Diary of a Poor, White Radio Producer

NOJ = Not Over Joyed

2011-09-12T11:20:00.001-07:00

I'm not a mother, obviously. Nor am I a parent, but I am a son ... and I know that look, tone and disfigurement that MY mom used to get when I was irritating the mess out of her. That "I swear if you keep pushing I'm going to straight up bite you in half" kinda look.
I think I might have spotted that look about 1000 times this past weekend.
No I wasn't trapped on an island with my mother, I was at Night Of Joy. The disfigured faces, with the scowl and crooked finger, weren't donning the wicked witch outfits either ... they were employees ... disfigured from the thousands of tyrant like youth groups ... and I don't blame them ... I might have worn the mask that night a few times myself.

My wife and I were in line, surrounded by teens and their leaders. We know from past experiences what to expect on the NOJ nights ... so we weren't surprised. Like a pack of hybrid banshee parrots, they square off. One youth group against another, their love for "Jesus" and then throwing the challenge back "how about you?!" ... and then the random yelling of something that solidified that they were some sort of parrot hybrid ... "Hello!! ... HELLO!!". Then, as if on queue, the pushing started. Some of the older, more mature youth decided the line wasn't moving at the pace they were used to. Needless to say ... I put that mask on. As we approached the cast member in charge of placing us in our designated areas ... I could tell he was wearing the mask ... the cast member who instructed us on how NOT to ride the ride ... wore the mask as well ... Even the cast member who really just pushed the button to start the ride ... you guessed it ... masked

I knew this would happen ...
It happens every year (that I know of).
The forcefully rude and belligerent hybrid banshee/parrots have ruined Night Of Joy

But should I take this rant to focus on the undisciplined, out-of-control pubescent miniature adults? ...... or their leaders?

By the end of the last NOJ night, Tobymac was on stage singing about "Greater things are yet to come, greater things are still to be done in this city" and all that was running through my already embarrassed, fully frustrated mind is ... "'Frustrate them like Jesus' might be the slogan for next year"

Now let me clarify. This animosity isn't directed at the hordes of rambunctious kids, I was one ... I know how it is.
It's directed towards their leaders.

It feels as if, in the last few years, "Leadership" and "Christianity" have interwoven themselves ... Even though I don't think they should (which is a blog in and of itself) nonetheless it needs to be recognized. If in this trend of "building better leaders", we should see better leaders.
Forgive me if I'm folding bad leaders in with great leaders but, I did not see 1 real good leader of the said "rambunctious kids" at NOJ.
From Space Mountain to The Haunted Mansion, you couldn't escape that "scowled" face from the "Most Magical of Employees" ... They were literally screaming at kids to "Stay in their seats, Keep your hands in the boat, please don't throw things, no yelling in line please" ...

Where are their leaders?
Setting an example for them, showing them discipline, exuding a Christ-like respect and servant attitude to those who are SERVING THEM?

To put it bluntly, I don't think Paul when saying "I become all things to all people, that I might win some" was giving leaders permission to "become like rambunctious, disrespectful youth groupers that you might win some" ... because I'm sure based on whatever I saw at NOJ, you didn't win any ... if anything you irritated them into the opposite direction.

Bottom line is this.
Leaders, step up and take care of your youth group.
Parents, don't expect your leaders to carry all the weight.
Take care of the testimony you carry.
Take care of those who are serving you.

Keep in mind that even though it's expected at the "Christian Night"
That thousands of hybrid banshee parrots are attending and will likely be ... well ... you know.
It doesn't need to go without good leadership.

Until Next Time,
KPK

Do We Want Depth, Or Shallow Hugs

2011-09-06T09:37:00.001-07:00

I started this by scripting out ways Christian music could be better, but it came across pompous and arrogant ... not my intention. BUT, in typing, I felt this needed to be said at least.

In the last few years, there has been a trend in Christian music/song-writing, a cuddly trend ... a "this is a boyfriend/God" song ... kinda trend. An "I'm only going to graze the idea of an emotion" kinda trend.

Not that those songs aren't good songs ... but some sing as if they were the cutest love song of a boy and girl, that playful, flirtatious beginning of a relationship ... then like that bad aftertaste of something sweet ... they throw the word "Lord" or "God" or "Jesus" in there, just to add another JPM (Jesus Per Minute) point ... It's ok to be a Christian/Singer/Song-writer and have a love song about the opposite sex ... truly ... actually I wish there were more.

On the flip side of the coin ...

I was driving to the gym 2 days ago and heard Mat Kearney's song "Down" come on the radio ... "He lit a cigarette felt in on his lip, Driving home on a long road with regret" sang vulnerably through my car speakers. 2 thoughts went through my head 1. GREAT story-telling ... like a painter with words. 2. It will never get the respect it deserves as a song, it should, it's catchy, great musically-lyrically, but because it has the phrase "He lit a cigarette" in it.

I can hear the Christian Culture ... "Why does he have to smoke, that just ruined the story"

In all honesty, I wish the lyric was "He smoked a PACK of cigarettes" ... Kearney is attempting to paint a story of an angst ridden, soon-to-be father ... what would you rather him use? "He chewed his fingernails?" "He paced back and forth?" ... I don't think those lines paint the angst you can feel in the song.

If you find yourself uncomfortable with a song that positions it's character smoking a cigarette, while he ponders the weight of becoming a father in the world ... yet not see the Gospels promise as the chorus screams " WE ALL NEED FORGIVENESS" ... you might not want music at all ... but an audible "gee ... you're swell"

I would love it, if Christian music were bold enough to sing about doubts, mistakes, wanting to dance (either romantically or on "da dance flow", real-life "I'm on the verge of being a Christian" kind of songs ... the modern version of Paul's use of pagan poetry on the Mount. I want nothing more than to see an emboldened Christian Culture reaching out, with a Christian perspective/world view, into the areas of sex, drugs, rock & roll, adultery, slander, doubt, remorse, dancing, clubbing, ect. Christian music didn't accept Christ as it's Lord and Savior. As far as I know Christian music was never in Sin and needed a Savior ... Christian music doesn't need to worry about the doctrine of total depravity or the perseverance of the saints ... it's music.

Or maybe you're ok with the "God is my boyfriend" songs ... maybe you're ok with the sideways shallow hugs ...

Until Next Time,
KPK

P.S. Enjoy the song

Global Coverage Vs. Out of Sight/Out of Mind

2011-03-11T07:28:00.001-08:00

NON-JESUS JUKE FASHION

Anytime you turn on the television and see suffering of any kind, it breaks your heart (even if we've become desensitized to it)
This morning everyone woke up to the news that Japan was hit but a surge Tsunami and devastated the coast. Millions/Billions of dollars to rebuild, estimated 60 lives were lost in the impact (so far) and the world is sending out their prayers in the form of national aid and #hashtag prayers.

We need to pray for Japan, we need to pray that God will graciously give his peace to the families of those who have lost their loved ones. But seeing (via Twitter) all of the reoccurring themes of "heartbroken" "devastation" "tragedy" with the hashtags of #prayforjapan ... got to me. Like I've already typed "We need to pray for Japan" ... but knowing what I know, and understanding what the majority of us, as the "fortunate", are aware of ... I've come to the conclusion ... if it doesn't exist on the National/Global/Facebook Coverage ... we won't care as much, unless we really invest.

My heart really does break for Japan, even a single life loss ... sucks, sincerely, and there are an estimated 90+ lives lost. But putting the numbers and prevent-ability of the statistics ... I find this:

Acording to GlobalIssues.org, over 22,000 children die every day from preventable diseases (1 child every 4 seconds, 15 children every minute)
Poverty.com released the statistic 25,000 people die every day from hunger or hunger related causes (according to the United Nations
USAID a Government funded organization posted 5,000 people die a day from AIDS

According to the statistics on hunger, the devastation of the Japanese Tsunami would be equal to a Tsunami happening 300 consecutive days to amount to the deaths caused by hunger (which is preventable) .. in one day.

I'm not trying to be insensitive, truly, only attempting to put things into perspective ... Global coverage breeds a "fad" like concern, without investment.
If we are going to invest in something ... we need to invest in the betterment of man kind ... overall ... not just what appears on the News more frequently

We, as a society, can indeed impact the world ... but only if we truly invest in the betterment of man kind ... that means find the things that are "Out of Sight/Out of Mind"
and pursuing the development of the 52,000 lives that will die today, with only the 3 statistics I've mentioned ...

Pray for Japan, pray for God's peace ... but more so ... Pray for those who don't have the privileged of Global Coverage

X-MAS ...

2010-11-30T10:44:00.000-08:00

It seems nowadays that saying “Xmas” either makes you a rabid secularist or at least a sub-Christian who, like the atheists, want to take Christ out of “Christ”-

Let’s get a little history lesson in real quick: (you can find most of this information on the internet. Ie: http://www.oed.com/, http://www.christianhistorytimeline.com/ amongst others … but I urge you to research it for yourself)

For at least the last thousand years, “X” has been used as an abbreviation for Christ, far surpassing the breadth of time the modern usage of “Xmas”. Actually “Christ” was written a number of ways “XP” (Chi Rho) and also “XT”. The dating of these particular christograms are difficult but there are some references in the Anglo Saxon Chronicles (which are historical accounts of the Anglo Saxons written in Old English) that date back to the early 1000’s. The “XP” that we widely see used in modern Orthodox denominations as well as Catholicism, Episcopalians as well as others, is called the “Labarum” and are the “x” and “p” letters of “ΙΧΘΥΣ”, the Greek word for “Christ”

The “X” has also been cited as being used in terms “Xtian” and “Xtianity”, according to the Oxford English Dictionary as early as 1485. In many New Testament manuscripts and Greek images X was used as various titles for Jesus and is still viewed as a symbol of Christ and used as chrismons.

In 1436 Johannes Guttenberg invented the printing press and as such, the tedious and expensive typesetting, led him to use the Greek symbol as the abbreviation for the church. Even Webster’s dictionary acknowledges that the abbreviation Xmas was in common use by the middle of the sixteenth century.

Only within the last century has the idea of “Xmas” taking “Christ” out of Christmas, become widespread. It’s only because of rising fears of secularization and wrong ideas about separation from worldliness, that the urban myth of “Xmas” being a removal of Christ still exists. In 1977, the Governor of New Hampshire issued a press release stating that journalists should cease taking the “Christ” out of “Christmas” as “Xmas” was a pagan spelling of Christmas. Perhaps he should have run that press release by a religious scholar before issuing it. Like anything, if we continue to be under educated about things, and because of our ignorance develop fear or separation … we then begin to lose the attachment to what Christmas really is … the celebration of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Understanding this use of Christian symbolism might help us modern day Xians focus on more important issues of the Faith during Advent, and bring a little more Peace to the Xmas Season.

Until Next Time
KPK

Stuffed Apples a la - yogurt

2010-09-24T04:59:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:
2 large McIntosh or Empire apples, cored (keep the "meat" of the apple separate)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup instant oatmeal (maple works great)
5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup water

Cut the top of the apple off, at the stem. Gut the apple, removing the "core pieces" and set the apple "meat" aside. Continue gutting the apple until all thats left is a shell of the apple skin. Finely dice apple parts, while mixing in the ground cinnamon and instant oatmeal and water. Heat the current ingredients until the instant oatmeal is well cooked and "bubbling" ... add brown sugar and raisins. Take the concoction and add to the apple shell .... TOP WITH VANILLA YOGURT!! .... enjoy :)

Until Next Time,
KPK

2010-09-13T11:58:00.001-07:00

10 Ways To Get Over â€œBloggers-Blockâ€ http://ping.fm/MFqvV

10 Ways To Get Over “Bloggers-Block”

2010-09-13T11:36:00.001-07:00

First of all, let’s define “Bloggers Block” a little better … It isn’t at all like writers block. See writers usually have a topic of writing and in that particular scope of topic, they can then stem through the variances of that topic. Bloggers Block is the “brain-fart” of blogger topics … Unless you have a blog COMPLETELY devoted to Cross Training/Cooking/Music Reviews ect. … than you’re probably blogging about life … sometimes life, has “brain-farts”. Here are 10 ways to get over that “Bloggers Block” while also finding 10 ways to kill time while you have said “Bloggers Block”

1. Two Cups of Coffee, your favorite 80’s dance song and a Flip Vid (or any video recorder) … After about 2 cups of coffee you should be wired enough that when that kickin’ 80’s dance tune comes blaring through your iTunes … you’re going to want to video tape that … and then post it as a blog, and how much you regret doing that … but *huph* it’s entertaining

2. Stand in the corner of your office, completely quiet … just observing the rest of your co-workers ….. and when it’s been about 10-15 minutes, scream at the top of your lungs and blog how some people don’t like spontaneity

3. Write 1 line of a song on 100 post-it notes and put them all over your body … then dance around like a maniac until all of them are off you but 1 ….

4. Watch an episode of Psyche on Hulu.com and compare Shawn Spencer’s wittiness with that of your boss, and contrast and compare …. It’ll take about 45 minutes, plus it’s HILARIOUS!

5. Offer to make everyone burgers for lunch, go out and buy tofu burgers … grill em, decorate em … then watch as people’s expectations are destroyed at the mere taste of tofu … then you can blog about how appearances can be deceiving

6. Talk to yourself

7. Depending on your field of employment, disengage yourself from your work and from thinking of “what to blog” and practice magic tricks on people you work with … and completely botch the mess out of them … but be persistent … make sure they don’t leave when you mess up the rings trick for the 5th time

8. Pronounce all Th’s, Ch’s, Sh’s as the first consonant sound … ie: Th = T, Ch = C or K … then become agitated when people are unable to understand you … again, just as #1 have you’re video recording device readily available.

9. Wear track running gear into your morning meetings and in the middle of the “download” … excuse yourself for a morning run … then run around your offices (indoors) … stressing the importance of a healthy body, healthy work environment creates a more productive day!

10. Last but not least …. Find something that inspires you, google it, research it … take a look at it from different angles, take your time studying it, learn to hate parts of it … and by the time you’ve rummaged through whatever it is that inspires you … you’ll know more about yourself and more about what to tell others!

