Mike King

Our Hearts Are Broken

Broken Hallelujah's

The losses in our lives are both big and small, and cover a range of experiences. We leave home. We experience physical illness and disabilities. We struggle with vocation and finances. We may long for a spouse or child. We lose people we love to addiction or illness and death. Following is a video featuring my dear friend and colleague Beth Slevcove talking about her new book Broken Hallelujahs. Below is the endorsement I wrote for the publisher, IVP.

"The beautifully fashioned sentences throughout Broken Hallelujahs summon deep contemplation and provoke a wrestling with the realities of our mysterious lives. What is truly refreshing about Broken Hallelujahs is the absence of sentimentalism. However, with a timely cadence, this book moved me to tears – tears of grief, tears of loss and lament, but also tears of joyfulness and gratitude. Beth’s willingness to be vulnerable and to call a thing what it is gave me permission to sink into the profound truth that Jesus Christ shows us it is truly human to sometimes cry out, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” Broken Hallelujahs ministered to my soul like a Balm of Gilead. I often say, “Wouldn’t it be great if Christians were known in our culture as the people who set aside syrupy platitudes and told the truth about pain, loss and death.” Death is the enemy, but that is not the end of the story… I love this book and hope you take care of your soul by reading this astonishing story."

Mike King, President/CEO, Youthfront; author of Presence Centered Youth Ministry; Twitter @MDKing

2015 Was An Epic Year

I spent some time reflecting over the weekend on what a great year 2015 was. For me, the year was EPIC. Here are the top ten reasons why 2015 will be long remembered. I did not list these ten in order of significance (that would have taken several more days to contemplate that) although #1 is pretty much #1.

#1 – Vicki and I celebrated our 40^th wedding anniversary. We were high school sweethearts and got married at semester break during my first year in college. I married my best friend and she is still my best friend today… that makes for a great life.

#2 – I celebrated my 40^th anniversary of being on the staff of Youthfront. I came on staff part-time right out of high school and soon became a full-time staff member while I finished college and earned two Masters degrees. I am so fortunate to get to work for such a great organization with amazing and wonderful friends.

#3 – Our oldest granddaughter, Lexi, attended Youthfront camp this summer for the first time as a camper. That was awesome.

#4 – Our son, Daniel married Mariel, this year and we are happy to have her as a daughter-in-law.

#5 – The San Francisco Giants paid travel and lodging for Vicki and me to come to the Giants final game of the season at AT&T Park to be with the Affeldt Family on the field for a forty-five minute retirement celebration ceremony for Jeremy Affeldt. I met Jeremy when he played for the Royals and we became close friends and partners in ministry. Our friendship survived Jeremy being the winning pitcher in Game Seven of last year’s World Series when the Giants beat the Royals. Jeremy was the first to call and congratulate me when the Royals won this year.

#6 – Several days after returning from the amazing experience at AT&T Park with Jeremy Affeldt and the Giants, the Royals called and informed me that they were honoring me for my 40 years of public service by having me sit in the Buck O’Neil seat behind home plate. The Royals produced a video of my Youthfront ministry highlights, provided premium seats for my family, and treated me like royalty. And this all happened as the Royals won game five against the Houston Astros. Watching Johnny Cueto pitch his masterpiece behind home plate was extraordinary. Twice during the night they put my family on the Jumbo tron and ran the video about my ministry. What an amazing night.

#7 – The Kansas City Royals win the World Series. I’ve wanted my family to experience what it’s like to win the World Series like I did thirty years ago in 1985. The parade in 1985 was great but the celebration in 2015 with 800,000 people gathered downtown was EPIC.

#8 – For the last couple of years I have served as a Senior Advisor Consultant for the Museum of the Bible that will be opening in Washington, D.C. in November of 2017. Recently, I secured a significant and generous planning grant from the John Templeton Foundation on behalf of the Museum of the Bible. I will be able to lead a process to explore the issue of science and the scripture as literature. Here are excerpts from the executive summary, “A narrative has developed in the Western world that scripture and science are incompatible.
Many believe science has shown the Bible to no longer be relevant and even responsible for holding back human progress. There are also those who believe that scripture necessitates an adversarial position against science. While elements of this narrative are certainly understandable in our current cultural milieu, we believe they are mistaken and damaging. The MOTB has an opportunity to help overcome these misleading views. This project will produce a detailed plan for compelling exhibits focusing on science and the Bible and create a fully developed proposal for the John Templeton Foundation requesting support to implement the plans. We believe the stakes are high if the presentation of the Bible and Science relationship is not informative and intelligent.” I feel this has potential to change the conversation about the relationship between scripture and science.

