The Beginning of the End...of the Top 10

What I'm going to share in this blog is really what I was starting to aim toward in the last. "Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer" ended up being a good lead-in for this one. The last blog could be compared to getting in the car, driving toward an expected location, taking a slightly different route and ending up in a place that was actually a bit better than the previously planned destination. The nutshell version of the last bit of encouragement could probably be, "Don't put your hope and expectations and fulfillment of happiness in the things of this world, for they are temporal and will leave us disappointed in the end, for the longing of a hope-fulfilled is to be only in that of Christ." If you haven't read it yet, I encourage you to, it may be helpful in mentally consuming this blog. Be prepared for Part 2. :o)

Rarely when I write do I think "this is going to be a lengthy one". In fact, I often think it's going to be pretty short, and then when I type my last punctuation mark, I find that I've nearly written a long essay or short novel! This time, I really don't intend to take very long. Since nearly the beginning of my time at KGCR, in my youthful zeal and desire to reach youth, I had brought up ideas about doing some sort of programming that would be more tailored to the youth. At the time, our format wasn't known to be one that would draw youth in like moths to a flame, rather to some it may have been more like a dog whistle to man's best friend. But, times changed and slowly, so did our musical format to something that may provide an adaquate musical selection to head in a direction that would hopefully hit most listeners, younger and older (you can decide which category you fit in). In 2004, we ventured out with something that wasn't exactly exclusively for youth, but it wasn't just for adults either. We had a nice response to the yearly countdowns that we did, and Shane and I were good friends and wanted to do something fun and something different to help bring a little more local personality to the station. So, the birth of the Praise FM Top 10 came about in September of that year. We had done some questioning and a bunch of thinking before we launched into this venture.

We had some hesitancy coming from at least one of our network stations, saying that they had tried a countdown show and it didn't fly very well for them. On the other hand, we figured we might as well try it and if we bomb, we bomb. If we it works, then great! So, we tried it. It took a little time to get the hang of things, but eventually the show started taking off. Surprisingly, people like it!

Shane and I rarely had a plan, and I'm sure regular listeners would catch onto that fact. Shortly after we began and noticed that we seemed to have been given a platform, we started looking into doing something with that platform. An opportunity to bring challenges and encouragement through our stories and through the stories of some of today's most popular Christian artists was at our door. We wanted to have seriousness, but didn't want to neglect the occasional fun and goofiness. As we look back over the last few years, I hope that the Lord was able to use the Top 10 to plant seeds. That there may have been someone who was on the brink of giving up, but then decided to go another step; someone who didn't give much of a thought to others, but is now doing something for those who are suffering; someone who didn't feel like anyone cared, but felt the encouragement of the Lord coming their way; who wasn't sure of their direction in life, but felt His nudge through something covered on the Top 10. Maybe something that dramatic happened, it may seem like a lofty hope, but I don't put it passed the Lord to do something like that. I know I've had life-changing seeds planted through programs that I've heard on KGCR.

So, what's up with all this sentimental, memory-lane cruisin'? Well, the seasons are changing, and I've felt it for a while. Have you? Yeah, I got married over a month ago and that's a pretty huge life-change. Shane has been under-going his own life changes that are for the good. And because of this, September 27th and 28th, a little over 4 years after our first Praise FM Top 10 show, will be our last. And we are okay with this, in fact, we have peace about it. It's sad, but it's good. He's good.

It's been fun and it's been life-changing. At least for us, and knowing the Lord doesn't waste things and because we've heard from some of you, I know it's had an impact on listeners, maybe even you in some way. I don't think that we would've ever won an award. The idea of a countdown show isn't very original. We don't have impressive editing techniques. We don't have consistantly amuzing or deeply thought-provoking personalities. We don't have a consistant, formated plan from show to show. I can't even say that our hearts have always been into the Top 10. Despite the unimpressiveness of our simple little show, we are grateful that the Lord would use us to encourage people.

This may not be the last official Top 10 blog, but I don't want to miss the opportunity to say thanks! Thanks for the support, thanks for the encouragement, thanks for laughing, thanks for listening. :o) Listen in all the month of September as we reminisce over the last 4 years of the show and give you a chance to win some cool stuff!

Blessings,
Becca (and Shane)

P.S. - I know it's tough for some to be able to leave a comment on this blog, so if you find it easier to email, you may do so at the following address: beccatsp@kgcr.org . Please put in the subject line: Top 10 Blog

Thank you!