Kristi Leigh

I am so excited to say that my husband, Sam, and I are expecting our first baby: it’s a boy!  Our hearts are overjoyed!  This is an answer to prayer we’ve been eager to see for quite some time.  Since getting married 7 years ago, we’ve both been diagnosed with cancer–and then treated and declared healthy again.  We’ve experienced God’s faithfulness, provision and encouragement in tough times; and that’s something I really try to pass along to you through the songs we air and the playlists I put together for the Praise & Worship Show.  I know you may be tuning in for a song of hope to help you turn to Jesus in your tough times.

With our little one due in a matter of weeks, I’m getting ready for the transition from full time DJ to full time mom.  I’ll hand the Afternoon Drive over to Eddie Daniels, who hosted the air shift at WJTL years ago.  (Remember “Out Of The Box” and the contest sounder featuring the “screaming little man”?  That’s the guy!)  You’ll be in good hands as you drive home from work or school–and he’ll provide great music and info for those of you who love listening while getting dinner ready.

My last day on the Afternoon Drive will be Friday, January 16th.  I’m glad to say that I will continue to join you Sunday mornings on the Praise & Worship Show!  (For the sake of sleep and sanity, I’ll play a few repeats of playlists you’ve loved during the weeks around the baby’s birth.)  And I also hope to see you at events in the community and at the Junction Center in the future.

I’m so grateful for WJTL and the whole family of listeners.  The station has made a big impact on my life from the time I started listening in my youth.  It’s been a privilege to be a part of this radio ministry and to experience your encouragement and support.  Thank you!  I’ll make sure you get to see a picture of the baby when he’s born.  Please do keep in touch.

Kristi Leigh – WJTL DJ

Kristi@WJTL.com

This week I took a field trip!  I visited the Pathways Out Of Poverty exhibit at HOPE International‘s headquarters in Lancaster.  Pathways out of Poverty is an interactive experience that invites visitors to remember the needy by walking alongside them for a moving journey from poverty to hope.

I’ve heard about the lives changed by HOPE and what they do over the years; but now I feel like I’ve seen it for myself.  I didn’t physically leave the country; but the 30 minute exhibit sure makes it feel that way!  I was given an .mp3 player and headphones and started at the front door of a typical home here in Lancaster County.  Next, the exhibit took me to the huts and hospital rooms of people facing big challenges all over the world.  There are 8 different real-life stories featured.  I saw their faces, peeked into their homes and heard their very own voices describe what they were up against.  If that’s where it ended, it’d be one big bummer–but thankfully the exhibit also shows the difference that HOPE International helped them make in their lives.  It was powerful and something I’ll remember for a long time.  I want to encourage you to visit!  Click here for info at HOPE’s website and to book a time to visit.

My very first radio “experience” was back in the early 90’s on “Dawson McAllister Live”.  I was in Jr. High at the time and loved listening to WJTL for hours and hours a day.  Dawson’s show aired live Sunday nights; and I listened in while doing last-minute homework assignments.  I really connected with the callers and how Dawson helped them through crisis situations.  So, I wrote in to be a prayer partner.  One day, I got a phone call from a nice lady saying that Dawson wanted to interview me on the show.  What a shock, what a privilege!  The lady set it all up.  That Sunday, I cleared everybody out of the kitchen and did a few tests to make sure the phone rang like it should.  I sat on a stool and stared at the phone, waiting for the big moment…  After what felt like about a zillion years, the phone rang and someone explained what would happen.  I still remember hearing Dawson introduce me on his show as “Kristi From Pennsylvania”.  I was pretty nervous and remember saying mostly “yes” and “uh-huh” to his questions about what it meant to me to be one of his prayer partners.  It. was. awesome!

Fast forward about 20 years and now the tables will turn!  I’ll be interviewing Dawson this Thursday about an event he’s coming to town to host.  It’s still all cenetered around passion for youth, and I’m thrilled that we’ll get to chat again!  I plan to say more than “yes” and “uh-huh” this time.  ;]

I hope you you’ll tune in and hear it live this Thursday around 2:30 p.m.  Below, you’ll find the details on his upcoming event.

Kristi Leigh – WJTL DJ

Kristi@WJTL.com

Dawson McAllister will be in the area soon to host an evening dedicated to praying for America’s youth. Everyone from teenagers to grandparents is encouraged to attend.

“Prayer For A Generation”

Tuesday, March 11, 2014 at 7pm

Hershey Free Church

330 Hilltop Road

Hummelstown, PA 17036

Click here for more details.

KRISTI LEIGH — Good morning!  It’s beautiful to know that so many of you are singing songs of praise to God throughout our region this morning!  The playlist is below.  Please let me know if you have song questions or if you’d like me to add you to the Playlist Email Group.

