A lot of people are willing to pray or to put in work, but they're not willing to take true risks.
A lot of people think my life started professionally with Entertainment Tonight. I was a local news broadcaster for many years.
After playing so many songs in churches for eight or nine years, I've learned what songs people react to. Then I just had fun with the arrangements. That's how this album came together.
I always wanted to be a full-time musician. Every television job I had was a means to buy a grand piano, or to put in a recording studio, or something like that.
I come from the performance world, but the idea of a worship song is different. It's useful music.
I grew up wanting to be a musician, but my parents were sure I would starve to death. So, they put me in physics and chemistry. That eventually blew up, and I got into radio.
I really want to prove that you don't have to show Victoria's Secret models and all of that stuff. People want to see something about entertainment that their families can watch together.It's doable - one of these days.
I spent another six years in Europe covering sporting events such as the Tour de France.
I took the ET job because I wanted to stop traveling and they said I would only work half a day. Then I could work on music the rest of the day. They put in my contract that I wouldn't work after 1 P.M.
I was 23 years old. It was a wild time. I was covering everything that blew up - blackouts, Studio 54, son of Sam killer, and all of that stuff.
I'd like to do a television show that is encouraging, useful, and clean, and I'd like to go up against Entertainment Tonight and beat it.
I've been stuck on John Eldredge lately. He's all about being a warrior outside of the church. I hate to think about this kind of stuff - I just like to do it.
I've definitely been misunderstood by Christians, because of a lot of people get into the church, but then they don't get out.
If you want to get an education in how to get a story and how to survive, then get a street reporter job in New York City.
If you want to write the next great novel, but you think, No, this won't work because no one will buy it or it won't be any good, then you talk yourself out of taking a risk.
Just by the title of your company's magazine, Christianity Today, you run the risk of a lot of people not picking it up.
Many times, my son has said that worship is not about the performance. But think of yourself on stage as the director, the audience as the instrument, and God as the audience. When you think about it that way, it's completely different than how you normally think about a performance.
My self-imposed mission statement would be Bob Briner's approach to spreading the gospel - which is basically just using the areas that you can to minister in. Those areas for me are different than for others.
None of those jobs were high-profile, but once I was on ET, people then began to associate me with that show. So, that is the thing that many people know me for. When in effect, that was the end of my television career.
Really, at a time when they're debating when and where a nativity scene can be used, this is the kind of stuff we need to have out there - outside of the church.
Risk means everything from being honest about your faith, to moving, to quitting a job that's paying you a fortune but it's not what's in your heart. Risking things is one of the biggest fears we have.
The real advantage for me is that I have the opportunity to lead worship every Sunday.
The reason we made this a worship record was because was because we knew we'd have license to do that at Christmastime.
There's probably a way to use that great content and to live under the radar now and then in order to reach a new audience. That's the thinking I'm talking about.
Those worship songs on the Christmas project will air on PBS television. That's highly unusual.
To understand this Christmas record, you have to understand our ministry.
We have eight million people listening each week. That's more than the number of people who watched me on Entertainment Tonight.
We promise you intelligence for your life. We're here to make you smarter, healthier, better at everything you do. We're going to help you live to be 100 years old or more. Then my daughter comes on and says, "If a nine-year-old can't listen to it, you won't hear it on this radio program."
You'll hear Christians being interviewed from time-to-time, but you won't hear us pray on-air. It's a Christian guy hosting a secular show.
John is currently hosting a nationally syndicated radio show, The John Tesh Radio Show.
You can share a link to this page with your friend!