Hello, its been a long time since I
have been able to post on this blog. My work schedule has me very
busy and tired. I have hoped to use this blog to discuss radio and
faith. I have made internet a huge part of this because it allows a
huge amount of radio for basically no cost. In the last months our
hearts have been moved to pray for folks in Boston, Moore and West.
Internet radio can be a blessing because it can get you close to the
action and prayerful quickly.
When I heard about the bombing at the
marathon my heart just sank. I found WBZ a 24 news station out of
Boston on www.vtuner.com The day after the bombing the station went
with “wall to wall” with coverage. This term means they went 24
hour in their coverage of the problems that ensued. Quickly we began
to hear of whole communities on lock down. We also heard up to the
minute reports of the capture of the suspects. With that data a
person could be praying for the suspects, the victims, the community
members and the police.
I have visited the tiny town of West,
in central Texas. Its a great place to stop and get food. It is
situated north of Waco, Texas. It does not have a real radio station.
This year a plant that produces fertilizer blew up and destroyed many
homes with the blast of a bomb. KWTX out of nearby Waco, Texas swung
into action. They also went wall to wall for several days. They tried
to coordinate
needs and offerings to this tiny
community. The community was overwhelmed with rescue workers and
gifts right after the blast. This station can be found on
www.iheartradio.com Radio
is a great tool in disasters of this kind. Praying was something a
person far from the disaster could do. The stories alone made a
person of prayer seek God for this small town many times.
Later we all heard of the massive
tornadoes that struck Moore, OK. This huge town lost two schools and
many homes were simply cleaned off their foundations. Once again the
streets became clogged with folks who wanted to help and other folks
who had lost everything. KYOK 1000am was on the ground in a
heartbeat. You can also find them on www.iheartradio.com
They also became a huge part of getting donors to the needs. They
also did a good job of redirecting overflow giving to other effected
communities nearby. The praying was easy. Needs, problems and
complaints came out on the radio.
The bible tells us to be constant in
prayer. This does not mean driving down the street with our eyes shut
and hands raised. This does mean that we are in a place where we can
speak to God as we hear needs around us. This may be at work, with
friends or even listening to the radio. Also in all the above cases
we were told how to give and who to give to in each situation.
What is the take away dear readers?
When you hear about a big disaster in a far away place, you can
prayerfully listen in though this gift of radio. Using local radio
gets us close to the needs. When you hear the stories let your heart
approach the throne of grace in intercession.
Some closing ideas. This was not
available several years ago. If a big disaster happened you had to
wait for blurbs on the national news. With internet radio you can
have the same radio a local care provider is using. Yes the
information is interesting, but add prayer to that and you can be
doing your part in the recovery. Also to be constant in prayer you
need to constantly maintain your relationship with the Lord. This may
require a daily time with the Lord. As you do this you will be
surprised how easy it is to fall into prayer as you hear needs.
Just a few technical
notes.
Internet radio providers are getting
plentiful. If you are new to this hobby. Try www.iheartradio.com.
Www.vtunter.com, or Google Tune
in Radio. I just found www.sky.fm
with 40 plus free stations. Google internet radio and have fun. You
can also just go to radio station' website and hit the “listen”
button. Also internet radio has escaped from your computer speakers.
Good free radio is available on Roku players and smart tvs. A roku is
a box that streams audio and video to your tv. Smart tvs are
beginning to come out that have apps for radio or music services. If
you have the net, both are just a simple upgrade away. Your cell
phone can also get many internet radio stations. Watch the data or be
near a router when you do this. This is the new radio listening. No
longer are we attached to radios with bad reception or no reception.
Just Google and listen. I do not endorse any of the above websites
for consideration. Oh did I mention Christian Radio. Preaching and
all kinds of music are available to the listener who is willing to
search. Try Googling Hip Hop Christian music.