OK! NOW! …. Go … and Blog Block no more! …. Keep in mind 1-9 are really just for fun, but truly … you can blog about that!!

Until Next Time
KPK

Stranger To Friend

2010-08-03T06:52:00.001-07:00

There are times and groups in your life, that you feel are complete, whole, filled, and in no need of any addition to your pseudo "family". People expectedly attempt to join or even force themselves into this already "complete" congregation, making the camaraderie bend and swell ... uncomfortably. Then you find yourself surprised, when you meet the right stranger, at the right time ... simply just visiting. You're strangers, not friends ... but through time you become friends, collectively with the family.

It's never expected to be accepted, when first making introductions. There's that awkward hello, the handshake even. Then from there it's work as usual. Quiet casual conversations, learning the mannerisms/inflections/likes/unlikes/backgrounds/similarities/differences ... still strangers. Then something occurs, a common event/discussion that brings to light who this person really is ... and they're no longer strangers, they have a name, they're becoming friends.

I'm surprised at moments like these - the almost evolution of human interaction, from distance to familiarity to family. Such was/is the case with our summer intern Michelle Webb (check out her blog). In the 5+ years I've worked with the station, we've had a healthy number of people come through the doors and intern/volunteer/work and attempt to fit within the confines of the said family (described at the beginning of this post). Michelle made her home here at The JOY FM, giving of her time, talents, heart ... she impacted all of us, made us smile, and became apart of our family.

She was a stranger, who didn't force her way in ... but allowed us to get to know her, and thus became our friend.

Emotionalism Vs. Secondary Doctrine

2010-07-15T10:29:00.000-07:00

With in the last decade there has been a growth in Christian culture, regarding emotionalism and experience, and it's focal point in the modern Christian life. Some would argue that because of the emphasis on emotions and the experience an individual goes through, theology and sound doctrine becomes secondary to a Christians growth, even to the point to where THINKING is looked down upon.

I understand that experience is sometimes necessary when encountering a living God (i.e: Paul's conversion) but I do not believe it should at all become the dominant method in which Christians gain their beliefs and understand of God.

There's this book in the New Testiment called "Acts" (you might have heard of it) .. In it there is a society of people called Bereans. It's actually in Acts 17:11 "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians for they received the message with great eagerness and examines the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true" - btw Berea was the second missionary journey of Paul and Silas (appx 50-54 a.d.) ... Bible commentator Albert Barnes writes "This (noble character) means more noble by birth ... BUT here the word is used to denote a quality of mind and heart. They were more generous, liberal and noble in their feelings; more disposed to inquire candidly into the truth of the doctrines advanced by Paul and Silas"

The lessons from these verses about the Bereans is plain. There wasn't an experience that Paul was impressed with, not their emotional compacity in their spirituality ... more so their prudence/respect for Scripture and those who teach it. St. Paul, the guy who wrote 2/3 of the New Testiment, was scrutinized and his words tested against the line of scripture to confirm what he was teaching was correct. However, we can believe that Paul and Silas were glad that the Bereans were willing to put them to the test, because the scriptures call readers and believers to study the Bible and to test what they read. Example 2 Timothy "Study to show yourself approved unto God" and in 1 Peter "Always be preparied to give the reason for the hope you have" ... this is Apologetics 101!

Again, our foundations are not built upon frail human emotionalism nor the experiences, which we tend to give more credit to than should do .... Our faith is built upon 2000+ years of scripture and doctrine, study and a prudence attitude toward those who preach these sacred scriptures .... respectfully

Until Next Time
KPK

Monday Mix Tape

2010-07-12T06:41:00.001-07:00

July 12th

Here are some of the BEST NEW and USED tracks to you! … Mix Tape style! HERE WE GO! VOLUME 3!!

Hillsong - Forever Reign
From the newest Hillsong release "A Beautiful Exchange" .. this song (Forever Reign) is one of the most memorable and emotive ... Musically - fantastic, Lyrically - edifying, worshipful, Christ-centered ... seriously one of the best cuts on this disc!

Andy Zipf - Our Voice Is A Weapon
Im a HUGE Andy Zipf fan, and since the release of this small (but epic) EP ... I can't stop listening. A Folk/Americana gem musically, hints of Dylan/Petty/Young style vocals and lyrics ... seriously amazing (also check out his "The Cowards Choir" EP) It was either between "Our Voice" ... or "Like A River" ... anything this guy touches musically, needs to be given a good ear to listen.

Joy Williams - We Mapped The World
Joy might be known for her AC Christian music ... but I hope more so for her ability to craft a ridiculously good song! She has a lot on her plate right now, with The Civil Wars and releasing EP after EP of seriously amazing Folk/Pop songs ... this girl is on a mission (or so it seems) ... We Mapped The World (off of the EP of the same name) is SUCH a great cut. With Fiest and A Fine Frenzy-esq sounds ... a sweet beat to accompany the music ... and her voice ... I'm not sure if there is one I could equate it too ... she's amazing!

David Crowder* Band - Shadows (Acoustic)
After the release of "Church Music" in 09' DC*B has changed (in a way) the face and sound of modern Christian music ... which is good! The album goes through these mountainous emotive tones, from high and perky to borderline industrial dark ... one of those cuts "Shadows" was re-done on "Summer Happiness" EP (which is an acoustic EP of songs from "Church Music") ... The acoustic rendition of this song is AMAZING! It's not so much dark, the industrialized pieces are still present but the sound and feel of the song changed ... and in so ... has become a little more beautiful than I had expected.

WELP! That should about do it for this months “Monday Mixtape” .. check out Aprils and Mays!
Do you have a Mixtake suggestion? .. maybe a song that you just can’t get out of your head?!
What is it?!

Until Next Time,
KPK

Check Out My Accolades!

2010-07-11T09:40:00.000-07:00

You may know this kind of person, and maybe at times ... become this person ... The "accolade" kind of person.

It's OK to admit it ... we, as humans, sometimes fall into this "default mode" of pride and arrogance. But I'm not talking about the times when you become proud of something you've worked so hard to accomplished, more so the affirmation we want or respect we feel we deserve to show off whatever "accolades" we might have ... or for that matter, whatever "accolades" we might create.

I've known people who, for whatever reason, seem to grasp at whatever prize, medal, promotion that comes along to prove, either to themselves or maybe to someone else (or for a more common reason, to be affirmed by colleagues, classmates, family) that they are good, great, best. This isn't a terrible thing, but it's not what makes us who we are ... these "accolades" are all vanities (Ecclesiastes is a dangerous book to read depending on your mood) We're told not to store our treasures on Earth (Matt 6:19), but sometimes we concern ourselves with how we are perceived professionally, either with our titles, schooling, how many initials we have at the beginning of our name and even, at times, with trophies or diplomas of sorts. We hang them nicely on our wall as a means of being recognized for what we've done, or at times what we what other people to THINK we've done. Like I said, this isn't a terrible thing, but it definitely doesn't make us who we are.

Mother Teresa, being born in Macedonia, didn't receive a plaque of honor from the Sisters of Loreto when she first joined at age 18. She didn't get a "Graduate of 1931" diploma for her initial vows, in India. Nor was she given the key to the city when, by permission of the Holy See, She started her own order "The Missionaries of Charity" (whose primary task was to love and care for those who no one else would) ... Yet this woman is a modern day example of Christ's heart, hope, love, compassion, trust ... but also in a worldly manner: determination, commitment, work ethic ... She was completely unconcerned with the chronicling of her life that STILL there is dispute to WHEN she was born ... she didn't care to correct/confirm/recognize herself. This woman had MANY accolades ... but she didn't care at all about the ones for which she received here, on Earth.

Something to chew on.

Until Next Time
KPK

Mutual Edi-FICTION?

2010-07-01T14:15:00.000-07:00

Romans 14:19 that says “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification” … This verse, in its context, deals with varying measures of faith, moral conviction and cultural practices.

It seems Paul dealt a great deal with followers bickering back and forth with each other and in a sense “running to daddy” when they had issues. In Paul’s letter to the Roman church and both letters to the church in Corinth, he confronts the legalistic tendencies of faith, and identifies that the follower, individually, has been bought by Christ (1Cor 6). In doing so he chastens the believers in Rome and in Corinth, to not hold men accountable to their own convictions, but leave the conviction and convicting to God. (Romans 14:22)

It seems to be a common thing now to want to debate convictions based upon theologies and doctrines … I know I’m right there in the midst … but before all of that there’s this comedic analogy that Christ uses about a tree in the eye of the guy pointing out the dirt in his friends eye … Can’t you see Christ talking to the disciples about this ignorant man pointing fervantly at another man who’s rubbing his saw dust infected eyes. Christ then picking up a tree stump, holding it to his face and mockingly saying “why do you point out the saw dust in your brothers eye, when you have a stump in your own!” … it’s easy to be the finger pointer, but I think whatever differences believers have needs, first, to first go through a filter of GENUINE thought, to “make peace and find mutual edification”.

There will always be differences in the Christian World view, but always the same foundation! No matter what the convictions: drinking, movies, cussing, smoking, music, sabbath … “keep these things to yourself and God” (R.14:22) and also in our differences “make EVERY EFFORT to do what leads to PEACE and MUTUAL EDIFICATION”

Until Next Time,
KPK

Guilty Pleasures ...

2010-06-18T10:29:00.001-07:00

I'm not ashamed to say .... When these songs come on ... I sing em' .... LOUD!

Selena Gomez & The Scene - Naturally

OneRepublic - Secrets

Train - Hey, Soul Sister

Don't hate ..... just love it!

Until Next Time
KPK

GRACE IS UNCOMFORTABLE ...

2010-06-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

BECAUSE IAM SELF RIGHTEOUS.

It’s common to find my nose in the fold of a theology book. Whether it be apologetics, church history or the latest Mark Driscol book … I love reading. Even more so I LOVE knowing things, truths about my faith … not suggestive beliefs or assumed non-biblical “life” lessons.It’s this want/desire to know the truth that sometimes finds itself as my “stumbling block”.

If there is a practice that isn’t biblical I used to have a tendency to dismiss those particular people, but then my frustrations would grow and I wouldn’t just dismiss the people but the group … not only the group, but the church … not just the church, but the faith. My frustrations of “how come people can’t see the truths I SEE!” grew to the point where my own opinions and discernments about the Truth of scripture became the “canon” on to which I would either accept or dismiss … It’s my self-righteousness, that put me in a position of false piety and conceitedness. Just because I read a few dozen books on theology and doctrine … doesn’t mean I get to be a jerk about it.

There will always be crazies in religion, in Christianity … But neglecting the crazies and looking at the differences in churches like the churches Paul wrote to in confidence, in guidance, in love … they will be different in practices/convictions/ideals but its the common thread of “Love God, Love others” that knit our differences into a fabric of faith.

Until Next Time
KPK

Why Music Matters ....

2010-06-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

A little background info for you real quick.
When I was 15 my step-dad bought me a set of drums, spent all night learning the "4 On The Floor" ... my life was changed from there.

Music has always been an outlet for me. Awe sometimes comes over me when I'm struck with the sound of good music, chord structures or over all feel of the environment. SO of course, coming to the knowledge of my salvation in Christ ... I chased the opportunity as a worship leader.

This July will mark my 8th year leading worship. In the 8 years I've been doing this there have been MANY denominational flavors, and theological understandings and misunderstandings. (Thank God for Charles Surgeon's view on "searching" scripture "No man who merely skims the book of God can profit thereby, we must dig and mine until we obtain the hidden treasure")

For some time now I've been contemplating the historical/cultural/biblical relevance of MUSIC as worship. I had been tossing around the thought that it's turned into an idol (in some ways, to some people ... maybe it has) but I read 2 articles on modern worship and its leaders ... I can't tell you how refreshing it was ... let me break down some bullet points.

If we have a gathering with killer music but no truth, we have a pointless gathering
People draw much of their cultural identity from the style of music they listen to
The songs that we sing need to not only have the ability to stir affections, as long as it is shows our people who God is or who we are in light of him
If the songs we play are only true, but not singable, memorable, or enjoyable, our people will be far less likely to have their hearts stirred by the truths we are presenting
When we gather to sing, the “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” are the means by which truth is prompting people to respond
God has made music a powerful tool. As a body of believers we can communicate, memorize, express, and emotionally connect with truth through music in ways that no other medium allows
We have one target in mind, and all band members should be shepherded to aim there together, to Him
If we have to work in the confines of music and all the cultural baggage it brings, we must also take advantage of the cultural benefits.

Music as a medium is one of the most powerful tools to express the emotion, grace, mercy, truth, salvation, heart of God ... "To worship Him in Spirit and in Truth" - some denominations emphasize one more than the other, but the idea of MUSIC allowing the truths of scripture to become a real revelation to the hearts of Christ's followers, for me .... is something I will from now on embrace!

Until Next Time
KPK

Greetings from the Florida Coast!

2010-06-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

I will admit, when I first heard of the BP OIL SPILL, I wasn't surprised. The unfolding, however, and the blame shifting involved, I was surprised.

I was even more surprised to learn that BECAUSE of the BP OIL SPILL, our beloved Sunshine State will be taking a HUGE hit. Florida offers hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in revenue during the summer vacation season. Although, now having to discontinue Florida's "Coast is Clear" campaign, it looks like a HUGE percentage of vacationers are canceling their holiday stay!

Florida summers are bleak right now. With billions of dollars out of flow, hundreds of thousands of jobs for those in need and the beauty of the Florida coast and it's inhabitants looking more and more like an episode of Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, we are in need of answers and camaraderie!

Nashville showed their community stripes when dealing with the flooding. Florida AS A STATE needs to do the same. The oil is already encroaching on our shores, with birds, fish and other ocean-life in need, as well as the shores themselves ... find a way to help! Be safe, be open and be the change!

Encourage each other to find a way to help Florida's coast lines.

Until Next Time
KPK

Krispy Vs. P90X - Week 1/Day 1

2010-06-02T06:32:00.000-07:00

Krispy Vs. P90X - The Beginning from Kris P. Kreme on Vimeo.

