When the News is Bad: Broadcasting Hope, Wisdom, and the Way of Stanley Jones

🎙 FIRST-PERSON PROGRAM SUMMARY

Hello, friends. I want to share with you one of the most heartfelt and challenging episodes I’ve ever recorded in our Stanley Jones Radio School for Fully Alive Living. This program began on a hard note—one of those days when you wake up, ready to share something upbeat, something inspiring, and then the news hits. A flood in Texas, lives lost—many of them children—and suddenly, your well-prepared outline feels tone-deaf, irrelevant, even cruel. So what do you do when you're a broadcaster, a preacher, a teacher—or just a person—faced with deep tragedy in real time? That’s what this program wrestles with. It’s personal. It's raw. And it’s real. From there, I walk through what it means to be a communicator in this world, especially a communicator of hope and faith. I share a few stories, some broadcasting wisdom from 40 years behind the mic, and reflections on the enduring example of E. Stanley Jones—how he faced a broken world and still boldly spoke about a Kingdom not shaken. I imagine what he’d be doing today—yes, I believe he’d be podcasting daily!—and how you might carry his voice and message forward. And then I issue a gentle, firm challenge: Maybe it’s your turn. Maybe you're being called to be a broadcaster of hope. To take your experiences—your knowledge, your faith, your joy, even your hobbies—and wrap them in the love of Christ to serve others. If a woman in her 70s can podcast about flowers with a spirit-filled twist, why not you? This isn’t just a show. It’s an invitation. And maybe a turning point.

📌 TAKEAWAYS FROM THE PROGRAM

• Tragedy demands sensitivity. When the news is bad, don’t pretend it’s not. Speak to the pain, not around it.

• Broadcasting is ministry. People tune in for information—but they stay for warmth, humanity, and heart.

• Stanley Jones was a master communicator. He didn’t just preach theology—he told stories of transformation (SOTs, not just TOTs!).

• Be present to the moment. The best broadcasters—and disciples—respond to what’s really happening now, not just what they planned.

• Good communication is both serious and light. It teaches and touches, but also entertains and engages.

• The first-person voice matters. Stanley Jones wrote—and spoke—like he was talking directly to you. That’s powerful.

• You don’t have to be a preacher to speak truth. Your voice matters, whether you talk about gardening, grief, business, or birds.

• Audio is sacred space. A microphone can be a ministry tool if used with care, craft, and calling.

• Let your story merge with God's story. That’s where transformation begins.

• You are invited. Maybe not just to listen, but to speak. To join the movement. To become part of this living broadcast legacy.

💬 A MOTIVATIONAL CLOSING CHALLENGE

So here’s the question: If the Kingdom of God is real—and I believe it is—then how will you communicate its message today? When the world hurts, who will step up to speak life? If you’ve ever thought about podcasting… sharing your story… teaching what you’ve learned… or just offering encouragement over the airwaves… I’d love to hear from you. Maybe this is your moment to join the Stanley Jones Radio School for Fully Alive Living and help build something extraordinary. 🎤 Write me at [email protected]. Let’s talk about what you could say—and how to say it well. Because when the news is bad, the world needs more than just noise. It needs your voice.