AM? PM? FM?

Never let it be said that Christ’s people are poor workers. 1 Timothy 6:1

I spent thirty-something years in radio, most of it at Christian stations. Actually started in 1971 at KJNP, North Pole, Alaska. Go ahead, Google it. It’s a real town. The main industry there was the Santa Claus House. People would send their Christmas Cards and packages there to be re-mailed back to friends and loved ones. Postmarked, “From the North Pole.” Not sure who the brain surgeon was that thought that one up but it seemed to work!

In the summertime, the sun would never set. My  body clock got so out of whack, I could never tell if it was 12 noon or 12 midnight. For a while, I pulled a weird split shift where I worked six to ten AM then came back and worked six to ten PM. More than once, my newsman would come in the studio and say, “Del, you’re saying ‘Good Morning.’ It’s evening, Dude.”

I worked briefly at a couple of non-Christian stations, one in Buffalo, Minnesota, the other in Havre, Montana, and I’m pleased to say that, with a few exceptions, most of my Christian fellow-workers consistently gave 110% percent. That’s how it should be. Paul is telling us not to be poor workers. It’s a shameful testimony.

One of the biggest compliments I ever received was from a non-Christian Program Director. Someone asked him how many people worked at the station. “One. I’ve got twelve people on staff but Del is the only one who works.”

Working in a Christian ministry is not all fun and fellowship. It’s not a Sunday pot-luck. There are long hours, heavy demands, deadlines to meet. My boss would give me a piece of production marked ASAP – as soon as possible. But if he really wanted to put a rush on it, he would mark it STP – sooner than possible.

“Del, how soon can you get this done?” Oh, by ten. “Get it to me by nine.” So I would step into a phone booth, put on my cape and go to work. Others preferred to simply keep a can of spinach nearby.

Funny thing I learned, the harder you work, the faster the time goes by. The more effort you give, the more feeling of pride you take in your job.

But above all, always remember, the Lord is taking notice.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23, 24 (NIV)

As you go about your responsibilities today, do it with all your heart. Do it as unto the Lord. Remember:

…never let it be said that Christ’s people are poor workers.