It was September 15th of this year, and I was shopping at a big-box hardware store. We were getting ready to start fall but officially we were still in summer. To paraphrase Clement C. Moore, I was walking through the store when what did my wondering eyes should appear but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer. Yes, you guessed it, this store was already putting out Christmas decorations in the middle of September. To my astonishment, Christmas decorations and décor were going up for sale in summer. ...

21 November, 2022

He was being stalked…hunted. His killer was deranged—so deranged in fact that he actually visited the jail where he knew he’d be kept after the deed was done.  Why visit? The assassin wanted to make sure the accommodations were to his liking....

09 September, 2022

The next leadership principle I’d like for us to consider is this: as a leader, you work for the team. Never adopt the attitude that they work for you. ...

11 August, 2022

I haven’t written a blog for industry consumption in over two years. To be honest, that was intentional. Instead of trying to inspire and inform leaders outside of PAR, I focused on learning. ...

28 July, 2022

Never in our nation’s history has there been so much animosity and vitriol spewing forth from so many places all at once. Neither the left nor the right sides of America’s political divide are innocent when it comes to chumming the waters with incendiary comments designed to set the opposing camp ablaze. We don’t agree much on anything these days, except this: we are angry!...

23 June, 2022

For the past couple of years my wife and I worked really hard, but we did not allow ourselves to venture out much during the pandemic. In fact, we haven't gone much past our back deck for an adventure...and it is difficult to play hard there! Are we duller because of it? Uh, yes....

09 June, 2022

If you clicked on this article and thought that you were going to find out about the next big hit that your station needs to be playing, you might be disappointed. If you are looking for a better way to reach your listeners through the music…well then, this is for you....

26 May, 2022

Hi, my name is Derek, and I am a recovering perfectionist. It wasn’t until the age of 36 that I actually figured it out. This personal discovery took place while reading Dare to Lead by Brene Brown. Her book and its revealing insights hit the nail on the head. ...

12 May, 2022

On February, 26, 2021 my dad passed away one week before his 69th birthday, due to complication from COVID. It was unexpected, not because he was in good health before COVID, but the doctor had just met with my family six hours earlier and told us that he seemed to be turning a corner and starting to improve. So, we decided to leave the hospital to get cleaned up and try to rest. We get the call just after midnight that we needed to come back as quickly as we could. By the time we made it back dad was already gone. With the ones you love death always feels too soon, but we all thought we had 20 more years with him, instead from the time he went into the hospital to the time God called him home we only had 20 days. ...

28 April, 2022

If you’re like me, the past two years have felt like a decade. We have experienced things we’ve never experienced before. Statistics show that loneliness is at an all time high. More and more people are struggling with depression and anxiety. We are still dealing with the pandemic. There is political unrest, increase in crime and economic stresses. It feels like the world has gone crazy. It is piling on, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight....

14 April, 2022

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I confess I was mindlessly scrolling through images on my phone, as I waited at the doctor’s office last week. I paused at a photograph showing a line of baby strollers sitting at a train station. The caption shared how people were bringing strollers and leaving them for mothers with small children, fleeing their homeland with almost nothing but a suitcase or the clothes on their back. I was so touched by the kindness of strangers. Simultaneously, I felt a deep sorrow over yet another world crisis....

24 March, 2022

Lately I've been thinking a lot about legacy. In the beginning of 2022, I lost my dear friend and long time Pastor Max. He was my pastor when I lived in North Carolina and shaped so many things in my walk with Christ. He taught me about generosity. He taught me about having a positive attitude and he always had a perspective that saw the beauty in everything. No matter what things looked like, he always was able to see the beautiful world God created....

10 March, 2022

My whole life I have been a lover of dogs. From my earliest memories to my entire adult life, I always had a furry companion to share life with. When we lost two of our pups in the winter of 2020-2021, my husband and I knew that we wanted to open our hearts to another friend that needed a family and a home. That’s when we heard about Bessie. ...

24 February, 2022

There was a fire – there’s no way of sugarcoating the situation. I inadvertently set a pan on fire attempting to cook dinner. Flustered at the cooking mistake I had just made, I ushered my young son out of the kitchen so he wouldn’t be near the flames and reached for the fire extinguisher. I grabbed it, aimed, pulled the trigger, and extinguished the flames. ...

