Know The Truth Radio Is Launched

A new, 25 minute daily radio program titled Know The Truth has been announced here at the National Religious Broadcasters convention in Nashville.  Featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor De Courcy of Kindred Community Church in Anaheim Hills, CA, Know The Truth will start broadcasting on March 15 and will be made available to stations all over the country.  One of it’s first releases will be on KKLA in Los Angeles.

It is my privilege and honor to serve as the host/announcer for this exciting new ministry which will be produced and represented by my good friend Roger Kemp and his team at Roger Kemp and Company.

Who is this pastor with the Irish accent?  He was born and raised in northern Ireland by committed Christian parents.  While working as a street cop in law enforcement, Philip felt the call of God to study for the ministry.  That crossroad in Philip’s life led him to southern California where he attended The Master’s Seminary.  After earning his degree, Philip began working and teaching local churches.  And today, he’s the senior pastor at Kindred Community Church in Anaheim Hills, California.  Philip is married to June and they have three daughters.

On Know The Truth you can expect the straight- forward proclamation of God’s inspired Word.  This daily program will be a place you can count on to hear in-depth teaching from the Bible and it’s application to every aspect of our lives.  To learn more about Know The Truth and Philip’s ministry, visit the soon-to-be launched website KTT.org.

Thanks for your prayers for this exciting new ministry venture!

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Chattanooga, TN Policy Briefing

THE PUBLIC SQUARE is a show I host along with Dave Zanotti and the team at The American Policy Roundtable. This weekly show is aired on Moody Radio and other stations across the country, and both the weekly and 2 minute daily version are archived online. It’s always an unrehearsed panel-based discussion of important public policy issues in the news.

From time to time we hold a public policy briefing in local communities and one of those is coming up on Thursday night, Feb 25, in Chattanooga, TN.

I’ll be there and I hope you can join us:

Sheraton Read House Hotel
827 Broad Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402

7:00 – 8:30 PM

Please Pre-Register by Contacting:
Allison Allen
1(800) 522-VOTE ext.104
aallen@aproundtable.org

2010 Audie Award Nominations

One of the organizations I have worked closely with, especially the past couple of years, is Oasis Audio. In addition to narrating a number of audio books, it has been my privilege to interview many of the Oasis authors as a bonus feature on many of their new products. These interviews are also available on the bonus content page of OasisAudio.com.

Publisher Dan Balow announced this week that Oasis has had 9 of their titles nominated for the 2010 Audie Awards, sponsored by the Audio Publishers Association. Among the finalists is THE BIRTH ORDER BOOK by Dr. Kevin Leman which I read for Oasis. I’ve interviewed Kevin many times through the years on radio and it was great fun to be a part of this audio project.

Congratulations to the whole team at Oasis! The winners will be announced in New York in May.

National Religious Broadcasters in Nashville

As far as I can remember, my first trip to the National Religious Broadcasters convention took place in 1972– but it could have been 1971– I’m not very good at dates, if you couldn’t tell. But I do remember this:  Not only was it my first visit of Washington D.C., it also marked the first time I ever flew in a plane. I had started working on the air as a Cedarville college freshman at WCDR in Ohio in 1970, becoming the exalted Student Manager in my sophomore year under the watchful eye of General Manager Paul Gathany. Well, he couldn’t have been watching too closely, because I fell in love with his secretary (also a student) and Becky and I were married in 1973. We both worked for WCDR the first year we were married, before moving to Chicago. Somewhere along the line, Paul decided that I needed to go with him to the NRB convention, then held in the Washington Hilton Hotel. I don’t think I’ve missed more than a couple of them since that first lofty experience. Thanks, Paul.

All that reminiscing to say that I’m again looking forward to this year’s convention. It has been a great venue for not only learning through the years, but also of making and reacquainting myself with dear friends who serve Christ in the arena of broadcasting and communication. If you are going, I hope we can connect.

Good grief, did I say I started on radio in 1970? I’m good enough with dates to know this is 2010. That makes this my 40th year in radio.

Preparing People For Change

It seems as though everybody is facing workplace changes.  If it’s not a direct layoff, it’s the possibility of one, or some other shake up that will affect my work life.  If you’ve not been affected, you know someone close to you who has.  I’ve been through this– both as a manager and as an employee.  And it’s no fun.  At the time I don’t think I was very successful at leading a staff through a transition, nor did I do everything right when the change came to my door.

Several years ago, there was a man (now with the Lord) by the name of Thomas J. Stevenin who was a very successful management consultant.  He wrote a couple of books which were printed by Northfield Publishing (possibly out of print by now).  I’ve always kept them on my shelf and referred to them whenever I needed some workplace wisdom.  In his book Win/Win Solutions, Dr. Stevenin said this about change:

“Changes in the workplace are particularly discomforting in today’s climate of corporate downsizing (this was printed in 1997).  Workers desperate to hang on to their jobs seldom welcome the uncertainty that change brings and the effects it has on relationships.  No matter what the reason for restructuring, whenever personnel holes appear in an organization, personal relationships develop holes as well.

Sadly, so much time is spent creating the new wheel that little time is left to consider the people in its path and how it will roll over them.  Most leaders do a woefully inadequate job of preparing people for change.  Managers who are well prepared to deal with the nuts and bolts of the change process can be ill prepared to deal with the human ruts and revolts.  Consequently, as managers organize and implement change, the human side often gets undermanaged.”

