Bernd

Bernd Nullmeyer is my good friend from Germany. We met last summer when he came to visit his friend Heiko who was studying here at WVU in Morgantown (who has graduated as far as I know!). Bernd stayed for almost 3 months and really enjoyed our community at h2o; he even considered staying here if possible! He went back to his hometown of Bremen, Germany, however, and though I and others missed him a lot, he feels confident that God has him there for a reason, and so do I.

He loves Morgantown, WV, USA enough though to have come back twice for a few weeks each time! He came in November and is here again now for his third visit. He is really one of the most joyful people I've met, and it is truly inspiring being around him. Plus he's a GREAT guitar player and, being a lover of music myself, we've had many impromptu jams (and a few planned ones as well, which resulted in the collaboration Of Things to Come).

Bernd has been teaching me a lot about the power of God in the life of the believer each time he visits, and he's got some amazing stories of a 'revival' of sorts in Germany that has seen the true Kingdom of God advanced in the hearts of many. He talks about how they not only 'share their faith' with others, but that they 'impart life' TO others. It's made me think a lot about what the Christian faith is all about. It's not just about gathering knowledge from the Bible. It's about USING that knowledge to truly LIVE, the kind of lives God meant for us. The Kingdom of God should be so present in our lives that people sense, in their spirit, the deepest part of them, that we have something they can't help but desire, something they somehow know they've been waiting for all their lives.

I hope to continue learning from Bernd, but also to continue using what God has already given me, the God who has 'blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ' (Ephesians 1:3).

bob the dog

This is Bob the Dog, the awesome companion of my brother Christopher and his wife Alice in Knoxville, TN.

This picture was taken at my brother Duncan and my wife Sarah's joint birthday party, which we were so glad that Christopher and Alice and their dogs (the other one's Ellie, I think that's the right spelling) could attend.

Bob is an amazingly human dog, as I think this photo captures. I had one of his toys in my hand to get him to look at the camera, but his masters were off to my right giving him instructions as well. As you can see, he was torn as far as which way to direct his attention. He's hilarious.

Anyway, I hope my brother and his wife eventually live closer to us, and this dog is as much a part of that longing as they are (just kidding - sort of).

old (not necessarily in age) friends

My mom (in the middle) recently turned the big 5-0, and her loving and scheming husband Drew planned her a great surprise party (as he did on her 40th) which included many old friends coming, unbeknownst to her, to celebrate.

The two you see here with her are quite amazing people, both in my mom's life and in mine. The lady is Linda Roberts, and she was my first crush. I was just a little blond-haired (not curly, interestingly) boy, and Linda was on staff at First Baptist church in Elkins, WV. I was so enthralled with her that I used to just walk into her office and stare at her from in front of her desk. She remembers that my eyes just barely could be seen over the edge. She has been a close friend of the family all these years and every time we get to see her I love that her twinkly-eyed smile has remained the same.

The gentleman is Cyril Johnston, the pastor who baptized me. In fact, both he and Linda were on staff with mom (she was the youth director) at First Baptist when we Kings were kids. Cyril was born in Ireland and moved to the U.S. when he was 12. He became a preacher but I always wonder why he didn't become a professional singer (actually, he does have a few recordings that are great!) because he sings in probably the most soulful and heartfelt manner that I know. He bellows out old hymns, and every time I hear him sing it takes me instantly back to those days that are on the edge of my earliest memories.

Anyway, I guess this picture represents somewhat of a First Baptist staff reunion. It also represents some of the most influential people in my young, formative years.

APRIL 2007 PRAYER LETTER

Hello! Here's my current prayer letter for supporters of the ministry here in Morgantown. Just click on each picture to read it (it's 2 pages)!

Tech Tragedy

The worst shooting in modern U.S. history is what they're calling it.

I know there are probably millions of bloggers covering this story with more insight and information than I have, and I don't want to necessarily clog up the Internet bandwith with more of the same. But I felt I needed to say something.

I got to know several Tech students last summer at a Leadership Training program in Wilmington, NC. Since then I've kept in touch with several through Facebook and e-mail. They are the coolest, funnest group of people you could ever wish to meet. The first thing I thought when I heard about the shootings is, 'I hope it's not one of them.' So far none of their names have appeared on any lists that I've seen, but I'm sure that among them, they knew someone who was killed, and what has happened there will have repercussions on their lives for years to come.

