I don't know about you, but for Heather and me, summertime is porch time! We eat our meals there listening to the birds chattering at the feeder; we relax there in the evening and watch the fireflies blinking in the trees. Any opportunity finds us either sitting on the porch together, or Heather tending to her flowers that decorate it. These simple pleasures bring peace to our summer days, all the while in the back of our mind knowing that all too soon the busyness of back-to-school season will begin.

Recently, I was giving a tour of the studios to a young couple. As we wrapped up, I was asked a two-part question: what is your greatest joy in radio ministry, and what is your greatest challenge? What great questions! It only took me a second to come up with my greatest joy: connecting with our listeners. Feedback, comments, and encouragement from listeners reminds me that what we say on the air matters more than we know!

Despite the way things look at times in the world, we have much to be thankful for! A relatively quiet hurricane season is coming to a close, and we will soon see the temperatures moderating just a bit. As Thanksgiving approaches, we are blessed to have you as a part of our extended family. Your faithful commitment to the mission of WIVH has allowed us to share the message of hope, love, and salvation through the airwaves, and for that we are truly thankful!

I love the church! When I say that, I don't mean I love MY church, I mean I love the "Big C" church. The Bible talks about Christ loving the church so much that he gave himself for it (Ephesians 5:25-32). That's a lot of love! It's a love that doesn't come easy to us, but neither is it optional for us. So many people criticize the church when really they are criticizing individuals in the church. Pastors often feel this criticism deeply because it can feel like a personal attack, even if it's not–I know because I have the privilege of meeting regularly with these undershepherds who express their desire to "shepherd the flock... as God would have (them)... being examples to the flock,” (1 Peter 5:1-2).

It’s Dove Awards time! On October 17, the sold-out 54th annual Dove Awards will take place in Nashville, Tennessee, airing exclusively on TBN and the TBN app on Friday, October 20, 2023 at 8 PM and 10 PM. While I typically write about all the new music forthcoming on WIVH, let’s take a look back at the past year, and I’ll try to predict what artists and songs will be bringing home an award. While you may not be familiar with the name Jordan Janzen, you’ve certainly heard his voice before. Jordan is from the Canadian band The Color, and he’s recently released his first single as a solo artist called “You Can Let Go.”

Another month and another fresh batch of great music to tell you about. Listen for these new tunes as you tune in this September on Your Voice of Hope! TobyMac sends us into autumn with “Faithfully” – the sixth single from his Life After Death release. While the passing of Toby’s son Truett is at the root of this song, it speaks of God’s goodness and presence that’s in all of our lives, no matter how dark things may get. He will never leave us or forsake us. While you may not be familiar with the name Jordan Janzen, you’ve certainly heard his voice before. Jordan is from the Canadian band The Color, and he’s recently released his first single as a solo artist called “You Can Let Go.”

During this time of the year, my wife and I sometimes sit in the backyard looking up at the sky on a clear night. As we watch the stars twinkle and peer into the depth of the universe, our conversations can turn deep as well. We contemplate many things as we chat in our chairs. Consider. Ponder. Think about. That's what the psalmist asks us to do in Psalm 8:3. What is he asking us to think about? The sun, the moon, the stars... the vastness of space. I don't know about you, but if I reflect on it for any length of time, I begin to realize how small I really am!

August is upon us, which may mean back to the beach or back-to-school. Wherever you’re off to this month, be sure to listen to WIVH for these new songs: While you may not be familiar with the name Jordan Janzen, you’ve certainly heard his voice before. Jordan is from the Canadian band The Color, and he’s recently released his first single as a solo artist called “You Can Let Go.”