June 19, 2025 • 18 mins
Ever wondered how faith holds up when life throws its worst at you? Joe Polek's story might just give you the answer you're seeking.
When Joe and his family relocated to Columbia in 2012 for a Christian radio position, they couldn't have anticipated the journey ahead. What began as a simple school choice for their daughters evolved into a profound testimony of God's provision through impossible circumstances. Now, with one daughter approaching graduation as a "lifer" at Ben Lippen and another entering high school, Joe reflects on the divine orchestration that kept his family connected to this special community.
The conversation takes a powerful turn as Joe candidly shares about losing his job when the radio station was sold, followed by a seizure that led to brain surgery—all while lacking health insurance. Yet through these harrowing challenges, the Ben Lippen and broader Christian community surrounded the Pollock family with remarkable support. Most astonishingly, the anonymous financial gifts they received totaled exactly $10,000—precisely matching the pay cut Joe had taken when forced to change jobs.
Joe's spiritual journey began at a snowy Young Life camp where a former NYC police officer's presentation of the gospel resonated in ways church never had. This connection to Young Life came full circle years later when, at his first Ben Lippen parent dinner, Joe found himself seated next to the local Young Life director—one of many "divine appointments" that confirmed his family's path.
With over two decades in Christian radio, Joe offers valuable insights about authentic faith communication. He emphasizes the Young Life philosophy of "earning the right to be heard" by building genuine relationships before sharing spiritual truths—an approach that guides his work on air and in his diverse neighborhood community.
For anyone navigating uncertainty, Joe's go-to scripture provides timeless wisdom: "Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34). Having weathered job loss, relocation, financial strain, and serious health challenges, Joe's testimony demonstrates how this biblical principle translates into daily trust.
Listen to this episode for a powerful reminder that sometimes our greatest challenges reveal God's most remarkable provision—and that authentic community plays an essential role in the journey of faith.
Do you have a story of unexpected provision during difficult times? We'd love to hear about it! Share your experience in the comments or reach out to us on social media.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Erin Kay (00:02):
All right, welcome everyone to another episode in
our summer series of the BenLippen Podcast.
And in this series we arecapturing the hearts, voices and
testimonies of differentmembers of the Falcon family to
draw us closer together inChristian community.
And today I have with mesomeone who has been a part of
the greater umbrella of theFalcon family for quite some
(00:22):
time, and it's a voice you guysmight be familiar with if you
listen to the radio.
I've got Joe Pollock with me,so thank you for being here with
us today.
Joe Polek (00:30):
Well, thanks for inviting me.
I'm looking forward to it.
Erin Kay (00:33):
So let's just dive right in.
Tell us a little bit about whoyou are and your connection here
to Ben Lippen.
Joe Polek (00:39):
Well, it's crazy, but we've been here basically our
whole school life for our kids.
My daughter Whitney is going tobe a senior.
My daughter Brooklyn is goingto be a freshman, so we have two
high schoolers this upcomingschool year.
My wife is a pre-K-4 teachingassistant at SAR and she's done
that for the last I don't knowfour years or so.
She substitute taught beforethat.
(00:59):
She served on the PTF beforethat.
So ever since my first daughterwas in pre-K-4, we have been a
part of the Ben Lippen family.
Erin Kay (01:09):
How did you hear about Ben Lippen and to know that you
wanted this schooling for yourdaughters?
Joe Polek (01:15):
So back in 2012, we were living in Maine and I was
working in Christian radio and Icould just feel like God was
telling us it was time to moveon.
There were some thingshappening and it just felt like
the door was opening.
And so I started looking atjobs and found one at WMHK,
which is the station that CIUused to own.
And so I applied and my wifeand I flew down for the job
(01:36):
interview and they hired us, andso in the summer of 2012, we
moved to Columbia, SouthCarolina, and it was the summer
before my daughter would havestarted pre-K-4.
And so we were looking forschool.
We didn't know anything, wedidn't know where to live, we
didn't know what side of town tobe on or anything.
But through going through thework that I would be employed by
(01:58):
CIU, they told us that theyalso own Ben Lippen and that I
should speak to Kelly Adams, andso we reached out to Kelly
Adams, had a great meeting withKelly and just really felt at
home at Ben Lippen.
After talking to Kelly, andthen a friend of mine saw that
we were moving to Columbia andat the time she was a college
recruiter for Clemson and shesaid to me, your kid's going to
(02:19):
go to Ben Lippen.
She said that's one of thoseschools that when we get an
application from Ben Lippen wealmost just automatically accept
it.
And so between theconversations with Kelly Adams
and then that conversation, Iwas like you know, this seems
like a great school.
It's a Christian school, let'sgive this a try.
We didn't know anything aboutthe public schools or any other
private schools in the area.
So we said let's give it a try.
(02:40):
And we've been here ever since.
So Whitney, she'll be in thelife gang, right?
Yeah, she has been excitedabout that.
They went to graduation a fewweeks ago and when all the
students were on graduation thathad been at Bentlip in their
whole life, she was like that'sme next year.
