So, a lot has been happening. Allow me to sum up…
Last week I was contacted by a producer from Seize the Day on the Catholic Channel Sirius/XM 129. He wrote:
“I saw your conversion story on Why I’m Catholic and I was wondering if you would like to come on our program tomorrow morning via telephone, and share it with our listeners. We have a segment we do from time to time called Conversion Corner where Gus and a convert have a one-on-one conversation about the latter’s conversion to the Catholic faith and I think you’d be perfect for it.”
Since they record on the East Coast, he had a twenty minute time slot available at 6am Pacific.
I live in California.
So allow me to repeat that…6am Pacific.
I calmly agreed to do the show.
Then I panicked.
Luckily, since I was going to be on the air in less than 24 hours, I couldn’t panic for very long. I’ve never been on live radio or television before, certainly never on satellite radio, nor have I had to do an unscripted interview. I’m a pretty confident speaker, and I’m not typically shy, but I found that I was really worried about the upcoming interview. I’m not necessarily at my best at 6am in the morning.
I made my wife do a mock-up interview with me the night before and it was a dismal failure. I didn’t sleep that night. I was really nervous about sharing my story.
That may seem like an odd thing to say. After all, I’ve been sharing various aspects of my faith on my blog for several months now. After only a few weeks my conversion story has already been read by nearly two thousand people at Why I’m Catholic, and my wife Missy and I have even recently started our own podcast – so I shouldn’t be so nervous about sharing my story, right?
Wrong.
Here’s the thing. When I write, I can choose my words very carefully. I can edit, and re-edit, and edit again. I can check sources, insert quotes and scripture references, and make sure that the article proceeds clearly from point to point until reaching it’s conclusion. In a similar manner, when podcasting I can cut and edit after the fact, add effects, delete mistakes, and even re-record the entire episode if necessary. But live satellite radio is another matter all together.
Additionally, the vast majority of my friends and family are non-Catholics. How do you share your reasons for becoming Catholic without putting down the people who aren’t? How do you convey how profoundly grateful you are for the faith of your childhood while expressing how wonderful it has been to see that faith grow and change into something deeper and fuller and richer than you could have ever imagined? How do you humbly suggest to them that there is something more?
My interview with Gus went very well. He did a great job of letting me talk, and then asking questions that either helped to clarify a particular point or move the story forward in a logical way. I really appreciated his professionalism and his obvious experience when it came to doing interviews. He did a great job of helping me to present my story in a mostly coherent manner, and I was very thankful to have him on the other end of the line.
I’ve put the audio from the interview on the latest podcast and you can listen to it here. I have to admit – I couldn’t resist doing a “directors cut” with a couple of short clarifications and additions. Let me know what you think 🙂
Faith is a journey. I have been blessed to have parents and family and friends who set my feet on the path at a very young age. Pastor Eugene Peterson wrote a book on discipleship entitled, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, and I am fortunate to be journeying on that path with so many others who are involved in that same process whether Protestant or Catholic.
My prayer is that we will all draw closer together as we draw closer to Christ.
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