

GLAD TIDINGS WE BRING

What in the Sam Hill are “Glad Tidings”?
Glad Tidings are Good News.

You’ll find Glad Tidings in the King James Version from the verb euaggelizo which means, “To tell good news” (Luke 1:19 among many). It also is frequently translated in the King James Version “to preach the gospel.” The original word, god-spell, is “good news or tidings” (Matthew 11:5 and more). Good News, Glad Tidings and The Gospel are nearly interchangeable — both being the announcement of the promised, long-looked-for salvation and kingdom of God. Specifically, the Gospel in the King James Version refers to God’s reconciliation of the world to Himself in Christ.

“God loves a cheerful giver.” ~ 2 Corinthians 9:7

Given a choice, givers would probably rather be cheerful too. Together, let us lift up their hearts by giving them the greatest gifts of all … glad tidings, personal connection, and a reminder of God’s love for them.

Chuck with Jan here.

Tim Keller, eminent preacher, author, thinker and communicator writes this.

“It is fundamental to preach biblically, and to preach to cultural narratives, but these are not enough. Unless the truth is not only clear but also real to listeners, then people will still fail to obey it. Preaching cannot simply be accurate and sound. It must capture the listeners’ interest and imaginations; it must be compelling and penetrate to their hearts.”

When we read this chapter opener in Tim Keller’s book Preaching the whole of Christian formatted radio and audio and TV rolled through our minds, with the spectrum of views about what to put on air, how to present the Gospel and how to relate Scriptural truth.

In one part of the Christian radio/TV spectrum are those who would suggest emotionally compelling material with little to no Biblical content; these bounce up against those in another area who would call for clear information that targets the head, and systematically reviews the whole of Scripture. What we were struck with was that Tim Keller clearly thinks that both are required for really changed lives. And we think Keller has a great point.

For us, though, the challenge goes even further. Yes, further. We note that when Keller or others preach, they have a near-captive audience. Rarely do people get up and wander out of a church service, especially with today’s nurseries and padded seats. Here, the audience made a choice to go to the church service. The preacher’s competition may be distracted looking around at other people, or dozing. But it’s not walking out.

For radio and other electronic forms, the competition for attention is much more intense. The listener may be driving, in a car with heavy traffic, with children, or in a hurry to get somewhere. It’s very easy to turn off the radio or change channels. In today’s car, with presets, flipping channels is an art-form. The media distraction literally knows no bounds.

This takes us back to Keller’s point. Head and heart are both needed. He says, “Change happens not just by giving the mind new arguments, but by feeding the imagination new beauties.”

With a heart connection, the mind inclines toward action, raising the batting average in a challenging communication environment. No matter where you (now) are on the content spectrum, that’s worthy of your consideration.

Next in this series, more on what heart means in the Scripture—and how that translates in our worlds.

WARM FEET TO COLD FEET
I need a pair of winter socks.

I, the customer, want to give the store some money as quickly as possible in exchange for nice warm feet. The clerk wants to do his/her job. Simple, right?

Not simple. Often, the process has become burdensome. The clerk is required to recite a string of questions during the transaction. “Do you have your Rewards Card?” “Would you like to get one?” “Do you want to donate to the Radio-Staff-without Socks Campaign?”

Blessings on the next person in line if the customer decides to get a Rewards Card.

The screen on the card reader asks the customer yet another set of questions, then decides it can’t read the chip. The customer is now inwardly apologizing to God for his evil thoughts. Next time, he’ll probably shop elsewhere.

There are entire organizations suffering from this kind of slowdown. If you work for such an organization, everything feels like “one step forward, two steps back”, like slogging through mud or knee-deep snow.

UNITY OF PURPOSE
When did protocol trump common sense and normal human interaction? In this environment, employees may default to passive aggressiveness, and few communicate honestly. Instead of having one common goal, employees are likely to default to tunnel vision. In other words, “If it ain’t my department, it ain’t my job.”

If this is happening to your organization, consider adopting a Unity of Purpose mentality.

Rather than focus on one particular facet of an assembly line, each employee must adopt the entire project as his/her own. The final outcome of a project becomes everyone’s goal. Just as iron sharpens iron, each holds him/herself accountable for moving the project along. How to do this? Try a brainstorming session followed by a process flowchart—all bathed in prayer.

ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?
With Unity of Purpose, you boil the project down to a simple, ultimate objective. Each person involved has a specific role, but his/her goal is focused on the ultimate objective. Let’s say you’re promoting a Christmas Concert. Everyone agrees that the registration process (should this be ticket purchase process?) is too involved. It’s slowing down productivity and taxing the server. Instead of making folks crazy trying to make it work, do a restart and simplify it.

