On last week’s finger lickin’ Frost Advisory I pontificated how it’s tempting to think that what we do defines who we are.  The carpenter is defined by his hammer; the accountant by his calculator, the radio station by its 40 minute music sweeps, and the semi-professional public address announcer by his ever so manly voice.

Simon Sinek suggests…

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it, and what you do serves as tangible proof of why you do it.”

Counter-intuitive perhaps, but let’s dig deeper.
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It’s tempting, isn’t it?

It’s tempting to think that what we do defines who we are. The carpenter is defined by his hammer; the accountant by his calculator, the radio station by its 40 minute music sweeps.

We’re eager to define ourselves by a hallway full of gold records and awards. I hate to break it to you, but your listeners don’t care.

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It’s not obvious to warn someone about the obvious.  But that’s the point.

“Don’t believe everything you think.”
~Andy Andrews

Successful principles of business, leadership, ministry, or even programming aren’t obvious.  They are the exception.  Otherwise, all businesses would be successful, there would be no leadership challenges, churches would be full every week, all radio stations would have high ratings and we’d all have dated the prettiest girl in town.

If we want to appeal to everyone we simply need to play everything.  What could be more obvious?

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It’s easy.

It’s easy to let grass grow and have weeds in your yard.   It’s easy to not practice and be a bad guitar player.  It’s easy to be the last player on the bench and not get into the game.

It’s easy to have a bad radio station.

Play anything you want.  Wing it with your content.  Talk as long as you like.

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We forget, don’t we?

We forget what real people go through every day.

We forget the messages they are bombarded with, the struggles they face, the negative influences on their kids.

Real people perceive your radio station within the context of their lives.  Often they tune in to get away from the negativity, to be affirmed for the good in people, and to be reminded of the hope we can have through our faith.

The recent hurricanes in Texas and Florida remind us with every event heroes emerge.  Yes, the front page is often filled with stories of villains, but our stations have other stories to tell.

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, Look for the helpers.  You will always find people who are helping.  To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.”
~Fred Rogers

J.J. Watts used his football fame to raise more than $37 million for hurricane victims in Texas.  Houston icon Mattress Mack turned his 100,000 foot furniture showroom into a shelter for those left homeless.  Rusty and Jeff are not famous; just a couple of guys with a bass boat, but they are heroes to my friend Ty McFarland after rescuing his family from their flooded neighborhood.

Maybe it is easier for us to see the heroes in extraordinary times but maybe it is just as important to tell the stories when times are ordinary.

With every 9th caller to win a family four-pack of cardboard there is a hero.

With every mom or dad trying to surround their children with positive influences there is a hero.

With every routine traffic accident, with every mundane weather report, with every insignificant time check, someone is being a hero to someone.

But we forget, don’t we?

Oh, yeah!  That was the one with the hurricane!

I guess we’ll never forget Momentum 2017.

There were more Tweets and Facebook posts about hotel reservations, flight schedules and security lines than the speakers, artist performances, and social events.

People shared most about what they shared the most.  

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Wow!  What a week for our friends along the Texas Gulf Coast in the path of Hurricane Harvey.  I personally have friends, co-workers, and family with flooded homes and disrupted lives.

As the Christian radio and music industry heads to Universal Orlando for CMB’s Momentum the Weather Channel beacons out the cone of uncertainty for Hurricane Irma.   It’s never a good thing when you see Jim Cantore standing in your front yard.

In times like these there are lessons to be learned, even about our programming.
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On last week’s show I shared that the recent solar eclipse is a valuable lesson in perspective.  The moon’s path is always between the earth and the sun SOMEWHERE, but it becomes meaningful to us only when it happens to us.

Ty McFarland of KSBJ in Houston reacted this way:
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Have you heard?  It’s been in all the papers.  There is a total solar eclipse on Monday.  It’s the first one since I was in college.

It begins in Oregon at 9:06 AM Pacific and ends in South Carolina at 4:06 PM Eastern.

Well, that’s one point of view.
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Back to school time is everywhere.  In the stores with sales.  On the highways with school buses.  There are even tax free days for Back to School.

It’s not an official holiday like Christmas, Ground Hog Day, or Millard Fillmore’s birthday, but it is just as evident.  Back to school affects everyone’s schedule, even those that don’t go to school.  (Can’t say that about ole Millard’s birthday.)

“The difference between school and life?  In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test.  In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson.”
~Tom Bodett

My friend Tim McDermott of KSBJ recently introduced me to the book, “The One Thing” by Gary Keller, where he shares “the ability to dismiss distractions and concentrate on your ONE Thing stands between you and your goals.”

So, let’s go back to school and discuss the one thing that can transform programming.
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