Faith, Radio, and Life's Journey (feat. Rick Burgess):

For as long as I can remember, I have listened to the Rick & Bubba show every single day on my way to school. That was what was on the radio. I loved it; they were funny, but they also used their platform to share their faith. I remember one of the first things I did when I had access to technology was download a radio app so that I could listen to the show. God has undoubtedly used their show to impact the lives of others.

Today's blog post features someone really special, Rick Burgess. Rick is the co-host of the Rick & Bubba show and the director of "The Man Church." I asked Rick to share his story, as well as how the Lord has been faithful through their show.

So, I'll let Rick take it away...

"From the time I was a little boy I was drawn to the radio. I had very few interest in anything other than football, music, and the radio. I dabbled in them all but being on the radio was the one passion that seemed to show the most promise and sustainability as a real career. I remember the day that I met my wife Sherri like it was yesterday. She was introduced as the new news person for what would become the Rick and Bubba Show and my first thought was that I was looking at the most beautiful woman I had ever seen and 30 years later that sentiment has not changed. We fell in love and during our pre marriage counseling I for the first time I truly repented, left faith in myself and placed my faith and my life under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. I was never agnostic or an atheist, I “believed” in God and even “believed” in Jesus as the Savior of the world but when the pastor had me examine my life for any true proof of redemption it just wasn’t found. I had the same faith that say a demon might have, a “belief” in everything about Jesus but I lived in opposition to Jesus and the fruit of my life at the time confirmed a complete lack of the transformation that Jesus Himself says is found in all His true disciples. So by the grace of Almighty God, Sherri and I entered into Holy Matrimony on Feb 10th 1996. So now what? How does this affect the Rick and Bubba Show? We were and are in secular entertainment. I wasn’t sure what this would look like on a day to day basis and so I sought guidance from our pastor who reminded me that if the show is truly about our lives then why would I leave out the most important part of my life? My faith in Christ. It was clunky at first but over the years as my faith strengthened and the sanctification process began to take root, God enabled me to find the balance in entertaining people and then earning the right to share my faith with them.

That process continues to this day. The Lord has allowed us to face some of life's biggest

and most difficult calamities in front of this massive audience that He has provided. Have

I always got it right ? No....Do I still make mistakes on the balance?...Yes.. but I can honestly say that I have watched God move in a mighty way in the lives of not just those of us who do the show but all over the world. New technology has given us unlimited access to anyone anywhere.

Watching God move through the show is the thing that gets me out of the bed everyday. I celebrate all the things God has carried us through and the multiple lives He has changed through the platform He has graciously allowed me, but I am even more excited about what He will do next!

God gave that little boy a passion for radio so one day He would be glorified by the gift He entrusted to him. I regret the years that I wasted that gift, but thanks be to God for the continued years he has given me to glorify Him. Lord willing there is much more to come and the passion of that little boy sitting by the radio still exist inside this soon to be 60 year old man who like Caleb said in Joshua 14:11, “I am as strong this day as I was then." Celebrating the past and excited about the future!"

I don't know about you, but I thank God for people like Rick, God has used his gift to impact the lives of others. God's way and design is always better than ours!

It is my hope that we can use stories from people like Rick to point us to Christ and teach us valuable lessons along the way.