Krispy Vs. P90X - The Beginning

2010-05-26T04:39:00.000-07:00

So this whole things is rolling out from a little encounter my wife and I had before going to bed the other night. I'll lay it out for ya.

Everybody has their own bedtime rituals, whether it be hot tea/brush teeth/bed - or Episode of Castle/brush teeth/bed.
My wife and I were going through our routine, she was brushing her teeth as I was robotic-ally plugging in my cellphone and taking off my glasses on my side of the bed ... As I was coming around the corner ... I noticed she was starring at me (I thought it was sweet until I REALLY knew what it was). When I realized why she was starring at me, terror struck my face ... and as if I were in a teen-slasher movie and I was said teen ... I shrieked out " YOU'RE STARRING AT MY BELLY?!" .... she started laughing hysterically (still while brushing her teeth ... she's got talent)

The next few minutes were spent DRAMATICALLY (and completely in play) whining about the idea that my wife thinks I'm getting fat. Now my wife is fully aware that I like to keep myself in shape. I run and cycle often as well as engage in some healthy doses of the "Ultimate Frisbee" (which by the way .. I rule at) So I know that when she stares gawkingly at my "not so chubby" belly, shes looking out for me haha .... I hope.

This whole "Hee Haw" episode that unraveled as we were getting ready for bed reminded me that I've been wanting to RESTART my P90X challenge ... and DO IT RIGHT! ... so ... here we go. Through the next 90 days (starting June 1st) I'll chronicle the progress and on goings of this David and Goliath ... this Joe and the Volcano challenge haha ... but yeah. I'll keep you up to date, and attempt to help YOU have the courage to do it for yourself!

Until Next Time
KPK

Rebuild, Restore, Rejoice

2010-05-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

A city scape built of 2 person tents, a myriad of tarps strewn about wires ... this makes up a community covering of some of Nashville's homeless. It's been dubbed "Tent City" and it could very well be applauded as a city within a city. Appointing it's own Mayor, adhering to community rules and literally building a family/network of people supporting one another to transition into better lives ... Tent City

It's been a week and some change since the "1000 year flooding" of Nashville, taking with it the shelter of Tent City. 120+ homeless men, women and children literally becoming EVEN MORE homeless, after the flooding consumed the community harbouring underneath a Nashville highway.

Sometimes when people see the word "HOMELESS" 2 things happen: 1) either they are put off almost immediately, barking about "just get a job", "they made their beds", "lazy" ...ect. 2) Help ... When my wife and I left for India, December of 08, we didn't expect to see the magnitude of depravity and homelessness ... Coming home to the states, we were able to see that the need isn't just THERE but HERE as well. So we put on a "BBQ For The Homeless". Excited about the opportunity, we had people wanting to help, but when it came down to ACTUALLY helping ... we were left with 7 people ....... 7 people to show LOVE, COMPASSION, COMMUNITY, and HOPE to a subculture often times forgotten.

Tomorrow (Thursday May 13th) from 3:00-7:00pm at Lifeway Christian Store in the Brandon Town Center (directions here). The JOY FM's Morning Cruise will be collecting TENTS, TARPS and SLEEPINGBAGS, as well as GIFTCARDS (Dick's Sporting Goods, Walmart, Target) to Rebuild Tent City! So stop by tomorrow to show Tent City the LOVE, COMPASSION and COMMUNITY of Christ. Don't wince at the idea of helping, or throw money at them and pat yourself on the back ... BE the help and hope to these people by YOUR donations!

Until Next Time,
KPK

Monday Mix Tape

2010-05-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

May 10th

Here are some of the BEST NEW and USED tracks to you! ... Mix Tape style! HERE WE GO! VOLUME 2!!

Audrey Assad - For Love of You
First off having the pleasure of this upcoming artist was amazing. Real, fresh, honest and vulnerable ... not to mention EPIC pipes and witty lyrics ... Take a listen

Dave Barnes - God Gave Me You
This guy has talent and personality coming out of ears ... If you look in his resume you'll find: constant tweeter, Vlog phenom, stand-up coming and epic romantic song writer. Known for previous songs "Until You" and "On A Night Like This" ... he's earned his right to swoon the burliest of people HA! ... "God Gave Me You"

The Killers - When You Were Young
I've been a Killers fan since "Hot Fuss", it's catchy, introspective and dancable rock and roll, but we did this song "When You Were Young" as an introduction song to our church (The Bridge) youth group study on "Relationships" ... and it was right on, catchy + introspective + dancable ... take a listen

Passion - Our God
We (The JOY FM) started spinning this single shortly after the release of Passions "Awakening" CD ... This song is (in my opinion) another "How Great Is Our God" .. and ANTHEM of the greatness of God "Our God is great, our God is stronger, God You are higher than any other, Our God is healer .. awesome in power!" ... Check out this cut, don't be afraid to shout!

WELP! That should about do it for this months "Monday Mixtape" .. check out Aprils!

Do you have a Mixtake suggestion? .. maybe a song that you just can't get out of your head?!
What is it?!

Until Next Time,

KPK

I Live In A Lemon

2010-05-05T05:25:00.000-07:00

Let's start this blog off with a small desclaimer ... I'm not whining nor complaining about the place in which my wife and I call home ... and scene

So my wife and I moved into our 2 bedroom 2.5 bath townhouse in September of 09. In November we noticed that at the peak of our upstairs ... the carpet was soaked and our A/C wasn't working correctly. Called our landlord about it, and a day or so later the small puddle at the top of our stairs was sopped up and the drainline from our A/C unit was blownout and fixed!

December our Garbage disposal wigged out on us, and decided not to allow any water down the drain. I did all that I personally could have done to try and correct it myself, but not being a plumber ... it was limited. So dialed up the landlord (God bless him) told him our issue and low and behold it was covered. Day or so later, awesome repairman comes by and assessed the issue ... which then turned into issues ... he was able to see that the problem want' JUST in the disposal and the pipe but in the dishwasher (who would have thought that right? ... well ... a plumber I guess) ... spent a few hours correcting the problem and with a hardy handshake was done and out of there!

Everything was fine over Christmas break ... BUT. Halfway through January our plumbing decided to get clogged .... in the bathroom NO ONE USES!! (insert epic suspence music here) I, again, attempted to fix the problem with my unlimited knowledge or plumbing art ... and the internet, and to no avail. So called the landlord and like clockwork ... a day or so later, here comes the cool handyman guy with this HUGE scary looking plumbing thing (that's the technical name for the tool btw) and fixed the problem (at least for a little while)

For the next month and a half things were good ... we enjoyed our townhouse. Windows open, letting the lovely cool air circle through the house. Baking cookies (and pizza) often because it fit with the mood of the house! It was such a wonderous time in our house, I wouldn't have been surprised if spring lillies starting sprouting from our living room rug!

April came ... and ... and ... We decided to get an indoor pool, well kinda. One morning, in the wee hours before heading to work, I mosied downstairs to get ready and to check on the cat (stupid). When I saw (forgive the graphicness of the next comment) a hairball in our sun room area. As I walked closer ... I noticed said hairball ... was FLOATING! Our water heater exploaded during the night and filled an area of about 12X8 with water about 3 inches high. Probllem. So as I calmed the wife and told her it would be ok, I just need to call the landlord, we proceeded to go on with our day. Called the landlord, and later that day A PLUMBER! (I'm seeing issues with plumbing) As I swept the water our of the area and cleaned the tile, the plumber set up a new water heater, hooked up some new breakers that blew and headed out!

May 3rd, it had been a week and a half ... with no A/C. Something happend to our A/C. We've changed out our filter regularly. We are carefull with when we use it and when to open the windows (electricity ;)) So we were baffled when it was 90degrees in our home. Called the landlord ... PLUMBER!! (seriously these guys do everything) Assessed our 15 year old A/C unit was out of some kind of cold gas ... went to pick some up and hooked us up ... FIXED!

I've been joking with my wife, since moving in, that our house doesn't like us. But in all of these mishaps and inconvieniences it's shown us, young married inexperienced couple, how to handle things with better care, how to be responsible with your living conditions and how to adapt .. and not complain ... My wife and I are STILL unbelievably greatful for our home, problems and all!

Until Next Time,

KPK

Monday Mix Tape

2010-04-05T08:43:00.000-07:00

APRIL 5th

I remember back in Middle School/High School I used to make mix tapes (mix discs) of my favorite songs ... (the occasional "date-mix" was made as well) ... So I thought, why not introduce some of my favorite NEW and USED tracks to you! ... Mix Tape style! HERE WE GO!

Mix Tape #1

Tenth Avenue North - All The Pretty Things
"we run, we run to find will we be set free ... but we're fighting for what we've already received"
T.A.N.'s new album "The Light Meets The Dark", set to drop May 11th 2010, features a 5th cut called "All The Pretty Things" ... an AMAZING well done song and a redemptive story that sometimes we as Christians forget and try to "run" past - Click here to HEAR (sorry YouTube quality)

Poema - Safe To Say
A pair of singing sisters, who instead of writing songs against each other, rather encapsulate real "Pride and Prejudice" moments for the helpless romantics. With sweet plucking of the piano strings and a lovely accordion addition, this song is .... adorable

"you don't have to pick the pedals of the daisy to know that I'm crazy about you baby there is no maybe ..." - Click here to HEAR

Gungor - Beautiful Things
Micheal Gungor has been one of the most "under the radar" leaders in the worship world. This new album is stinkin' RADiculous (yes ... I used rad and ridiculous ... "rad-iculous") This song embraces a very progressive sound and engages the listener in a wonderful crowd of chord choices .. it's gorgeously epic, and embracing the beautiful creation God created ...
"You make beautiful things, You make beautiful things out of dust" - Click here to HEAR

Johnny Cash - There Ain't No Grave
First of all ... It's Johnny Cash. My personal opinion is, like a fine wine, he got better with age. His biblically laced songs embrace such a remorse for choices but adheres to God's promised Grace. But his rendition of this Claude Ely penned song ... is crazy good
"I see a band of angels and they're coming after me ... ain't no grave can hold my body down"
Click here to HEAR

David Bazan - Hard To Be
Bazan has always been one of my favorite singer/songwriters .. his ability to write a story while bombarding you with questions of faith/love/friendship is amazingly poetic. You get a taste of a little "church burn" in this cut, but the hope of being a better person is the overall point, no matter the road
"It's hard to be a decent human being" - Click here to HEAR

The Civil Wars - Poison & Wine
A Christian songstress (Joy Williams) collaborating with an artist and song writer (John Paul White) is bound to make some good music. If you're at all a "Grey's Anatomy" fan you might have heard it and fell in love with the song, or just a fan of good, sultry, slightly depressing folk ... than you will LOVE this cut off of The Civil Wars first EP
"Your hands can heal, your hands can bruise ... I don't have a choice but I still choose you"
Click here to HEAR

Well that about does it for the first "Monday Mix-Tape" ... tell me what you think?! If you like it, I'll keep introducing you to NEW and USED music :)

If I Were A T.V. Character

2010-04-01T09:15:00.000-07:00

I'm not much of a T.V. guy ... but one thing my wife and I both LOVE doing is (when we have the time) to play "catch up" on some of our favorite shows while eating ice cream/pizza/smoothies/insert portable food item here ...

During one of our "Catch up" times ... I went through my top 4 characters on T.V. and WHY "If I Were A T.V. Character" I would most likely be one of these 4 ...

They are as follows ...

Micheal Weston -
First off ... he's a spy! That's stinkin awesome right there. But behind the tough exterior he has a warm heart, and knows his way around a bomb/gun/knife/tough guy stuff ....

Shaun Spencer -
HAHA! I love Psyche ... this is one of those shows that no matter what my wife and I are doing we seriously belly laugh at some of the episodes. My wife says that I act like Shaun every now and then ... usually the random "on-liners"

Manny (Modern Family) -
This kid is a healthy equation of: old school romantic X's analytical thinker / latin roots!! Seriously .. for being a prepubescent character ... he's aces! "Can we stop calling me little guy? I'm in the fortieth percentile."

Richard Castle -
This show is a surprising favorite of mine ... anytime there's a new episode on Hulu or ABC.com, my wife and I are slightly giddy and anxious to finish what we're doing, throw on the PJ's and rustle up some pseudo healthy grub for this show! My wife (as well as some close friends *cough*) are convinced my mannerisms and short attention span are perfectly reflected in Castles character ...

I guess the question is ... If I WERE a T.V. character ... which one would I be?

Until Next Time

KPK

Like Getting Pushed Into The Pool

2010-03-31T04:34:00.000-07:00

As you could assess from my other blog posts, I tend to be a little bit of a "work-a-holic". It's not uncommon for me to overwork myself, drive (or bike) home to the wifey, and veg next to her while she does her French homework. But there are those times, in between the stressful expectations of work, that I are as refreshing and as unexpected as being pushed in the pool.

Yesterday my wife and I set some time aside to drive to the mall (while belting out some old school Further Seems Forever) and see if we couldn't utilize some of the gift cards we accumulated over X-mas and my birthday. As we walked around the mall, trying on clothes and having mini-fashion shows in the dressing rooms, I was strangely refreshed. Just to have the time to relax, take off the stress of the work day and CREATE memories with my wife, was more rewarding than any ounce of "veg" time.

To continue the day I found out that my guitar is ready to be picked up (after 7 months). Jim Gaffigan DVD was only 5 bucks, and we just receive 2 MORE gift cards (I did some graphic design work for) that would pay for a dinner we had scheduled with some GREAT friends later in the night...

I was shown the importance and simplicity of being "refreshed" ... just taking the time to be a husband to my wife and a friend to my friends.

Until Next Time

KPK

Kris P. Kreme - Song Starts Inc.?!

2010-03-25T06:42:00.000-07:00

Just thinking in terms of "IF" this radio thing doesn't work out ...
Gotta have a plan "B" sometimes right?!

What Do You Do When? You Need To Start A Song?! from Kris P. Kreme on Vimeo.

Red Sox = Red Face?

2010-03-25T05:16:00.000-07:00

"Rest at Night
The Sun from shining,
Nature—and some Men—
Rest at Noon—some Men—
While Nature
And the Sun" ... BURNS YOUR FACE!!