And I think for my wife thatwas when it really clicked on
her Like wow, this is becomingreal, she's a senior.
All this stuff that we'rewitnessing now is going to be
(03:02):
her next year.
All this stuff that we'rewitnessing now is going to be
her next year.
So, yeah, it's been that andshe's a lifer and she's proud of
it.
Erin Kay (03:06):
So what made y'all decide to stay here at Ben
Lippen?
Joe Polek (03:10):
Well, when I was obviously employed at CIU for
the radio station, we got theemployee discount, which was
very significant, and so that'show we got started.
But then after I got laid off,when they sold the radio station
, I mean we just we prayed aboutit a lot.
We were like, what are we goingto do?
We didn't have any ideas.
And Ben Lippen has been verygracious and they helped us.
(03:32):
There were some hard times thereearly on.
When I got laid off, I ended uphaving a seizure and had brain
surgery and it was without.
We were without medicalinsurance because I was without
a job and there was just a lotgoing on.
And through it all, kelly Adamsand many other people at Ben
Lippen were praying for us andsupporting us and it was just
our home, it was our family andGod just made it possible for us
over the years to stay.
(03:53):
Every year we'd say to ourdaughters look, this may be the
last year, we don't know.
You know this is a definitely ayear to year thing.
Ben Lippen's expensive, we allknow that, but it's worth it.
And so every year we would lookinto what options do we have if
it's not going to work outfinancially for us this year,
and we even moved from Irmo toChapin so that we would be ready
if our kids needed to go to apublic school that we wanted
(04:13):
them to go to, and so we evenmoved out here to Chapin to be
ready for that.
But as soon as we did that, weonce again felt God saying nope,
you're staying at Ben Lippen.
And he made it possible.
I don't know how.
All these years I work inChristian ministry.
My wife at the time she was notteaching at Ben Lippen, but now
she is, and so obviously we'renot making a ton of money
working in Christian ministry,both of us.
(04:34):
And so God has just opened thedoors, the way that only he can
made it possible for us to stayat Ben Lippin all these years.
Erin Kay (04:41):
What were some of the truths that we know about the
Lord or scriptures that heldyour family together through
these hard seasons of notknowing?
What were some of the thingsthat helped sustain you guys
through this?
Joe Polek (04:53):
Well, we just saw God's family of people surround
us in amazing ways, whether itwas our church family.
We go to Gateway Baptist Churchin Irmo and we were in a small
group and people just surroundedus with love.
I was working after I got laidoff at the radio station with
CIU.
I went to work for Watch FoxTelevision for about nine months
and obviously not a Christianenvironment there, but it was
(05:16):
interesting to see how peoplethere supported us.
When I had some health issuesand was taken by ambulance to go
to the hospital, my coworker,who is not a Christian, called
my wife and he said we are herefor you guys, we will do
whatever we can to help you.
And we had some other people atthe TV station reach out and it
was really neat to see how Godused people to encourage us.
(05:36):
And then, obviously, like youknow, jeremiah 29, 11, everybody
knows that verse right.
If you read the Bible, you'veheard that God has plans for our
life, plans not to harm us butto prosper us and give us a hope
and a future.
And so I knew that through itall.
When I got laid off, my wife wasobviously very stressed.
She was a young mom, she didn'thave a job.
She was a stay-at-home mom.
We were thinking what are wegoing to do?
(05:56):
We don't have a job.
We just moved from Maine toSouth Carolina, not two years
earlier, and so I could see thestresses in her and so I felt
like I was able to hold thingstogether for a while and then,
once I got a job at the TVstation where my wife could
relax a little bit, go OK, we'regoing to be OK through this
season.
That's where I really felt likefor me I had some things happen
(06:19):
where it was like all thestress and the pressure that I
had put on myself to keep myfamily together I felt like that
released during that time.
And that's when I had a seizureand they ended up finding a
cavernous malformation in mybrain and recommended brain
surgery.
So I went through that process.
It's just we went through a lotof stuff during that time and I
tell you what my wife and Ithrough it all.
(06:40):
We saw God's people cometogether with us.
For instance, we had when I gotlaid off when I took the job at
a TV station.
It was because I just needed ajob, but it was a $10,000 pay
cut and we had no healthinsurance at that time and we
found through the process of myseizure and the brain surgery
that God brought people togetherand we added up the gifts that
(07:01):
we received and it totaled$10,000.
People, literally we got checksin the mail from people that
where there's no return address,we have no idea who they were.
People dropped off meals to usand when my wife added up the
gift cards and the checks thatwere delivered to us from some
people we know and some peoplewe have no idea to this day who
they were, it totaled $10,000.
And that was the pay cut thatwe took and so we just saw God's
(07:28):
hand on it.
You know I would have neverchosen to go through a layoff
and brain surgery and all thatstuff, but through it all we've
seen just God direct our family.
Erin Kay (07:33):
And that brings up another good point, because we
see in Scripture that we willface trials, we will face
struggles.
