Thursday, June 10, 2010

Clarence Jones: Mr. Radio


Clarence Jones: Mr. Radio, written by Janet and Geoff Benge, is the biography of a man who became well-known in the world of Christian broadcasting. Although he was born into a Christian family, he didn’t accept Christ into his life until he was 18 years old, when he played the trombone at Chicago’s Moody Church.

That’s when he felt the call to be a missionary. He attended and graduated from Moody Bible Institute to “learn how to be a missionary”. He didn’t have a specific direction, only a burning desire to serve in the mission field. While waiting to see where the Lord would lead him, he started working with Paul Rader, the former pastor of Moody Church. Rader had started a new church called Chicago Gospel Tabernacle and Clarence joined him to once again play his trombone in the church’s band.

A short time after that, Paul Rader asked Clarence and three of his friends (who played as a quartet) if they would like to play their instruments on the air as part of the new brand-new radio station WHT. Clarence loved playing his music live on the radio. His enthusiasm for the new medium earned him the title of program director for the station. But, even though he worked hard at the station, and he did a great job, he felt called to do more. He said God called him to “go south with radio.”

This edict from God was eventually translated into a new radio venture in Ecuador, a country radio engineers said would not be conducive to broadcasting a radio signal. However, after much searching and praying, Clarence Jones and his team were able to set up the initially tiny radio station Radio HCJB along with the World Radio Missionary Fellowship. It was broadcast in both English and Spanish and eventually expanded into many more languages and was sent around the world. People around the globe are still benefiting from his many years of hard work and dedication to spreading the Gospel by radio.

What I Like: As I’ve said before, I enjoy reading biographies, especially ones that are well-written, like this one is.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: 9-12.

Publisher Info: YWAM Publishing, 2005; ISBN: 1576583430; Paperback, $8.99.

Buy now at ChristianBook $6.99!

Or buy at Amazon.com $8.99.

Special Info: This book is part of the publisher’s Christian Heroes: Then and Now series. Read our reviews of other books in the series. Read a short blurb about the authors at the publisher’s website.



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