John Tesh

Those worship songs on the Christmas project will air on PBS television. That’s highly unusual.

I’ve been stuck on John Eldredge lately. He’s all about being a warrior outside of the church. I hate to think about this kind of stuff – I just like to do it.

There’s probably a way to use that great content and to live under the radar now and then in order to reach a new audience. That’s the thinking I’m talking about.

I grew up wanting to be a musician, but my parents were sure I would starve to death. So, they put me in physics and chemistry. That eventually blew up, and I got into radio.

After playing so many songs in churches for eight or nine years, I’ve learned what songs people react to. Then I just had fun with the arrangements. That’s how this album came together.

If you want to write the next great novel, but you think, No, this won’t work because no one will buy it or it won’t be any good, then you talk yourself out of taking a risk.

I spent another six years in Europe covering sporting events such as the Tour de France.

A lot of people are willing to pray or to put in work, but they’re not willing to take true risks.

I’d like to do a television show that is encouraging, useful, and clean, and I’d like to go up against Entertainment Tonight and beat it.

I come from the performance world, but the idea of a worship song is different. It’s useful music.

Really, at a time when they’re debating when and where a nativity scene can be used, this is the kind of stuff we need to have out there – outside of the church.

Risk means everything from being honest about your faith, to moving, to quitting a job that’s paying you a fortune but it’s not what’s in your heart. Risking things is one of the biggest fears we have.

I always wanted to be a full-time musician. Every television job I had was a means to buy a grand piano, or to put in a recording studio, or something like that.

To understand this Christmas record, you have to understand our ministry.

I took the ET job because I wanted to stop traveling and they said I would only work half a day. Then I could work on music the rest of the day. They put in my contract that I wouldn’t work after 1 P.M.

The real advantage for me is that I have the opportunity to lead worship every Sunday.

I was 23 years old. It was a wild time. I was covering everything that blew up – blackouts, Studio 54, son of Sam killer, and all of that stuff.

None of those jobs were high-profile, but once I was on ET, people then began to associate me with that show. So, that is the thing that many people know me for. When in effect, that was the end of my television career.

If you want to get an education in how to get a story and how to survive, then get a street reporter job in New York City.