Young Life: WV

Sarah and I are truly graced by the steadfastness and heartfelt passion of our colleagues working in Young Life throughout this great state. We met yesterday with as many area directors and other W. Va. staff who could make it to a gathering to plan and pray in Holcomb, WV (yeah, I didn't know it existed either--in between Craigsville and Richwood) atop a serene mountain with a view men probably have literally killed for. (The current owner of the house we met in was a gracious host and a gentle elderly man who, I'm sure, merely paid for the view.)

To get completely jazzed and semi-updated on the mighty hand of God through Young Life in West Virginia, follow our state director Scott Berg @scottbergylwv (go easy on him, he's new to Twitter; plus he works more than he tweets, which is a good thing).

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.