That last part was me ... but the rest was a lovely poem by the great Emily Dickinson.

SO! Yesterday my friend Jayar and I went to take part in some good ol' fashion Baseball! America's past time with the Boston Red Sox Vs. Pittsburgh Pirates. So there we were, Jayar with his Blackberry "tweeting" the games going on's, and me reading a great book on GREAT radio .. with a highlighter. Both of us enjoying the stadium and the surrounding Bostonites yelling "GO SOIX!! GO SOIX!!" (that's my best at trying to TYPE an accent) Through the 5th inning, it looked like Boston was going to take it 5-1, so we chilled out a bit .. got a drink and slowly trotted back to our bleacher seats. It had already been 2 hours and some change by then and we still had about 2 or so innings before we were going to attempt to "beat the traffic". So there we were 2 innings later packing things up and realizing ... "Hey, we didn't put on any sunscreen" ... We didn't think much about it, until we got into the car and were headed back to work ... there, our eyes started to adjust and we realized that JUST the right sides of our faces were soar (we were seated on the third base line) .... made it into the station bathroom and BEHOLD! ... THE RIGHT SIDE WAS CHARRED! (a slight over dramatization ... but still) ... which ended up, throughout the rest of the day, being mocked, touched, "eww"ed at and even "whoa"ed at a handful of times ...

So remember kids ... no matter what you're doing outside. Check the UV index and apply sunscreen accordingly ... or it will end up being your SUN-SCREAM!! ...- super lame joke

Until Next Time

KPK

And On The 7th Day ...

2010-03-24T04:36:00.000-07:00

It seems that everyday there is an overwhelming feeling of .... YAWN!! Why am I so tired all the time? Hmm ... I think I have an issue with work. Not so much working, or even working here (The JOY FM) ... but rather "overwork". I fully believe God created us (amongst a lot of things) to work!

The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work… (Genesis 2:15)
Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. (Exodus 31:15)
In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.(Proverbs 14:23)
So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work (Ecclesiastes 3:22)
If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. (2 Thessalonians 3:10)

- excerpt from The Resurgence

So yes ... God created us to do work, AND I LOVE TO WORK!! I really do, I work hard, put my all into whatever project it is and strive to make whatever it is I'm doing EXCELLENT ... but that usually leads to me overworking myself and literally having NO REST!!

Every morning seems the same:An uncomfortable waking up ... then a rewarding and slightly mischievous hit of the "snooze" button ... but generally a LONGING to rest. The average American works 60hrs a week according to Business Week Magazine (Compared to 50hrs a week in 1996). There seems to be an increase every decade or so, in the amount of weekly hours worked ... 1986 - 40/hrs 1996 - 50/hrs 2006 - 60/hrs Appx 2016 - 70/hrs? 2026 - 80/hrs?

...... I myself tend to go between the 1986 and 2006 numbers often.

I'm becoming more and more aware of the importance of healthy and sanity to REST ... to keep this "7th Day", Sabbath Day ... and observe that I am quite frail and in need of the reminder of redemption.

Redemption ... hmm, it's a great thing to rest on.

Until Next Time

KPK

BAH! Stupid Alarm!!

2010-03-18T08:31:00.000-07:00

Everyone has rituals, routines, practices .. especially when it comes to the morning. Most everyones routine is similar - some studies show it looks a little like this:

5:30 a.m. - The alarm goes off
5:45 a.m. - The snooze alarm
5:50 a.m. - Actually getting up
5:51 a.m. - Go to the Bathroom
5:55 a.m. - Make Coffee
6:02 a.m. - Enter shower
6:08 a.m. - Shave/Brush teeth/blow dry hair
6:20 a.m. - Drink first cup of coffee/read newspaper
6:32 a.m. - Wake the Kids
6:35 a.m. - Get the kids in and out of bathroom and dressed
6:58 a.m. - Feed Kids
7:15 a.m. - Pack Lunches
7:25 a.m. - Organize kids stuff for school
7:30 a.m. - Organize your own stuff
7:35 a.m. - Final house check
7:40 a.m. - Get the heck out of the house!

Sound at all familiar? Yeah I thought so ...
BUT after crawling into bed around 12:45 a.m. I assumed I set my alarm (which is on my cell phone) to the proper time. Sweet, silent, peaceful, FRANTIC!! I literally poll vaulted out of my dream and off the bed when it dawned on me that my alarm didn't go off. After starring at the clock for a few seconds longer than normal, trying to contemplate what went wrong and if the time was the ACTUAL time ... It became apparent to me that I had overslept. Now given as of right now the schedule above from 6:30 on doesn't so much apply to me (no kids) I found my morning routine, thrown out the window and laying in the front of my yard. Instead my morning routine looked more like an Olympic routine:

7:30 a.m. - Poll Vaulting
7:31 a.m. - 50 Yard dash
7:31 a.m. - Clothes (Gymnastics)
7:31 a.m. - Shot Put
7:32 a.m. - Tug of war
7:33 a.m. - Cycling
7:50 a.m. - Work

So as I scorned and verbally abused my cell phone for not waking me up at the proper hour ... I was made aware (after looking at the alarm time) that I set it for P.M.!!

Yeah ... that just happened

Until Next Time
KPK

I Can Slap You From Here If Need Be

2010-03-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

Growing up I LOVED Sports. I was totally into baseball, soccer, basketball, ultimate frisbee and just about anything active! (btw ... I was the KING of PowerBall - Baseball with racquet's) Since I've been married I've plateaued at around 10lbs heavier. This isn't bad .. surprisingly a lot of people won't shut up about how skinny I look (I hide my weight in my pockets). BUT I'm just not satisfied with where my body is. So for the last year or so I've made a conscious effort to become more active. Running 4.5 miles every other day or so, cycling to work in the morning and even on occasions tearing it up on the Ultimate Frisbee field (don't kid yourself ... I'm a mad Ultimate guy)

In the process of running, I started out literally running down to the stop sign up the street and back. Then I gradually ran/panted to the next stop sign and walked back ... it was a difficult process and at times I seriously thought I was going to pass out .. I was never going to be active again. And I had terrible habits (still do sometimes) I would run a short run of about a half mile for 2 days and then take the next 5 days to "recuperate" ... after a while I started increasing my run to about a mile, then a mile and a half ... then one day I decided to run the length of the Jimmy Eat World "Clarity" album ... 70 minutes ... would you believe I only ran 3 miles (that's 2 mph .. 1 mile every 23minutes)

Finally after some long needed discipline I've been able to work myself out to a 2-3 time a week 4.5-5 mile run (consistent) and I've felt more fit, more active and more myself than I have in quite a few years (still tearing up the Ultimate Frisbee field every now and again)

After looking at this lack of discipline in my active life, I couldn't help but look at it in a spiritual context. In our walk with God and living our life out through His grace, mercies and Son's example and propitiation, we find ourselves at times being without disciple .. or little there of. We know that WE ourselves cannot do a thing to achieve and be proven FOR God's salvation, it's something He's given to us through His son and by His son shows us His heart is gracious and merciful and after justice .. but the more we discipline ourselves to serve selflessly, to read His word and STUDY (cultural relevance, church history, apologetics, ect) but also keeping ourselves sensitive to the Spirit of Christ, in the times where we cannot finish .. He will, in the times we feel " seriously thought I was going to pass out .. I was never going to be active again" He tells us to come and sit.

Until Next Time

KPK

We Are Resc/YOU

2010-03-02T10:54:00.000-08:00

In October of this year, I'm planning on taking a second trip to India, with an organization started by some friends of mine and I .... called Resc/YOU

“India is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation. Internal forced labor may constitute India's largest trafficking problem; men, women, and children in debt bondage are forced to work in industries such as brick kilns, rice mills, agriculture, embroidery factories, and brothel houses. Although no comprehensive study of forced and bonded labor has been carried out, some NGOs estimate this problem affects tens of millions of Indians. Those from India’s most disadvantaged social economic strata are particularly vulnerable to forced or bonded labor and sex trafficking. Women and girls are trafficked within the country for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced marriage. Children are also subjected to forced labor as factory workers, domestic servants, beggars, and agricultural workers.” - U.S. State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2009

In December 2008 a group of us met at the JFK Airport in New York, in transit to Hyderabad, India. There we spent time observing, loving, serving and learning about human trafficking, debt bondage and slavery in the majority of the Indian provinces. The term “out of sight out of mind” kept hitting me right in the middle of my forehead. “How could I have not known that TENS OF MILLIONS of Indian inhabitants are enslaved!” … the thoughts that each person I pass is a potential slave, a sex working, a life begging for the hope of freedom and a life worth living were the most frequent and the most echoed thoughts as we returned home.

But first … Her name was Axshmia, she was the youngest in her family, her mother and father had died, and she lived with her uncle in the Vishakhapatnam province. She was what the Hindu Caste System calls the Shudras or Untouchables. The Untouchables were literally social outcasts, to the point where after tea they were ordered to break the tea cup they drank from so no one else would drink from it. Axshmia, as we were visiting her village, was the “Belle of the Ball”. With a smile that would steal even the hardest heart and eyes that would make anyone gaze longer. Her family is of the poorest in Vishakhapatnam, her mother and father gone and her only guardian is an uncle who has his family to provide for as well as Axshmia.

With all of the variables … the probability of Axshmia being sold into forced labor and or sex trafficking is sky ward.

Resc/You exists because of Axshmia, and the innocent, beautiful and destitute children she stands for.

With the idea that the children of Khidderpore we serve, spend their lively days enjoying the funs and thrills, a child should, at a local boarding school (a place where change can occur for the oppressed, and hope can be given to a child who knows only an impossible struggle of segregation) ... spend their nights with in the walls of the local brothels, within the sheets of perversion, bound by the shackles of modern day slavery ...

Our hope is this ... To raise awareness and also funds for an education fund. This fund with help the children of the Khidderpore Red Light District to go to boarding schools so they are not living in the brothels. This fund will also continue to grow so that these children can have the opportunity to go to higher education ...

Check out SpendYourself to purchase a shirt to support Resc/You' cause ... also check out our Blog .. here

Until Next Time,
KPK

Spare us any joy that’s not of You

2010-02-23T09:49:00.000-08:00

Working at a radio station, you’re always consumed with music. You can’t get away from it … It’s a lot like the donuts, pastries and sweets that appear when you’re trying to diet … it’s always there.

Occasionally I’ll come across a group or an artist that just sticks with me, and for some reason I have a small musical “crush” on them for a few days (Oh come on, don’t act like you don’t know what I’m saying) This was an unlikely crush. See a while ago I saw an Episode of “L.A. INK” with the notorious Kat Von D. Well this chap walks in, built, brown and ruggedly handsome (I think I’m allowed to say that) Anyway, he says his name is Carlos Whittaker and he leads worship for this church called “Sandals” (check it out, it’s pretty legit!) His story was compelling, and identifiable. His story resonated with the conversion of Saul to Paul (I’ll leave it to you to find the whole story) but he left “L.A. INK” not only with a sweet impression of Saul’s Conversion on his right arm, put made a great impression on me. After some “googling”, I ran across his music … 4 songs “Rain It Down”, “Jesus Saves”, “We Will Worship You” and “God of Second Chances” (check out that link RIGHT when you're done reading this)…. I downloaded the EP off ITunes for pennies … and it was worth it.

That night I went for a 4 mile run, listened to the EP 3 or 4 times. I wasn’t blown away by this amazing musicianship, or unsurpassed lyrics … I was blown away by how open his music felt. There was vulnerability about it, it didn’t seemed littered with “Christian” clichés … but a jubilant expression of genuine gratefulness without getting muddied by our religiosity.

Needless to say, this guy … I like.

God’s graciousness is something that either gets OVER stated … or UNDER appreciated … I think these songs, at least for this guy (me), remind me that during the seasons I feel dry God’s grace can rain down. That my soul is forever saved not because I’m righteous enough but that “I am the sum of failing and of grace” … and that even within complacency and emotionalism, a plea of “Save us from these comforts, Break us of our need for the familiar, Spare us any joy that’s not of You” His grace will restore our hearts to Him and to His justices. ... overall ... I think I'm a fan.

Until Next Time,
KPK!

40 Days .... Day 1

2010-02-17T09:55:00.000-08:00

Waking up this morning was more of a chore than it has been in the past. See, today starts DAY 1 of the 40 Day all water challenge for Blood Water Mission (40days.bloodwatermission.com). This is also the 2nd year we (The Morning Cruise and I ) have decided to partake in this effort to make aware the needs of clean water to most of the world. It seems at times to be a trivial way to express your desire to help, but truly … you don’t know how much you abuse until you’re without the things you depend on.

Case in point, since I was 17 I’ve literally had at least a cup of coffee or more a day. Working as much as I do, I tend to get caught up in the working I’m doing and ignore the fact I haven’t had my much needed “Cup-o-Joe”. By 10:00AM (if I haven’t had my coffee) I’m riddled with migraines.

I’m not sure I would go far enough to call it a fast, but rather a sacrifice (some would argue that’s what a fast is … and I would beg to differ) But knowing that what we (those who are participating in the 40days) are wanting to do is sacrificing our comfort ability to make aware a real need for those who are in the most need. I heard it said the other day that “We’re the rich people (Americans), when you read the Bible, don’t read it and say ‘I’m not rich, I have a bus pass’ or ‘I live in an apartment’ … it beats the tarps/sheds/huts/boxes MOST live in … We are the rich, we are the fat consumers of the world and the most struggling among us still live at a very high level compared to most in the world.” The responsibility of knowing is something that’s a blessing and a curse … with ignorance, there’s no responsibility, but when you become aware of something … you are now held responsible. If I hadn’t known a friend of mine had been burdened over the statistics of sex trafficking, I’d never had been burdened myself. When I knew, I felt it.

This is the joys of living the Christian Life, compassion. Not for any specific group, religion, race but for all mankind. The idea of the good Samaritan was that no matter WHO you are, or WHO they are … if the need is there, to meet it.

Regardless of how I feel about going without coffee, it pales in comparison to making you aware of the need for clean water … now that you’re here … read. http://www.bloodwatermission.com/

My house is a House Boat!

