Phil Kidd was born in 1959 in Mississippi. He was the youngest of 5 children.
When he was 2 years old, his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio. They eventually bought a house next door to a bar. This is where he would grow up. His father was a drinking man, and being around booze was nothing new to him.
His first job was setting up bowling pins in a bar. When the bar closed at 2 am, Phil would go back to the alley and drink the beer that was left in the bottles. By the age of 10, he was drunk every weekend.
At 12, he got another job at another bar making pizzas. Because of his job and his money, he was given a "free" sample of marajuana. This began his drug addiction and put on him on the path of total destruction.
To afford his drug addiction, Phil started to sell drugs.
The only good influences in his life were his Uncle and Aunt, Buford and Florene. They were Christians, but every time they came around Phil ducked out. His father warned him to stay away from religion because it would make him crazy.
At 14, he had broken into a meat packing plant. As he was crawling out the window, he caught the gleam of something and pushed back inside. A flash appeared and a gun shot rang out. He had just missed being shot in the head by a police man. He was arrested and put on probation.
In 1973, he had a $3,000 debt that he couldn't pay. There were multiple attempts on his life around his town and even in his own backyard. One day, at a party, he was drugged, beaten, and left for dead on the railroad tracks. Some neighborhood kids, one was his nephew, found him and moved him before the train came along. They took him home. His Uncle Buford and Aunt Florene were visiting. He didn't know they were there, because he woke up later in the hospital.
Uncle Buford and Aunt Florene made a promise that they would pray for Phil morning and night. Phil didn't find out about this until years later.
Another attempt was made on his life that ended up killing a little girl in their neighborhood. In retaliation, Phil and his friends set the man's house on fire that had pulled the trigger. It left this man and his wife in the hospital with serious burns, and Phil facing two attempted murder charges.
The case was dropped when the police found out that this was the man who murdered the little girl. Instead, the man was arrested, and Phil's case was thrown out.
Phil was selling drugs at his school. He gave a guy some drugs for a party. Later, he found out that the boy had overdosed on those drugs. The boy left a letter that was read at his funeral, "life is a dead end street, and no one has the answers".
When he was 16, he was ready to give up. He got the gun that his father had given him for protection and put it to his head. Before he could pull the trigger, the phone rang. It was his Aunt Florene inviting him to church.
He had never been to church before. He went in and found some of the oddest things he had ever seen! People singing and shouting. Then, an old man named Fred Garland got up and told people they were going to hell. Phil was dumbfounded when people put money in a plate to pay the man for this! He told his aunt that they were crazy, but he went back the next day.
The little, old man got up again and preached on hell. Phil knew he was a sinner. He had no hope. But this old man said there was hope even for him. Phil found himself on his knees accepting Christ as his Savior. On November 22, 1975, Phil found forgiveness and a new life that only Christ could give.
His uncle gave him his first Bible. He practically flew home, burst open his dad's bedroom door, and jumped on the bed holding the Bible. He told his father that he had gotten saved. Then he told his dad that he loved him.
On Sunday, Phil went to church and asked the pastor to mark down some verses about salvation for him. The pastor gave him a small, green Bible that would be easy for him to carry with him.
The next Monday, he brought his Bible to school instead of drugs. He got all the guys together that usually bought drugs from him. "I've got something new for you guys!", began Phil, and he told them the gospel.
In 1978, Phil was called to preached. He went to Bible college. He led a woman named Leslie to the Lord. His first convert turned out to be the woman he would marry.
They have 4 children together and travel all over the United States preached the hope that he found so long ago.
For 36 years, this man has told anyone willing to listen about the Savior that could save a sinner and change his life. Phil stands for the truth and looks to give hope to those whom the world has chosen to ignore. He is currently the pastor at Emmaus Baptist Chruch in Tennessee. Click here to visit his website.
Many of his sermons can be heard on youtube.
