Do your teenagers have a Christian radio station that they will actually listen to even when they are alone? Would they turn it on and listen to it if you didn’t make them. Would they switch to a different station if you left to go shopping? I guess if a radio station wanted to get teenagers to listen to their station they would probably have to play popular rock and rap songs, wouldn’t they. They might also need to offer concerts, contests, and prizes that would appeal to teenagers. I hadn’t thought about it much until last week when our Christian radio station was having a fundraiser. People actually called in with pledges from Montana, Chicago, and New York because they were listening to the station over the internet. For the most part, out of state people were saying that they had nothing like our station in their area.

The people living out of state expressed appreciation for the station being available over the internet and its impact on today’s youth. This is because it does play popular music and sponsor concerts. A few years ago, I won a contest on this station. I received two tickets to Cedar Point along with roundtrip transportation on a Greyhound bus along with 98 other listeners. I took my adopted son, Buck. The two of us had a great time riding roller coasters, eating pizza, and ice cream. It was really nice not worrying about driving on the highway. Being surrounded by other Christians was great; I didn’t have to worry about the conversations around us or the music.

One of our adopted daughters, who is now an adult, went on a short-term missions trip for 10 days to Guatemala that the radio station sponsored. A couple of the disc jockeys, along with 30 listeners, went to minister to children living in orphanages. They painted, put on puppet shows, did a vacation Bible school, and provided some medical treatment. It was a wonderful opportunity for a 16-year-old girl. The station continues to sponsor missions’ trips every summer taking along around 30 listeners each time. This summer they are going to Tegucigalpa, Honduras. They tried to get everyone involved by collecting blankets and shoes for the children living in the slums because only 30 listeners can actually go.

Is there a Christian radio station where you live that teenagers love? Have your adopted children benefited from listening or grown spiritually? I always listed to the station. The other day, my 13-year-old adopted son said, “Mom, did you switch stations this song is on mainstream radio?” No, I didn’t switch. It happens to be a Christian crossover song. Some people listening to mainstream radio sing along, not realizing that it is really a Christian song. I asked a coworker if he knew what a song he was singing was about recently. He didn’t have a clue, so I filled him in.


Pixel Drips’s photo stream uploaded October 10, 2005 honduras, tegucigalpa
Attribution license creative commons