Lubell Marketing. But despite my busy schedule, the radio notion would not let me go. Often, I found myself knocking on studio doors and peering through the windows of sound booths.
G
“Why do you want a job like that?” my husband teased. “It won’t pay you anything.”
Admittedly, it was an odd idea, but I felt I had to secure a position in radio and learn how it operates. I was compelled. To the outside world, everything was going well for the Lubells. Both Bob and I were successful in our respective profes- sions. But inwardly, we were perpetually “looking” in a subconscious pursuit of God’s will.
So when I found myself in search mode, literally scanning the radio dial, it should have occurred to me that my compulsion was simply God tuning me to His divine frequency for my life and our future. But like most people, busy with everyday living, it was hard to see heaven’s plan.
It is said that “everything we do pre- pares us for everything we do,” and I gradually witnessed this statement come to life. Everything I did—my day job, my odd search, my commitment to my husband, and our dedication to God’s will—slowly, effortlessly snapped togeth- er, like pieces of a grand puzzle. Eventu- ally, almost naturally, Bob and I found ourselves managing a Christian radio sta- tion called “Super Power 103: WDRZ,” in Cleveland, Tennessee.
At first we had no idea we had found our ultimate station in life. I worked as advertising sales manager, and Bob as general manager. Together, with lots of hard work and earnest prayer, we man- aged to put the station’s operational costs in the black for the first time since WDRZ went on the air. Being severely handi-
ET RADIO EXPERIENCE. The thought would not leave me alone.
I already ran my own advertising company,
capped with the station’s exorbitant load of old debts and its antiquated equip- ment, we tightened the station’s belt and adjusted the programming to a solid con- temporary Christian music format. At the time, “Super Power’s” trans- mitter was neither super nor all that powerful. The 25-year-old tower was an obsolete model that had long outlived its expectancy. Every day we went to work with the possibility that it could literally blow. And often, in the middle of the night, we’d get the phone call, “You’re off the air,” which would prompt us to call friends near the transmitter site (over 30 miles from us) to physically go flip a switch and turn the 103.1 signal back on. Despite the station’s fluctuating income and the radio tower’s sporadic signal, there was no static in the recep- tion of our communications with God.
first task on the new partners’ agenda was to purchase WDRZ from its current own- ers, and make it a nonprofit ministry. But not everything went according to plan. Instead of selling, the owners (taking note of all the improvements) decided to take over the running of the radio station themselves. So, out of nowhere we were put out on the street, forced to leave.
What do we do now? Where do we go?
Once again I found myself in search mode. It should have occurred to me this was God’s way of fine-tuning us to His divine program, but, distracted by the unexpected turn of events, it was difficult to see the Spirit’s leading.
At that point we turned our attention toward the nearby city of Chattanooga. There we began speaking in churches and Christian schools, expanding our vision and adding partners to our broadcasting
OFTEN, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, WE’D GET THE PHONE CALL, “YOU’RE OFF THE AIR,” WHICH WOULD PROMPT US TO CALL FRIENDS NEAR THE TRANSMITTER SITE (OVER 30 MILES FROM US) TO PHYSICALLY GO FLIP A SWITCH AND TURN THE 103.1 SIGNAL BACK ON.
While in prayer, the Lord spoke to us plainly, “This is My radio station. Watch Me bring it up.”
Before long, both the transmitter’s power and the station’s listenership sta- bilized to such a degree that we dared to consider the possibilities. Forever in pur- suit of God’s point of view, we started to think outside the box, outside the range of the station’s local footprint. And slow- ly another puzzle piece appeared—the vision to cover the east Tennessee/north Georgia region with the “super power” of contemporary Christian music. The first step in switching on this tower of possibilities came with the 1992 creation of Partners for Christian Radio, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) ministry. And the
efforts. During this time, WDRZ, Chat- tanooga’s sole source of contemporary Christian radio, went off the air. So we targeted an existing local station, WBDX, to fill the void.
The initial lease of $25,000 was to be deposited on the day we signed the papers. However, we did not have the money. But compelled by a know- ing faith, we readied ourselves for the meeting anyway. And by noon, the full amount miraculously showed up. That day, as we wrote the deposit check, we knew we had found our station in life. At midnight on March 5, 1995, Part- ners for Christian Radio went on the air with its first acquisition, WBDX, 102.7 FM, serving the Greater Chattanooga
EVANGEL • MAY 2010 19
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