10 February, 2022

Congratulations! You have arrived! I always chuckle when my GPS navigation tells me this after a long road trip. “You have arrived!” It’s a statement from the GPS navigation that it has successfully brought me to where I need to be. I guess the congratulations should be for the GPS navigation and not me because it did all the hard work. But what does ‘You have arrived’ mean for you in your personal, professional and spiritual life? Is it a good thing? Let’s dive in. ...

26 January, 2022

Scholarly. Detailed. Deep. Useful. Those are four words I’d use to describe James Oakes’ book “The Crooked Path to Abolition: Abraham Lincoln and the Antislavery Constitution.”...

13 January, 2022

Congratulations! You have arrived! I always chuckle when my GPS navigation tells me this after a long road trip. “You have arrived!” It’s a statement from the GPS navigation that it has successfully brought me to where I need to be. I guess the congratulations should be for the GPS navigation and not me because it did all the hard work. But what does ‘You have arrived’ mean for you in your personal, professional and spiritual life? Is it a good thing? Let’s dive in. ...

10 November, 2021

A great pizza place in my neighborhood shuttered its doors last week, not because of a lack of business, but because of a lack of employees. The reality is, no matter what type of organization you run, employee retention has become a red blinking light on your dashboard that you can no longer ignore. That’s why showing appreciation to your workers must become your focus in “the new normal.”...

14 October, 2021

If I don’t have the answer when someone asks me a question, I feel like I’m failing. How ridiculous is that statement? It’s true for me, though, and there is a lot of pride wrapped up in wanting to be seen as someone who always knows just what to say. The glaring issue is that I can’t know everything, and that doesn’t make me a failure or a bad leader. ...

15 September, 2021

As a parent, a friend, and as a leader we are always looking for more time, money, and energy, but have we ever asked God for more wisdom? The strongest example of wisdom many of us know is King Solomon....

11 August, 2021

It seems we have gotten so busy that we have lost sight of the power of response.  I’m sure you have experienced leaving phone messages that are never returned.  Or, you send emails that never get a response.  Have you ever taken a moment to reflect on all the calls, emails and texts you receive in a day?  If you’re like me, it’s probably a large number!  How important do you think it is to respond to everyone?  How do you think people feel when you don’t respond?...

14 July, 2021

Of all the things I’ve had to learn to do, keeping my mouth shut has been the hardest. Can you identify with that? Maybe it’s because at every turn, another opportunity presents itself to share my opinion....

10 June, 2021

By this point in February, you’re sick of hearing what a tough year 2020 was.  Guess what, Cupcake, by every measure it appears that 2021 will be just as tough. Your cupboard may be a little bare, and your patience may be wearing a little thin, but you’re still going to be asked to get results in what is going to be another lean year, resources wise....

17 February, 2021

You would hardly need to read a blog post about the challenges we faced as radio media in 2020. Some days seemed like challenge after challenge with no signs of relief. Truthfully, 2021 hasn’t started much better. Now here comes some good news....

02 February, 2021

Nothing could have ever prepared anyone for what happened in 2020. So many scenes playing out on the global stage including political division, racial injustice, global disease, natural disasters, and an economic shutdown are just the tip of the iceberg of the trials and struggles that were seen. All of these have occurred before but never all in one year to the degree that was navigated in 2020....

21 January, 2021

I was able to complete 54 books in 2020. So, which were my favorites? Which helped me the most? Here’s my Top 10 for 2020. ...

06 January, 2021

Scripture is chocked full of the call to be grateful in all circumstances. Society has now adopted the phrase, “First World Problems.” That draws a conclusion that the irritants of our day are usually petty when compared to long-suffering of others around the world, or certainly when compared to life and death issues. Enter the pandemic. ...

31 December, 2020

There is so much to be thankful for in 2020. While it's true that social distancing has made things more challenging this year, ENCW partners like you have continued to innovate. We are so thankful for everyone who has worked to make a difference during this pandemic. Please watch the final ENCW Project Update video of 2020 and take a moment to celebrate your efforts and those of other ENCW partners....

24 December, 2020

Scripture is chocked full of the call to be grateful in all circumstances. Society has now adopted the phrase, “First World Problems.” That draws a conclusion that the irritants of our day are usually petty when compared to long-suffering of others around the world, or certainly when compared to life and death issues. Enter the pandemic. ...

