Pastor Mark Hopper

By Pastor Mark Hopper

I have heard that you can get free TV channels without your cable provider.  This could be very helpful in the case of an emergency when land lines are out of service.  It could also be a helpful way to avoid those large cable bills!

I thought I would give it a try and see if I could get some of these channels on my new TV. I began by locating the TV instruction booklet.  The booklet had a few pictures and a lot of words that didn’t help an inexperienced technician like me.  But, I pressed on hoping for success.

I disconnected the cable wire and hooked up the portable antennae.  Then I grabbed the remote control and started pushing buttons.  I tried the menu button and tried to find settings.  It didn’t go very well.

So I re-read the instructions and tried it again.  No luck.  I did this over and over again, but never found any wireless channels.

I’m sure they are out there.  We used to have “on air” TV when I was a kid, but I couldn’t find them now.  Maybe it is a cable channel conspiracy?

When I have encountered challenges fixing my car or other projects around the house, I have found helpful videos on You Tube.  Many people have posted “How To” videos on line that have saved me a lot of time and enabled me to do repairs at home myself.

So, I went on the Internet and found some You Tube videos with information on how to get “on air” channels on my flat screen TV.  The video confirmed that there are free channels available and gave instructions on how to program my TV to get them.

I tried to follow the You Tube instructions and after a few mistakes I actually did it!  It took the TV several minutes to locate a number of HD “on air” channels, but there they were. Amazing!  I really never expected to find these free channels, but I did.

Maybe you are facing some difficult challenges in your life.  You may have tried many times, but feel you just can’t do it.  Here are some lessons that I learned.

I learned that the two most helpful “keys” on the remote control are the “menu” key and the “input” key. I’m not sure what they actually do, but I used them several times and got the results I was hoping for. When in doubt, hit the “menu” and “input” buttons!

Be willing to get help.  The instructions that came with the TV were not that helpful, but the You Tube video was great.  Ask a friend, classmate or co-worker.  Pray and ask God for help, too.

If others can do it, you can too.  A friend told me that his father used to say, “If one man built it, another man can fix it.”

Many other people have struggled with programming their TV and other electronic devices.  If they can do it, so can you!

Never give up.  England’s Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, is remembered for his famous saying during the dark days of World War II, “Never give up, never give up, never, never give up.”

I was ready to give up many times with my futile efforts trying to program my flat screen TV.  But, it was so rewarding to figure it out and succeed in finding those “on air” channels.

I don’t know what challenges you may be dealing with in your life right now, but “you can do it.”  Don’t give up.  Keep on trying.  You’ll be glad you did!

Pastor Mark Hopper is from the Evangelical Free Church of Diamond Bar, 3255 South Diamond Bar Ave. Sunday services are 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. For more information, call (909) 594-7604 or visit http://www.efreedb.org.