2010-02-08T17:49:00.001-08:00

It's an interesting thing when dealing with our own personal insecurities. Martin Luther writes "It is certain that man must utterly despair of his own ability before he is prepared to receive the grace of Christ"

The Apostle Paul had an uncanny walk with Christ. You would think someone who penned 2/3rds the New Testament would have somewhat of a healthy spiritual stance. But as I read the chronicles of Paul throughout his and Luke's writings ... he has a slow downward trajectory.

"I am the least of the Apostles, unworthy to even be considered an Apostle, for I persecuted God's church" (1Cor 15:9)

" I am the VERY least of all the saints" (Eph 3:8)

"Christ came into the world to save all sinners, who I am the foremost" (1Tim 1:15)

Paul is a person we consider to be a "Heavy Weight" of the Christian Faith ... if there were a CFHWCOTW Belt (Christian Faith Heavy Weight Champion Of The World) ...Paul would probably be a contender ... BUT! ... he considers himself SO far less than even those who don't yet KNOW Christ ... He dictates that he is "the foremost of all sinners", other translations say "Chief-Sinner" ...

I love my job. Like any job it has it's ups and downs ... but the ups rocket past the downs which make it so worth it. For the last few weeks now, my wife has been enjoying her first semester at USF, studying dance. Before her enrollment we went over finances and thought we would JUST squeak by (which we were ok with). SO, she quit her jobs, maintaining a small job as a dance instructor at a local studio. Some weeks have past and some changes have been made with our previous finances. We're not really squeaking by ... we're slowly feeling the water around our ankles.

My initial reaction was to just be calm, pray, find a better way to provide ... this was a few weeks ago ... nothing has really happened. I still stand on the ideal that God IS my provision. I was told once "God doesn't just plop things in the peoples laps who just sit there doing nothing ... asking God to do something ... but he sees those who do as much as they can ... and does the rest" ... I'm a firm believer in this. AND SO! After a few days of slight depression, a little freaking out, and just asking my wife to play with my hair as I thumb over the "what to do's" ... the search for second employment is in full affect! Now let me clarify, I'm a work horse ... whatever needs to be done ... I'll do it. No complaints. The idea of 2 jobs wasn't the issue ... it was the 50+ hrs at The Station, and the already absent feeling my wife and I have been feeling .....

Now you may be asking yourself .. how do those Pauline scriptures tie into my freak out over secondary employment? ... great question

See Paul was aware of his insecurities, and IN them Glorified Christ. We're taught that you never want to "Put yourself down" ... but Paul came to the realization that he is NOTHING .. BECAUSE of his insecurities and because of Christ.

My insecurities allow me to "freak-out" because I want nothing more than to provide for my family, be a rock to my wife and support my wife in the things she feels God has for her ... even if that means to "put myself down" and realize "I have done all that I can in my pursuit to provide as a husband ... God ... please do the rest" In my insecurities I'm allowed to see just how big God is, because I'm not. He is, in the areas I can't be. It's remarkable the realization Paul comes to when writing to the Churches ... He is the LEAST because of how he sees God.

In the frailties of my foundation ... I'm insecure, I believe we all are (and if you think you're secure .. you might just be lying to yourself) ... God is my rock .. not me ... as stable as I try to be ... its like a House boat ... waves ... but God ... God IS the very Ocean I float on. My scope of my foundation tends to go no farther than my dock ... but Gods foundational scope .... is ridiculously big.

Vulnerability is a good thing :)

Until Next Time

KPK

The Great Beard Explanation

2010-02-01T11:27:00.000-08:00

OK SO! A few weeks ago I thought to myself …

-Self: Kris … you look bored with yourself

-Me: I am … hmm … I should maybe grow my hair out … all long and stuff

-Self: ..hmm.. yeah I guess that would look cool … OH! YOU KNOW WHAT?!

-Me: What?

-Self: YOU SHOULD TOTALLY …. GROW A BEARD!

-Me: Like a full beard?!

-Self: … HECK YESS!!!

… I was convinced by myself to embark on the “lumber-jackish” journey of Full-Beardness …

Week One was a breeze. Just like usual … occasional itch on the right side … but nothing bad.

Week Two on the other hand … was as if my beard was made up of FIRE ANTS!! … and their stinger-butt thing was growing out of my face … it itched, and itched, and itched … so I (being the intelligent one) scratched and scratched and scratched HA! … needless to say .. it wasn’t pleasant

Week Three was a little bit of a relief. My beard was a little darker, longer, not as itchy and a bit soft … my wife said “It doesn’t scratch as much when you kiss me …” – this was a good thing. But as the week progressed … it started to poke at the inside of my lips … always … it wasn’t going away

Week Four … this week … the beard … was softer yes … but it just felt odd. Like it didn’t belong. I didn’t recognize myself in the mirror one morning. Anyway, Thursday rolled around and my this time … the beard hair was driving me crazy … in the corner of my mouth like a constant piece of Doritos chip that wouldn’t go away, and spotty … hmm … no bueno. So I decided it was time for a hair cut (not a beard but … just my hair) … as I sat in the chair, watching my hair be formed into a nice little faux hawk … my face … looked as if I was a disheveled drunkard …
That was the deciding moment … the fact I didn’t so much recognize myself, the Doritos’s chip hairs in the corner of my mouth and … AND … the mustache hairs that decided to tickle my lower lip … no good … (plus also … I know my wife LOVES LOVES LOVES my baby face) … SO … it had to go … and go it went (did that make sense)

Anyway to say the least … the beard experiment was fun … for a time … but the benefits of being clean shaved … TOTALLY OUT WEIGH A LUMBERJACK BEARD!!!

Until Next Time

KPK

The Tri-fecta!

2010-01-27T10:50:00.001-08:00

Well ok … here’s an attempt to tackle 3 things in 1 blog:

1. Beard – Some history for ya … Since my Freshman year of college at Southeastern University, I’ve ALWAYS had a “5 o’clock Shadow” …. Always. That’s roughly 7-8 yrs of always have a constant “Shadow”. Well, I’ve tried many-a-time to grow out my facial manliness … but at times … IT’S TOO ITCHY! HA! I know I sound like a wuss when I say that .. but really .. it itches ah! Plus my wife isn’t a fan of the beginning stages of beard growth .. it’s “prickly” she says … and I don’t blame her … SO! Im on week 3 of not shaving .. I’m past the itching stage, onto the “Why is my mustache hair growing into my mouth” stage … not my favorite … because I’m finding myself tonguing around the corners of my mouth and the top of my lip … it feels like I have a piece of food stuck to my mouth, constantly .. but I’m excited .. Here’s a vid of the progress … and no worries I’ll have updated info as we go … not sure how long this road will travel but so far … its kinda fun! http://vimeo.com/8910618

2. Diet – I’m going to take you back to my senior year of High school. It went something like this. 140-150lbs. at the beginning of the year 200ish by the end of the year … I was 200lbs. easy my last semester. When I went off to college (SEU – pre “5 o’clock shadow”) I was self-conscious about myself, my weight and just things in general. So through the first semester I was really just trying to get used to this “new” body. I didn’t get used to it … so I dropped 60lbs the last semester … A LOT of working out with friends and, in some definitions, starving myself … it wasn’t healthy. I eventually ruined my metabolism. I would eat small SMALL portions and I would/could feel my body responding negatively .. it was slightly depressing … So I slowly (over the course of 6 years) worked my way to eating right, eating better, working out, becoming healthy … I believe now im at a point where I am the healthiest I’ve ever been. 3 days a week a run 3-4 plus miles, cycle, eat healthy(ish), and am constantly active. BUT for some reason there is a constant “tire” around my midsection that is stubborn enough to stick around through 1 round of P90X, mile after mile of running, and constant activity … so I’ve decided … its my diet. My morning consists of coffee and more coffee … my lunch is either pigging out on pasta, pretzels, tuna or chicken salad sammys … dinner is usually late (8-9-10) and its sushi, pizza, pasta haha (we don’t have a lot of $$ to BUY healthy foods) … maybe if I eat more fruits, veggies, chicken, fish, and natural foods … I can burn this tire off …. Yeah.

3. My Wife – well this one is a bittersweet writing. My wife is an exceptional dance and choreographer. This is her first year at USF. She graduated from State College of Florida with her Associates, and is pursuing a bachelors in Dance. Her passion has always been dance and more recently the teaching of its beauty. If you know my wife and I, we’re ridiculously close. Best friends, lovers and we aren’t without each other for more than a handful of hours. We live in Bradenton, and she commutes every morning to USF’s Tampa campus. The courses are incredibly hard, and have been challenging her in every part of her dance. Maybe the most challenging thing has been her absence. I know this might seem sappy, but I love my wife dearly. We’ve been married for 2 years, which I know is infant to some, but I don’t feel myself without her there (even in the heated times hehe J) While she wakes every morning with me and I drop her off to carpool with some school mates, or I leave the house to cycle into work. She also, on top of this schooling, works at a local dance studio and teaches 5 classes. So Monday through Thursday she leaves the house at 7 and gets home around 9:30. I commend her for her commitment. And its just like me to encourage her as she pursues this love, this dream. It’s a bittersweet commitment we’ve started. We will see it through to the end and the moment she walks across that stage, all of the frustration from school assignments, heartsickness, lazy day moments of just laying on the couch because that’s the first time in the week we’ve been able to just BE … will be worth it!!

Until Next Time -
KPK!

Irresistible Revolution:

2010-01-19T06:59:00.000-08:00

So there’s this book, my wife and I have been reading for a few weeks now. The author, Shane Claiborne, is a somewhat tall, lanky, bandana wearing nomadic man, it seems. He, along with friends and the homeless they literally fought (nonviolently) for, started an organization or more rather an organism called “The Simple Way”.

To say it simply … this book changed a lot in my wife and I. Not in a “guilt-trip, conviction, pointing finger” manner … but rather exposing the flaws, tears, rips and frailties in the fabric of the (and I hate typing this because I feel like a judge) Americanized Church, or rather the modern interpretations of ancient scriptures, that we knew were there already. A lot of which my wife and I struggle with at times. (Name Is/Claim It, Prosperity Gospel, Kingdom Theology, ect.)

An amazing things, that I myself over looked when reading, are some of these illustrative verses in the book of Acts. Acts 2:42-47 is an amazing illustration of contextual, cultural and Christ centered community. See the apostles, in a loose explanation, had their own “bank” .. it was a community pot in a sense that all of the believers of The Way (what early Christendom called itself) would place all of their possessions, and money from the sales of their possessions, in to a community pool so whenever someone need something … there was money for all … not worries about “themselves” per say .. because “themselves” were each other, the betterment of their brothers and sisters …

It’s a cool thing to see, Christ, after he’d been peppered by the Pharisees, He’s then cornered by the Sadducees, do you remember the question .. "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" (Matt 22:36) Of course Jesus, without missing a beat. “The most important is “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Matt 22:37-38; Duet 6:4-5) but then He goes on and says “The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." … and this theme of LOVE your neighbors, your enemies, those who curse you ect. Is profoundly more repetitive than anything of reward, prosperity, and self satisfactions .. if anything .. its opposite. But here is the joy .. and the “Cherry on Top” of all of these things … In Mark 16 before he ascended to heaven, told them to “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to all nations and peoples” or some translations say “Go Ye (you) into ALL the world Preaching the Gospel that I’ve given you to everyone and make them Disciples of this Gospel” … Let’s take a step back. Have you ever thought … “When I die, I want to leave my mark.” “I want to go guns blazing!” … ect … these are THE LAST WORDS Christ, Himself leaves us with are “GO into ALL the world and MAKE Disciples of THIS GOSPEL” … amazing. Truly Amazing and in some ways … stressful HA!

So let’s break it down again …
1. Matthew 22:37-38 Jesus tells us the greatest commandment is to

“Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength"
2. Matthew 22:39-40 Jesus tells us that the SECOND greatest commandment is to

“ Love your neighbor as yourself" ..and that LOVING YOUR NEIGHBOR

is in fact concurrent with LOVING GOD!
3. Mark 16:15 Christ commands up to GO and make followers (disciples)

of this Gospel of Loving God and Loving others … simplicity

It seems easy when its broken down …. Love God, Love others over yourself, SHOW/TELL people Christ’s Gospel..
HA! I LOVE IT! Amazing … and I pray this helps you, edifies you strengthens you … because it did and has done the same to me!

Life Sometimes ...

2009-10-29T06:47:00.000-07:00

LIFE!
Life sometimes feels like it gets in the way of itself.

My wife and I have been moved in to our new home for just about a month, we’ve been planning a “house warming” party since moving in …. Anything on the calendar? ….. Nadda.

Which is cool, we’ll plan sooner or later.

BUT .. it does seem at times, in the scope of our life, our wants, our plans, His plans … life itself will trip it up.
Like a clumsy, tired dancer performing The Rose Adagio, nerves wracked, sleep deprived and attempting a fouetté rond de jambe ….. catching the back leg with the front.

Is it the art of catching the trip that makes life exciting, humbling, frustrating?

In the midst of everything that goes on in LIFE … the good, the bad, the frustrating, the amazing …God, who is the constant, never fails, never leaves, never hides, never trips

“Where were you when I created the earth? Who decided on its size?
Who came up with the blueprints and measurements?
How was its foundation poured, and who set the cornerstone,
While the morning stars sang in chorus and all the angels shouted praise?
And who took charge of the ocean when it gushed forth like a baby from the womb?
That was me!” – Job 38

“Is there any place I can go to avoid your Spirit?
to be out of your sight? If I climb to the sky, you're there!
If I burry myself to the depths of hell, you're there!
If I flew on the wings of the morning to the far western horizon,
you’d find me in a secondand you’d be there waiting for me! “ – Ps. 139

This is comforting to me, because MY life DOES feel like its been tripping over itself, that it has been Exciting, Humbling, Frustrating, Scary, Nerve Wracking, Exhausting, Amazing! …

and I find peace in knowing that no matter HOW my life goes, to the financially robbed to the unabashed love of my wife to the life threatening call of missions to the hope of my children

My God is everywhere I am … He never parts from me … He was big enough to set the cornerstones of the earth … He’s indeed big enough to handle me.

