A Little About Me, For Real
GodWords Newsletter #100
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100 Newsletters!
What should I write for this one? I want to do something special. I’d like it to be epic, and memorable, and meaningful. I’ve been thinking about this one for a few weeks, wondering. I finally figured it out. I’ll write about me.
Writing about myself makes me very uncomfortable.
If writing about myself makes me uncomfortable, why would I do it? That’s a good question. I’m glad you asked.
Those who have met me in person know that I’m a confident man. An open book. I have no problem sharing stories of the weird things that happen to me, or the (many) mistakes I’ve made, or things I think are funny… and I think almost everything is funny. I talk too much. I’m an over-sharer. Subscribers who know me personally are probably rolling their eyes right now. 😁
If that’s true - and it really is - then why do my online friends feel like they know nothing about me? It’s simple: being online isn’t about me. That’s why. Most of what I do online is about you.
The first time I was online (in 1986), I learned you could chat about God with strangers around the world. That was AMAZING, and it only took 11 years for me to get started. In 1997 I went to the only website I knew (Yahoo), created an email address, and found the Religion message boards. As “GeneralHavok,” I gained a reputation for going toe-to-toe with rebels, infidels, and hardcore atheists. In spite of my aggressive approach, some people started asking me questions. Apparently they assumed I knew what I was doing.
After answering the same questions over and over, I created GodWords as a place to store my research. I’m not famous, but the website gets a fair amount of traffic. I do, after all, make websites for a living. Over the years, lots of people have written to ask who I am. They ask about my credentials, my education, my denomination. They complain that there’s nothing on GodWords about the guy who writes on GodWords. That’s kinda funny. Every page has a link to my personal Facebook account. Anyone can go there and look at some pictures, find my friends, and see firsthand that I’m a goofball. What more could they want?
But, I digress. This is Newsletter #100, and it seems fitting that I do the uncomfortable thing that so many have asked me to do: to let you in. To give you a peek behind the curtain. Here’s some personal info about me. If you don’t care, you can skip this part. I’m okay with that… this isn’t my cup of tea either.
I was born in Redondo Beach, California. Being very young at that time, there’s a lot I don’t remember. My parents told me it happened in 1967. Feel free to do the math. I have good memories of 10 years in the Los Angeles area. My father was king of the Scoutmasters, so I don’t remember not being involved in the Boy Scouts. I got my Totin' Chip at 5 years old. The summer I turned seven, I slung my backpack and hiked 20 miles into Death Valley in July… which seems particularly unwise now, as it was over 120° that day.
We moved to the Seattle suburb of Edmonds, Washington when I was 10. We had a boat, so we fished a lot. I played in the woods, played in the arcades, skipped a lot of school, and loved my youth group. Junior high was truly awful, as I was two years younger than my classmates. Being truly tiny but having a big, sarcastic mouth made things even harder… but high school was better, except for those two jaywalking tickets.
I went to a Christian college in southwest Idaho. I couldn’t think of anything I wanted to study, so I was a Broadcasting major. Being the youngest student at college that year, I was terrible student. I managed to make some lifelong friends, met and married my first and only girlfriend, and - for some reason - God called me to serve Him with my whole life.
This is getting long, so I’ll try to move it along. I’ve been happily married since 1989, have a sweet 25 year-old son, and love music. I’ve run two different websites to promote Christian music. I’m apparently ‘on the spectrum,’ which might explain why I’m more than a little peculiar. I’ve had around 100 different jobs. When I started teaching in public schools, some of the students were older than I was. No, I’m not joking. I’ve been a pastor, a teacher, and a copier repairman. I’ve peeled logs, mowed lawns, and bagged groceries. I’ve been a bus driver, and a courier, and worked on forest fires. For the past 20 years I’ve made websites from a little desk in my house, and for the past 28 years I’ve continued chatting about God with strangers from around the world.
Now that I’ve told you a little about myself, tell me something about you. Don’t be a stranger.
I love you all.
❤️
You, Me, and G3
I usually stay entirely out of the whole ‘big public discussion’ among other believers. I rarely comment on Christian leaders. In this case, I’m sharing Tim Challies’ article about Josh Buice… not to malign Josh, but to underscore several important points, the most important of which is to not let one person’s opinions keep you from embracing your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Are We Living in the Last Days?
These days are an awful lot like the days we saw ten years ago, and ten years before that, and before that… and so on. Certain people are always convinced that we’ve suddenly entered into “the last days,” and they appear unaware of what the Bible says.
Got Trouble?
I’ve never thought of the book of Job as a kind of rap battle… but, then again, I’m not as creative as Brandon is. Here he distills some simple but important lessons from what is probably the oldest book in the Bible.
GodWords: Why I Became - and Remain - a Christian
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
- Proverbs 4:7
Radio Ghost Town: NEWWORLDSON
This isn’t my favorite song ever (who can choose?), but it’s one of the songs I put on repeat more than the rest. It’s fun to sing along. I love the lyrics and the feel. It brings to mind the safe destination in almost every post-apocalyptic story, like the Matrix or even Logan.
Lyrics and links at Awesome Christian Music.
This is Radio Ghost Town
Salvation plan in stereo sound
It's a rebel transmission
Can anybody hear me now?
Clever zombies
Hiding out in the open for all eyes to see
The resistance
Took a hit when our leader was nailed to a tree
But they couldn't kill Him
So they're trying to tell us we're already free
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