We're not immune to that.
So, with that, how has thisstrengthened your faith?
Because we also see that too.
We see right Paul saying thatin my weakness, that's when
Christ's power becomes perfect.
So how have you seen, lookingbackwards, the Lord using these
(07:55):
times to strengthen yourrelationship with him and
strengthen your relationshipwith others?
Joe Polek (08:00):
You know I've worked in Christian radio since 2001.
So it's been a long time,full-time and part-time.
Even when I was working at theTV station and for a while did
marketing for Bojangles, I wasstill doing radio on the side,
as a side gig in differentstates.
And so, working in Christianradio, I guess it's the same as
if you worked at a church, right?
You feel like you're alwaysministering to others and
(08:21):
sometimes when you're readingthe Bible, you feel like you're
reading the Bible to figure outwhat you can say to others, to
encourage them, and notnecessarily reading the Bible to
encourage yourself.
You know we share tidbits oftruth from the Bible on the
radio or when I've done, youknow, I spoke at chapel, at Ben
Lippen and things like that.
And so a lot of times I thinkpastors and you know people
(08:42):
serving in Christian ministrywe're always looking for ways
that we can encourage others,and so when we do that, we're
not necessarily encouragingourself through that process.
And so a couple years ago Idecided I needed to do something
I haven't done in a long timeactually ever was.
I sat down and I read from pageone to the very last page of the
(09:02):
Bible through.
I did the Bible in a year.
Over the years I've started andstopped it many, many times,
but just three or four years agoI was able to do it for the
first time the whole way through, and it was the first time I
had read it chronologically likethat.
And so it gave me a differentperspective.
And I realized every other timewhen I was reading the Bible I
was doing it to find ways tominister to others, like how can
I say this on the air, how canI talk about this?
(09:24):
To encourage this family goingthrough something instead of
what God wanted to speak to methrough that passage, and so
it's been an interestingtransition.
I think I've noticed, oversince I did that, that I've
noticed that when I read theBible, I'm making sure that I'm
doing it so that God's speakingto me through that and not just
looking for ways for me to speakto others.
Erin Kay (09:44):
Yes, reflecting that mirror inwards to how can I grow
in him and how can I deepen myrelationship.
And a byproduct of that is thatwe do encourage others and
support others.
Joe Polek (09:54):
You know, it's something that I've had to work
on, and I've talked to a few ofmy friends who work in churches
and I think they've gone throughit too.
It's just an easy thing, and Iwould think people at Ben Lippen
employees there would be thesame way.
It's like you're always lookingfor ways.
How can I minister to mystudents?
How can I minister to insteadof ministering directly back at
(10:14):
you?
We are the ones who need togrow in our faith too, not just
be helping others grow in theirfaith.
I tell you, it's been a coolprocess for me to look back on.
I never had that one reallylife changing moment that some
people talk about in theirtestimonies.
I grew up going to a churchevery Sunday with my family, and
when I became a teenager, Ireally just I didn't want to do
it anymore.
Like I just I would try to fakebeing sick on Sunday mornings
(10:37):
or sleeping in late or whatever,and I was a good kid.
I didn't do anything wrong, soI had good morals, but I
definitely wasn't living for God, and so I played volleyball in
high school and my junior yearone of my teammates asked me if
I wanted to come with him to athing called Young Life, which
obviously we know.
Young Life is a part of theColumbia community and Ben
Lippen community.
But I was like, look, I don'tknow what this is, but if you
(10:58):
come pick me up I'll go.
And so I went with him to YoungLife Club my junior year, and
then a little while later theyinvited me to their fall weekend
trip to Lake Champion in NewYork and I heard the gospel
message in a way that I've neverheard it before.
The guy who spoke was Bill Page.
He was a former New York Citycop.
He was a big, tough dude, andso when he was speaking it just
(11:21):
struck me in a new way.
And the way he spoke about whatJesus did for us and dying on
the cross and why we needed that, it just spoke to me in a way
I'd never heard it before.
And so at Young Life Camp theyalways invite the students to go
out and to have some quiet timeafter they hear one of those
messages.
And it was snowing that night.
I remember this vividly.
It was snowing, and so I wentoutside to think about the
(11:43):
message and that's when I askedJesus into my heart and it
changed me.
It wasn't like I all of asudden saw the light.
But I know that my perspectiveon life and my purpose in life
was different.
I know that I became moreoutgoing when I got back to
school.
I started getting known as theyoung life guy.
Everybody knew, even if theydidn't know what Young Life was.
(12:05):
They just knew Joe was theYoung Life guy Because I was
always inviting people to cometo Young Life and to see how it
could impact them.
And so then after high school Iwent to a little community
college in Maryland and Ivolunteered to be a Young Life
leader.
Then I transferred to MessiahCollege in Pennsylvania and
before then I had never reallyheard of Christian radio.
And when I became a Christianthere was a small station in
Baltimore at the time, and so Ifound it somehow and started
(12:27):
listening to Christian music forthe first time.
