GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA - Two chaplains, one Navy and one Army National Guard, were in a spinning class one day.
Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, right?
But the punch line is good: So, they started their own radio show!
A few months ago, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Joseph Cubba and New Mexico Army National Guard Capt. Scott Brill met in a spinning class here at the naval air station.
After a brief conversation, the two put their creative minds together, and with the blessing of the local radio station, the first Christian-themed radio show in recent memory, "Friends of God," was born.
"We had each been thinking about a Christian radio show before we even met. When we met and talked about it, it just clicked," said Brill.
While providing guiding words is standard fare for a chaplain, Cubba decided that he wanted to do the show when his tour was extended. "When I realized I wasn't leaving until October, I decided that I wanted to do something to help people," he said.
Each week the duo works on a message with a topic. Cubba writes the scripts for each show, while Brill voices the show. The team researches the music to expand their playlist and find the music that fits best.
"We are limited to only playing music that is in the computer that the radio station has the rights to. There is a lot of music we can't play. We can't bring in our own CD's and play music from them," said Cubba.
The two men have a great time putting the show together, and their enthusiasm can be heard over the airwaves every Sunday morning. "The show is a blast to produce," said Brill.
And the duo makes efforts to not be overbearing. "It's not preachy, and it's not your mother's music," Brill said.
Along with having a positive message and music, the show features start times for Naval Station and JTF chapel services, news and events that may be important to a faith-based audience.
So far, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The radio gurus are open to new ideas, new artists and new music to research.
Recently, the show included chaplain's assistant Army Sgt. Sean Reeves as a guest. The pair are interested in having other guests on the show in upcoming weeks.
Brill wants to make sure that the religious petty officers and chaplain's aides are acknowledged for their efforts. Although they are behind the scenes, they do a lot of the "grunt" work that make it possible for Brill and Cubba to do their radio show as well as their jobs.