MINISTRY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2009

Here's my ministry update for the start of our fall 2009 season! It's to keep supporters of the ministry filled in, but YOU TOO can partake in feasting your eyes upon the words contained herein. (Just click the picture to view it larger.)

THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT LONELINESS

[I've written several articles for the front page of my church's bulletin, called Around the Ridge, over the last couple years and I thought I'd start sharing some of them on this here blog. I guess they could be considered mini-devotions in a way; around 200 words given on the topic we were discussing during the church service that week. Anyway, it's stuff I've written and I figured why not juice up my blog when the only work I have to do is copy & paste?]

"The Good News About Loneliness"
Around the Ridge article, Jan. 17-18, 2009

Are you burdened with sadness? Do you ever feel isolated, cut off? Have you sometimes wondered if anyone would notice if you weren't around? Loneliness is one of the most prolific emotions of the human experience; we've all felt its sting. Mother Teresa of Calcutta said truly, "The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved."

The greatest comfort in this, the "good news" about loneliness is that, first of all, God cares about lonely people! Psalm 34:18 says, "The LORD is close to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit." And secondly, God has provided other people to help us bear our troubles. Galatians 6:2 says, "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."

God's solutions are so often counter-intuitive. "Lose your life to find it." "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." They don't always seem to make sense. Your own burdens don't disappear when you're helping carry someone else's, but somehow, mysteriously, they seem lighter when you turn your attention to another person. And the same thing happens for someone else when they're caring for you.

Today we are exploring the "others" part of CRC's mission statement: "To lead people in a growing relationship with God and others." There are plenty of opportunities for you to "get connected" and start sharing the load of your burdens' and others.

new use for a bike

Haven't blogged in a while, mostly 'cause this is the busiest season of my ministry work! But Louie Giglio tweeted this video and I thought it was pretty amazing.

The Reason for God

I'm just starting to read this book with a friend. I've grown to associate the name 'Tim Keller' with very sound, very reasonable, and very deep teaching about Jesus and God. My brother, Christopher, introduced me to this urban pastor's audio sermons (he teaches at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, 'one of Manhattan's most vital congregations' according to Christianity Today and #1 of 'America's Top Multiplying Churches' - over 100 plants in the last 10 years!) a couple years ago and I've found them to be oh-so-inspiring.

So when I heard that he wrote a book that addresses these questions--Why does God allow suffering in the world? How could a loving God send people to Hell? How can there only be one true religion?--I was extremely interested. The back of the book says that the issues covered are 'frequent doubts that skeptics, and even ardent believers, have about religion,' and that's true. I don't know how many conversations I have had about these things, particularly among Christians.

Like I said, I'm just now starting it, but I'll let you know along the way what's impacting me. Tim Keller is a very academic man, yet he is very concerned about relating what he's saying to the situation of his listeners, so he breaks down quite complex matters into palatable pieces. Also, he's quite good at referencing other thinkers and writers, and I see that the back of his book is filled with notes for each chapter. So I've got two bookmarks - one for where I am in the text, and one for where I am in the notes.

I bring this up because I think it speaks to an important attribute of Tim Keller and an important aspect of learning - it is an ever-continuing conversation. Tim Keller isn't addressing these issues in a vacuum, and neither should we. He's drawing from the good research of others as well as the authority of the Bible, and I hope we can follow his lead when sorting all the harder (and easier, and all the in-between) issues of life.

my Top 4 favorite YouTube vids!

We are a YouTube generation.

I was chatting with my friend Jimmy Shreeves the other day and, as is inevitable in erratic conversations about nothing and anything, we shared some descriptions of the YouTube videos that most entertain us. I was cracking myself up as I described them, and I realized that EVERYONE within my small sphere of influence MUST be given the joy of watching them.

Now, I don't want this blog to just become a place where silly videos replace all words of contemplation or (hopefully) insight, but man, sometimes there are just no words. People in this world are crazy and entertaining. So here, in no particular order, are the four YouTube videos I find myself inexplicably watching over and over:

HUMAN TETRIS IS BACK
(their reaction at 3:03 is awesome)


DAVID AFTER DENTIST

KID ON A ROLLERCOASTER


KITTENS INSPIRED BY KITTENS

this may never be duplicated

I just found this and thought it was too amazing not to share. It seems to me that there's a good probability that in the history of the world, this feat might not ever be accomplished again. (Nothing but the basketball touches the ground during the handspring - indredible!)