And so when I got to MessiahCollege they had a campus radio
station and I wanted to getinvolved in that and they were
playing Christian music and so Istarted doing the Christian
station.
But you know, in college a lotof college kids when they're on
the radio station they do it forfun and they're just goofing
off on the radio, but for somereason, it was different for me.
(12:50):
I wanted to do it well, Iwanted to do it correctly, and
so I practiced and I learned howto do radio properly, and so I
was able.
Then, my senior year of college,I heard about a job opening at
a Christian radio station inMaine.
I flew to Maine during myspring break.
All my friends were going tothe beaches and I went to snowy
Maine and I got the job.
And so here I am, 21 years old,no real experience, packed up
my dorm room into a U-Haul anddrove to Maine and started my
(13:13):
new life.
Erin Kay (13:14):
That's fantastic.
It sounds to me like the Lordreally developed you over time
and you have a real sense ofgoing when he calls you, where
he calls you, even if you can'tsee the plan ahead, that trust
and faith and what he hasprepared for you One of the
neatest parts when we moved toColumbia, the first new parent
(13:34):
dinner that we went to, weattended the new parent dinner.
Joe Polek (13:38):
So my daughter's getting ready to go in the pre-K
four.
We sit down at the table andwe're introducing ourselves to
the people around us and thisguy next to me says hey, my
name's Jason Blackwell, I am theYoung Life Area Director and I
freaked out because Young Lifeplayed such a huge role in my
life and there was no Young Lifein Maine.
So when we were married and ourkids were born, I always
(13:59):
thought about Young Life, but inMaine there was no Young Life
at the time.
And so we moved to Columbia,South Carolina, and the first
person I meet at school is theYoung Life area director.
And I just knew, like I said tomy wife, like this is a God
thing, there's no other.
How many tables?
There's 50 tables at thatdinner and I got sat next to the
Young Life guy with nobodyknowing what Young Life had
meant to me.
So yeah, I've seen God'sfootprints all along the way in
(14:22):
our life and it's things that wenever would have predicted,
never would have done on our own, but we've seen God just direct
us the whole way.
Erin Kay (14:29):
Incredible and I love that you can share your faith in
that way and be an inspirationto other people, especially with
the children that we have hereat school, especially the high
schoolers, how that next stepcan seem so frightening,
especially the seniors.
You know how that next step canseem so frightening, especially
the seniors.
You know, oh, we're graduating,now what?
Now what?
Because they've been so used totheir world and their little
bubble.
But your story really caninspire them to say, hey, you
(14:50):
know trust in the Lord and hewill guide your steps.
The scriptures tell us that istrue and you've been a living
testimony of that.
So now moving forward, blendingall that together, how do you
make him known intentionallythrough your daily life?
Joe Polek (15:02):
Well, one of the things that I love is the Young
Life philosophy.
They say you have to earn theright to be heard, and so that's
one of the things that I take,whether it's when I work in
Christian radio or even justwith my neighbors.
We live on a street full ofpeople that have such a vast
background.
We are very diverse in ourneighborhood, and it's really
neat to see how we can all getalong and interact together and
(15:25):
love each other through thediversity that we have, and so
I've always said you have toearn the right to be heard,
because I want to share my lifewith you before I necessarily
share God with you.
You know I'm not big on let'sjust go stand on the street
corner and shout it that Jesusloves you.
I think that's great.
Some people that do that, and itworks for them, but for me, I
need that relationship.
(15:45):
I'm very relationship focused,and so if you want to share your
faith with someone, you have toearn the right to be heard by
them first, and so that meansyou need to just share your life
with them.
You need to become a friend withthem and develop a relationship
with them, and then, over time,they can see through your words
, your actions and through yourlife what your faith is all
(16:07):
about.
And then they ask questions andnow you've built that trust
with them in a way to say, well,I want to learn more about what
you live, or I want to learnmore about why you believe in
Jesus, so that earn the right tobe heard.
That I learned from Young Lifeis something that I take very
seriously, even on the air, whenI work with his radio.
I don't just go preach.
I make sure that I'm developinga relationship with my
(16:29):
listeners over time andhopefully, as I do, that that
they also see my faith play intoaction by the stories I share
and by the things we do, withevents that we do and with my
family.
So I'm big on just making surethat we share our faith in our
life, the way we live, and notjust in what we say.
All right.
Erin Kay (16:46):
So, as we wrap this up , are there any closing thoughts
you'd like to share with ourlisteners?
Joe Polek (16:51):
Well, I just love the Bible verse Matthew 6, 34.
Back before I got involved inYoung Life, my sister always on
her bathroom mirror she had thisverse and I didn't know really
what it meant or what it was,but I would read it every day
when I would walk past herbathroom mirror, and so it was
the first Bible verse I everlearned in Matthew 6, 34.
Therefore, do not worry abouttomorrow, for tomorrow will
(17:13):
worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble ofits own, and obviously, with all
that we've been through, I'vebeen laid off of jobs twice and
went through brain surgery.