#9 – In June we completed a four-year, $4.5 million capital campaign at Youthfront Camp West. This will go down as one of the biggest highlights and most significant accomplishments of my lifetime. My spiritual life was transformed at this camp forty plus years ago. I’m so thrilled that the facilities are so amazing and well constructed that young people will be transformed at Youthfront Camp West long after I’m dead and gone. I feel so fulfilled and blessed by the success of this campaign and construction completion.

#10 – There were too many other great things from 2015 to just pick one, so here is my miscellaneous category. * I made my 22^nd visit to the Middle East in May, this time on a VIP trip with a small team from Museum of the Bible. * The Chiefs make the playoffs. * In December, Vicki and I visited Micah and Samantha, who are now living in Cabo San Lucas. * In January, I attended the International Association of Youth Ministry Educators Conference in Cambridge, UK. * Featured in a Cover Story in the Youthworker Journal. * Just about every time we are with our grandkids is a GOOD TIME.

Can't Believe I'm Being Honored by the Kansas City Royals Tonight

Being on the field with Jeremy Affeldt at AT&T Park for his retirement ceremony two weeks ago was a dream. Well the dream continues...

Yesterday, I got word from the Kansas City Royals that they are honoring me at tonight's Game 5 ALDS against the Houston Astros. They are providing tickets for my immediate family and I will be sitting in the Buck O'Neil Legacy Seat. 

The Buck O'Neil Legacy seat is behind home plate, just down from where I sat with my father for the last time at a Royals game a few days before he died. I know my father would be really proud of what's happening.

 

Two Magical Days - The Royals and My Life

A very surreal week started with a wonderful tailgate meal with Vicki while anticipation mounted for the Chiefs playing New England on Monday Night Football on a perfect fall evening in Kansas City.  Even though we love our Chiefs, the city is in frenzy over the KC Royals. While waiting for the kickoff the atmosphere was enhanced by a dozen or so Royals players who made a surprise appearance on the field at Arrowhead. The crowd roared as they walked around the perimeter of the field, giving high fives and chatting with fans. The Chiefs made a classy decision to feature a Royals congratulation video on the jumbotron. Arrowhead was charged up. I felt like the Chiefs had a good chance to win but no one expected a 41 to 14 spanking of Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. This was SO FUN. We also broke the Guinness Book of World Records by becoming the loudest open-air stadium in the world reaching 142.2 decibels.

This event was opening act for the headliner happening on Tuesday, when the KC Royals would return to post-season play for the first time in 29 years. If the opening act featuring the Chiefs was so good, then certainly the headliner playing the next night would surely be stunning.

Tuesday morning started out charmed when I pulled up to one of my regular coffee stops to find George Brett holding court with some buddies, talking baseball and telling stories. George saw the Brett Jersey I had bought my father several years ago hanging in my back window. That brought a big smile and thumbs up from the Hall of Famer.

I headed to Kauffman Stadium early to take in all the festivities. I particularly went to sit in the same seat I sat in next to my father on his last outing before dying a little over a year ago. My dad taught me how to love baseball so deeply. When it became clear that we would be playing the Oakland A’s in the Wild Card game, I knew I had to be there. The A’s came to KC from Philadelphia. They never had a winning record in KC but I loved them. In fact, my parents had to get special permission at my grade school to let me where my Kelly Green and Gold A’s hat. I even had my school picture taken with my hat on. When my father told me that Charlie Finley was taking the A’s to Oakland, I cried for days. It wasn’t long before KC was granted an expansion team that we wouldcall the Royals. Some of my earliest memories are of my father taking me to old Municipal Stadium to see the A’s and then the Royals play. Ewing Kauffman, the owner of the Royals, worked to get us a new stadium, along with Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt. Several times a month my dad would take to the overview hill to watch the progress being made on the new stadiums. So it was special, painful and joyful all at the same time to sit in this chair and remember.