Until Next Time
KPK

THE CURTAIN CALL TO A GREAT WEEK!

2009-10-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

Something happens only twice a year at where I work (The JOYFM) … Now the place in which I do work (The JOYFM) is a non-for-profit Radio station that has been around for the good part of 20 years, and are supported by the listeners …

SHARATHON! Is the vehicle used by the radio station (The JOYFM – I like putting it in parenthesis) Sharathon allows the listeners to call in and pledge however much money they would like to contribute to help not only keep the lights on at the radio station but also to help with events like “T-Shirts for Turkeys” – in which we help supply local food pantries and homeless shelters with Turkeys for Thanksgiving to help feed homeless/needy families over the holidays (also: Bike Ride for the Homeless, 20 Wishes ect) ….. I say all that to tell you … I have survived this past Sharathon … and it was … stressful, exciting, nerve racking, anxious, faithful, crazy, and just amazing.

To watch all of it unfold, was uncanny in and of itself … BUT it wasn’t the unfolding part that I learned something … it was in the end, after everything was done and I was left alone the very last day to produce “Thank You” Spots and “After Sharathon Imaging” … Things happen in ways that we expect them and in ways we DON’T expect them (duh!) … but that’s sometimes harder to maintain that thought in times of question and uncertainty. We lean on certain ideas and assumptions that ultimately give us hope but … are as unsteady as the ocean is to stand on.

The end of DAY 5 was that ocean wave for me … here we are supposed to be wrapping up Sharathon, but instead we are down 30% of our goal and it’s not promising any more gain at all. So as if dogs with their tails between our legs, we agreed to do ONE more day … that was hard for me. Like a lot of people these days, I’ve been burned by Christianity, Christians, Preachers, Evangelists … (the list can go on) and there’s a part of me that automatically puts up a wall … well this is the way I feel about asking for money (the tail between the legs analogy is appropriate) If God doesn’t give it … I won’t ask for more … but you learn new things sometimes

I KNOW God provides for His children, but what does that look like … we ASSUME it looks like a house, a job, a wife, a car, a lot of money, a Sharthon (you get the idea) … in this case, it was being humble and humiliated (in a good way) enough to say … “you know what, it’s ok that we didn’t succeed in the time WE had planned, but WE know God is bigger than whatever we plan … so GOD, please provide” … and He did … it was humbling, humiliating, exhilarating, and just God. There I sat, after a 12 hour day editing Imaging to say “Thank You” to all of those people who gave their own money to help with what God is doing with and through The JOYFM … and all I could think was, He continuously provides for His children, although completely undeserving of His grace and mercy, but none the less … provides to what he knows they need … in my case, it was humbling myself to ask … and I did

Until Next Time
KPK

STUPID HAS RETURNED!

2009-09-30T05:53:00.000-07:00

OK if you don't remember (or if you don't want to scroll down a bit and read my post about stupid ... link here) my wife and I's cat (named Stupid) was placed in the loving hands of my father-in-law for a few months as we try and reorganize life and our moving situation ... well almost 3 months later and the little rascal is finally home. But this time, seeing as how we now have 2 floors, a stair case, a patio and wood floors ... not quite sure she's used to it.

I'll set the story up like this. Yesterday afternoon, after cycling home from The JOY FM studios, I walked in to our lovely new home with an even lovelier wife smiling from ear to ear. Now my first thought was "Aww YAY! She's sooo happy I'm home!" ... that was apart of it ... BUT the other part was along the lines of

ELISHA: " I called my dad and he's bringing Stupid home ... is that OK?"
ME: "When did you call him?"
ELISHA: (looking out the window) "AWW YAY SHE'S HERE"
ME: "Wha?"

And pulling up in the ever identifiable Red 15 passenger Chevy Van, was her father John ... with the cat. Was I ready for this? Did i prepare the house enough to have a cat? What about her litter? What about the stairs? Will she climb the stairs? If she can't will she pee down stairs on the wood floor? etc etc.

All of the questions and concerns left the moment her cute little black and white spotted face poked out of the 'cat carrier' ...

Anyway ... to wrap this up kinda quick, we took her upstairs first to get better acquainted with the 2nd floor ... it took her about an hour to actually come down the stairs ... the moment her paws hit the wood floors was a bit interesting too ... it was like ICE! ... all that to say ... In all honesty and masculinity, I'm not only happy that my cat Stupid is home ... but I'm extra happy ... that this made my wife's day yesterday ... and probably this morning when Stupid climbed into bed after i got out ... and snuggled right up next to her.

Until Next Time,
KPK

BTW ... Side note ..... check out this Vid from The Morning Cruise http://vimeo.com/6830986

A Week in the Life of Krispy!

2009-09-25T11:20:00.000-07:00

Well this past week has been pretty much amazing, stressful, painful, exciting, curious, nerve racking, lovely … ect ect.

We moved! I know right crazy concept, moving … For the last 2 years, my wife and I have been living in a small 1 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment that literally is the size of our storage room at The JOY FM. It took us a while to find what we were looking for, under the right circumstances, and met our needs … and we DID! It’s a spacious 2 bedroom 2.5 bath townhouse in which we are renting. It’s amazing … the space is just outstanding to begin with … we don’t know what to do with it! BUT … I tell you that to say this … because my wife and I both work, and she teaches dance classes in the evenings some nights. I ended up moving just about everything by myself - Bed, Washer, Dryer, Dresser, Boxes (you get the idea) and really I’m not at all complaining it was stellar fun! … my back and legs and arms and neck might disagree with me though ;)

Also this week I’ve been exploring the new area. If you didn’t know I really enjoy cycling and try to ride just about every day… welp, in the new area … it’s a little difficult because there aren’t bike lanes and major roads … anyway on one of the many ongoing rides in this new district I ran across (not over) a TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLE!! Nah … it was a regular one but still that would have been pretty cool. ANYWAY didn’t want to bother him but wanted to at least get my picture with him … not too shabby …

Three little more tidbits before I say adieu:

I was thinking of growing a full on beard with mustache attachment included … but I don’t know if I can pull of the robustness needed for the LUMBERJACK look … eh who knows

While in transit to the new place while moving, I decided to stop by my parents house where my nephew Spencer was enjoying some chocolate pudding … no lie, the minute my camera/phone found its place in front of him … he smiled this brilliant smile … this kid is gonna be a lady killer
God used the rainbow to show Noah his grace and mercy and ultimately his will through the great flood …. Well there wasn’t a flood … but it’s still a wonderful sight to see and contemplate on God’s sovereignty in the brilliance of a rainbow

Until Next Time,
KPK

MOVING ON UP!

2009-09-17T11:46:00.000-07:00

*Insert “The Jefferson” soundtrack here*

Some things come to mind when describing the 1 bedroom 1 bath apartment my wife and I accupied these last 2 years of marriage:

Number 1] It WAS cozy, but after the years of collecting “Family”, “Memorable” things … it’s not so cozy

Number2] Converting the living room into a secondary storage area did not make life easier (nor neat)

Number3] Although the excitement of moving into a 2 bedroom 2.5 bathroom/upstairs/downstairs townhouse is a bit overwhelming … we’re gonna miss our first place

There’s something about this place (our first place – we’ll call it One-zee) ..There’s something about One-zee that was inviting and cozy, and memorable and a little tear jerking thinking of the absence of him/her/it/whatever .. BUT One-zee brought a lot of great amazing memories .. our first Christmas, New Year .. well just every holiday that we spent together .. (the whole time ;)) some not so good times .. an argument or two .. the time Elisha fixed really bad pancakes (not cooked all the way through) .. I tried to sneak throwing them away .. I got caught .. and it was never about the Pancakes .. plus we laugh about it now ;) *SIGH* … yes even the adoption of our (kinda) cat STUPID .. or Kitty .. depending on what she’s doing.

But .. I say all that to say this … even the solid things we have (home, life, love) are forever changing .. and as they do .. you move on , adapt, pray, follow, and obey … We’re excited about this new chapter of our lives and in all seriousness .. we are embracing it with united arms and looking at this adventure as a chance to be a closer family, better husband/wife, and follower

and we are truly TRULY blessed with even just this roof over our head …

not to be lame but I’m going to wrap this up with a simple prayer

God thank you first off for absolutely everything you have given us Lord .. even the things we’ve gone through good/bad to bring us to you .. as Elisha and I follow you let us not be selfish/arrogant/chastising/flippant about the love, life, grace, mercy, justice, sacrifice that you’ve given us so undeservingly … and allow us to justly represent you wherever we are … its all yours … AMEN

Until Next Time,
KPK

Heart Healthy Husband

2009-09-02T08:12:00.000-07:00

Ok so .. I LOVE to cook .. for serious
The last few weeks, while my wife is starting back up with school and teaching dance classes, i've been the chef in house! In all honesty .. it's like an adventure

The first night i was a little timid. I cook, but not enough to create a "Food Network" type meal. Well i was thinking low fat, low calories, tasty, easy, all natural. All of a sudden this meal popped in my head! ... and it's pretty easy!

2.5 All Natural- Low Fat - Low Cal- Chicken Kielbasa
2 cups Sauerkraut
1/4 cup lite Brown Sugar
2 Baked Apples
1Pineapple

Let the Chicken Kielbasa thaw a little bit and cut it into slices .. with some fat free veg. oil let sit on the stove top on Med. Heat

Cut up your apples in to small wedges and lightly coat them with brown sugar, then slice up your pineapple (don't get canned) bake in oven @ 350 deg for 20 minutes or until brown

In the meantime while your chicken is cooking, make sure you leave it longest once its first in the skillet ... THAN flip to cook through both sides ... after its cooked enough throw in the Sauerkraut and fold in with Chicken

after your apples and pineapples look ready throw those in to the mix as well ... drizzle a little honey some more brown sugar and your good to go!

btw .. its only 320ish calories per serving ... yeah! ITS AMAZING!!

ANYWAY .. after my wife came home with the most precious look on her face, that literally made me smile ear to ear ... she devoured that meal ... probably one of her favorites!!

SO ITS SIMPLE ... you should do it too! (for your wife/husband)

oh btw.. not so fat/calorie friendly dessert ... toasted crossant with marshmellow fluff and dark chocolate ... cut crossant in half, fill with flush break off a peice of chocolate in the crossant ... back in oven at 350deg for 15 minutes ... AMAZING!!

What ideas do you have?!

Until Next Time,
KPK

Caller #827

2009-08-27T09:58:00.001-07:00

.... No real verbiage needs to be typed .... just enjoy the video ... in its entirety
http://vimeo.com/6300802

Looking for Caller 827 from The Morning Cruise on Vimeo.

The Little Things In Life

2009-08-24T08:55:00.000-07:00

I'm still a young guy, at age 26. I can still remember nights of "Fort" making in my bedroom/livingroom ... using up all of the sheets in the closet to create the "inpenetrable walls" of my imaginary fortress. Ah yes .. those were the days .. when we were content with cardboard boxed as space ships and broken branches as machine guns in the front yard.

It was the usual kind of Friday afternoon .. driving home from The JOY FM studios in Sarasota, contemplating what my wife and i should do for that evening. "Is it a quiet evening? Maybe cook up some rice, cut some veggies and roll out some sushi?" .. or "Maybe we can run down to the Beach coast and chill out there .. maybe listen to some music, dance on the shore as the sun is setting ..." hmm it got to be a little difficult .. and talking back forth to my wife .. we were stumped. A moment of silence came between our "backandforthness" ... Elisha:"Ok .. what do YOU want to do honey?" .. jokingly I belted out as if transposed back to my 7yr old body "A FORT!!!" ... " LET'S MAKE A FORT!" ... one of the biggest, cutest smiles I've seen my wife give came across her face. "YESS!!!" and so began the conquest of Fort making for the evening ... and it was ..... amazing!

From the start ... it was an adventure. Using barstools and bo-staffs to prop up the sheets ... chip-clips and safety pins to hold the sheets together .. the couch became the anchor of our sheet fort masterpiece. 100 Calorie Kettle Popcorn, Pink Lemonaid smoothies and I believe Zuccini/Squash Alfredo Pasta with Grilled Chicken were served under the Fortress of Sheets ... watching Disney's Herculies and The Emporers New Grove .. laughing .. alot .. cost? - $0 .. Planning? -0:00 .. it was simple .. sweet .. different .. and that night we slept ... well ... she did. I was awake .. watching her semi-smiling face .. thinking "why is it so hard to just enjoy all that God has given us NOW in this life ... the simple things .. the things that just, even briefly, bring you to smile" .. it's easy to complicate things .. it's easy to over do things .. but alot of times .. even in the simple things .. it's enough!

so built a fort tonight .... and maybe even next week ... HAVE FUN!!

Till next time,

KPK

To Sweat or not to Sweat!

2009-08-17T10:58:00.000-07:00

Ok so picture in your mind the perfect church "Contemporary Worship" service. Great songs being sung by an exuberant congregation, to an ever present, ever compassionate, ever Holy God! ... now ... picture the perfect worship leader ... Acoustic guitar in hand, great voice, great song composition .. unwavoring band ushering the congregation in a worship experience before the throne of God ..... (side note: If you were unaware before .. I myself am a worship leader. Backed by a great band, back up singers and a great congregation ... i've been told i can sing well, been told im excellent at guitar and EVEN been told im pretty good at leading the congregation) ... ok so what im getting at is ... put ME in that picture of the worship leader .... now .............. gaze at the picture posted ----->

Do you see that giant dark stain on my shirt? ....................
Do you happen to know what that is ? .......................
Yep ............

THATS SWEAT!!! .... A GIANT SWEAT STAIN!!! ...... (twice the size of my head ... and not pictured is another thats just the size of my head)

How humiliating to be infront of a big congregation leading them into an experience with God, giving Him praise for everything He has done in their lives ... and noticing all the while ... that ..... their worship leader (ME) .... HAS A COLOR CHANGING SHIRT! .... haha needless to say, after packing what might be the largest papertowel wod ever under my arm pit to absorb the sweat ... we got back up on stage at the end of our pastors sermon to lead the congregation once again in hymns and songs ....

wow ... that's all i gotta say for that picture

until next time!
KPK

Wait ... You Did WHAT?!