The question that always rises to the top when something like this happens, when people are left speechless and can barely utter the single word, is "Why?" There will be much research done into that South Korean English major's life; authorities will try to paint a picture for the public that offers some kind of reasoning, something that we can wrap our heads around if not fully understand. They will cite social factors, upbringing, cultural differences, and personality disorders. They will try to put together a composite that will explain in some way why he deviated from the 'norm.'

This makes me ask: What is the norm? What's normal? I guess, at the least, you could say it's normal NOT to kill 32 people for little apparent reason. It's normal to let others go on living, even if you have personal problems. But aren't personal problems normal as well? Don't people say encouraging things to people going through troubles, things like: 'Don't worry; EVERYBODY feels this way at some point in their lives'? But those people USUALLY struggle through and DON'T bring a gun to a dorm and class building and start shooting students and teachers. Those people, hopefully, go on to make better choices and surround themselves with others making better choices. They stay accountable to trusted friends.

But there are several things becoming 'normal' in this country that I believe are just as alarming as what happened at Virginia Tech. Things like abortion. There are thousands of babies killed every year. And yet there are groups out there fighting, really fighting, to make sure women will always have that choice. There are car wrecks that claim astounding numbers of lives every month, either as a result of some sleep-deprived worker or from somebody who somehow missed the whole Designated Driver campaign of the 1980s. And yet any corner you turn in a college town on a 'weekend' night (which includes the evening of any day except Sunday, Monday and Tuesday) you find people advocating, if not by words but by actions, the complete and total freedom and RIGHT even of ANY adult (not necessarily of the age of 21) to drink as much alcohol as they like and to just clean up the mess later, not considering the consequences that mess may have. It seems to me that it's becoming normal to encourage a person to live however they want, to live for the benefit of themselves, to make whatever choices give them the most pleasure.

There are patterns of 'normalcy' arising that have to do with abuses of freedom in this country. Yes, I believe in the freedom that many people have fought and died for, the freedom that we enjoy today. I don't want anyone to be forced to do anything. But I desperately want to encourage people to do things that promote life instead of death. And I want people to understand that there are concrete connections between the choices each of us make everyday and how much life is promoted in this world.

Maybe that South Korean student tried to make a friend his freshman year and that person decided not to befriend. Maybe he tried to join a community of some kind and was rejected for whatever reason. I'm not blaming that person or community for what happened. But I'm trying to help us see that, if we're all willing to give a little time, as we look around at the people we pass everyday, we can have a positive influence on somebody's life. Maybe you or I can be the reason somebody in the future decides to not buy that gun, to not let that anger build up with no outlet, to not go on living as a loner even though it might be easier to.

In this country it is NOT 'normal' to be friendly to strangers. It is NOT normal to live your life for the benefit of others. Let's deviate from the norm together.

new post?

Wow. I'm sorry! Haven't posted in so long.

I tell ya, I'm looking forward to the month of April. Summer will be just around the corner, so there will be an air of anticipation. The Passion Play, which is wonderfully rewarding but very time-consuming and draining, emotionally and physically, will have been performed for the last time. (By the way, go see this play at Chestnut Ridge Church Auditorium this week! We did our firist performance tonight, and there are three more, all at 7:00 PM, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Check our the Passion website for more info: seethepassion.org)
Anyway, in April I hope to post more and get in the habit again of taking a moment to collect my thoughts and write them down.

hearts & minds books

I wanted to let people know about a great and passionate person, Byron Borger, and the object and outlet for his greatness and passion: his bookstore, Hearts & Minds.

I got to see this guy at a conference recently (Jubilee) and loves helping Christians be 'academically faithful' as they walk with God. He wants to get books into the hands of people (especially college students) that 'enlarge the heart and stimulate the mind.' He was very animated as he eloquently spoke about each book he had the chance to spotlight, and he really encouraged me personally to be better disciplined about reading good books.

I added a link under MUSIC, LIT. & THE ARTS called 'hearts & minds booknotes.' Check out his blog, it's got reviews of all kinds of books. Careful though; he'll make you want to spend all your money!

on a superman kick...

I post this picture in tribute to my friend Ryan Brown, whose blog I have linked to the right. 'Look, up in the sky!...'