The Positive Difference: The Morning Show (People Who Inspire)

Inspiration from the Radio Waves @ KLRC 90.9

During the month of October, we at Christian Women Living Magazine, wanted to do something a little bit different. We wanted to bring you something that would encourage you as we go into the holiday season. We decided to bring you the Positive Difference, a local radio station in Northwest Arkansas. From the campus of John Brown University, KLRC 90.9, The Positive Difference broadcasts it’s radio show through inspiring on-air staff. This station is known for the uplifting music and the positive difference that it makes in the community. This week we meet Mark Michaels and Christy Rodriguez of the The Morning Show, which is on air from 5:30am to 10am. Behind the scenes, Mark also oversees KLRC as the Program Director and Christy uses opportunities to develop connections with area non-profits and churches as the Community Engagement Director. Meet the KLRC Morning Show duo of Mark & Christy.

Cyndi Kay Green: Please give us a brief introduction (family, hobbies, career, location)

Mark Michaels:  I have worked at KLRC since December of 2006 – in this stint, that is. Mark was previously the Program Director for KGBI in Omaha, Nebraska for nine years. But prior to that, Mark was an announcer and assistant Program Director at KLRC while studying Broadcasting at JBU. When not a KLRC, you’ll find Mark hanging out with his wife (Tiffany), playing with his kids (Kyra, Keagan, Cayden, and Ruth), reading a book on his back porch (aka “Happy Place”) or cheering on his beloved Nebraska. My favorite hobbies are Hanging out with my wife and kids, listening to music, and just about anything sports…Nebraska football (and the Hogs unless they are playing the Huskers), Naturals Baseball, Creighton Basketball, and Italy/Ghana soccer!

I’m also a big fan of black olives and gummy bears!

Christy Rodriguez: I am an Arkansas native with a passion for God and His people. I serves as the Morning Show Co-Host for 90.0 KLRC Christian Radio in Northwest Arkansas and is also the Host and Producer of The Brave Place Podcast. I can be easily distracted by chocolate, cheese dip, and puppies. I am often referred to as the designated extrovert and is a sucker for adventure and spontaneity. I attended college on a soccer scholarship and earned my degree in broadcast journalism. I was thinking I was going to be the next ESPN sideline reporter, so I worked as a T.V. producer and radio personality for three years. However, as I grew closer to God, I began to feel called so I returned to college and earned a master’s degree in education. After that, I worked as a teacher and high school coach for several years. My husband, Laurencio, won my heart with cheese dip and vanilla cokes. Consequently, later my heart was stolen yet again with the birth of of our son, Mac. This afforded me the opportunity to become a stay at home mom, blogger, and podcaster. All of which would all lead me to where I am today, serving at KLRC. Having faced several strongholds in life, I understands the power of addiction and deception. I also understand that the power of Jesus Christ is far greater and can break through all of it. My life motto…In Him all things are possible, and in Him, all things are made new again.

CKG: Give us a summary on your journey with Christ and who has influenced your spiritual growth the most?

MM: I had the gift of growing up in Italy where my parents served as missionaries until I was 10 years old. That gave me a foundation of being in a family committed to following Jesus and sharing His good news. In high school my faith really became my own and since then I’ve been on a journey of discovering God’s incredible redemption for our lives.

Christy Rodriguez:

Here is a link to my journey through deception….(I wrote this for a friend’s website a couple of years ago about my journey through addiction and sexual sin) Click on that link to read it…

https://www.thegreaterloveaz.com/blog/i-knew-i-was-born-a-lesbian-until-this-happened-part-1

I was raised in the church (Baptist) and one particular Sunday, at the age of 8, I was sitting in church listening to the sermon when I suddenly felt an undeniable tug at my heart to walk up to the front and meet with the pastor at the end of his sermon. I stood up, slipped passed my parents and siblings, and walked to the front and told the Pastor I wanted Jesus in my life. After that, I couldn’t wait to get to church and learn all I could about God. I invited childhood friends to church and I was a mini evangelist at school. I was on fire for the Lord.

Things slowly began to change though. When I reached junior high and high school, there were things in my life that started to turn me away from the Lord. I became more knowledgeable of the harsh realities that life can bring and my urgency to share the gospel became less and less and worldly influences became greater and greater in my life.

