My family chose not to get together for the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving. Cases of Covid-19 were spiking in the U.S. as of this writing. And there was worry that family gatherings and holiday travel would cause an even greater spread.
One of my daughters, who lives about 450 miles away from my wife and me, advised that we all sacrifice one holiday season apart to increase the chances of all being able to get together in 2021. And her advice mirrors that of the consensus of U.S. medical and government officials.
The cruel irony is that the pandemic will likely kill thousands more just as the first vaccines, at the time of this writing, are only weeks away. Medical workers and first responders will get the vaccines first. Then they’ll be available to the elderly and other vulnerable populations. And finally, the general public will begin to receive vaccinations sometime in 2021. As vaccinations become more widely available, the questions of fair and equitable distribution in both developed and undeveloped countries will stir controversy—along with the distrust many have of even getting vaccinated.
We pray that you remain safe during the holiday season regardless of whether you choose to spend it with family and friends.
In the meantime, our reporting team of Kelly Ann Monahan, Marcy Bryan, Doug Poling, and Paul Ladd will keep you informed.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
The Pacific Rim and Southwest Asia
The Pacific Rim, the Indian subcontinent and southwest Asia provide the reasons Your New Life Station broadcasts the International English Hour. The Pacific Rim is that part of the Eastern Hemisphere that encompasses English-prevalent countries of the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand. Additionally—English is widely spoken in Indonesia. And English is the official language of government and commerce in the southwest Asian countries of India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. In Japan and countries of the Middle East, many speak English as a second language.
Your New Life Station’s broadcast schedule makes use of Universal Coordinated Time (UTC), a 24-hour system also known as Greenwich Mean Time. Eastern Standard Time (EST) is five hours behind UTC; Central Standard Time (CST) is six hours behind. When some parts of the world return to daylight saving time for the warm weather months, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) is four hours behind UTC, and Central Daylight Time (CDT) is five hours behind. Outside the U.S.—most locations are on standard time all year rather than daylight time. Karachi is five hours ahead of UTC. Mumbai and New Delhi are five-and-a-half hours ahead. Manila, Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Kuala Lampur are eight hours ahead. And Tokyo is nine hours ahead of UTC.
You can use our listener website www.knls.org to hear the English Hour if you’re not into shortwave radio. You can also access the broadcast through the KNLS app on your mobile device or through Google or Safari. If you listen via shortwave radio, you can access knls.org to get our broadcast frequencies.
The English Hour is the Asian continent’s source for the music of our time and the message of all time. We work to provide a geographical balance in the topics we feature as we take listeners from “Alaska to Asia to Africa to America.” Our Eye on the World stories often show the interdependence of the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
Since our target audience is mostly non-Christians, our content is different from a typical Christian format station in America. While we provide our share of positive, uplifting content, some of our programming also provides an honest look at the dark side of life on Earth. Indeed, some program segments and music selections may raise questions that a thoughtful truth seeker will ask. And other segments, such as the Bible or Christian lifestyle lessons, serve to answer those questions.
Music to Love
Music is a universal language. Probably 80 per cent of the world’s pop tunes are sung in English, and are enjoyed by people everywhere, many who are themselves not proficient in English. The English hour features your favorite songs from today’s best music. International pop charts show that your favorite music is also the favorite of people who are culturally diverse—whether in Nairobi, Sydney, Singapore, or Jakarta.
The songs are pop, rock, r & b, and occasional hip-hop and country music that crosses over to the pop charts. The English Hour generally features music by artists from the U.S., the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. But music artists from all over the world have found their names on or near the top of international pop charts.
In December, Your New Life Station’s listeners will hear new music from Dua Lipa, Harry Styles, Ritt Momney Shawn Mendes, and Tones & I—along with Christmas holiday favorites. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will feature all-Christmas music.
News to Know
The English hour features reporting about topics of current interest. Marcy Bryan reports about entertainment, business, and news about religion and social issues. Kelly Ann Monahan has the latest developments in medicine, science, and computer technology. Paul Ladd provides special reports about diverse topics, religious and secular. Doug Poling provides commentary on the news from a Christian perspective on Today’s News & the Good News. And Adam Holtz, Jonathan McKee and Kristin Smith of Focus on the Family provide Plugged-in reviews of the latest movies, music, and computer games.
In December—they’ll continue to rate, for family friendliness, the numerous movies featured on streaming services as theatres struggle to reopen across the world. And Kristin Smith will comment on new music by mainstream artists as well as Christian music artists.
Upcoming Reports for December 2020
- You may be safer from covid aboard a passenger plane than any place else. Kelly Ann Monahan reports.
- Water has been discovered on the sunlit part of the moon. What does this mean for future moon colonists? Kelly Ann reports about that, too.
- And Kelly Ann also reports about new research on depression after childbirth.
- Alex Trabek was more than just a long-time host of the TV game show Jeopardy.
Marcy Bryan reports about his charitable work. - He was the original Bond—James Bond. Marcy also remembers Sean Connery.
- And Marcy reports about the not-so-surprising volume of online Christmas holiday shopping that’s been prompted by the pandemic.
- They’re called “14-er’s.” They’re the mountains in Colorado that are taller than 14,000 feet. And one young woman climbed all of them to raise money for covid relief. Doug Poling reports.
- These Cambodian rats save human lives by finding unexploded mines. And they live to tell the tale (assuming they’ve learned how to talk.) Doug reports about that, too.
A Message to Live
This is what we’re about and why we’re on the air and on the internet. Our mission is to present the lessons of the Bible, including and emphasizing the Good News in an interesting, non-threatening way.
Ongoing Series
- All God’s Giants with Larry Souder
- Andy Baker’s Prayer Lesson
- Author’s Journal with Wesley Paine
- Believer’s Hall of Faith with Bill Young
- Creation Moments with Paul Taylor
- Deuteronomy with Phillip Camp & Paul Ladd
- Eye on Religion—Bible archaeology emphasis with Marcy Bryan
- Family Minute with Brit Ryan
- First Person with Paul Ladd
- God’s Money with Steve Maganelles
- God’s Passion for Humanity with Bill Young
- Groundwire with Sean Dunn
- Hope in Conflict with Larry Souder
- Jim Daly commentary
- Joy of Peacemaking with Larry Souder
- Life Stories with Joe Norris
- Living with Conflict with Greg Taylor
- Profiles of the New Testament with Bob Borquez
- Profiles of the Old Testament with Royce Kessler
- Promises with Royce Kessler
- Refiner’s Fire with Paul Ladd
- The Big Picture with Steve Diggs
- The God Who Makes Himself Known with Bill Young
- The Journey with Greg Taylor
- Today’s News & the Good News with Doug Poling
- True Stories of the Bible with Bill Steensland
- Unforgettable Conversations with Larry Souder