Dr. Stevenin had a lot more to say about helping people cope with inevitable change, but just re-reading that much is a helpful reminder to me.  “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”  Romans 12:10 ESV

Churches Helping Haitian Churches

Like many of you, I have been watching TV coverage of the Haitian earthquake and have had to turn it off from time to time because it’s all so overwhelming.  Then, later, I turn the television back to one of the cable news channels and watch more.  Also like you, we are praying for the victims and have given to a couple of ministries who are adept at providing a quick response to these types of tragic events.

This morning, I awoke to find out that God has laid it on the heart of James MacDonald and Mark Driscoll, along with some others, to travel to Haiti this week and gather whatever information they can about how best to help the churches of Haiti during this crisis.  You’ll find much more information about it at a website that was just launched today, www.churcheshelpingchurches.com. As the week goes on, I’m sure new information will be added.

Pray for them this week as they go.  There is little doubt that their hearts will be broken and they will be changed by what they see and hear.  Perhaps most importantly, they will come home with a plan for how we can best help the Haitian church.  “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:10

2010 Off and Running

The new year has started with a number of projects just wrapping up or getting started this month:

101 Hymns-This new release from Oasis Audio will come out in February. As the narrator of this project, I read the stories of 101 favorite hymns. The really unique part of this project is that each hymn story is accompanied by the hymn’s melody. Produced by Joe Carlson, the musicians who are a part of this project are Jeff Taylor on piano, accordion, and penny whistle, John Catching on cello, and Steve Wick on guitar. These talented men add a beautiful musical touch to these timeless stories and hymn texts. Just one of the hymn stories, O God Our Help In Ages Past, is in the audio vault for you to sample.

2012: The Bible and the End of the World- I completed production of this audio book in December and it will also be released by Oasis Audio.

The Map: The Way of All Great Men- This book is in production right now for upcoming release from Oasis Audio.

Author Interviews- Oasis Audio has also posted a number of my author interviews here.

THE PUBLIC SQUARE- This weekly program is off and running in the new year, a critically important year in the life of our nation. I’ll be attending our American Policy Roundtable Policy Briefing in Franklin, TN on Jan. 29.

PARENTING TODAY’S TEENS – We have a recording session planned for this month and I get to hear all of Mark Gregston’s latest stories

WALK IN THE WORD – We had a great finish to 2009 and look forward to what God has in store through the ministry of James MacDonald this year. We’ll have a recording session this month. Also, James has just released his book, When Life Is Hard.

MEET ME AT THE WELL – Hopefully, you’ve seen the download link here on the website for this radio special which is now available free of charge.

UREADBOOKS.COM – A number of author interviews have now been posted on this website as radio programs.

DRINK FROM THE WELL – I’m doing voiceover for this new television program with Dr. David Swanson from First Presbyterian Church Orlando.

All this and maybe a little snowmobile trip as well?? ‘Have a great month!

O God, Our Help in Ages Past

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After Christmas Special

I know we are all still thinking about Christmas, but let me be the first to announce an after Christmas special– no, not a half price sale, but a special radio broadcast that’s all produced and ready to go for January release. It’s called MEET ME AT THE WELL and it features Christian artist Lisa Troyer and author/speaker Virelle Kidder. With music from Lisa and biblical conversation with both Lisa and Virelle, MEET ME AT THE WELL is meant to encourage listeners to have their soul’s thirst quenched by Jesus Christ who is the Living Water. This program, which I host, also features Jerry Wiles of Living Water International.

The featured music for this program will come from Lisa’s brand new CD to be released in January, called Meet Me at the Well. Coincidentally (actually, we think it was the Lord’s doing), one of Virelle’s books from Moody Publishers is also titled Meet Me at the Well. When these two women bumped into each other at a conference, it only seemed natural that they should begin to minister together. So, starting in January, they will begin a series of women’s conferences with Lisa leading worship and Virelle speaking on the God-given theme of renewal.

This radio special is available for airing by any radio station who wishes to use it. MEET ME AT THE WELL is designed as a one-time, 54 minute radio special with ample cutaways for local fill.

More information is available at meetmeatthewell.fm. If you would like to audition the program, or download the files for broadcast, just go to wayneshepherd.net and follow the link to the download page where you can register and then listen and/or download the program.

Of course, if you have any questions, just email me at wayne@wayneshepherd.net. I hope you’ll take advantage of the first after Christmas special of the season!

Sunday Night at Sherwood

Last night was the service at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, GA which announced the next movie from the makers of FIREPROOF. The movie will be called COURAGEOUS, calling men and fathers back to their biblical role of spiritual leadership. The plot will involve a group of police officers who are called to “serve and protect”, a symbol of the role to which God calls all men.

The service at Sherwood was extremely powerful as Stephen and Alex Kendrick, Jim McBride, and Pastor Michael Catt explained how much thought and prayer has gone into determining the theme of the next movie. Michael Catt began by describing their method of decision making– after prayer and searching the Scriptures, there has to be complete unity among them before they move ahead on any point. No 3-1 votes, but complete unity.

As I heard the presentation and thought about the character and commitment to Christ of the men and women involved in this, I began to wonder and pray even now for a spiritual revival to be the fruit of their efforts dedicated to God’s glory.

You can read more about the movie which now enters a intense few months of writing, casting, and production at www.courageousthemovie.com.

I have uploaded a number of radio interviews that I did following last night’s service at Sherwood. They are on the front page of my website as featured audio.

I know the whole Sherwood team deeply desires your prayers as they launch their next movie.