The pre-game festivities set the stage for an amazing, one of a kind night. I chatted with Jamie Roach, my brother-in-law; Eddie Garlich, a Youthfront kid now grown up; friends Gary and Vickie Pener; I saw friend and Royals legend Mike Sweeney and exchanged texts; and for a special treat I discovered in row two behind the Royals dugout and right in front of me, Julia Burbridge, a Youthfront supporter and friend, with her two daughters, Lisa and Anna. I was missing Steve, Julia’s husband, who was in Palm Springs on business. I eventually moved down a row to sit with them. I got non-stop messages and texts from friends, during the drama of the game, friends who saw me on TV. I’ve learned that sitting near the dugout gets you TV and JumboTron time.

When we went down two runs in the first inning my heart sank but soon soared as we regained the lead. I’m not going to lie – I was depressed and resigned to lose when we entered the bottom of the 8^th behind by a score of 7-3. But then magic happened and continued to happen. When Peres hit the walk off single, in what had become the first winner-take-all game to go at least 12 innings since Game 7 of the 1924 World Series, I cried, the kind where tears roll down the cheeks. Even though the clock was striking midnight and I had a 5:00am flight to Sacramento, California for the National Youth Workers Convention, I couldn’t leave. The fans couldn’t leave. The players couldn’t leave until we properly celebrated in astonishment what had just happened. My phone was lit up with texts, v-mails, calls, tweets, Facebook mentions, etc. from friends from all over the world. I so wish my dad could have been at this game. One of those voicemails was from my mother. I called her back on the way home and we celebrated, talked about dad and reminisced.

As I finally pulled myself away from the field, I did, what my dad would have wanted me to do. I stopped at least two dozen 8 – 10 year olds who were walking to the cars with their fathers and mothers. With what voice I had left I enthusiastically told them, “You are so lucky to be here. What happened tonight you will remember the rest of your life. You will some day tell your children about it. You were here. You saw this and you will never forget it.” Once the parents realized I wasn’t intoxicated, they affirmed what I was saying and jumped on the moment to drive home the moment to their children. I think my father would be very proud of me for doing that.

 

Doesn't Seem Like a Year Has Passed.

Yesterday our family gathered on the one year anniversary of my father's death for the interment of his remains. It was a time of remembering, story-telling, crying, laughing, praying and celebrating. We wore Royal blue because we knew that would make him very happy. Below the picture is a video from his memorial service a year ago this weekend.

 

My Father, One Year Ago, Baseball, Life and Death

One year ago tonight my father, Dave King, and I, along with my brother-in-law, Jamie Roach and family friend Topher Philgreen, attended a special KC Royals baseball game.  It wasn't special because the Royals won, they didn't. It wasn't special because they were still in a pennant race, they really weren't. It was special because it was the last public outing of my father just nine days before he died.

It was special because my father and I really had a thing for baseball. We loved the game and we loved the Royals. During my father's battle for his life last summer we had moments of high hopes for the Royals, but alas... like the last, nearly three decades of Royals' baseball, it, once again, was not meant to be. It was special because we got to go into the Royals' broadcast booth before the game to hangout with broadcasters Ryan Lefebvre, Rex Hudler and Denny Matthews. I wrote about it here.

Today, I thought a lot about my father. It's hard to believe a year has passed by so quickly. I wish he could have experienced what the Royals are doing right now. My father and I used to go to Municipal Stadium to watch the KC Athletics play. He consoled me when Charlie Finley decided to move the team to Oakland, I cried. He took me to watch our new team, the Royals, play at Municipal. He took me several times a month to monitor the progress of the new stadium which would become Kauffman Stadium. We had all those great years of rooting for our team in the golden '80's. I celebrated with him when we won the World Series. I wish he could have experienced this season. I hope my kids get the joy of experiencing a World Series (and a Super Bowl, come on Chiefs).

My father and I had a deeper connection than just baseball. He loved Jesus and served God faithfully and he loved to pray. I've thought about him during this pilgrimage I'm currently on. I've though about him during the offices of prayer we've attended in the Cathedral in Chester, at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Palace and today in Canterbury Cathedral. Yes, we connected on the deep level of our Christian faith, but that doesn't diminish the sweet and passionate connection we had over baseball.

He was a coach to me in life and he was my baseball coach for nearly a decade as a child and teenager. I miss you coach.

