Reporter: BERNIE MILLER'S
LOVE FOR RADIO STARTED
WHEN HE DELIVERED THE
NEWSPAPER TO A RADIO STATION
IN BALTIMORE.
HE CALL THE ATTENTION OF
JAMES BROWN AT WEBB, WHO
ASKED BERNIE TO RECORD A
PUBLIC SERVICE
ANNOUNCEMENT.
BERNIE WAS ONLY 15, AND HE
WAS HOOKED.
I WAS A DISEMBODIED
VOICE.
I LOVED BEING BEHIND THE
MICROPHONE AND NOT BEING
SEEN, AND DOING THINGS AND
SAYING THINGS IN A CERTAIN
WAY THAT WOULD ENCOURAGE
PEOPLE.
Reporter: BY HIS 20s,
BERNIE WAS LIVING OUT HIS
WILDEST RADIO DREAMS, AND
WORKING FOR A TOP THREE
MARKET IN CHICAGO.
HE WAS SWEPT UP IN A
WORLD-WIND OF SUCCESS,
MONEY, AND GLAMOUR.
MY LIFESTYLE IN THE RADIO
BUSINESS WAS FAST LANE,
FILLED WITH A LOT OF DRUGS,
GROUPIES, AND A LOT OF
MONEY, TOO, CAN BE MADE.
WHAT YOU DO WITH THE MONEY
IS ONE THING, AND WHAT YOU
DO WITH THE GROUPIES WAS
ANOTHER THING.
IT WAS CALLING UP PROS
SUBSTITUTES AND HAVING --
PROSTITUTES, AND HAVING
PEOPLE COME OVER AND USING
AND ABUSING DRUGS.
IT IS A DOG EAT DOG WORLD.
AND I HAD TO BE ACCLIMATED
TO THAT.
WHEN THAT HAPPENS, YOU USED
THINGS TO GIVE YOU A BOOST.
I USED COCAINE TO GIVE ME A
BOOST.
I USED MARIJUANA TO RELAX.
IT IS SUCH A VICIOUS CYCLE.
Reporter: HE WAS
OFFERED A JOB IN NEW YORK,
ANOTHER TOP THREE MARKET.
DURING THAT TIME, HE BEGAN
TO WRITE MUSIC, WITH CREDITS
SUCH AS "I CAN'T TAN STAND
THE RAIN."
I REMEMBER THE ROYALTY
CHECK THAT I HAD GOT.
IT WAS LIKE $19,000.
I HAD NEVER SEEN THAT MUCH
MONEY IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.
I USED EVERY DROP OF IT ON
DRUGS.
Reporter: IN 1987, SONY
RECORDS OFFERED BERNIE A
POSITION AT V.P. OF A AND
R.
HIS SIX-FIGURE SALARY AND
MILLION DOLLAR BUDGET WAS
ALL HE THOUGHT HE EVER
WANTED.
BUT ONE DAY BERNIE REALIZED
IT WASN'T ENOUGH.
I WOKE UP AFTER BEING
THERE FOR A YEAR AND SAID,
IS THIS IT?
I WORKED ALL THESE YEARS TO
GET HERE, AND THERE IS
SOMETHING MISSING.
THERE WAS A VOID IN MY
LIFE.
THE NIGHT BEFORE, I KNEW I
WAS WATCHING AN X-RATED
MOVIE, AND I KNEW THAT.
I DON'T KNOW IF I ROLLED
OVER ON THE REMOTE
CONTROL -- I DON'T KNOW WHAT
HAPPENED -- BUT I WOKE UP
THAT MORNING AND I TURNED
THE TV ON AND IT WAS "THE
700 CLUB."
AND THERE WAS SOMEONE ON
THERE SAYING THERE IS
SOMEONE WHO IS STRUGGLING
RIGHT NOW.
AND YOU ARE AT A POINT IN
YOUR LIFE WHERE YOU HAVE
MADE IT, YOU'VE DONE ALL OF
THE THINGS YOU'VE WANTED TO
DO, BUT THERE IS SOMETHING
THAT IS MISSING.
AND I WANT TO TELL YOU THAT
THAT SOMETHING MISSING IS
JESUS.
AND HE PURPOSELY PUT A
CHRIST-SHAPED VACUUM IN YOUR
LIFE.
THE NEXT THING I KNEW, I WAS
ON MY KNEES, ASKING THE LORD
TO COME INTO MY LIFE AND TO
SAVE ME.
THERE WAS A TOTAL
PERSONALITY CHANGE, SO TO
SPEAK.
I FOUND MYSELF NOT WANTING
TO DO THE THINGS I USED TO
DO.
I ASKED THE LORD TO TAKE THE
TASTE OF CIGARETTES AND
ALCOHOL AND ANY OTHER
SUBSTANCES OUT OF MY
TASTEBUDS.
AND HE DID.
AND AS I THINK ABOUT THAT
MOMENT, THINGS HAVE CHANGED
IN MY LIFE.
Reporter: AFTER BERNIE
GAVE HIS LIFE TO CHRIST, HE
FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO
CONTINUE HIS WORK WITH THE
RECORD LABEL.
THE NEXT YEAR, SONY DECIDED
NOT TO RENEW HIS CONTRACT.
AND BERNIE MILLER MOVED TO
CHATTANOOGA TO BECOME A
CHRISTIAN RADIO ANNOUNCER.
EVENTUALLY BERNIE ATTENDED
SEMINARY AND BECAME A
FULL-TIME PASTOR.
ALL OF THE GOLD RECORDS,
ALL OF THE FAMOUS PEOPLE
THAT I'VE KNOWN MEAN NOTHING
TO ME COMPARED TO THE
RELATIONSHIP I FOUND BY
WATCHING "THE 700 CLUB."
AND ANYONE WHO'S HURTING,
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS WANT
JESUS.
AND WHEN I WAS AT THE TOP OF
MY CAREER, I DIDN'T REALLY
NEED ANYTHING, BUT THERE WAS
A VOID IN MY LIFE.
YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE A LOT OF
MONEY, YOU'RE VERY
SUCCESSFUL, BUT ALL OF THOSE
THINGS DON'T MEAN ANYTHING
TO YOU.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU
TILL HAVE A VOID IN YOUR
LIFE.
AND THAT VOID IS A
RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS
CHRIST.
THAT'S THAT SAME VOID THAT I
HAD.
AND YOU WON'T BE HAPPY UNTIL
YOU DO WHAT I DID, AND THAT
IS, ASK HIM TO BE YOUR LORD
AND SAVIOR.