I slipped away from the Lord and followed my fleshly desires when I reached college. I found myself intertwined with alcohol, cigarettes, and sexual sin. I would struggle with all of these things until I finally came to the end of myself in 2007 at the age of 28. I was broken and tired of living life without Jesus. For years I had felt I was in a constant wrestling match between my spirit and my own flesh.

God brought a Godly woman into my life named Jackie and she took me through a biblical process of recognizing and working through patterns in my life. I wrote down any and all sins I could think of and confessed them all to her. I confessed any resentments I had about anyone or anything and all secrets came to the surface. I then gave it all to the Lord and asked for his forgiveness. I also made amends with people I had been dishonest with or had harmed by my actions. Freedom, peace, and joy began to replace the things that I had allowed to rob me for so long.

Today I know the power of accountability and the freedom that living a life of surrendered obedience can bring. I’ve been free from the strongholds of my past since 2007 and have fallen more in love with Jesus than I ever thought possible. He has met me in the darkest of times and in the best of times. His blessings continue to bring me to my knees over and over again in awe of His goodness. I’m so thankful for what God has done in my life and I want others to know the power of a surrendered life in Him. He turned my brokenness and pain into purpose and I’ll be forever grateful.

CKG: What is the Sponser of the Day?

CR: This is when someone gives to the station and can choose a day they want to send a special message to someone on the air. The message will air multiple times a day throughout the day. It’s usually an encouraging message to a family member or friend or someone that has made an impact in that person’s life.

CKG: What has been the most impacting call from one of your listeners?

MM: It’s so hard to narrow it down to one, but by far the most impactful calls are the ones when someone trusts us enough to call and ask us to pray because they are really struggling. Out of anyone else they could have called, we were someone they considered a “safe friend” and that is a priceless honor. There also was that time a listener who worked for an olive company called and wanted to bring a box of black olive samples… it’s a close second.

CKG: Where do you see Christian music in the grand scheme of having a relationship with Jesus?

MM: Even as a teen ager I’ve always been powerfully impacted by music and amazed and how much of an influence it can have on a person. I know person what it’s like to have God use “the perfect song at the perfect time” in my own life to bring me hope and encouragement. I know I’m not alone. I see God use music each day in our listener’s lives to help them understand more of who He is the truth we need to know!

CKG: What has been the greatest challenge? Biggest reward?

CR: The biggest challenge has been seeing people reject God. There are so many people who do not know him and hearts are very hard (like mine had become). We have everything we need in the United States and people don’t feel like they need God. The level of deception is so great! There are so many people trapped in deception and addiction.

The biggest reward is those moments when people call the radio station and share how a song they heard…or something we said…or a moment they just had with God had just changed their whole day and for some…even their life. I’ve had opportunities to speak truth into people’s lives that I never would have had if it wasn’t for this job. To be used by God in a platform like this has been one of the greatest blessings in my life. I get to see God move in so many lives on a regular basis. I hope I never take it for granted.

CKG: Tell us about a time that God directly answered a prayer.

MM: The instant story that comes to my mind is our mutli-year adoption journey with our daughter Ruth. We spent years walking through the process and way too many crazy hoops to jump through to welcome Ruth into our family from her orphanage in Ghana. During that journey there were so many people who joined us to “Pray for Ruth” and so many times it looked like everything was going to fall apart. In the end God worked some miracles and allowed her to finally make it home!

CR: As an adult in my 20’s I rejected the Lord for a time…rebelling in anger to struggles I was facing at the time. As I sought comfort in things of this world, it took me to dark places that left me empty and trapped. I had become caught up in a web of addiction and I didn’t know how to get out. At the age of 28, I fell to my knees one morning…broken…finally at the end of myself. I surrendered my life once again to the Lord. I desperately pleaded with him to rescue me and through a daily surrender to Him, he came in, healed my heart, and showed me once again who He is and who I am. It was a process that took several years, but it changed my life forever.

CKG: What is the most practical thing that keeps you focused on God and His calling?

CR: Surrounding myself with people that are surrendered to the Lord is the key for me. Who you surround yourself with determines your future. This doesn’t mean I ignore the rest of the world. It means I need to have safe people in my life who will hold me accountable reminding me to live in a posture of daily surrender to the Lord. When I’m living in that place…I can experience God’s power in my life. Then I can go out and reflect Him to the rest of the world.

CKG: What is the Art of Neighboring?