Everyone’s having fun.

There’s communication when everyone is responsible for the goal, not just their part. The Holy Spirit works when everyone works in one accord … decently and in order.

Now where are those tickets to the Christmas concert?

Who knew that Christian radio listeners could be amazingly picky? Do they only want to hear music or scripture and go on about their day? Yes. But we found that Christian radio listeners are more mindful in what they want from their radio stations.

Research released from the Finney Medial Why Listen?® 2016 survey shows that Christian radio listeners have specific wants, and when those are met they are intensely loyal. In fact, the vast majority indicate they listen either exclusively to almost exclusively to Christian radio. This information is derived from the survey results of 23,000 Christian radio listeners in the United States and Canada.

In the latest whitepaper “Christian Radio: I Choose You Because” we explore the loyalty factor and the similarities and differences among three format groups of Christian radio listeners—the listeners who listen for Christian teaching only, the listeners who listen for Christian music only, and the listeners who listen for both teaching and music. For all of these listeners it is clear: If you want to cause them to come back more often, breaks and songs that are focused on helping your listener grow spiritually and an uplifting, encouraging tone will bring her back.

There’s a much broader list of observations, questions to ask and actions to consider in the whitepaper. Download it.

Next time you attend an event—say a Mercy Me tour event—look around. Look over the audience like Jan did recently and really see your listener. She’s the listener sitting with a group of girlfriends —the one that’s the mom with her almost grown daughters. She’s the one holding the hands of two small children, asking for a booster seat (yes, that happened). She the one with her hubby, dressed almost too nicely, very into the sound. And she’s the gal all alone, looking a little worn and run down.

Are you moving toward her? Are the songs you are playing the ones she loves? The ones that lift her up and encourage her? That cause her to turn up the sound as she drives home from work?

Chuck has a couple specific questions for you.

What’s in your music library? Is Blessed Assurance by Third Day? That’s right. It was not released as a single. But your listener could care less. She doesn’t know the ins and outs of how songs are released. She only knows that it warms her heart and soul.
Are you reviewing your recent song history from time to time to be certain that some of the most loved songs aren’t getting slammed by artist sep rules that are set too long? And that huge testing songs like Amazing Grace My Chains Are Gone are actually playing often enough for average listener to hear it.
Are you at least discussing songs like Give Me Words to Speak with Aaron Shust? Sure it came out about ten years ago. But not only discussing among yourselves, are you discussing this with your listener? Doing music research that accurately reflects your audience? They can’t weigh in if you don’t include the song in the research.

With you, we want you to grow your audience—both spiritually and numerically. To do that, keep her ear tuned your way because you are tuned to her heart and her musical choices.

Additional Resources: For more input on this important topic, check out this month’s Finney Fast Five and our supplemental song list behind the Finney Fast Five top artist list.

Finney Media does music research that discovers what your listener wants to hear.

What she says

Movie A Dog’s Purpose (2017)

Chuck and Jan here.

Movie A Dog’s Purpose (2017)

Recently, we asked about 125 people, mostly women, who listen to Christian music radio, for their description of “worshipful Christian music”.

Movie A Dog’s Purpose (2017)

Just to be clear, these were not professional musicians, Program Directors, theological experts or even industry leaders. These were your radio listeners. Moms. Teachers. Managers. Grandmas. Grocery store clerks. Your everyday radio listeners.

Movie A Dog’s Purpose (2017)

The responses were consistent. Consistently positive and God-focused. We think you’ll be interested in their word choices and comments as you select music and decide what to say between the songs.

Movie A Dog’s Purpose (2017)

Nikki says, “Worship music points directly to Jesus and lifts up His name!”

Luanne says, “Lyrics that speak about the Savior!”

And Jeff adds, “Praising the Lord our Creator for His love and everlasting life!”

Movie A Dog’s Purpose (2017)

And what was the word emphasis in their descriptions? In rank order, here are the most used descriptors:

Praise
Uplifting
Worship
Closer [to God]

Movie A Dog’s Purpose (2017)

Coming in for honorable mention are words like “prayerful” and “glorify”.

Movie A Dog’s Purpose (2017)

All of which should make any theologian give a cheer. And it should provide a Program Director with some listener guidance on song selection, since our Finney Media Why Listen? national research shows “worshipful Christian music” to be a top reason that your listeners tune in.

Movie A Dog’s Purpose (2017)

Hear Nina: “Music that puts the focus on worshipping and adoring the Lord for who He is and what He’s done.”

Movie A Dog’s Purpose (2017)

Nina, we agree. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

Movie A Dog’s Purpose (2017)

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A NEW EAR FOR THE NEW YEAR

What she says

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