Stacey Stone “Pioneering In 2020”

Giddy up there, pioneer! You have led the way through the wilderness of quarantine and COVID-19 to provide what your listeners need. You are in good company! Lewis and Clark are two of my favorite trailblazers who mapped the left half of the United States. The area where we live is filled with museums and whole towns that are starting points for each of their adventures. Recently, on a trip to Harpers Ferry, we visited the armory where Meriwether Lewis built the supplies they would need for their first adventure. Standing in that museum, I realized that there are a few things that pioneers have in common; they showed up each day for the work and they knew the purpose of what they were attempting to accomplish.

So, how does it feel to be a pioneer in this new landscape? You may be saying, “There have been pandemics before!” Well, not like this one. Where we shutdown but had the ability to keep working from home or in the office (no one ever called us essential before this), the technological advances we have made to stay on air, the care that we have given our listeners and working while being a parent of stay-at-home kids who have no idea what is coming next. Put all of those with the missed church services, canceled weddings, inability to attend a funeral or visit a friend in the hospital and you have literally helped to draw the topography of the new land labeled “2020.”

“God knows the when, the where, the why and the how. Show up. Do your part. Then let go and trust Him to do the rest.” That great advice came from a TobyMac meme recently (he has the best messages). For those of us on air, “showing up” has changed to the question of whether we need to be present in the studio or not. My husband, Johnny Stone, has always said that “85% of success in radio is just showing up.” That meant being on time and being willing to do the work, back then. Now the work still has to be done but working remotely is not out of the question so we can change it to “85% of success in radio is getting it done” regardless of where you do it from.

Our purpose is clearer than any other group of radio professionals. And being a trailblazer now gives you the opportunity to talk about hope in Jesus and show what that means more than ever. “Love others” has taken on a new meaning during this time of uncertainty and any map that we create will lead them straight to Christ’s love. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well,” Matthew 6:33. Those things include everything that we are uncertain about since March and the path that we will take them on step-by-step.

You are making history now. You have been chosen for this moment, regardless of your personal struggles. How does it feel to be a pioneer? We are all pioneers on the new frontier that is radio in 2020 so give yourself credit for what you are doing.

Stacey Stone serves God by loving her husband, Johnny Stone, her family and friends, along with her little dogs and her listeners on WGTS 91.9, Washington DC. In addition to her 26 years in broadcasting, she is a licensed professional counselor with a private practice in Maryland, a public speaker, and the author of The Rescued Breed: When Jesus Shows Up And Transforms Your Pack. She can be reached HERE.