Mike King

Rapping on Southwest

Vicki and I got on a Southwest flight back to KC today with David Holmes the rapping flight attendant.  I saw him on a national news show a couple of days ago and recognized him when I got on.  This version on YouTube doesn't include a lot of the new lyrics he has come up since he has become a celebrity.

San Diego

Vicki and I spent the weekend in San Diego.  The weather was chilly for San Diegans but awesome for us.  I had a wonderful time hanging out with YS friends Tic Long, Debbie Yost and Michelle Fockler.  I ran into Mark Riddle, who was speaking to Pastors about the importance of getting inside of their youth pastors thinking and world. We enjoyed a sunset at Beth and Joe Slevcove's home and loved seeing Allena and baby Akian, who welcomed me by marking me with warm baby urine as an act of love.  We had a fine dining experience at the Prada at Balboa Park with my friend and editor from InterVarsity Press, Dave Zimmerman.  Vicki and I read alot, ran, ate, played and had a stellar Valentine's Day weekend.  Ahhh, so good.

Three days in Rome

Ian had to return home early so I had three days alone in Rome before coming back to Kansas City.  I really needed this time.  I walked at least eight miles each of the three days and limited myself to 25 words per day.  I visited no less than ten different churches each day spending anywhere from five hours (St Peter’s Basilica) to 20 minutes per church.  I sat with a lot of beautiful art including Michelangelo (The Pieta in St. Peter’s Basilica is utterly transcendent), Bernini, Caravaggio (my favorite), plus many more prolific artist providing beauty as a portal into glimpses of eternity.  I bought a beautiful Italian Journal and started storyboarding my next book project and spent a lot of time reading, praying, eating pasta, taste-testing gelato, drinking Italian Red Wine and discovering some cool places that I hadn’t visited in my four previous trips to Rome.  It was all very good for my body and soul.

Santa Chiara

One of my favorite pictures from my trip to Italy is this one from the courtyard in front of the Santa Chiara Church in Assisi.  It is a peaceful picture taken after a gentle, cleansing rain at sunset and seems to capture the unique vibe of Assisi . 

Here are some more pictures from Assisi

Climbing Mt. Subiaso

A group of approximately two-dozen attendees from the conference, including Ian and me, climbed Mt. Subiaso to visit Eremo delle Carceri.  The Eremo delle Carceri is a Monastery located in the area where St. Francis and his brothers went to pray, stay and contemplate in the caves about 2½ miles from Assisi as the crow flies but it seemed like 10 miles.  I was not mentally prepared for the challenge of this rough, long and steep climb.  My calves started cramping and I knew no one would be excited about carrying me.  I was more than thrilled to make it to the Monastery.  The setting of the Monastery is perfect for prayer and contemplation surrounded by forested mountains rich with wild flowers and lush vegetation.  Many sacred spaces surrounding the monastery add to the mystery of this place.

To Assisi

I am on a train from Rome to Assisi with Ian Cron.  Ian and I will be attending a conference on the Enneagram.  We will also be in some meetings about future ministry projects.  I love returning to Assisi.  Vicki and I went on a pilgrimage here two years ago that had a profound impact on me.  In fact, I wrote extensively on my blog about our pilgrimage to Italy including the first couple of days in Assisi.  On my last day in Assisi I had quite a transformational experience that I didn’t feel like I could write about and that I’ve only shared with a handful of people.  My return to Assisi to attend this conference on the Enneagram is related to my experience in Assisi in 2006.  More later…

On the streets...

St. Patrick's Cathedral

I love the Cathedrals of New York.  A respite from all the surrounding madness...

Coney Island

We were told that Coney Island is a New Jersey thing to do... it must be true because I felt the urge to dance.

Riding the world famous Wonder Wheel

Latest view of Ground Zero