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Page 1 of 2 A multifaceted talent, John Tesh is an author, an actor, a reporter, a musician and a radio show host. On May 19th, he will be performing in concert at the Wilson Creek Winery in Temecula. Currently, John is the on-air personality for his own nationally syndicated radio show called "Intelligence for Your Life" – heard locally on 101.3 KATY FM.
The Met had an opportunity to speak with John Tesh on a variety of topics ranging from music to faith and beyond. The following interview reflects the breadth, wisdom, family-orientation, and good heartedness of this grounded, hard-working man.
TheMet: What are you passionate about? What really gets you going in the morning? John Tesh: I’m big on asking people, what’s the deepest desire of your heart? What is your mission in life? What’s your purpose? And it’s amazing how many people can’t answer that question. It’s a question that I couldn’t answer for years. But I’m passionate about using my voice to encourage people to find their meaning in life. Causing them to find the deepest desire of their heart and then to act on it. That could be in a concert, on a radio show or even an interview like this.
The easiest way to do that is to just give testimony. My whole life I was doing what my parents, other people, the world wanted me to do. I never asked myself what it was that made me come alive. Meantime, I’m dreaming every single night of being on stage with an orchestra and playing grand piano. That should have been some indication that I maybe shouldn’t have gone into Textile Chemistry in college (laughs). But you know, we do what everyone else wants us to do. So my big passion is to help other people find their purpose in life. TM: Do you pattern yourself after the Rick Warren Purpose Driven Life kind of thing?
JT: Yes. We even call ourselves Purpose Driven Radio every now and then. Our show was created ostensibly to create a sense of high-entropy in people’s lives. We say, "Hey if it’s not moving you forward in your life, if it’s not causing you to make a difference in somebody else’s life, you won’t hear in on our show. There are no celebrity birthdays, there’s no celebrity gossip. We don’t even do box office stuff. We say, "Here are the three ways to lose five pounds, or five ways to get a better job." If you look at the books I read, it’s everything from Purpose Driven Life to Differentiate or Die. We created this thing called "Intelligence for Your Life" and I’m a big believer in staying true to form and not trying to be Snapple with 25 different flavors. If you want the guys that are going to go through all the magazines and newsletters and Internet sites to find what you need to live a better life, then you need to be listening to this show.
In a fragmented society like ours, if you don’t stay true to a brand, you confuse people. We’re not owned by a big entity either. We’re "Intelligence for Your Life" we’re here to give you information to improve your life, to move your forward in your life, to move you from where you are to where you want to be, and we just keep repeating that mantra.
TM: Speaking of Intelligence for Your Life, you just got back from a cruise with that theme. JT: We’re big into getting out of our comfort zones, and I was way out of my comfort zone there. In fact, one of the props broke and we ended up coming back a day late. It was a Poseidon Adventure (laughs). We took a couple of really good speakers with us and a couple of bands and said, "Let’s try to recreate what we do on the radio in a live event," and it really worked. Because what happens when you’re trapped on a ship for seven days, there’s nothing to do but go to a John Tesh concert!
We’re going to be doing more like that. We’re calling them Intelligent Destinations.
TM: You’re in the public eye quite a bit, and that tends to corrupt people pretty quickly. How do you maintain your faith? JT: It’s a great question. It hasn’t always been easy, and in the old days I wasn’t successful at it at all. It’s about surrounding yourself with like-minded people. Especially for a guy. I have my son who works for us and some other guys who are my age that work there at the office and we keep each other real accountable and honest. The big thing for me though is what Rick Warrren once said, and that is, "It’s easier to stay out of temptation than it is to get out of temptation."
So, for example I don’t go to any websites that might be tempting. I don’t listen to any radio stations that I know are going to present a problem for me or my daughter while we’re driving. I just try to control what comes into my house and what comes into my eyes and ears.
In the old days, the most pornographic thing you could find was the Sears catalog. But now, these poor kids, every Wednesday, Dateline has an online predators series. It’s a scary time for kids and for married couples because there’s so much temptation out there. People having online affairs, or having online affairs and not thinking that they’re online affairs. So, the short answer to your question is that I really to try to create an environment for myself where I can be accountable.
TM: Who are some of the pastors you listen to?
JT: I’m a big fan of the pastors/authors: John Ortberg, John Eldridge, Rick Warren, Andy Andrews. Guys like that talk a lot about purpose and service; about finding the power and passion in your life. That’s a lot of what we talk about on the radio show.
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