VOM Radio Receives National Award

Today at the National Religious Broadcasters convention The Voice of the Martyrs Radio was honored as Radio Program of the Year.

When I found out about the award I started worrying about what I would say. Trying to talk in front of a room full of professional communicators is intimidating! Then I found out that they present the awards at a luncheon at NRB, and none of the award recipients says anything. Whew!

So I didn’t have to say anything at the lunch. But if I had said anything, this is what I hope I would have said:

I am thankful to the NRB for this recognition, and I accept it not only on behalf of The Voice of the Martyrs but also on behalf of countless Christians around the world who boldly serve Jesus in spite of suffering and persecution…and who do it with a smile on their face and a deep Godly joy in their hearts. It is their stories that we tell each week, and their faithfulness and boldness is our reason to have a radio show.

I’m thankful for their example, and I’m so thankful for the stories that we’ve been allowed to tell on VOM Radio.

• The story of a missionary dad burying his baby son in the frozen soil of Mongolia, but with tears in his eyes and a catch in his voice saying boldly, JESUS IS WORTH IT!
• The story from a gospel worker in Iran of how Christians in their house church ROLE PLAY arrest and interrogation, to practice responding with the love of Christ even to secret police and persecutors.
• JoAnn Doyle talking about washing the feet of Muslim women and seeing Jesus’ love break through the barriers of language and religion and culture to warm the hearts of women she ministers to.
• Gracia Burnham talking about how faithful God has been to her children after the death of their dad in the Philippine jungles.
• Stories of former prisoners for Christ in China and Eritrea. Stories of VOM workers going to hard places and seeing how God is mightily at work in those places. Stories of Muslims coming to know Jesus Christ. Challenges and instruction for American Christians to reach out to Muslims right where we live.

That’s just a tiny sampling of the stories we’ve gotten to tell in the past 18 months.

I’m also thankful to those at VOM that opened the door for me to be involved in VOM Radio. Some of their names I can’t publicize, but some I can. I’ll never forget the day VP of Communications Cheryl Odden came into my office and said, “We want to do a radio show, and we want you to host it!” Thank you, Cheryl, for giving me this amazing opportunity, and for your support in equipping me to do it well.

VP of Connection Jason Peters has continued that support and encouragement. Steve C. helped shape the content early on and has helped reach more stations. VOM’s executive leadership, President Jim Dau and Executive Vice President Cole Richards, have been unwavering and enthusiastic in their support and their willingness to commit resources to help VOM Radio succeed.

Thanks to Steven and David who made VOMRadio.net into a reality, and to David, Tim and Olive who serve as my recording engineers.

Wes Ward of 5Q helped shape the content and helped me feel like I could really do this. Having him—an actual radio professional—say “You are the guy for this” was a huge confidence boost for me. Hugh Duncan has taken on the role of editor this year…which means I don’t have to edit the shows in my office anymore!

Thank you to the radio stations that put us on the air. I’m especially thankful for Renew FM, which was the first network that agreed to air VOM Radio. What a great day that was! Since then many others have agreed to carry VOM Radio and help us share these amazing stories.

Thank you to our listeners, both on radio and via the podcast. I hope that these stories are impacting your faith as you listen. Please send us your feedback.

Finally, I’m thankful to my “home team.” Charlotte is my wife and my number one fan. She’s also my best friend. I could not do what I do without her cheering me on and walking alongside me. Our sons, Kameron and Kedrick, have also been enthusiastically supportive.

God loves persecuted believers. His Word says they are literally too good for this world (Hebrews 11:38)! For a story-teller, what stories could be more important or more impacting to tell? Who wouldn’t want to tell these amazing stories? I can’t believe the people that I get to sit in the studio with!

I consider it a sacred honor and privilege—one I’m not worthy of—that God has allowed me to be a part of telling those stories through VOM Radio.

Todd Nettleton has served with The Voice of the Martyrs for 17 years. He’s traveled to more than 20 restricted and hostile nations and interviewed hundreds of believers who’ve faced persecution for their Christian witness. As VOM’s principle media spokesperson, Todd has done more than 2,000 interviews with media outlets ranging from Moody Radio to the BBC and Los Angeles Times. He is the principle author of Restricted Nations: North Korea and was part of the writing team for four other VOM books. In 2014 VOM launched a weekly, half-hour radio show with Todd as the host.