If I worried about things thatcould potentially happen, we'd
never survive in this world, andso I rely on that verse to know
that God has it, and I justneed to think about what's
happening today, not what'sgoing on tomorrow, and know that
(17:35):
God will lead and direct ourpaths each day.
Erin Kay (17:39):
And if people want to get in touch with you, what's
the best way for them to reachout?
Joe Polek (17:42):
Well, we're always on campus.
I do the PA for the footballteam, for the girls soccer team.
We're always.
Kelly Adams has always invitedme to come to do different
things and volunteer, so we'realways around campus.
But yeah, anybody can reach outto me.
My email address is just myname backwards it's Pollockjoe
at gmailcom.
Erin Kay (18:03):
Great Thanks again.
So much for being here with ustoday.
We really appreciate how theLord is working through your
life, how he has worked in yourlife, and for the service that
you and your entire familyprovide to Ben Lippen.
It's truly a joy to have you asa part of our community.
All right, welcome everyone to another episode in
our summer series of the BenLippen Podcast.
And in this series we arecapturing the hearts, voices and
testimonies of differentmembers of the Falcon family to
draw us closer together inChristian community.
And today I have with mesomeone who has been a part of
the greater umbrella of theFalcon family for quite some
(00:22):
time, and it's a voice you guysmight be familiar with if you
listen to the radio.
I've got Joe Pollock with me,so thank you for being here with
us today.
Joe Polek (00:30):
Well, thanks for inviting me.
I'm looking forward to it.
Erin Kay (00:33):
So let's just dive right in.
Tell us a little bit about whoyou are and your connection here
to Ben Lippen.
Joe Polek (00:39):
Well, it's crazy, but we've been here basically our
whole school life for our kids.
My daughter Whitney is going tobe a senior.
My daughter Brooklyn is goingto be a freshman, so we have two
high schoolers this upcomingschool year.
My wife is a pre-K-4 teachingassistant at SAR and she's done
that for the last I don't knowfour years or so.
She substitute taught beforethat.
(00:59):
She served on the PTF beforethat.
So ever since my first daughterwas in pre-K-4, we have been a
part of the Ben Lippen family.
Erin Kay (01:09):
How did you hear about Ben Lippen and to know that you
wanted this schooling for yourdaughters?
Joe Polek (01:15):
So back in 2012, we were living in Maine and I was
working in Christian radio and Icould just feel like God was
telling us it was time to moveon.
There were some thingshappening and it just felt like
the door was opening.
And so I started looking atjobs and found one at WMHK,
which is the station that CIUused to own.
And so I applied and my wifeand I flew down for the job
(01:36):
interview and they hired us, andso in the summer of 2012, we
moved to Columbia, SouthCarolina, and it was the summer
before my daughter would havestarted pre-K-4.
And so we were looking forschool.
We didn't know anything, wedidn't know where to live, we
didn't know what side of town tobe on or anything.
But through going through thework that I would be employed by
(01:58):
CIU, they told us that theyalso own Ben Lippen and that I
should speak to Kelly Adams, andso we reached out to Kelly
Adams, had a great meeting withKelly and just really felt at
home at Ben Lippen.
After talking to Kelly, andthen a friend of mine saw that
we were moving to Columbia andat the time she was a college
recruiter for Clemson and shesaid to me, your kid's going to
(02:19):
go to Ben Lippen.
She said that's one of thoseschools that when we get an
application from Ben Lippen wealmost just automatically accept
it.
And so between theconversations with Kelly Adams
and then that conversation, Iwas like you know, this seems
like a great school.
It's a Christian school, let'sgive this a try.
We didn't know anything aboutthe public schools or any other
private schools in the area.
So we said let's give it a try.
(02:40):
And we've been here ever since.
So Whitney, she'll be in thelife gang, right?
Yeah, she has been excitedabout that.
They went to graduation a fewweeks ago and when all the
students were on graduation thathad been at Bentlip in their
whole life, she was like that'sme next year.
And I think for my wife thatwas when it really clicked on
her Like wow, this is becomingreal, she's a senior.
All this stuff that we'rewitnessing now is going to be
(03:02):
her next year.
All this stuff that we'rewitnessing now is going to be
her next year.
So, yeah, it's been that andshe's a lifer and she's proud of
it.
Erin Kay (03:06):
So what made y'all decide to stay here at Ben
Lippen?
Joe Polek (03:10):
Well, when I was obviously employed at CIU for
the radio station, we got theemployee discount, which was
very significant, and so that'show we got started.
But then after I got laid off,when they sold the radio station
, I mean we just we prayed aboutit a lot.
We were like, what are we goingto do?
We didn't have any ideas.
And Ben Lippen has been verygracious and they helped us.
(03:32):
There were some hard times thereearly on.
When I got laid off, I ended uphaving a seizure and had brain
surgery and it was without.
We were without medicalinsurance because I was without
a job and there was just a lotgoing on.