17 December, 2020

In November 2019, I was picking my daughter up from daycare on a Thursday evening. I had a special daddy-daughter evening ahead, but I was unsure what activity we should enjoy together. Before picking her up, I remembered that “Frozen 2”--a sequel to the ever quotable and singable “Frozen”--was premiering that night in movie theaters. For my two-year-old daughter, she couldn’t be more excited when I asked her, “Would you like to go see ‘Frozen 2’?” I couldn’t have received a more resounding “yes” answer and with that we were out the door to the movie theater....

10 December, 2020

Here we are…2020. There is a global pandemic, economic distress, civil unrest and deep political divides in our country. People are getting sick. People are dying. Businesses are closing. Jobs are being lost. Many are dealing with anxiety, fear, depression and loneliness. It feels like the world has gone crazy.... ...

22 October, 2020

When we choose to lay down our own lives and love His people the way He does, amazing things are possible. This is what I’ve seen in 2020, a year that has been labeled as both a dumpster fire and unprecedented. These are the moments where your mission has to be more than a nice thought hanging on the wall in some hallway. ...

08 October, 2020

The ENCW Project welcomes a new partner today. Watch this #ENCW Project Update to learn who it is and how you can join them in making the holidays a joyous season of learning for kids in your community....

10 September, 2020

The mission hasn’t changed. Perhaps the things we must do to accomplish it have. Do those things. Pursue the mission. There’s much that can distract us in these days. You must coach continually so people stay focused on what is most important. ...

09 August, 2020

In the movie “The Kid,” Bruce Willis, a successful image consultant, becomes frustrated with a lady who is taking a large amount of time paying for her items in an airport gift shop. One by one she uses the multitude of coins in her fuzzy bear coin purse. Coins, and the minuteness of their value, compared to large bills can downplay their significance. Yet, they are still just as much legal tender as a $100 bill. However, when coins are put together they can have just as much value, if not greater than a single bill. Willis’ character was focused on the wrong things....

22 July, 2020

Stories are the oldest way for people to pass the time and stories allow us to communicate and connect to each other. Sharing stories is the fastest way to build relationships, break down walls, and bring people together. Stories don’t just pass the time, they help us communicate purpose, important information, and even inspire our listeners to believe. This is why stories matter....

18 June, 2020

Our mission at Positive Alternative radio is to create and deliver experiences that inspire people to live passionately for Jesus Christ. As the GM for Walk FM, I have to be careful with the experiences that my station creates. My decisions have the power to make those experiences joyful or full of disappointment....

21 May, 2020

I encourage you to take a moment and watch the video message from the ENCW Team. May God bless you and your ministry as we continue on through this period of crisis together....

30 April, 2020

Recently I have been spending a lot of time thinking about the why of our programming. Specifically, why does our programming matter? Of course the question is not just why our programming matters, but why does our programming matter to her?...

07 April, 2020

These are unprecedented times that will either make you or break you as a leader. That’s why I have prayerfully written a new blog that I would like to share with you....

17 March, 2020

For those of you with siblings, have you ever uttered these words?  “I’m Mom’s favorite!” If I’m honest with you, my twin and I believe our older brother is Mom’s favorite, but I digress. By very definition, favorite is such a lovely word. It means “a person or thing that is especially popular or particularly well liked by someone.”...

05 March, 2020

Songwriter Gloria Gaither once said, “Satan labels you, God names you.” Her quote profoundly reiterates what we believe at PAR about our listeners, our donors, and each person serving on our teams....

20 February, 2020

On behalf of everyone involved with the ENCW Project, we sincerely thank you for sharing your outreach stories in 2019. The Project is on its way toward reaching 1 billion lives and it’s all because of your efforts to change the world. Please take a moment to watch our first video of 2020. You will hear about some of the organizations that have worked tirelessly to be the hands and feet of Jesus in so many amazing ways. You will also learn about some of the places the ENCW Project team will be this year....

04 February, 2020

Let’s say that it’s 7 AM on a Saturday. I pull up in front of your house and toot the horn of my cherry red Lamborghini and beckon you to join me on a little car trip. If we haven’t worked it out beforehand, what’s your very first question? While it very well may be, “Where did you get a Lamborghini?” After we get over that, I’ll bet you’d be just a little curious about where we are going....

23 January, 2020