Kidd Kraddick

Not many of you will know who or what I’m talking about when I mention the name Kidd Kraddick. Kidd was a radio DJ of a secular radio station that had a morning talk show “Kidd Kraddick in the Morning” on WFMF 102.5.

I’ve been listening to this morning show since I started college in 2002.

This past weekend Kidd passed away. Why am I posting about this guy you might ask? Well the way things played out really just struck me on how we never know when our last breathe may be. Also the heart this man had for a thing call Kidd’s Kids. I’d like to tell you about both this morning.

This past week the show kicked off a bit called “Death Bed Confessions”. Yes, weird name and unless you’ve listened to the show you’re probably thinking… ”What?!”

They always had crazy bits like this simply to make people laugh. Yeah you may have had to have a crazy sense of humor but they were funny and made you laugh each morning. Each day one of the cast members would give their last words. They weren’t tear jerkers, just strictly comedy. Later in the week after one of the bits, Kidd made a comment to continue the show once he is gone. He said they could just prop him up in his chair and play one liners that he pre-recorded. As funny as it was and what a weird/crazy bit it was, no one realized what the following weekend would bring. This was no set up for what would happened, it just happened. Kidd was at a Golf Tournament in New Orleans raising money for his charity organization Kidd’s Kids when he was rushed to hospital and then passed away.

A lot of times we try to figure out why or how things happen in life. For this I have no answers but I know God is in control. We’ve all heard before that we’re not promised tomorrow.

But the question is how will people remember you tomorrow?

Kidd may have ran a secular radio station show but one thing that he had that showed his heart was a thing called Kidd’s Kids. If you’ve ever caught the show during the Kidd’s Kids trip in November then I’m sure you’ve teared up. The Kidd’s Kids trip was something that Kidd held dear to his heart and how his efforts changed so many people’s lives. Each year Kidd would raise the funds to provide a one week, all expenses paid trip to Disney World for chronically ill and/or physically challenged children and their immediate families. During the week you’d hear the stories pour out from these people on how this trip away from hospitals, doctors and the everyday routine has been a blessing just to see their children smile. For some this may be the last memory they’d have as a family and for Kidd it was his passion to give these families the time of their lives.

http://www.kiddskids.com/about/about-kidds-kids/

I know I haven’t bombarded this post with scripture and life application points but simply said…

When today is over, what kind of legacy will you leave for tomorrow?

We have a chance to impact someone’s life today.

Rather that’s through love, radical grace, forgiveness, mercy, a random act of kindness or throw them all together and share Jesus Christ with them.

Live for Christ today because tomorrow you may not have the chance.

Kidd Kraddick's signature sign off was: "Keep looking up, cause that's where it all is."

Faith, Patience, Waiting and Trust

I shared this with our Young Adults Ministry and wanted to share it with everyone else.

Okay so I know not many of yall are married but I wanted to share this devotion to all of you. In the past we’ve talked about our purpose in life, where we’re at in life, what we desire in life and what we’re pursuing, etc. Towards the end of the devotion you’ll see the statement “waiting is closely associated with faith”. We claim we have faith but honestly we can be some impatient people. We desire to know what God has in store for us “His Will” but are we truly willing to wait? We trust what we can see so we search and find life answers on our own. 
This isn’t Faith in God.

Faith: firm belief and complete trust in and loyalty to God (Webster’s)

Are we placing our lives, our trust completely in God’s hands?

Maybe it’s time to give him complete control of your life’s directions and choices. And when you do wait patiently, it’s in those times that your faith has the chance to grow.

Hope you enjoy the scripture and short story below…

Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD -- Psalm 27:14

Because of a set of unfortunate circumstances, my wife and I were living in a place and working a job that was not our long-term choice. I sought other positions. One opportunity availed itself. They made an offer, but it didn't seem right. So we turned it down, knowing that something more to our liking would present itself soon. It did not.

We continued to work and to wait for well over a year before another offer was made. This was a most difficult time. We tried to be strong and not lose heart, but it was difficult. We doubted our decision regarding the previous opportunity. We questioned God. We wondered when he would show up and do something about our situation. Our faith was stretched and pulled.

Many times, I don't like to wait. In some circumstances, I am not a patient person. Often, I am like a child at Christmas, eagerly anticipating the time to open presents. Each hour seems like an eternity. When the time arrives, I can't move fast enough to the Christmas tree so the presents can be opened.

Waiting may be the single hardest thing we have to do. In the Bible, waiting is closely associated with faith. Sometimes the words are used interchangeably. While we may not like it, waiting is a necessary part of the Christian life. What God does in us while we wait is as important as what it is we are waiting for. Waiting is not easy. It may bring pain. It will try us and test us. It demands patience. It exacts a price.

Yet if we are patient, waiting may turn out to be our greatest blessing. Because I waited, God provided an opportunity where we spent the next fifteen years. His timing was perfect. Our part was to trust with a confident, disciplined, patient waiting for his will to be revealed.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. 
–Proverbs 3:5-6

Hear Ye, Hear Ye

Okay so I’ve used the excuse of “writer’s block” for too long now.

Besides…Writer’s Block is a figment of your…uh….uh….uh…

Yeah anyways.. lol… I’ll have to write my blog on my “Writer’s Block” at another time.

So if you’ve been in the news lately (which I haven’t, but I do catch stuff on the radio and internet) you’ve heard that the royal birth has happened. Yeah…what were their names again? (Sorry I had to look it up.) The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge; Prince William and Kate and they introduced that they had a baby boy. 

So what was his name…? 

They didn’t have one yet.  Now I’m sure like any other parents the names have been talked about for a while and they were just waiting for a certain date to announce it. Not sure of the tradition but they finally came out and named him George Alexander Louis.  Sounds like a name of royalty to me. There was even some random guy announce the birth.

 Which makes me think of a name that was announced way before the birth of a child.

It was the name of a King. The name JESUS

Luke 1:28-33

²⁸ Gabriel appeared to Mary and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

²⁹ Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. ³⁰ “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³² He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³ And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

July 22, 2013 people stopped as this royal birth was announced. Maybe you heard it and kept moving throughout your day. Maybe you stopped and re-tweeted it or posted it on Facebook. But I wonder how many stopped the day Jesus Christ was born, how many re-tweeted, forwarded an email or posted on their wall.

Did Jesus have a guy dressed up with a fancy scroll? No, he had even better.

Luke 2:9-14

⁹Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, ¹⁰ but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. ¹¹ The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! ¹² And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

And then the tweeting began… (Okay, they didn’t have Twitter back then but check it out)

Luke 2:15-20

¹⁵ When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶ They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. ¹⁷ After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. ¹⁸ All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, ¹⁹ but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. ²⁰ The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

Our faith in Jesus doesn’t revolve around the announcement of His birth. 

We could go around and tell people all day that Jesus was born. 

But what really matters is that He’s ALIVE!

Have you shared that announcement lately? 
We're willing to share everything else... 

Does Jesus Christ dwell in your heart?
If He does then we should not be ashamed...

Can you boldly go through your day knowing that Christ is alive and lives in you?
If so,  then Make Him Known