Mike King

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

Dining in Little Italy

Trinity in Greenwich, CT

A little over a year ago Sean Witty, Associate Pastor of Trinity Church in Greenwich, CT started interacting with me online over youth ministry and issues in my book Presence Centered Youth Ministry.  Sean is a very bright young man and critical thinker.  We found out that we were going to be at the 2007 Pastors Conference in San Diego so we scheduled a meal together with some of the other Trinity staff.  Ian Cron is the Founder/Pastor of Trinity and the author of Chasing Francis (Navpress).  Go back to the last sentence - click on Chasing Francis and order the book if you don't already have it.  This is a really excellent book.  You won't be able to put it down.  Anyway, Ian came and spoke at The Altar last September and we have become good friends.  When I finished my time at APC, Tim Mackenzie, Associate for Student Ministry, graciously picked me up at Small World in Princeton and drove me to Greenwich, CT.  We picked up Sean and Lynn, his wife, at JFK (returning from the Pastors Conference in San Diego).   Friday night I had a wonderful time hanging out with Ian, Anne and their three awesome kids Cailey, Maddie and Aidan.  Ian and I spent Saturday hanging out together in and around Greenwich, in coffee shops and cafe's.  We spent time scheming and dreaming about church, ministry and talked theology, spirituality and life.  Late in the afternoon we picked up Hobbes the dog and took a long walk in Greenwich Point Park.  During the walk a beautiful snowstorm moved in adding to the experience in a really good way.  This was definitely the kind of day I needed.  On Saturday evening I hung out with Sean and Tim over dinner and coffee and was energized by a stimulating conversation on church and youth ministry.  A lot of times I'm labeled as a coach and consultant for church and youth ministry but it seems like more often I am the learner.  I came back from this trip more in love with life, relationships, the church, and Jesus.