C-1131.1 - Guidelines International Ministries

Release: September 2, 2013 Subject: Anniversary GUIDELINES’ 50TH ANNIVERSARY: A n Interview with Harold Sala C-­‐1131.1 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? Romans 10:14 Harold Sala: On the highway there are road signs that tell you how far it is to your destination. Now that’s helpful. But sometimes it’s good to know how far you’ve come on your journey. This week marks a special milestone for Guidelines. And I’ve invited my good friend and colleague Dick Johnson to join my wife Darlene and me on this week’s edition of Guidelines. I first met Dick when he was manager of radio station KSAB in Okinawa—then a station owned and operated by the Far East Broadcasting Company. Dick Johnson: Thanks, Harold, for allowing me to ask some of the questions you, who listen, would like to ask. Fifty years ago this week the first Guidelines commentary was released—long before most of us were l istening to the radio. First, we would all like to know what motivated you to start a five-­‐minute program, when almost all programs in the 60s were fifteen or thirty minutes long. HJS: Yes, Dick, that’s true. We felt at that time that a five-­‐minute program was long enough to be effective, but also short enough to be heard in one sitting. Victor Hugo had said, “Nothing in all the world is as powerful as an idea whose time had come.” We knew it was being different, but we felt it was what God had wanted us to do. DJ: Is five minutes long enough to impact a life? HJS: Absolutely, it is! Otherwise, I would not be doing this fifty years after we started. Take a thousand-­‐pound ball, put it on a chain and then take a cork and thump the ball when the cork is on a string and, eventually, the ball will move. We’ve discovered that time and time again. DJ: So where is Guidelines heard today? HJS: At the present time Guidelines is released over a network of about 1300 stations in English, Spanish and Russian and then translated into other languages, too. It’s heard in the 49 of the 50 states, all over the Philippines. It is released in Russian and over 300 stations in Spanish reaching much of Latin America. DJ: Now tell us about some of the people who encouraged you in your early years of radio. HJS: Believe me I wouldn’t be here today unless we had had a lot of help. I will never forget Oval Wiley, who heard our f irst commentary when he managed the Los Angeles station. And as a young guy, I was sitting there trembling, but he said, “I like it! We’ll give it a try.” Brandt Gustavson, who was involved with Moody Radio, was a real blessing and a help. And I’m, of course, grateful to Lowell Davies, Bible Broadcasting Network, and our mutual friend, Bob Bowman, who opened the door for us to broadcast over Far East Broadcasting Company. DJ: So, Harold, how did you come to Christ? HJS: As far back as I can remember our family went to church. But we were not Christians. At the age of twelve I heard the Gospel for the first time. And on that Sunday morning my brother, my sister and I all trusted the Lord. It transformed our lives. DJ: If you had to live your life over again, would you invest it in radio? HJS: I would do it in a heartbeat and I will tell you why. Reason number one: Radio reaches people wherever they are. We are hearing from people scattered around the world who have responded to Guidelines. And the second powerful reason is that radio crosses barriers. First, the ethnic barrier. It is also the religious barriers. We hear occasionally from Muslims, from people from different parts of the world, who would never darken the door of a church but they do listen. Number 3: I believe radio is cost effective. And the bottom line is, simply put, radio works! Year in and year out we have been blessed by people who say, “I listen to your commentary. God used that to change my life. And now I’m serving the Lord.” My special thanks to all of you, who have made Guidelines possible over a period of many years. Resource reading: Romans 10:14-­‐16 The preceding material was written and produced by Dr. Harold Sala. All rights reserved ©. Reproduction for sale or financial profit is prohibited. Permission to reprint may be obtained by contacting Guidelines International Ministries, Box G, Laguna Hills, CA 92654 USA. Email at [email protected].