MM: This fall we spent a month with our listening family to develop the art of neighboring… together learning a bit more of what it means to be a good neighbor. Each week we spent time practicing things like learning names, showing hospitality, giving words of affirmation, etc. It’s been so much fun learning to love our neighbors just like Jesus asks us too!

CKG: What has had the biggest impact on your relationship with Jesus?

MM: I think the biggest impact was realizing that the “Gospel if for Christians too”. For much of my life I only saw the good news of Jesus and His Kingdom as a decision to be made that would affect my eternal destiny. Over time I’ve come to realize that the Gospel is so much more and is a redemption I get to experience and share each day as I continue to grow in my relationship with Jesus.

CKG: What is the earliest memory of church that had an impact on your life?

CR: was 8 years old and sitting in church. The pastor started talking about Jesus and who He is in our lives. I had an unbelievable pull to walk up to the front and get saved. I stood up and squeezed past my parents and siblings and others who were sitting near me. I walked down the long aisle by myself… so determined….with nothing on my mind except to get to the pastor. I went right up to him and told him I wanted Jesus in my life. After that, I had such an overwhelming hunger for the Lord. As an 8 year old, all I wanted to do was learn about God and tell everyone I could about Him. The hunger for Him was intense. Even today when I feel myself getting weary through one of life’s trials, I will ask God to give me that same hunger again and He does. I hope I never lose the wonder of His mercy and grace.

CKG: What song has made the biggest impact on your life in the last 12 months and why?

MM: So many great songs have come out in the last year, but one of my favorites is a song called “All Together” by Mike Donehey. I love these lyrics:

“Maybe we don’t have to have it all together
What if grace made it safe to tell you the truth?
Maybe we can make a shelter for each other
Turnin’ lies into light and we’ll make it through
All together, all together
Love keeps our broken pieces all together”

CR: Lydia Laird – Her latest song…”Hallelujah Even Here”

The lyrics of this song…

Right now I feel a little overwhelmed
Right now I could really use some help
Right now I don’t feel like it is well with my soul
I’ve tried to find a way around the mess
I’ve prayed in faith that the night would end
Right here when I just can’t understand
I’ll lift my hands
Hallelujah, when the storm is relentless
Hallelujah, when the battle is endless
In the middle of the in between
In the middle of the questioning
Over every worry, every fear
Hallelujah, even here
Hallelujah, even here
Somehow I bow and my heart gets free
Too far, too hard becomes so easy
I find peace here in surrendering
In letting go
Hallelujah, when the storm is relentless
Hallelujah, when the battle is endless
In the middle of the in between
In the middle of the questioning
Over every worry, every fear
Hallelujah, even here
Hallelujah, even here, yeah, yeah
Sometimes nothing left to give
Ooh, becomes the sweetest offering
And sometimes choosing just to sing
Is the thing that changes everything
Hallelujah, when the storm is relentless
Hallelujah, when the battle is endless
In the middle of the in between
In the middle of the questioning
Over every worry, every fear
Hallelujah, even here
Hallelujah, even here

CR: Why has it made a big impact on me?

I’ve been going through some personal struggles this year and have felt overwhelmed as I’ve wrestled with understanding the purpose of these struggles. But this song is a comfort to me as it reminds me of the beauty of worship in the midst of the storm. Worship has the power to shift perspectives and re-center my focus on God which in return brings comfort and a peace that surpasses all understanding. Trials will always be a part of this life on earth and those trials will all work together and be used for God’s glory. This song just always reminds me of that and strengthens me to continue to trust God no matter what. This life is about doing what He has called me to do on this earth, which is to use the gifts He’s given me to reflect who He is… in hopes that others will come to know Him through that. We’re here for His glory… not our own. One of the greatest ways I could ever glorify and honor Him is to praise Him even in the midst of the storm. When people see that, they want to know more about the God I serve….the One True God.

So…. I’ll continue to say “Hallelujah Even Here.”

CKG: What is the most profound and life changing thing you have heard, whether it be advice or a sermon?

MM: I love the powerful simplicity of what Jesus said recorded in John 10 – “I have come that you might have life, and have life abundantly”

CKG: How can our readers get in touch with you?

MM: You can find us on FaceBook when you search “The KLRC Morning Show” or email us at morningshow@klrc.com.  We always love connecting with listeners!

CR: Christy@klrc.com