And perhaps no other kinds of intelligence, either, but the point is: It’s really me.

I am a human, and I’m here to honor you for National Disc Jockey Day, January 20. 

Now, there are layers of irony here, because one of the running things on my show is I do the opposite of whatever the “National Day of…” is. I maintain that I will not be bossed around by some shadowy, globalist cabal that decides these things. If it’s “National Pie Day”, I will foreswear pie. If it’s “International Facts about Dogs Day” I will simply refuse to learn about dogs.

Yes, my commitment to this does cause some consternation on the “National Day of Prayer” but that’s between me and the Lord.

Anyway, I have my principles, and I will NEVER EVER EVER BACK DOWN… except in this case, onaccounta Michelle Younkman asked me to, and she’s super-nice.

But enough with the irony. Here’s to us, fellow DJ-person. While it comes naturally for us to make fun of ourselves, can I offer some things– just between us–that, doggonit, I just like about us?

Here we go:

We can say more in a minute than many can in a half-hour sermon. I’m not exaggerating here. I mean it. And it’s no mystery why: We’ve spent our careers condensing. We get to the point. Do that a few thousand times, and you might good at it. You might listen to a speech and think, “Wow. Coulda said that in 45 seconds,” and not be wrong at all.

We can manage our words through an amazing number of filters. We know kids are listening. And Gen Zers. And Boomers. People on the right and the left. New believers, non-believers, old believers… they’re all in there. People with sophisticated senses of humor, and people with no senses of humor. This is high-level stuff, speaking to all at once.

We can be very practiced at hospitality. Even if it’s not our spiritual gift, we get better at it, because over and over we’re welcoming people. Good communicating starts and ends with empathy. Good broadcasting is exceedingly mannerly, and manners (“don’t talk with your mouth full”) are founded in thinking of others.

We learn how to throw out a welcome mat.

We are pretty darn adaptable. It’s one thing to try to host a good show. But can you do it, say, when your headphones suddenly don’t work anymore for some reason? And then all the computers go dark? And then your co-host starts choking on something? All while a listener is on the phone questioning your salvation?—that kind of thing.

Most of us have been through Extreme Broadcast Scenarios, and someday I’ll tell you about getting in a car-totaling accident (a listener smashed into my car) at the site of my remote at the Select Comfort Bed Store.

My point is, man, do we learn to roll with things. High-wire acts, we are.

Our brains work REALLY hard. I’m EXHAUSTED after doing a show, and most of my career, I’ve been ashamed of that. (“What’s the deal? I’m not doing manual labor or anything…”)

But if you’re running a board and thinking about how to communicate effectively simultaneously—all through the aforementioned filters, no less—your brain is burning energy. I heard Jerry Seinfeld talk about sitting to write comedy for all of one hour and then wanting to sleep. We’re told chess masters can burn 9,000 calories a day just sitting there, thinking. What we do, if we bring passion to it, is genuinely hard.

Lastly—and I’m hoping it’s not just me, here—we sure learn our dependence on God. I have to ask the Lord to provide content every day. Like ESPN’s Bomani Jones said on his radio show, “These three hours ain’t gonna fill themselves,” and in our case, we need GRACE to do it. That’s what grace is for, to burn it like jet fuel. And it may sound cliché, or like ministry-speak, but I have learned I’ve got nothing without the Lord’s help.

Anyone can SAY that, of course. But we experience this daily, and boy, does that drive it home. To quote C.S. Lewis, who did not have a radio show on ESPN but did have on on the BBC, “Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn.”

So here’s to us, the Jockers of the Discs. True, when they do those “Most Respected Occupations” surveys, we usually don’t squeeze in the top ten. But that’s okay. Everybody THINKS they can do what we do. (“Shoot, I’m great at talking! Everybody says I’m funny! It’s easy!”)

But most just can’t. And if you are passionate about using this medium to communicate the Kingdom effectively, it’s an extremely difficult job. It’s TOUGH, darn it.

Maybe some oil rig workers will read this and beat me up for saying that, but that’s okay. I’d like to see them try to simultaneously work out how to backtime to hit the top of the hour while they’re spiritually encouraging everybody.

Bring it on. Oil Rig People vs. Disc-Jockeying People might be brutal for us as a fight but think of the content we’ll have for the show tomorrow!

God bless you on National Disc-Jockey Day. Or Disc-Jockey Eve. Whenever you’re reading this. Whatever.

Love,

Brant

The post Here’s to You, DJ-Person, for National Disc-Jockey Day: Some Honest Encouragement first appeared on CMB.

The post Here’s to You, DJ-Person, for National Disc-Jockey Day: Some Honest Encouragement appeared first on CMB.

It’s Jesus.

I’m serious. He’s not just Immanuel—God with us—he’s also the smartest person who ever lived. He’s an expert in everything. It makes sense, because he—you know—made us and stuff.

He tells us to fear God alone, and no one else. This is genius.

It means freedom from caring about what other people think of us. And wow, is that a remarkable freedom. It means we move from needing other people’s approval, to being loving.

It turns out that this leads us to being massively more effective in our jobs.

Maybe you’ve noticed this: A lot of people with our jobs, the Christian radio host thing, are needy?

Maybe you haven’t noticed it, but I have. I think it’s because I “get it.” So many people, including me, start out in this field just hoping for approval, even if we don’t realize it at the time. We really want to make a name for ourselves.

But if you’re needy, it’s all about you. You’re constantly wondering how you’ll be perceived by others. You’re constantly chafing for significance. And you know what? That becomes obvious on the air, even if you’re talented.

When it’s all about you, it can’t be truly about the listener. That means you can’t be truly empathetic, even if you act like you are. People pick up on that. It shows through. 

Even if you’re good at your craft—and many needy people do “make a name for themselves”—it stops you from being a blessing. Being a “blessing” means adding value to your listeners’ lives. 

They might be amused by you or angered by you. You might get the attention you want, sure. But you’re not a blessing, because you’re needy. It’s all about you.

So put yourself in this mindset: Truly think about your listener when you are prepping your show. Imagine a woman who’s had a long day of cleaning hotel rooms. Imagine a man driving a truck, who is a new believer, on his way to a tough job. Imagine a tired mom who just needs to think about Jesus. Prep for them.

That’s called “empathy” and it’s the opposite of neediness. 

Making the jump from neediness to empathy will mean you’re not looking for fame. You’re not looking for significance. You don’t need approval, from the industry or anyone else. 

You’re are just talking to the listener.

It’ll mean less anxiety. It’ll mean more energy. 

It will also mean you’re just plain better at radio! You’ll be WAY more creative, because you’ll be freed from trying to be someone else, or someone else’s idea of a big-time Christian radio personality.

And it’ll mean you’ll have a better sense of humor. Why? Again: You’re free. You don’t have to force it. You can be funny by mistake or just naturally, which is so much less cringe-y.

Neediness is everywhere. If you’re thinking, “That’ me!” I understand. But it’s not a switch to “OFF” I’m afraid. You’ll need to spend time talking with God every day about what you are doing in life together. You’ll need to keep reading good stuff, and you’ll need to keep humbling yourself. But empathy is something you can grow in, and you becoming less needy will benefit everyone in your life.

That includes your listeners. 

Don’t try be a Big Star. Just be a blessing.

The post How to Make the Biggest Jump in Your Career first appeared on CMB.

The post How to Make the Biggest Jump in Your Career appeared first on CMB.