I knew it would take me longer to get there but I really didn’t mind. The streets around my house would be lined with cars either moving at the posted 25 MPH speed limit, or not at all. But that was okay.

I knew Miss Shirley would be there at the crosswalk, the cheery octogenarian who last year tripped at a shopping mall and knocked out her front teeth. We didn’t see her for many months but every day the school children would ask, “How’s Miss Shirley?”

We make decisions every day. The question is how we make good decisions based upon our limited experiences, biases, social styles, and relationships? (There are probably more but I ran out of ink).

“Few decisions are simple. In fact, simple decisions are better called choices. All decisions cut us off, separate us, from nearly infinite options as we select just one single path. And every decision we make earns us the favor of some and the disfavor of others.”

Dan B. Allender, Ph.D, “Leading with a Limp: Turning your Struggles into Strengths”

This one will get me in trouble.

But I’m okay with that.

Almost always the question we are discussing is not the question at all. Rather, it’s a glimpse into something more significant.

Example:

I’m surprised at how often I hear this conversation.

“That’s a lot of work.”

“It’s not in the budget.”

“I don’t have the time.”

Creating bad radio is easy. Just listen up and down the radio dial.

This Frost Advisory is a personal tirade. I’ll apologize in advance.

Now lazy disc jockeys have another excuse to be lazy.

I was recently listening to a very well known radio station when I heard the talent talk about Facebook – for three consecutive breaks.

This week I’m jumping on a big airplane to share some nifty ideas with a group of your CCM radio sisters and brothers. In case you weren’t invited, I’ll give you a tease.

A while back I was trying to hire a major market pro to do the morning show in a really big market with very tall buildings. Although we had never worked together directly I did trick him into being the image voice for a bunch of my stations.

It’s ironic, isn’t it?

In a format that is all about belief, few stations ever share what they believe.

Not a doctrinal statement, but a brand position. A flag in ground. A line in the sand. A reason to be on the air.

Chick-fil-A has one. Your money is no good there on Sunday.

The celebration of our nation’s 248th birthday can be a reminder of the transformational power of reflecting beliefs and values, and adopting common ground.

For 25 seasons I’ve had the best seat in the house as a semi-professional public address announcer for St. Louis Cardinals’ spring training and the minor league season that follows. That’s lots and lots of National Anthems, dizzy bat races, and seventh inning stretches.

Do you know what I enjoy the most? It’s when my voice is the cue for veterans and active service members to rise and be acknowledged for their service and sacrifice for our country. And, incidentally, that is when the ovation is the loudest.

What in the name of Thomas Jefferson does this have to do with programming your radio station?

Let’s have a little fun.

Tune to another Christian music radio station for 30 minutes, it can be one in your market or somewhere beyond, and listen to hear if they communicate their mission statement. You know, those scribblings on their walls, or their bumper stickers, or their post it notes and tee shirts.

In 30 minutes, do you as a listener get any sense of WHY this station is on the air?

I’ll wait.

“You can do anything… once”

I often heard those words from my dad’s booming voice. His acknowledgment of his son’s innate desire to reach out and try new things, while also mindful of his adolescent son’s propensity toward immature decisions.

Those words served as a life lesson of accountability. But, you know what? Those words were also true. I COULD do anything… once.