A Voice with a Message, and Not Just One from 'Our Sponsors'

By Tom Gallagher

The Lord works in mysterious ways, sometimes in the background of our lives. He doesn't take any bows, and He's not asking for anything in return except our love and obedience.

My story starts about eight years ago when my wife and I faced my retirement from the appliance industry. We're both very active, so the prospect of relaxing for the rest of our lives was very unsettling. We prayed about it, asking the Lord to give us direction. We didn't make these prayers the centerpiece of our lives, but the Lord, as it turned out, was listening more than we could have imagined.

Just before I retired, on three separate occasions, people walked up to me and told me I had a nice voice. All within a couple of days! Those curious compliments prompted me to embark on a second career doing voiceover work. A voiceover is the background voice you hear not only on many radio and TV commercials, but also in thousands of entertainment and corporate applications.

To begin voiceover work at the age of 70 is unusual, to say the least. But I feel that the Lord, in His goodness, gave me this gift. About three years ago, I was prompted by the Lord to reach out to Catholic radio and TV to offer my services, gratis. I figured it would be a small way to give back to the Lord after everything He has given my family and me.

In fact, I'm honored to do the work! After all, Catholic radio and TV stations reach millions of souls around the world.

I do reads - or voiceovers - for Mother Angelica's EWTN. I also do them for Ave Maria radio in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Relevant radio, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. I do many reads for the local Catholic FM station here in Indianapolis, Indiana. The reads I do help bring operating revenues to the station to assist in keeping it on the air.

The voiceovers run the full range. They include public service announcements, charitable events, church meetings, commercials - everything you hear on a regular commercial station except that these preach the work of the Lord!

I never know what's coming next. Just recently, I leant my voice for "St. John of the Cross," a series on EWTN.

I've heard many times what happens when people do good deeds - how they always seem to receive unexpected rewards as a result. In my case, invariably after I do my volunteer work for one or another of the Catholic stations, commercial work will almost immediately come my way. It's miraculous! I don't ask for this. It just seems to happen. But I know it's the Lord looking out for me. It is not a coincidence, but an unmistakable message of gratitude from the Lord.

I guess my point in all of the above is: Don't despair when your prayers seem to go unanswered. Be patient. The Lord works quietly and without fanfare, and He answers us in more ways than we can possibly imagine.

Tom Gallagher lives in Noblesville, Ind.

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