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

MINISTRY UPDATE JUNE 2009

Here's my ministry update for this month! It's for supporters of the ministry here in Morgantown but anyone can read it. Just click on the picture below and voilà, you can see it large!

HOW IT ENDS

*NOTE: My promised reflections on my recent trip to Haiti are coming forthrightly in my newest ministry update, to be posted presently on this here blog...

I am not a political activist in the least sense of the phrase. In fact, I wish most 'political' issues didn't have to BE so 'political' at all. The government exists for the people, to protect their unalienable rights (life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness), and thus only circumstances that threaten these things cause me to seek the help of those who represent me in the halls of power.

There is an international crisis in eastern Africa (indeed, it is greatly affecting at least four countries and IS Africa's longest-running conflict at 23 years and counting) that hardly anyone seems to know or care about except one of my favorite non-profits, Invisible Children, and the people they've inspired with their films over the last six years. A terrorist regime called the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) lurks in the jungle, primarily operating in northern Uganda but in recent months and years moving into southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The LRA is led by a man Senator Feingold has called a 'megalomaniac,' Joseph Kony, and indeed he is a sociopath (he is wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity by the amazing, recently formed tribunal International Criminal Court). For over 20 years he has abducted children in northern Uganda to feed the ranks of his army which has no purpose and no end. These children are forced to kill and do terrible things until they know nothing but bloodshed for their entire lives. Murder, mutilation, abduction, rape, and psychological control follow this madman Kony wherever he slinks. This IS the world's most neglected humanitarian crisis, and it must be stopped.

I mentioned that I'm not political. However, that doesn't mean I'm not democratic. I'm proud to live in a country where the people have the power and they direct the actions of those to whom they've given power, namely, our congressmen and executive administration. Did you realize that if you're a U.S. citizen, these men and women, including the President of the United States, work for you? This isn't merely wishful thinking; this is reality. I was reminded of this incredible fact recently upon my venture to Washington, D.C. for the LARGEST lobby day for ANY African issue EVER, the event Invisible Children co-sponsored called How It Ends. On June 23rd, nearly 2000 young people from almost every state met with 90 Senators and hundreds of Representatives, asking them to support the 'LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Plan' bill, currently on the floor in the Senate and the House. This bill is the most important act thus far in bringing Kony's war on children and civilians to an end.

Turns out it's not that hard to set up a meeting with the office of a congressman. Turns out it's THEIR JOB. I want to encourage any reader to visit invisiblechildren.com, subscribe to their iTunes video podcast, become inspired, and write a letter to your congressmen asking them to co-sponsor the aforementioned bill. It's time for these atrocities to end and for the people of eastern Africa (espeically northern Uganda) to live free from fear.

Haiti

I don't even have time yet to get into all that occurred during my recent trip to Ft. Liberté, Haiti (because I'm about to leave with the fam for vacation), but I assure you, I will write on it.

Let me just say for the time being that every American needs to leave America at some point in his or her life. They need to see other people's situations, other country's conditions. Not just poor ones (like Haiti), though that's important too. There are things that the mind simply can't conceive until the eyes perceive them.

I'll have plenty of pictures coming soon to my Facebook page as well...

Dragonfly

Sarah loves sushi.

I can't remember exactly when this obsession overtook her, but it's definitely been heightened by my brother Christopher and his wife Alice's love for those little raw fish morsels. The last couple times we've visited them in Knoxville, they've taken us to Nama (both the original downtown bungalow and the new location in Bearden, lovingly called by locals Nama #2), a very hipster sushi place that even brought me around with its intimate and charming decor, friendly and knowledgable staff, and sushi tempura (lightly breaded) for this hesitant beginner.

