How the quiet guy in the corner got into radio (Part 2)

I've been trying to think of ways to share about the work the Lord has done in my life in regards to His leading this introvert to "get out," and I've simply been overwhelmed with thoughts and memories that would probably take a book to fully express! There are soooo many little things. There are so many tiny but crucial pieces to the puzzle that if any individual piece had been missing, the whole picture would be completely different!

In the summer of 1994 I found myself on the way to a Kansas City Royals game with two girls (they were sisters) from K.C. and a male friend of theirs from Florida. They had all recently graduated from a Christian college there in K.C. (it was geared towards youth leaders/pastors). My friend Rob, who is from Iowa and who had played a big part in my coming to the Lord had also attended this college. I had gone down to visit him from time to time and he had introduced me to these friends of his.

On the way to the game, we were talking about the lack Christian radio that was geared towards young people in the K.C. area at the time. After a lot of talk, we prayed about it right there in the car. We had been thinking, "what can we do about this?" Well I'll just tell you right now, nothing ever came out of our thoughts about starting a station in K.C. But here's the thing. If not for that conversation on the way to the Royals game, none of the rest of this story would have happened.  So much of what has come together over the last decade-plus would never have happened!

In fact, let me back up for a second and mention a few more of those crucial puzzle pieces that led up to this particular point. My friend Rob, before going to this school in K.C., was working at a youth camp here in Iowa. He wanted to go to the school but he didn't have enough money. I think he was short by $100 or $300 or something like that, which to us was big money. At the last minute, someone he didn't even know stepped in and gave him the money he needed and he was able to go.

Also... my wife and I had dated on and off from 1993 until 1995, when we got engaged. This trip to K.C. happened to be during one of the times we had broken up. I really didn't think we would ever get back together, and at that stage in my life I was taking a lot of trips to see my K.C. friends. Had Tracey and I been together, I wouldn't have taken this trip. So many little things... so many things that "I" couldn't have planned or purposely worked out... all playing a part in what was to come.

One thing I had mentioned in our car conversation in K.C. was that I knew of this small Christian Hit radio station back home. I said that perhaps I could ask someone there if they could give me any information about starting a radio station. So when I got back home to Iowa, I called the station and talked to one of the DJ's. He invited me to come on up, and I ended up talking to the G.M. Well, I never did get the info I was looking for. The Lord had me there for other reasons, and this is where a lot of the craziness began for me. In the course of our short conversation, the G.M. told me that they were looking for a couple of part time volunteer DJ's and he wondered if I was interested. I don't remember for sure, but I think I may have "acted" sort of interested, but on the inside I was scoffing at the idea! Remember my list of things I might want to do in life? "Behind the scenes" was the name of my game. Out of view. Off in a corner somewhere, quietly doing my work. Definitely NOT in front of a microphone!

I told him I would pray about it, but I really didn't think I'd ever be back. I left, and I did pray about it. I really thought that after praying about it, that would be the end of it. I'm "too shy" to do radio. I'm an introvert. I'm not good at public speaking. I had all kinds of very reasonable reasons why this was not for me. Amen. Hallelujah. The end.

Not!

(Whole series: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4)