And through it all, kelly Adamsand many other people at Ben
Lippen were praying for us andsupporting us and it was just
our home, it was our family andGod just made it possible for us
over the years to stay.
(03:53):
Every year we'd say to ourdaughters look, this may be the
last year, we don't know.
You know this is a definitely ayear to year thing.
Ben Lippen's expensive, we allknow that, but it's worth it.
And so every year we would lookinto what options do we have if
it's not going to work outfinancially for us this year,
and we even moved from Irmo toChapin so that we would be ready
if our kids needed to go to apublic school that we wanted
(04:13):
them to go to, and so we evenmoved out here to Chapin to be
ready for that.
But as soon as we did that, weonce again felt God saying nope,
you're staying at Ben Lippen.
And he made it possible.
I don't know how.
All these years I work inChristian ministry.
My wife at the time she was notteaching at Ben Lippen, but now
she is, and so obviously we'renot making a ton of money
working in Christian ministry,both of us.
(04:34):
And so God has just opened thedoors, the way that only he can
made it possible for us to stayat Ben Lippin all these years.
Erin Kay (04:41):
What were some of the truths that we know about the
Lord or scriptures that heldyour family together through
these hard seasons of notknowing?
What were some of the thingsthat helped sustain you guys
through this?
Joe Polek (04:53):
Well, we just saw God's family of people surround
us in amazing ways, whether itwas our church family.
We go to Gateway Baptist Churchin Irmo and we were in a small
group and people just surroundedus with love.
I was working after I got laidoff at the radio station with
CIU.
I went to work for Watch FoxTelevision for about nine months
and obviously not a Christianenvironment there, but it was
(05:16):
interesting to see how peoplethere supported us.
When I had some health issuesand was taken by ambulance to go
to the hospital, my coworker,who is not a Christian, called
my wife and he said we are herefor you guys, we will do
whatever we can to help you.
And we had some other people atthe TV station reach out and it
was really neat to see how Godused people to encourage us.
(05:36):
And then, obviously, like youknow, jeremiah 29, 11, everybody
knows that verse right.
If you read the Bible, you'veheard that God has plans for our
life, plans not to harm us butto prosper us and give us a hope
and a future.
And so I knew that through itall.
When I got laid off, my wife wasobviously very stressed.
She was a young mom, she didn'thave a job.
She was a stay-at-home mom.
We were thinking what are wegoing to do?
(05:56):
We don't have a job.
We just moved from Maine toSouth Carolina, not two years
earlier, and so I could see thestresses in her and so I felt
like I was able to hold thingstogether for a while and then,
once I got a job at the TVstation where my wife could
relax a little bit, go OK, we'regoing to be OK through this
season.
That's where I really felt likefor me I had some things happen
(06:19):
where it was like all thestress and the pressure that I
had put on myself to keep myfamily together I felt like that
released during that time.
And that's when I had a seizureand they ended up finding a
cavernous malformation in mybrain and recommended brain
surgery.
So I went through that process.
It's just we went through a lotof stuff during that time and I
tell you what my wife and Ithrough it all.
(06:40):
We saw God's people cometogether with us.
For instance, we had when I gotlaid off when I took the job at
a TV station.
It was because I just needed ajob, but it was a $10,000 pay
cut and we had no healthinsurance at that time and we
found through the process of myseizure and the brain surgery
that God brought people togetherand we added up the gifts that
(07:01):
we received and it totaled$10,000.
People, literally we got checksin the mail from people that
where there's no return address,we have no idea who they were.
People dropped off meals to usand when my wife added up the
gift cards and the checks thatwere delivered to us from some
people we know and some peoplewe have no idea to this day who
they were, it totaled $10,000.
And that was the pay cut thatwe took and so we just saw God's
(07:28):
hand on it.
You know I would have neverchosen to go through a layoff
and brain surgery and all thatstuff, but through it all we've
seen just God direct our family.
Erin Kay (07:33):
And that brings up another good point, because we
see in Scripture that we willface trials, we will face
struggles.
We're not immune to that.
So, with that, how has thisstrengthened your faith?
Because we also see that too.
We see right Paul saying thatin my weakness, that's when
Christ's power becomes perfect.
So how have you seen, lookingbackwards, the Lord using these
(07:55):
times to strengthen yourrelationship with him and
strengthen your relationshipwith others?
Joe Polek (08:00):
You know I've worked in Christian radio since 2001.
So it's been a long time,full-time and part-time.
Even when I was working at theTV station and for a while did
marketing for Bojangles, I wasstill doing radio on the side,
as a side gig in differentstates.
And so, working in Christianradio, I guess it's the same as
if you worked at a church, right?
You feel like you're alwaysministering to others and
(08:21):
sometimes when you're readingthe Bible, you feel like you're
reading the Bible to figure outwhat you can say to others, to
encourage them, and notnecessarily reading the Bible to
encourage yourself.
You know we share tidbits oftruth from the Bible on the
radio or when I've done, youknow, I spoke at chapel, at Ben
Lippen and things like that.