SO, lo and behold, my own home of Morgantown, WV, with its freshness-due-to-presence-of-the-university and its small-but-decently-cultured-downtown-experience has recently added a sushi bar to the mix. It's called Dragonfly. So far I know of one other restaurant in Morgantown dedicated to sushi (called Ogawa) but it's on the other side of town. And there are two Hibachi-style Japanese restaurants that have their own sushi bars, but they are likewise spread out in the suburban sprawl. The arrival of one in the downtown business district is therefore quite exciting; even though I'm not the lover of sushi my wife or brother and his wife are, I can certainly understand the significance such pure, high-grade food has for the cultural pulse of an area. It's a step-up for Morgantown. And let me tell you, this place is NICE, far and away outstripping the atmosphere of its contemporaries.

Sarah and I have walked by it many times, peering in and waiting for any sign of opening. The last time we were window-shopping, I snapped some photos on my phone:

The first shot hopefully gives you some idea of the size of this space; it's huge. It's in an almost warehouse-sized old brick building on Chestnut Street, which runs parallel to High Street (the 'main street' of Morgantown and where are beloved so.zo coffeehouse is located). High St. is one-way down the hill (south roughly) and Chestnut Street one-way the opposite direction. It's good to see some development on the peripheral streets to High St.

In the second shot you can see some of the different levels they used to divide the large room, as well as some of the subtle Japanese-esque finish work on the top of the columns and with the wall lights.

It's finally open! We're going tomorrow night for a belated birthday dinner for Sarah (though her big day was almost two weeks ago, she's patiently waited with building anticipation for Dragonfly to open its doors). Luckily it's a full bar & grill as well, so I may be sampling some of Sarah's sushi in between bites of my own juicy steak. We'll let you know how it goes!

MINISTRY UPDATE MARCH.2009

Here's my ministry update letter for supporters of the work I do (and for anyone else in the world who might like to read it). Just click the first picture, read it, hit 'back' on your browser, and click the second picture!

Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day (which is one my favorite comedies - I'll blog more one day on the type of comedies that always catch my fancy) and its namesake (February 2nd) will always hold some bittersweetness for me. Groundhog Day 1989 is the day my dad (John Dillard King III) died of cancer (I was 7), and in some ways my siblings and my mom are forced to relive that day each year not unlike Bill Murray's character was forced to relive his own Groundhog Day over and over in the movie. I know that Christopher, my older brother, in particular feels the effect of the day strongly. It reminds me of Frodo in the Lord of the Rings, because there was a long period of his life after his adventures where he would become sick on the anniversary of being stabbed by the ring-wraith on Weathertop, and also on the anniversary of being stung by the huge spider in Mordor.

20 years' distance does help a bit, to be sure. It doesn't feel anything now like it did in the days and months after it happened. But 20 years! Wow. Very hard to believe that nearly 3 times as many years have passed as how many I'd lived around my dad. People often wonder if I can remember him very well, but I always explain that in my child's mind at age 7, a world with Dad was the only one I'd ever known, so all I have to do is remember what it was like to be a kid, and with all those memories come a lot filled with him. Sometimes the things I remember remind me of myself now that I'm an adult (of course he was a much older adult than I am - he was 53 when I was born!), particularly in areas of humor. He was good at waiting for the joke, just like me. Good comedy takes a lot of patience (reference Andy Kaufman for an example of what I mean), especially when you're using the contrast of inaction and action (like the basic fun thing to do with kids of acting like you don't know they are there, like you're reading or something, knowing the kid is locked on you with a huge smile, and then when they get close, making a loud noise and quickly reaching out to grab them). And then occasionally I'll catch a memory of my dad calling for me to come to dinner or something (I was always slow - still quite am) because all of a sudden I'll hear his voice in mine when I'm saying something to Sarah across the house.

I have to admit though that all my personal knowledge of Dad is from a child's perspective, and though I've heard a lot about the adult side of his life, it's different from actually knowing him as an adult myself. I sure would like to have a conversation with him now, just to see how our personalities would get along. I'm sure he was even more interesting and quirky than I realize (as all people are once you get to know them), and I would have loved to see our relationship play out as I got older.

I'm glad to know above all that he trusted Christ. And I trust God through all the circumstances of my life, even my dad's death. When he died, I was, as a 7-year-old, confronted with the idea of 'eternity' and I began my own journey of trusting Christ. If He could keep my dad safe in Heaven, He could do the same for me. The words of Ecclesiastes 3:10-11 have become particularly poignant since that time.