The Life studio has to be one of the most exciting places to be in!  It’s hard not to have fun when you walk in here.  Over the past few months I’ve been learning how to operate (opt for radio talk) the board.  My first experience on the board was while Todd was on holidays and Steve Jones did the morning show with Mike and I.  I opt the first half of the show from 5:30am – 7:00am. The studio board is a lot like a sound board a church would use, just not as many layers to it.  I’m not sure there is a metaphor that could properly describe how I felt, but I’m sure it would involve a rollercoaster;  the rush of going down a steep hill and me screaming to get off.   Then the fist pumping pride as I’m getting off the coaster having faced my fears and certain death.  It was an amazing feeling.  Maybe I did have a metaphor after all.

During my first break (a break is when the jock talks) Mike Poirier kicks things off with the news and and right out of the gate I forget to press the “auto off” button, which if not pressed means the computer will jump to to the next song or commercial.  In this case a commercial started and I had Mike Poirier’s news cast playing at the same time and then I hit the big red button in a panic, which takes you to the next event on the computer (song or commercial) and I squashed his traffic report as well.  All that happened in about 7 seconds.  That feeling of coming off a roller coaster, the rush, the feeling of defeating your fears…..It’s gone and you realize all your fears just came true and thousands of people just heard it.  On day two of opting I forgot to set up Mike’s microphone on the equalizer bar,  which meant no matter how many times I turned his mic on from the board nothing was there. Having silence on radio is like being ‘friend zoned’ right when you finally get the courage to make a move on bae and everyone sees and feels it but nobody says anything. Nothing but silence. Awkward.

Making a mistake on a break has to be the hardest part of radio. Moving on from your mumbles and stumbles is even harder, one that I’m sure will get easier as I get more experience.  In that moment it is a choice.  There is about 30 seconds to decide what do with it, if I dwell on it and feel sorry for myself it will ruin the show. Hopefully I decide to put a smile on my face and make a difference in someones life!

It’s a lot like life isn’t?  We make a mistake and we have a decision to make; if we’re going address it with God, learn from our mistakes and move on from it or dwell on it.  Sometimes we like to dwell on our mistakes don’t we?  Play back in our mind how we could and should of handled it differently.  Radio has taught me you can ruin a great thing and miss out on making a difference if you choose not to move on, we can feel sorry for ourselves, we can tell ourselves we’re not good enough or we can understand and believe there is nothing you can do to earn God’s grace.  It’s a gift.  It’s a wonderful feeling when your celebrated on your birthday, people come (Sorry I missed your birthday Scott Jackson) they bring gifts and good wishes and there is nothing you’ve done to earn it. They bring them because they love you and and want to celebrate you in that moment and there is nothing you can do but accept it and enjoy it.  Do you know heaven rejoices when one sinner comes to repentance?  Picture that!  God’s gift of grace cannot be earned, it cannot be bought or negotiated.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 

Do you think if we knew how much time we had on earth we would be more careful with what we allowed ourselves to dwell on, what we allow to immobilize us?

In radio the clock starts ticking down with one minute to go,  it’s a humbling moment because you realize it’s not about you, it’s about the people you’re there to serve.

I hope this encourages you to know how much God loves you and how much he wants you to move forward, and not to stay in your mistakes!

Stand by, your mic is on in……3-2-1

Much Love

Steve Bradley