 

One Year Ago Today... Bittersweet.

One year ago today, my parents joined our family for a vacation in Hawaii.  My parents had never been to Hawaii and Vicki and I make an annual vacation here so we really wanted them to have the experience.

About a year and a half ago, I had an intuitive impression that now was the time for Vicki and me to get our kids, granddaughters and parents all to Hawaii for a vacation together.  I wanted us all to have that experience together and wondered if it would be our last chance to pull that off with everyone.  So we cashed in a lot of frequent flyer miles and went for it.  At first my father thought it might be better for them to wait until a later time but my mother worked him over and he quickly relented. 

Vicki and I got here on Wednesday of Super Bowl week last year and both sets of our parents arrived, one year ago today on Super Bowl Friday.  The Monday after the Super Bowl all of our kids and granddaughters arrived.  We had an amazing time hanging out at the beach, eating fresh caught fish, driving to the North Shore and around the island, but most of all, just being together in this tropical paradise.

Unfortunately, my intuitive hunch proved to be too true when my father unexpectantly passed away in August.  The last couple days here in Hawaii have been bittersweet thinking about last year.  I remember them arriving at the hotel one year ago tonight excited about being here.  I remember the funny things that happened.  I remember how somber my father was while visiting Pearl Harbor.

Being here reminds me of how hard it is to come to grips with the reality that my dear father is dead and no longer around. 

Below is my favorite pictures from last year.  I especially like this because I took it after we had made an all day trip around the island and just barely made it to a wonderful point on the island for a spectacular sunset.  This picture is such a great symbo of my father’s life. We miss him and long for the day when resurrection puts the final explanation point on the promise given to us by Jesus Christ through his resurrection.

 

A Free Advent Resource for Youth Workers to Help Families of Young People

- Youthfront Presents To You -

 

Advent 2013: Journey To The Manger

 

The word advent means the coming or arrival of something important.  Advent is the season when the church celebrates the coming or arrival of Jesus.  The Advent Season is all about anticipating the arrival of "God with us" as a human being born in Bethlehem.  Traditionally, Advent is celebrated on the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. Youthfront invites you to join us during this Advent season by participating in this Journey to the Manger, a guide available to you through download.

 

Suggestions for observing Advent together as a family:

1.  Create the right atmosphere.  On Sunday night, turn down the lights, light some candles and play some soft Christmas music.  Gather your family together in a comfortable room and sit close together.  

2.  Go through the appropriate week's lesson provided in this guide. 

a.  Set up the manger scene as described for that week

b.  Read the assigned Scripture with quiet enthusiasm.  Consider taking turns reading each time.  

c.  Select some questions that seem to be most appropriate for your family and discuss them together.  

d.  Engage in the activity together.  Be sure to read through the activity beforehand so that you are prepared.  (Note - week  2 the activity is before the Scripture reading and discussion).

e.  Read the closing prayer.

f.  Sing a Christmas song together.

 

3.  Enjoy a favorite family snack together.  Consider choosing a snack that is usually enjoyed only during the holidays.  Over the years it is fun to see how your family comes to associate that snack with Advent and Christmas.  

 

The most important thing to remember is that being together is the most important thing! Don't try or expect to create the perfect evening (especially if you have a two year old or an adolescent!)  It is not about perfection but being present to God and one another.  Expect that there will be fidgeting, bizarre questions, distractions and maybe even some fighting.  That is all OK.  Know that what you are doing matters deeply and will be remembered.  It will shape and form your family for years to come.   

 

Click here to download the Advent guide.

Join Me and Some Great Friends at REFRESH

Where:

Youthfront LaCygne 22626 E. 2400 Rd. LaCygne, KS 66040

Youthfront LaCygne is set on 600 acres of beautiful prairie land, dotted with trees, streams, a lake and sacred spaces, all inviting people to discover what it is to be fully alive.

When:

October 11 and 12

Time:

7:30 on Friday – 5:00p on Saturday

What to expect:

This retreat is not going to be filled with sessions you feel obligated to attend.  Rather, you will have unhurried time to play with your kids, take a walk through the autumn leaves, hang out in the snack shop with friends, tell stories around the campfire and pray together.  You will be encouraged to slow down and connect with those you love most.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION