The Story of Ken

I just read this short autobiographical story on my buddy Ernesto's blog this morning and I was truly humbled and inspired.  In it he explains how when he was 13 he got to know a small kid named Ken and what an impact that boy's Christ-likeness had on him.

When I was thirteen years old, I was not a Christian.  I had heard about Him from a little Baptist Church in the upper peninsula of Michigan.  But I didn’t get it.  True, i raised my hand five weeks in a row, and went into some back room where I prayed a prayer I don’t remember and didn’t understand.  Maybe God heard that scared little boy cry for help....

    ...well, fast forward, and that prayer didn’t hold.  I went to that little church five times, and then was asked to never come back because I got in some kind of fight.  I think I fought the pastor’s kid.  I guess some things never change.  As I grew, going to school, surviving divorces and new schools and more bullies, I stayed afraid.  That fear turned into anger, and I became a bully.  I was mean and dumb, and “swore alot.”  Eighth grade for me was like it is for most boys.  Akward, scary, painful, full of changes and growth.  And I was a punk.  I was a wounded punk who so wanted to be liked by anyone.  

    Well, one of the kids I picked on was named Ken Morgan.  In eighth grade, he was smaller than small.  He was an easy target for this fake predator.  I picked on this kid something fierce.  And he never took an easy shot back at me.  When I was taken to task, he wasn’t there to gloat over my great fall.  I thought he was just afraid of me, but soon I noticed it was something more.  He was genuinely kind to me.  He repaid my evil with good.  I didn’t get it.  So I began to walk home with him from school.  I followed him to church.  I studied his family.  I wanted to know where his kindness and contentment came from.  And every road led to Jesus.  He wore the silly shirts and carried his Bible.  And over time, I started wondering if it was true.  If Jesus would love Ken and give him the strength to love, maybe I could learn too.  Maybe I could be loved enough to get pass all my wounds and selfishness and pride and lust and hate and hurt and anger and fear and loneliness.  So, i ended up following Ken into the kingdom.  During my freshman year, I finally was lost enough to be found.  I cried out to God a simple prayer.  I said, “God, if you are there, and if you will love me, I will follow you forever.”  I prayed out of desperation.  And God showed up....

Well, here it is, more than fifteen years later, and I showed up on Ken’s doorstep to say hello.  Ken married his high school sweetheart, Erin, he works a great job doing super smart stuff, and has a brand new baby named Finnegan.  He lives up in Seattle, and Angie and I decided to drop in on my old friend.  And it was good....so good.

Ken is part of an awesome small group up there in Seattle.  He and his wife are good parents, showering their little boy with all the love a baby can withstand.  God has blessed their life, and they are making a home for themselves.  Together, we laughed, prayed, studied, cleaned, remembered, counseled, shared, and dreamed.  it was good.  

    Ken brought us to his small group, and these brothers and sisters we had never met before welcomed us in with open arms.  They loved us, and listened to our silly vision, and asked real questions out of a heart of compassion.  Some of those people even jumped on and became a part of our support network.  

God gave me a memorial stone, and gave us more partners on this crazy vision he put in our hearts.  It was awesome.  

For those of you who are praying for us....thank you.  God is keeping us safe, giving us favor, and helping us rest.  We love you all, and look forward to the day when we will meet again.

-ernesto alaniz

 

The Lord worked through Ken and changed a life.  Now Ernesto and his wife Angie are on their way to India as missionaries.