Kristi Leigh – WJTL DJ
Kristi@WJTL.com

KRISTI LEIGH — One of my favorite memories of Creation 2012 was the trek up to the Lookout with Hyland!  We went with Creation Press and all-around-cool-girl Angee, Hyland frontman Jon Lewis and Hyland drummer Steve Weigel.  Since we were crunched on time, a golf cart was the vehicle of choice.  People don’t usually drive golf carts up small mountains, but…we went for it!  WJTL video pro, Ben Sauder, and I took a bunch of our video gear along and ended up walking the steep parts of the hike to make sure everybody–and everyTHING–made it up safely.  It was a dusty and hilarious journey, but we made it!  We ended up filming Jon Lewis playing his guitar at the Lookout and singing “Beauty In The Broken” with a bird’s eye view of the festival as the backdrop.  It was awesome!  And no green screens were used in the making of this video!

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Tooth & Nail Records just released Hyland’s official lyric video for the song.  Check it out to hear the studio version of the song!

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Want to know more behind the music?  Here’s Jon Lewis with the story behind the song.

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Kristi Leigh – WJTL DJ

Kristi@WJTL.com

KRISTI LEIGH — We’ve been playing Rend Collective Experiment‘s new song “Second Chance” lately on WJTL.  This Irish group, now narrowed down to 5, is super creative with their music–especially when it comes to their music videos!  Check out these 3 examples below and you’ll see exactly what I’m sayin’!

Kristi Leigh – WJTL DJ

Kristi@WJTL.com

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KRISTI LEIGH — WJTL video pro, Ben Sauder, and I had a really great time at Creation 2012!  The WJTL trailer was bustling with artists and bands, giving some of our favorite interviews to date!  Check out the WJTL Casts page for all the audio interviews, and keep checking our Videos tab, as Ben is cranking out more and more videos from the experience.   (Be sure to look for Newsboys, Chris August, Kevin Young from Disciple and MANY more!)

Some of my personal highlights are already in video form!

Kutless was our very first interview of the festival this year.  They usually bring the whole band; so, I was surprised that guitarist James Mead was absent when the guys first walked in.  It turns out that he was delayed due to a visit to the hot dog stand that was located just outside our trailer.  He came in just as we were getting started and explained his tardiness with such kindness:

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David Crowder is a delight to talk with if you’re a fan of random and creative conversation.  And I am!  So, I loved this moment:

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Tenth Avenue North came into the WJTL trailer and frontman Mike Donehey grabbed a mic and lead the guys in a soccer cheer.  It was as robust as it was random!  …and it’s STILL stuck in my head!

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And finally, the acoustic “music videos”.  It’s our goal every year to do one…and so far, it’s been tough to coordinate artist schedules, quiet stage times, weather, etc.  This year…we got THREE!

Hyland made the trek to the Lookout with us…in a golf cart!  Ben and I had to walk the steep parts with all our camera and audio gear, but it was so worth it!  (And as the always-punny John Shirk pointed out, it was perfect that we were with Hyland on the top of a mountain….get it?  High-land!)  Hyland frontman Jon Lewis sang an acoustic version of their new song “Beauty In The Broken” with a super cool background of the festival.

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Shonlock came to the WJTL trailer for his interview, saw the video cameras and asked us if he could bring his band, “Monsta”, in to do an acoustic version of “Hello”.  I was delighted to oblige.  It turned out so friendly…and so resourceful!  Check out the percussionist playing our trailer wall and using the chain on the door window!

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Evelia is a local-ish band (from the Philly-ish area of New Jersey) of siblings from the Williams family, who are no strangers to the Creation Festival.  They’ve been helping with it for years!  This year, they played the main stage and worship tent…and agreed to hike up to a fallen tree in one of the Woods meeting areas to film this acoustic version of their song “Too Much”.

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How about your Creation 2012 highlights?  Did you go to the festival?  Or did you listen to our coverage from home?  What were your favorite parts?

Kristi Leigh – WJTL DJ

Kristi@WJTL.com

KRISTI LEIGH — Every weekday at 5:20 p.m., we air the “Upwords” program with Max Lucado.  I love listening to it!  Did you happen to catch what he said today?  He was on a roll!  Here were my 3 favorite thoughts he shared along the lines of doing what you’re passionate about:

1. “Jesus comes to set you on fire. He walks as a torch from heart to heart, warming the cold and thawing the chilled and stirring the ashes.”

2. “The fire of your heart is the light of your path. Disregard it at your own expense.”

3. “To meet the Savior is to be set aflame, to discover the flame is to discover His will, to discover His will is to access a world like none you’ve ever seen.”

WOW.  Thanks, Max!  I needed that!

Here’s a link to today’s program on Max Lucado’s website.

Kristi Leigh

Kristi@WJTL.com

KRISTI LEIGH–You may have heard Tenth Avenue North‘s new Christmas song “Deck The Halls” on WJTL lately.  And you may have seen their music video.  (I blogged about it back in November.  Click here to see it!)  But now, it’s time to go behind-the-scenes to see how their video was made!

Enjoy,

Kristi Leigh

Kristi@WJTL.com

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WJTL’s Kristi Leigh talks with Chad and Jerome from Switchfoot about touring, songwriting, potato chips (or crisps), and playing a show in Eastern Europe organized by nuns from a local church.