And so a lot of times I thinkpastors and you know people
(08:42):
serving in Christian ministrywe're always looking for ways
that we can encourage others,and so when we do that, we're
not necessarily encouragingourself through that process.
And so a couple years ago Idecided I needed to do something
I haven't done in a long timeactually ever was.
I sat down and I read from pageone to the very last page of the
(09:02):
Bible through.
I did the Bible in a year.
Over the years I've started andstopped it many, many times,
but just three or four years agoI was able to do it for the
first time the whole way through, and it was the first time I
had read it chronologically likethat.
And so it gave me a differentperspective.
And I realized every other timewhen I was reading the Bible I
was doing it to find ways tominister to others, like how can
I say this on the air, how canI talk about this?
(09:24):
To encourage this family goingthrough something instead of
what God wanted to speak to methrough that passage, and so
it's been an interestingtransition.
I think I've noticed, oversince I did that, that I've
noticed that when I read theBible, I'm making sure that I'm
doing it so that God's speakingto me through that and not just
looking for ways for me to speakto others.
Erin Kay (09:44):
Yes, reflecting that mirror inwards to how can I grow
in him and how can I deepen myrelationship.
And a byproduct of that is thatwe do encourage others and
support others.
Joe Polek (09:54):
You know, it's something that I've had to work
on, and I've talked to a few ofmy friends who work in churches
and I think they've gone throughit too.
It's just an easy thing, and Iwould think people at Ben Lippen
employees there would be thesame way.
It's like you're always lookingfor ways.
How can I minister to mystudents?
How can I minister to insteadof ministering directly back at
(10:14):
you?
We are the ones who need togrow in our faith too, not just
be helping others grow in theirfaith.
I tell you, it's been a coolprocess for me to look back on.
I never had that one reallylife changing moment that some
people talk about in theirtestimonies.
I grew up going to a churchevery Sunday with my family, and
when I became a teenager, Ireally just I didn't want to do
it anymore.
Like I just I would try to fakebeing sick on Sunday mornings
(10:37):
or sleeping in late or whatever,and I was a good kid.
I didn't do anything wrong, soI had good morals, but I
definitely wasn't living for God, and so I played volleyball in
high school and my junior yearone of my teammates asked me if
I wanted to come with him to athing called Young Life, which
obviously we know.
Young Life is a part of theColumbia community and Ben
Lippen community.
But I was like, look, I don'tknow what this is, but if you
(10:58):
come pick me up I'll go.
And so I went with him to YoungLife Club my junior year, and
then a little while later theyinvited me to their fall weekend
trip to Lake Champion in NewYork and I heard the gospel
message in a way that I've neverheard it before.
The guy who spoke was Bill Page.
He was a former New York Citycop.
He was a big, tough dude, andso when he was speaking it just
(11:21):
struck me in a new way.
And the way he spoke about whatJesus did for us and dying on
the cross and why we needed that, it just spoke to me in a way
I'd never heard it before.
And so at Young Life Camp theyalways invite the students to go
out and to have some quiet timeafter they hear one of those
messages.
And it was snowing that night.
I remember this vividly.
It was snowing, and so I wentoutside to think about the
(11:43):
message and that's when I askedJesus into my heart and it
changed me.
It wasn't like I all of asudden saw the light.
But I know that my perspectiveon life and my purpose in life
was different.
I know that I became moreoutgoing when I got back to
school.
I started getting known as theyoung life guy.
Everybody knew, even if theydidn't know what Young Life was.
(12:05):
They just knew Joe was theYoung Life guy Because I was
always inviting people to cometo Young Life and to see how it
could impact them.
And so then after high school Iwent to a little community
college in Maryland and Ivolunteered to be a Young Life
leader.
Then I transferred to MessiahCollege in Pennsylvania and
before then I had never reallyheard of Christian radio.
And when I became a Christianthere was a small station in
Baltimore at the time, and so Ifound it somehow and started
(12:27):
listening to Christian music forthe first time.
And so when I got to MessiahCollege they had a campus radio
station and I wanted to getinvolved in that and they were
playing Christian music and so Istarted doing the Christian
station.
But you know, in college a lotof college kids when they're on
the radio station they do it forfun and they're just goofing
off on the radio, but for somereason, it was different for me.
(12:50):
I wanted to do it well, Iwanted to do it correctly, and
so I practiced and I learned howto do radio properly, and so I
was able.
Then, my senior year of college,I heard about a job opening at
a Christian radio station inMaine.
I flew to Maine during myspring break.
All my friends were going tothe beaches and I went to snowy
Maine and I got the job.
And so here I am, 21 years old,no real experience, packed up
my dorm room into a U-Haul anddrove to Maine and started my
(13:13):
new life.
Erin Kay (13:14):
That's fantastic.
