JesusFM

Site: www.jesusfm.com

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The Programming Philosophy of JesusFM

The genre of Contemporary Christian Music began in the mid 70’s. However, it was being referred to by different names; Positive Pop, Jesus music, Gospel rock, etc. We needed a unified identity so a bunch of us got on the phone and collectively agreed to call it Contemporary Christian Music. By 1978 there were still only a handful of artists making albums. I was a deejay at WFIL, an AM Adult Contemporary station in Philadelphia. In 1972 WFIL was Billboard’s Station of The Year and the No. 1 station in Philly. For a few brief years of glory it was one of the top 5 stations in the country. If you wanted to have a national hit you had to have WFIL playing your record. But FM was coming on strong and it was in stereo with better sound quality. The days of music on AM radio were coming to an end.
My wife, Melanie and I had become born again followers of Christ and the station let me have a half hour on Sunday mornings to do my “Jesus” thing, as they called it. I played mostly Contemporary Christian music and since I had begun devouring Christian books, I would often read passages and tie-in the subject matter with a song. This proved difficult because of the low number of available CCM songs so I would often play a “secular” song that fit with the topic. A modern day illustration would be if I were to do a narrative on the subject of honesty I might just follow up with the song, “Honesty” by Billy Joel. I began to get feedback from listeners who were very curious. These individuals (for whom Christ died) had never heard their favorite modern day popular songs played in the context of talking about Jesus and The Bible. The idea intrigued many people who would ask me questions like, “Do you really think Jesus would like that song and some of the other songs that I like? Do you think he would come down to my level like that?” To which I answered, “Of course he would! That’s what he always does. He seeks you out to woo you to himself because he loves you with a fathomless, pure, everlasting love. He came to seek and save the lost. That’s what he did when he walked the Earth. He met people where they were; on the street, in the field, on the water. He befriended some pretty rough people like Peter, the foul-mouthed fisherman. We know Peter cussed like a sailor because he tells Jesus in The Bible, ‘Depart from me for I am a man of unclean lips.’ He hung out and spent most of his time with what religious people would consider the “low lifes” of the world. Jesus loved the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame, even the dreaded lepers. As a matter of fact, the only people he had harsh words for were the most “religious” people of his day, The Pharisees, the resident religious “know-it-alls.” Jesus loves people. Jesus loves you. And that’s a good thing because he’s God. Every day I am still amazed and awed at the rock solid fact that Jesus, God’s only begotten son, loves me and that he loves me personally, deeply and passionately. His love is not a wimpy, ho-hum kind of love. No, it’s a robust, selfless, no-holes barred, wild, reckless kind of love that risks everything and goes beyond anything I have ever known or experienced. That’s why I love him so much, because he first loved me…and he’s God! The fact that God would come walking into my world and want to hang out with me is a continual source of wonderment and inexpressible joy.” Well…you know…I would just say something like that. And a lot more, but you get the picture.
So, when The Lord presented me with the idea of having my own internet radio station I jumped totally in. I have spent most of my life in radio. I went to radio school in my home town of Memphis at the age of 15. My first job was working weekends at a little daytime only station in the small town of Covington, TN for minimum wage. I was one of those unusual kids who knew exactly what I would be doing the rest of my life and that was radio. Over the years I continued to develop my voice and on-air skills that eventually led me to some of the biggest stations and biggest markets in the country. I believe, with all my heart, God put me through the training ground of secular radio to mold me and shape me professionally so that I could serve him with professional excellence.
So, here it is. The culmination of my life’s work, my philosophy of doing radio, the kind of radio that’s unique and original. You won’t hear this kind of station anywhere else. It is “one-of-a-kind.” It’s designed to make you happy. That’s right…happy. Or, perhaps a better way of putting it would be to say, “It’s designed to encourage you.” Because when you’re encouraged, you’re happy, you have hope. True encouragement causes you to raise your head and look up. And the Bible tells us that we are to “encourage one another daily.” But as I look around the religious landscape of America I’m not sure a lot of us are on the receiving end of daily encouragement. Many Christians automatically assume that all of life is divided into “worldly” and “religious.” But Jesus didn’t see things that way at all. Instead, he saw only human beings in desperate need of love, truth, healing and hope. And the ones who needed it most were the most religious. Go figure. When he was crucified by the religious people who hated him, The Bible tells us that the veil in the temple was torn in two. Behind that veil was the “holy of holies” and it could only be entered once a year by a designated preist. When it was torn apart it meant that the division was broken and now anyone could come into the Presence of God. In the same way, for those who think music must be categorized as either “secular” or “sacred” JesusFM will be somewhat of a shock. We play many so-called “secular” songs. But there really is no such thing as “secular” and “sacred.” That’s something we invented and I don’t think God likes the separation. The Bible makes no reference to things being “sacred” or “secular.” The only distinction The Bible makes is in the book of Ezekiel where it refers to things that are either “holy” or “profane.” When The Lord hears “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” by U2 I think he resonates with it. The song represents the heartcry of millions of people around the world who are searching for truth and meaning in life. And we followers of Christ would do well to listen well, like Jesus did. He listened to the heartcry of people. Then he responded. Instead of monologue, JesusFM invites the world into dialogue. When I hear “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” the next song I want to hear is one like ”You Found Me” by FFH. Or when Jim Croce sings, “Time In A Bottle” JesusFM answers with “One Life To Love” by the band 33 Miles, which talks about how short life is and our need to know God. These Song Sets are at the very heart of JesusFM. We listen and respond with a song that points to Him. It’s a different way of preaching (presenting) the gospel. I have spent my life playing the most popular songs of the world on the radio. Some good, some bad. The criteria for choosing the songs you hear on JesusFM is simply, “Would The Lord like to hear this song?” If Jesus came to your house tonight to hang out with you and asked you to play some of your favorite songs for him, what would they be? You might be surprised to see him smile as he listened, amazed that he likes a lot of the same songs you like. Praise The Lord.