Listener for Life

Ever since Carol Counsell can remember, Moody Radio has been there for her and her family. She’s been an avid listener for more than four decades, and Moody Radio stood as a beacon of hope in one of the darkest times of her life.

In 2010, her oldest son, and his wife, both believers, lost their unborn baby just 26 weeks into the pregnancy. Tragically, their marriage ended up falling apart, and he lost his faith in the process.

“He says he feels like he met Satan in the desert,” Carol says. “It was just an awful time.”

But even then, Carol stayed tuned to Moody Radio. Her family was able to draw comfort and encouragement from what they were hearing on the airwaves, particularly this unshakeable truth about God: “He’s always been there, and even if you feel awful about something, that doesn’t mean He’s not there. I trusted God that He had His hand on my son, that this was not the end of his story.”

A few years later, her son returned to faith, having experienced God’s faithfulness firsthand through his own journey.

‘It was just so comforting’

Carol was saved at seven years old during a revival meeting. “I just wanted Jesus to be my friend,” she says. By the time Carol was in middle school, her mom had divorced and remarried. Their family then moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where, at 15, Carol met Steve Counsell.

Though Carol and Steve dated in high school, they decided to attend different colleges. Despite dating other people, they reunited and were married in 1981.

After the wedding they moved to Cincinnati, where Carol taught in a Christian school, and Steve received medical training. In 1986, Steve’s medical residency took them to Akron, Ohio. It was there where Carol discovered Moody Radio, broadcasting from Cleveland’s nearby affiliate station, while attempting to comfort her newborn baby.

“My firstborn was just really difficult,” Carol says, describing how he would wake up screaming early in the morning. Searching for something to soothe him, and her nerves, she found Moody Radio.

“I brought this upset child into my bed, and I turned on the radio. I found a station that had an older gentleman speaking in a gentle voice, telling encouraging stories and speaking wonderful words from the Bible,” Carol says. She’d found Bob Devine’s The Clockwatcher, a program that aired from 1960–2000.

“It was just so comforting,” Carol says.

Truthful, biblical, and relevant

Since those first stressful nights of trying to comfort her baby, Carol has been an avid listener of Moody Radio, and 2026 marks 40 years of her enjoying all the godly teaching, uplifting music, and encouragement for everyday life.

Whether Carol is listening to a wide range of worship music or engaging with programs like In the Market with Janet Parshall, Equipped with Chris Brooks, and Family Life Today, she is always learning and growing in her relationship with Christ.

Carol and Steve have raised their children to adulthood, and currently live in Alaska, where she works as the librarian at Alaska Bible College.  She enjoys the spiritual atmosphere on campus, especially getting to know the students and investing in their lives. A lot of her counsel to them comes from what she has gleaned about God, the Bible, and living for Christ from Moody Radio.

“You know what I learned through the years?” Carol asks. “People should not wait until they’re my age to trust God. He will carry you through everything you’re going through all your life.”

“Moody Radio is relevant for any age,” Carol says. “Through the teaching I hear on Moody Radio, I can have empathy and wisdom for people I know that are younger.”

Carol also continues to invest in her adult children, grandchildren, and support her husband’s ministry—all while tuning into Moody Radio each and every day.

“I trust Moody Radio, that what I’m going to hear is truth, and it’s biblical, and it’s relevant.”