It sounds to me like the Lordreally developed you over time
and you have a real sense ofgoing when he calls you, where
he calls you, even if you can'tsee the plan ahead, that trust
and faith and what he hasprepared for you One of the
neatest parts when we moved toColumbia, the first new parent
(13:34):
dinner that we went to, weattended the new parent dinner.
Joe Polek (13:38):
So my daughter's getting ready to go in the pre-K
four.
We sit down at the table andwe're introducing ourselves to
the people around us and thisguy next to me says hey, my
name's Jason Blackwell, I am theYoung Life Area Director and I
freaked out because Young Lifeplayed such a huge role in my
life and there was no Young Lifein Maine.
So when we were married and ourkids were born, I always
(13:59):
thought about Young Life, but inMaine there was no Young Life
at the time.
And so we moved to Columbia,South Carolina, and the first
person I meet at school is theYoung Life area director.
And I just knew, like I said tomy wife, like this is a God
thing, there's no other.
How many tables?
There's 50 tables at thatdinner and I got sat next to the
Young Life guy with nobodyknowing what Young Life had
meant to me.
So yeah, I've seen God'sfootprints all along the way in
(14:22):
our life and it's things that wenever would have predicted,
never would have done on our own, but we've seen God just direct
us the whole way.
Erin Kay (14:29):
Incredible and I love that you can share your faith in
that way and be an inspirationto other people, especially with
the children that we have hereat school, especially the high
schoolers, how that next stepcan seem so frightening,
especially the seniors.
You know how that next step canseem so frightening, especially
the seniors.
You know, oh, we're graduating,now what?
Now what?
Because they've been so used totheir world and their little
bubble.
But your story really caninspire them to say, hey, you
(14:50):
know trust in the Lord and hewill guide your steps.
The scriptures tell us that istrue and you've been a living
testimony of that.
So now moving forward, blendingall that together, how do you
make him known intentionallythrough your daily life?
Joe Polek (15:02):
Well, one of the things that I love is the Young
Life philosophy.
They say you have to earn theright to be heard, and so that's
one of the things that I take,whether it's when I work in
Christian radio or even justwith my neighbors.
We live on a street full ofpeople that have such a vast
background.
We are very diverse in ourneighborhood, and it's really
neat to see how we can all getalong and interact together and
(15:25):
love each other through thediversity that we have, and so
I've always said you have toearn the right to be heard,
because I want to share my lifewith you before I necessarily
share God with you.
You know I'm not big on let'sjust go stand on the street
corner and shout it that Jesusloves you.
I think that's great.
Some people that do that, and itworks for them, but for me, I
need that relationship.
(15:45):
I'm very relationship focused,and so if you want to share your
faith with someone, you have toearn the right to be heard by
them first, and so that meansyou need to just share your life
with them.
You need to become a friend withthem and develop a relationship
with them, and then, over time,they can see through your words
, your actions and through yourlife what your faith is all
(16:07):
about.
And then they ask questions andnow you've built that trust
with them in a way to say, well,I want to learn more about what
you live, or I want to learnmore about why you believe in
Jesus, so that earn the right tobe heard.
That I learned from Young Lifeis something that I take very
seriously, even on the air, whenI work with his radio.
I don't just go preach.
I make sure that I'm developinga relationship with my
(16:29):
listeners over time andhopefully, as I do, that that
they also see my faith play intoaction by the stories I share
and by the things we do, withevents that we do and with my
family.
So I'm big on just making surethat we share our faith in our
life, the way we live, and notjust in what we say.
All right.
Erin Kay (16:46):
So, as we wrap this up , are there any closing thoughts
you'd like to share with ourlisteners?
Joe Polek (16:51):
Well, I just love the Bible verse Matthew 6, 34.
Back before I got involved inYoung Life, my sister always on
her bathroom mirror she had thisverse and I didn't know really
what it meant or what it was,but I would read it every day
when I would walk past herbathroom mirror, and so it was
the first Bible verse I everlearned in Matthew 6, 34.
Therefore, do not worry abouttomorrow, for tomorrow will
(17:13):
worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble ofits own, and obviously, with all
that we've been through, I'vebeen laid off of jobs twice and
went through brain surgery.
If I worried about things thatcould potentially happen, we'd
never survive in this world, andso I rely on that verse to know
that God has it, and I justneed to think about what's
happening today, not what'sgoing on tomorrow, and know that
(17:35):
God will lead and direct ourpaths each day.
Erin Kay (17:39):
And if people want to get in touch with you, what's
the best way for them to reachout?
Joe Polek (17:42):
Well, we're always on campus.
I do the PA for the footballteam, for the girls soccer team.
We're always.
Kelly Adams has always invitedme to come to do different
things and volunteer, so we'realways around campus.
But yeah, anybody can reach outto me.
My email address is just myname backwards it's Pollockjoe
at gmailcom.
Erin Kay (18:03):
Great Thanks again.
So much for being here with ustoday.
We really appreciate how theLord is working through your
life, how he has worked in yourlife, and for the service that
you and your entire familyprovide to Ben Lippen.
It's truly a joy to have you asa part of our community.
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