2009-07-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

OH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNING!!!
well ... kinda ... if you like the waking up before the sunrise, driving in a monsoon and avoiding the pillars of electric hell we call Lightning, kind of mornings ... then yes ... it was soo more than beautiful!

So after an extremely eventful week last week, filled with dancing, playing music and falling out of ceilings ......wait ......... haha ok hold up ... i DID just say falling out of ceilings ... ok here's how that goes

If you didn't know, my wife Elisha, is an amazing dance choreographer (modern, jazz, ballet .. you name it ... she'll own it!) .. ANYWAY so by association and well ... marriage ... i have now been dancing for 3 years now and love it ... BUT ... some of the things she creates ..... are ....... RIDICULOUSLY SCARY AND LIFE THREATENING!!!

*cough* ... ok ... I'll set the scene....
She has choreographed a modern/acrobatic piece to "Skillet - Rebirthing" ... great song, good message .... the choreography is intense just like the song, fast paced and challenging (mia michaels ...eat your heart out ... or .... not ......you're good too).
With less than 2 weeks to learn the choreography and perform it ... oh AND finish it ... it was a little stressful, but nonetheless the week of the performance, the choreography was done, the dancers were done learning it, perfected the moves ... but something was missing ... "hmmm .." thought my lovely, creative wife "what could it possibly be missing .... "OH!!! I GOT IT!! We Need Acrobatics!" ... she seemed to muse

ok ... I'm not a huge acrobat ... actually i can just do a small amount of tumbling ... but thanks to some of our friends who helped out and who were able to seriously tumble the mess out of that choreography (in a good way) .. the acrobatics was pretty dern good! "It still needs something else" she thought "What if Jared (our serious tumbler friend) uses a net hanging from the ceiling, and Kris and Jesus (Hey-Zeus) repel out of the ceiling, upside down and in grey stretchy fabric sacks ...." ........... there was a long pause after this statement in which i serious thought about my life, and the importance of safety ... and who would get my possessions if i died ........ "Sure why not!" .... came spewing from my mouth! .. WHAT?! WHY DID I SAY THAT!! I HATE HEIGHTS!! .... oh no!

SO HERE WE GO!! UP INTO THE CEILING ... wait ... ok ... if you are unaware of how to and what repelling is .... its simple really ... you fall from a high point (cliff, roof, window, ceiling) while attached to a rope, and hope you don't die ...

So now I've found myself inside a church ceiling 40 feet off the ground, playing Spider Man by climbing through the rafters ... attached to something called a "safety tie" .... no gonna lie to you ... it looks just like a thicker shoestring with a knot in it .... it's now holding my full 150Lbs .... I'm dangling ..... I'm sweaty, I'm shaky, I'm anxious, I'm scared ..... i think ...... yep ........ i just pee'd (not really)

skip ahead 2 attempts ... one in which i wasn't really secured by my harness and could have died but didn't and another where I forgot i was still "clipped in" to the secure line and lowered only to get snagged 5 feet out of the ceiling and yelling "OH DEAR GOD!! TAKE ME NOW!"

..........................................................it ....was ... fun (I guess)

but it showed me what I wouldn't do for the love of my life ......

would you fall out of a ceiling, scared out of your mind ... with half .... pee'd in pants (not really) ..... for the love of your life ;)

BTW .... just a thought on a different note:
We aren't really anything special, i mean yeah .. we're made uniquely ... but really ... we're nothing truly special. Maybe not even a *blip* on the map of eternity ... but ..... haha and its a big but (no puns intended in the typing of this thought) .... Job 38:4-7 "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements, surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone" .... foundations of the earth? ... I can't even lay concrete foundation on my driveway by myself ... and i certainly can't stretch my hand, arm, body .. as it's measurements ..... I'm kinda small .....but God ... who holds the universe in the span of his hand (Isaiah 40:12 - btw in Traditional Jewish terms .. the "span" of that hand is 9inches ... so ..... yeah ... the universe ... isn't even as big as ruler to God ... that's BIG)

Until Next Time
KPK

Corporate Krispy!

2009-07-10T07:53:00.000-07:00

*DRAMATIC DRAGNET TYPE MUSIC*

It's 11:20AM on Friday morning, this week .... Corporate was here .... with guests.
Corporate being President of RTN Networks, Jim Campbell and his guests Dothan, Alabama's HIS Radio 94.3FM.

Last Friday .. received the information that Jim Campbell and guests were coming next week ... The called for attire is this ... "Dressy" .... OK hold up ... I'm a 20 something Floridian. All i know is Floridian wear (tank tops, shorts and flip flops) ... needless to say my wardrobe was not what Jim was looking for ... SO i picked my self up a "Thin Fit" small white and small grey pinstriped button up shirt and also a pair of skinny dress pants ... black and grey ... and of course I had to "GQ" it up and got some matching vests .. needless to say (as my wife puts it) I gave Brad Pitt a run for his money (i wish i had his money hah)

So there I was ... Monday morning ... I'm going to impress the Boss and his guests, make them stop in their tracks and say ... "Wow ... He's sharp" ... yep ... here we go. As i pulled up to the station a sense of confidence filled my heart, a level of professionalism exuded from each step i took towards the door ... today is a new day ... today shows a new Krispy ... as i walked through the door i could feel the gasps of my fellow coworkers ... a gasp shouting "HE LOOKS GREAT" ... *enter record scratch here* ... nope ... that wasn't the gasp i thought it was ... it was just a preparation for the upheaval of laughter that echoed through the halls as TODAY ... wasn't the day ... it was the following day ... and the one after that.

See what had happened was .... i got my days mixed up ... and here i was dressed to the T's in my monkey suit ... and everyone else is chillaxing it up your typical and ever so comfy "Floridianwear" ... with my Skinny dress pants, my Thin Fit Button up tightly tucked in layered with a form fitting matching vest .... i ..... was .... SO UNBELIEVABLY UNCOMFORTABLE!!

SO NOW, here i stood, Monday afternoon, untucking, tearing off, undressing (OK maybe not that last one) this uncomfortable outfit and looking frantically for anything .. AH YES!! My running shorts and a work polo ... boy ... did i feel like a winner .. and quickly i went from "Chic" to "Simply bummin'" .... needless to say for 3 straight days i dressed as if i were interviewing for the "Sexiest Men" issue of People Magazine! And did everything i usually do in my "Floridianwear" in this new "GQ"wear:
Production
Loading and Unloading Station Vehicles
Voice Tracking
Sorting Promotion Items
Towing Dave's truck eventually finding myself underneath it trying to cut the tow rope from the car and realizing i have five gallons of sweat up and down my body ... along with gravel and dirt from the road.

..................yep

i ruined one of my monkey suits .... i didn't look so chic anymore ... i looked like a kinda halfway dressed up grease monkey (I'm allowed to use the term my dad is a grease monkey ... and i am to .. to a degree)

so here i am ... Friday morning wear jeans, t-shirt, flip flops and my favorite hat .... mmm i love my job ..... sometimes ;)

ALSO ... on a completely different note, I've been reading Romans lately and its brought some serious questions in my heart .... The Jews thought themselves a holy people, entitled to their privileges by right, while they were unthankful, rebellious, and unrighteous. But all who acted this way no matter which nation, age, and description, must be reminded that the judgment of God will be according to their real character ...

it made me think ... we act this way when we let our beliefs and convictions over shadow the service and responsibility God has entrusted us with to not only further his word and love but also to visually show this beautiful but fallen world what the savior really looks like .... has nothing to do with being holy or privileged .... but has everything to do with how justly and humbly obey Christs commands.

Just a thought

UNTIL NEXT TIME!!

KPK

Hey Name Was Stupid

2009-07-06T09:06:00.000-07:00

Just after Elisha and I were married and back from our honeymoon, we visited her parents house to find it was filled with adorable kittens .... well being the pleasing pushover husband i am, we grabbed one for ourselves.
"What should her name be?" Elisha asked while driving down the bumpy Myakka road. "Hmm" I thought "what about ... Kitty Face?" ... " YEAH!! THAT'S PERFECT" she seemed to squeal.

And from that day on it was kitty heaven .... really? ... kitty heaven ..... Heck NO! She was terrible!Consistently for a year and a half she Pee'd on ever sheet we owned tore up ever inch of carpet separating the kitchen from the hallways, it seemed every week she was in heat, When 10:00PM hit .. it was as if she became a wild animal hell bent on running upside down on our couch and jumping up and over and around as fast as she could and even ... throwing up/pooping/ peeing in our laundry. This behavior, built up in me an annoyance for this cat ... to the point where everyday i would walk in and lovingly say .. "hello stupid cat" ... "heeyyy stupid" ... "well good afternoon stupid" ... and thus .. the name change ... from "Kitty Face" to " Stupid" (later shortened to Stu)

After many conversations about Cat behavior/anxiety it came to our attention she was stressed out and partially because she was in constant heat. SO! We got her fixed ... and it was as if God himself had pity on us, she has been redeemed!!! No longer plagued by the demonic rampages of her youth, she has seen the light ... and ... is no longer crazy and stupid ... i started falling in love with this stupid cat (I'm not a cat person if you couldn't tell)

Wouldn't you know it, in just a few months after her operation ... I'd fallen for this lovable, loving, caring, cuddling, hungry, hilarious cat ... but her name .. was still stupid. *DING-DONG* .. it was the Apartment maintenance man, "Hey uh .. just coming to check on the .... hmm y'all have a cat" (i guess we didn't catch the pet fee) ... couple days later we're hit with the notice of the "Pet Fee" .. $250.00 plus a monthly fee ... totally worth it for Stupid IF we weren't moving in Sept.

After much deliberation, prayer, contemplation, begging, crying and yes even sniffling .... we ........... are giving ...............Stupid ...................... away until we move!!! Our newly beloved cat Stupid, is staying back where she was taken from ... the bumpy Mayakka road as all so unnerving as my wife and I drove our some what of a very furry and rambunctious child to her new home. Tossing memories back and forth, "Remember that time she got caught in the fly paper?" to "Remember when she used to sneak into our room in the morning and tear our feet to pieces" :.( *SIGH* ... what a somber evening that was .... and an even more unsettling morning ... when as we leave to go about our day ...... there is no "WATCH OUT FOR THE CAT!!" or ... " HONEY WHERES THE LASER POINTER, THE CAT WON'T GET OUT OF OUR BEDROOM!" .... just ...... silence .......... and the faint view of her white and black cat hair strewn about our maroon rug ......

If you have a loved one ... that you can't stand to be around, talk to, live with, or just plain want to kill ....... just get them neutered or spayed, that's what we did ... and i fell in love with Stupid

Summer Cruise 4 - Day 5 FINAL!!!

2009-06-26T07:16:00.000-07:00

OKAY OKAY!! ... I need to breathe just a little bit here, *SIGH* it's ... over!
BUT of course (i promise you its like clockwork) something had to happen.

So let me start this post with a reference to yesterday afternoon.
4:00PM - 3 Mile Run, sweat like i was in an oven.
6:00PM - Dance Practice, we practice LIFTS with all the girls and new choreography.
9:00PM - MORE dance practice for a completely separate thing.
11:30PM - Leave studio to head home (30 minute drive)
12:20AM - ... i think I'm falling asleep, i should be ... I've been going and going for 19hrs
*SLEEPING - DREAMING*
4:45AM - SNOOZE
4:50AM - SNOOZE
5:30AM - AHH!! WHAT HAPPENED! WHY AM I LATE!!

haha yeah ... i snoozed the alarm once, then canceled it ... i was all alone ... i needed to be at the Station at 5:20AM ..... needless to say i packed up the wife, got dressed (btw never have i gotten dressed so quickly in my life, ...realizing now that i forgot my belt, I'm wearing 2 different flip flops and had my shirt inside out until i realized it at the 7:00AM hour ... yeah ... I'm a winner!) anyway ... OFF WE WERE heading to work. The drive consisted of me apologizing to my lovely wife on why i woke up so late and frantic and that she had to *GULP* possibly sleep at the Station .... well ..... she didn't mind (thanx God) anyway Elisha found herself nice spot in the studio to pull together 2 chairs and finish up her beauty rest, while i push and produce the Summer Cruise.
The show went on without a hitch (i seem to say that even if there were glitches) ... i didn't start sweating until the 7:20AM break where Carmen preference the break before going on saying "Krispy, how ya doing? Ya know, uh , Pinky (the pink flamingo everyone and their mother have been trying to find to win NOJ tix and a bunch of Summer Cruise gear) IS IN YOUR OFFICE!!" ... first reaction was "must have misheard ... haven't had my coffee yet. Sure enough ... sitting at the window of my office was none other than the plastic perky Pinky Cortez Tuscadeo, perched ever so neatly facing out the window .... this isn't good .... i have a sleeping wife in the studio, i look like I've been out all night doing God knows what (with miss matched flip flops) and now I'm going to have a herd of loyal JOY FM listeners "Storming the Gates" to nab the ever precious pink flamingo.
8 Oh Clock rolls around and sure enough, there's a commotion outside. 2 couples (4 people) and a pair of friends ... oh and a young, new mother carrying her child (7 people ... well ... 8 if you count the gorgeous baby) were surrounding the Station ... 4 on the South side, 2 on the West, and the young mother standing semi-wide eyed and scared at the front door. My wife being the baby lover she is, lets her in and mingles with the beautiful pair. All of a sudden, like a thunderous roar coming down the hall ..... the pair of friends, rumbled through the offices, down the hall, shouting as if they were Viking soldiers to my office, where not only my wife and the new mother were but also a newly startled and crying baby. The pair captured their prize with a shout of "We are the Champions" and as fast and loud as they came in ... they were gone. I felt as if i wanted to be the valiant night that mounted on horse back to rescue the prize from the Viking soldiers and place it into the delicate hands of the young mother but ... AHH :30 seconds until break!!! .. "HEY DAVE, DAVE!!" .. I frantically shrieked "WHA?" ... "Dude seriously the most hilarious thing just happened ... it was like Braveheart only with Vikings and not all that chivalry stuff ... ya know what it wasn't like Braveheart it was more like .... CLOVERFIELD ... OH AH :10 SECONDS ... LIVE IN 5 ...4...3...2 ..."

OK so i might be a little dramatic in the telling of the story but still ... it was like a mixture of Independance Day, an Indiana Jones movie and maybe some Transformers all played by Viking soldiers ... who were female (did i say that yet .... sorry)

ANYWAY!! Needless to say i think we are on our way to compensating the young mother!!

Today's TO DO LIST:
Morning Cruise Promos (big surprise)
Summer 09 Imaging
Lunch with Jayar?
Chiropractor (dance and lifting all them girls)
Back to the station to double check work
Guitar Practice
Show tonight w/ Eleventyseven, Cool Hand Luke and Sam Robertson

CHECK IT OUT!!

On another Note, flipping thought Galatians this morning ... 5 to be exact. Came across one of the most quote scriptures in Modern Christian society - Galatians 5:1 .. it is for freedom that Christ set us free" ... awesome reassurance ... then read down past to 5:16-18 "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law" ... simply said (and not to complicate things, we seem to do that alot with scripture that's not meant to be complicating) Paul says "Live by the Spirit*Rom.8:9" ... the Spirit is the "Spirit of Christ" the demeanor, countenance and love of Christ. "and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature" ... simply put - live as a servant of Christ, love all that He loved, give yourself to the least of these .... and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. That;s not hard at all, is it ... no need to confuse yourself with how to "live by the Spirit" .. "Is that according to 1 Corinthians 14?" ...no its not ... its according to Christ ... and his example to LIVE and really LIVE .... try it ... its fun.

until next time
KPK

Summer Cruise 4 - Day 4

2009-06-25T07:22:00.000-07:00

ONE MORE DAY!!! .... I'm not going to lie to you. I've been secretly looking forward to Thursday morning, 10:00AM, and here it is! AHH THE SWEET JOYS THAT LIE BEYOND THE 24HR HORIZON!!

BUT .... in the mean time.

This morning was unusually predictable, and by that i mean ... i woke up @ 4:04AM ... wait ... what? but my alarm was set for 4:05AM ..... ohmigosh ... please don't tell me that I'm getting used to waking up at FOUR IN THE MORNING... *sigh* I think, wait no, I KNOW there has to be a law somewhere about waking up before the sun. Morning ritual stays the same though. Yawn*Stretch*Bathroom ... Cat followed me around all morning ... cute .... I still think she's stupid.

Alright gotta get ready. Where's my pants .. oh ok ... got em' ..wallet, check ..cellphone, check ..keys, check ... oh ... man .... forgot my shirt .... wait ... laundry isn't not done, AHH THAT'S WHAT I WAS FORGETTING YESTERDAY! ... hmm only clean shirt ... my black tank top. MAN! ... it's going to be weird in the office today .... I can hear Dan Brodie now " Hey, uh, Kris ... why .... hmm ... are you working out today?" ... oh well.

CHECK LIST FOR TODAY:
(short day)

Morning Cruise Promos
Summer 09 Imaging
SC Promo
LUNCH WITH ELISHA! - (publix subs ...mmmmmm, don't hate)
Dance with Elisha
Dance Practice
SYTYCD
......sleep, i hope

In spite of the early morning schedule, I've truly had fun these past couple days. It's unfortunate that I can't join the Morning Cruise (Dave, Bill and Carmen) on the Summer Cruise .... but .... still, I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work for a station that not only cares about their listeners, but meets them where they are ... in real life, living life together.

*sniff* ........tear ...cough cough

on a different note ... was reading Matthew this morning ... read this, got chills, and urge you to not only walk out YOUR OWN salvation and walk with God, but also to test EVERYTHING that is taught to you, with Scripture *"For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.:* - Matt 24:24

Just because someone says they're a preacher, teacher, christian ...(insert christian title here) doesn't mean they can teach contradictory to what the scriptures say. Remember the Holy Spirit inspired everything written within the Bible, the Holy Spirit will never inspire anything else that may contradict.

Until Next Time
KPK

Summer Cruise 4 - Day 3

2009-06-24T07:24:00.000-07:00

"HONEY!! WAKE UP!!" shouts my lovely wife, from the left side of the bed ... wait ... why is she standing on the bed ... AHHH!! THAT'S A GIANT SPIDER!! ...... that's right, another evening of hopeful sleep interrupted by the likes of 'Spencer the Spider'. Needless to say I did my husbandly duties and vanquished the 8 legged varmint to the outdoors. THEN back to sleep .....

*CALYPSO MUSIC* (i changed my alarm tones) SMACK! ... 5 minutes later *CALYPSO MUSIC* SMACK! ... another 5 minutes .... *CALYPSO MUSIC* - YAWN!*STRETCH ... its 4:15AM ... snoozed button twice .... mmm this morning .. i think I'll take a cold bath to wake up ... first off, that idea alone should prove to some that I'm not thinking too straight. Bad idea ... ya know another bad idea? leaving the bathroom door open so my cat (her name is stu - short for stupid) could join me ... *THUMP* she climbed up on the lip of the tub ... haha thats cute ... shes pawing at the waterrr AHHH OHMIGOSH!! SHE JUST FELL IN THE WATER!!! AND SHES NOT DECLAWED ...... that's right ... my sweet, beautiful, ridiculously curious and stupid (thus her name) cat joined me for me cold bath ... i have scratches on the tummy to prove it. What a way to start the morning.

Woke Elisha up about 10 minutes before having to leave the house. She has to take me in to the Station this morning .. because she needs the car (we only have 1) .. I think she's awake (she didn't hear the commotion of the near death experience i encountered in the bathroom). We arrived safely to our destination, and here i am again 2 bags, an extra set of keys and a mug-o-coffee, trying to open the door ... my wife sat and laughed at how silly i looked ... i do what i can to humor her.

DAY 3 of THE SUMMER CRUISE with THE MORNING CRUISE!! Everything went off without a hitch, a well trained and learn-ed producer such as myself knows how to handle certain situations, especially under pressure ... wait ........ where Chuck Whittakers traffic report .... its not .... in the email ... wait ... THIS IS NOT IT!!! .... i downloaded the wrong file .. what should have been the 6:25AM traffic report to notify our lovely listeners of the goingons of the roadways ... was Willie Nelsons - On The Road Again ...... seriously Kris .... seriously?

YES!

Rest of the show was awesome, Franny (Francesca Battestelli) did a great job entertaining the crowd as well as seemingly inviting vacationers from Denver to join her this morning ... wow that's impressive ... and now? It's 10:40AM, Leslie the Latte' Lady has come to my rescue with a delicious brew of Starbucks Breakfast Blend (5th cup) and a "non-frosted" pop tart.

TO DO LIST:

Morning Cruise Promos
Summer 09 Imaging
Producing Music Beds
Play catch with Jayar?? (tentative)
Worship Practice
Cycle with Jacob
SYTYCD with the Wife ....... mmmmm best part

AND ON THAT NOTE!! I'M OUT!!

Till Next Time Friends,

KPK

Summer Cruise 4 - Day 2

2009-06-23T05:37:00.000-07:00

Famous words before bed. "ALRIGHT! I can get 7 hrs of sleep tonight ...."

Let's start today blog, last night. It was 9:00PM. I was curled up in bed, with my body pillow and 2 fluffy pillows. Nightstand light was on, just finished another chapter in "Irresistible Revolution" (btw .. great read) .... started ......nodding ..............off........................... WHA!! oh .... the cat decided to curl up with me ... and her claws ....... that's .... okay .............. just nodding ........ off .... to ...slleeeeeee *snore* ....... HEY!WHAT!?(startled) ah ok .. Elisha is home from church ... what time is it? 9:35PM ? .. hmm ... just need to sleep ... (hours later, after tossing and turning .... it's 1:42AM) ...... really? its 1:42 in the morning ... and my alarm will wake me up at 4:00AM ... oh never mind ... its 1:43AM now ..... needless to say ... didn't get much sleep last night. No Ninja Pizza Delivery Guys in the dreams but ... i do recall fishing in a superman outfit ... very much like the one i called my "PJ's" when i was a tot.

DAY 2 of The Summer Cruise with The Morning Cruise (the only cruise on radio ... blah blah blah). Today was a little like it should have been yesterday ... like a Circus (and no ... not the Brittany Spears song) Waltzed in to the Station at 5:20AM locked the door behind me ... OH i forgot my Ipod in the car, let me just go get it ... yeeeeeah ... about that ..... turned out my car keys slid off my clip ... in my hands were just my house keys, spare keys to the mail boxes, office keys, a USB Drive, and ... no car keys .... where ... oh .. OH THERE THEY ARE! ... in the front seat (i just laughed at myself ... 5:17AM and im outside "finangling" the driver door to get my defiant keys. Well after about 10 minutes of "ohmigoodness"ing ... i looked up to see the passenger door (my wife's side) was unlocked ... it was the only time i thanked God for a bad habit!! Made my way into the studio, brewed some BOLD coffee, called DBC(remember ... Dave, Bill and Carmen ;)) AND ANOTHER GREAT SUMMER CRUISE SHOW!! Except the balancing act of switching between the ISDN Analog Feed and the TieLine Feed, the buffering of the TieLine, the multiple failed attempts at getting DBC's attention for breaks, and well .... the coffee that i spilt on my hand ... haha but seriously ... great show.

Its not even the end of the show actually, its 9:15AM. I'm sipping and finishing cup #4 of the Starbucks Kenya Bold. Wrap up in about an hour, To Do List looks like:

Morning Cruise Promos
Find JOY Montage
Summer 09 Imaging
Lunch with Elisha
4 Mile Run
8 Mile Cycle
Dance Practice @ 5:00PM
Home @ 9:00PM ........ maybe sleep

oh i hope sleep ..... mmmm.... coma?! TYLENOL PM!!!

Summer Cruise 4 - Day 1

2009-06-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

*BUZZ* interrupted dream, i was fighting off Ninja Pizza Delivery guys, i would have won too if it wasn't for the alarm on my cellphone ... set for 4:00AM ...... WHAT?! 4:00 IN THE MORNING!? ... yes .... FOUR OH CLOCK!

This morning starts the first day of the fourth annual "Summer Cruise" with the Morning Cruise (the only cruise on radio apparently). This year Dove Award Nominee Francessca Battestelli is joining the 'Cruise''s Dave, Bill and Carmen in Lutz at 'The Breakfast Nook', and where is 'Krispy Kreme" stuck at a light at 5:15 AM behind the worlds most pollutant truck ... 197...something no back gate, dragging muffler, 5 different shades of dirt, but real nice guys. Pulled around to the next lane, asked if they knew they're muffler was creating a mini-lightshow while being dragged along the asphalt. "IT IS?!" the driver holla'd over his twin passanger. "Yep! I didn't know if it was accidental, or if it were a noble attempt at entertaining other drivers" I replyed ... "AH THANK YOU SO MUCH, I'LL HAVE TO RE-DUCT TAPE IT!" ............... (pause) ................. "re-duct tape?" i thought ... eh ..... okay. "NO WORRIES, BE SAFE!!" i shouted back.

15 minutes later i found myself at the front office doors at The JOY FM Sarasota. Ya know, its incredibly difficult to unlock and pull open a door when you're carrying 2 bags, extra car keys and a coffee (the essential drink of any crazy-early morning commute). Opened up the Station, situated myself, contacted DB&C (Dave, Bill and Carmen) to check on time, and from there ... it was all uphill. Great first show! (from a producers point of view, everything went on without a hitch, IE: bill didn't blindside me with news and traffic and Carmen didn't request music on a whim, and music that wasn't out of reach ... luckily it was in reach ;)) So over all ... at 10:02AM, already being up for 6 hours and well into the work day i am:

Drinking my 6th cup of coffee
Producer 2 new Morning Show 'Promos'
Editing "As Heard" bits for the web
Creating some new JOY graphics
Producing 4 new "This is Your Music" sweeps
Catching MORE Coffee with Jayar
Riding my bike home in 2 hours

and then slipping into a coma (nap .... maybe)

so JUST 4 MORE DAYS!!! I'm so excited ..... (sarcasm)

I think i will post a picute each day to show the slow deterioration of this "Poor, White Radio Producer"

until next time,

KPK

Diary of a Poor, White Radio Producer

NOJ = Not Over Joyed

Top 5 Post-Summer Songs

Do We Want Depth, Or Shallow Hugs

Global Coverage Vs. Out of Sight/Out of Mind

X-MAS ...

Stuffed Apples a la - yogurt

10 Ways To Get Over “Bloggers-Block”

Stranger To Friend

Emotionalism Vs. Secondary Doctrine

Monday Mix Tape

Check Out My Accolades!

Mutual Edi-FICTION?

Guilty Pleasures ...

GRACE IS UNCOMFORTABLE ...

Why Music Matters ....

Greetings from the Florida Coast!

Krispy Vs. P90X - Week 1/Day 1

Krispy Vs. P90X - The Beginning

Rebuild, Restore, Rejoice

Monday Mix Tape

I Live In A Lemon

Monday Mix Tape

If I Were A T.V. Character

Like Getting Pushed Into The Pool

Kris P. Kreme - Song Starts Inc.?!

Red Sox = Red Face?

And On The 7th Day ...

BAH! Stupid Alarm!!

I Can Slap You From Here If Need Be

We Are Resc/YOU

Spare us any joy that’s not of You

40 Days .... Day 1

My house is a House Boat!

The Great Beard Explanation

The Tri-fecta!

Irresistible Revolution:

Life Sometimes ...

THE CURTAIN CALL TO A GREAT WEEK!

STUPID HAS RETURNED!

A Week in the Life of Krispy!

MOVING ON UP!

Heart Healthy Husband

Caller #827

The Little Things In Life

To Sweat or not to Sweat!

Wait ... You Did WHAT?!

Corporate Krispy!

Hey Name Was Stupid

Summer Cruise 4 - Day 5 FINAL!!!

Summer Cruise 4 - Day 4

Summer Cruise 4 - Day 3

Summer Cruise 4 - Day 2

Summer Cruise 4 - Day 1