ORIGINATION:
Born in McAllen, Texas (very bottom of TX) to Miles John & Glenda Marie. I have an older brother, Miles S. Mullin II, who I am very proud of. My parents divorced when I was 13. I graduated from Sharyland High School (home of the Fighting Rattlers - yeah, it's a snake), where I played Tennis and acted in Theatre. I was always very active in my youth ministry, and I sang and played electric bass in a rock band.
EDUCATION:
After taking a year off between high school and college, I packed up and moved to Marshall, Texas to attend East Texas Baptist University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business, carried a second Major in Religion and a Minor in Sociology. While there I played bass in two bands with excellent local followings with a guy who now plays guitar in this band. After ETBU, thought about going to seminary, but it never really materialized. I recently (August 2007) earned a Master's degree from St. Edward's University in Organizational Leadership & Ethics.
MINISTRY EXPERIENCES:
My year off before college, I was a volunteer intern helping to facilitate the youth ministry at my home church. While attending ETBU, I served as the Youth Minister at Trinity Episcopal Church. After a brief courtship with seminary, I became the Youth Minister at Hope Lutheran Church in Cedar Hill, Texas where I served until the summer of 2005 when I decided to begin my graduate education. For a while during my graduate studies, I worked as as the Ministry Assistant for The Search at University Christian Church in Fort Worth, Texas where I helped to start and grow a new worship gathering aimed at a demographic the church wasn't heavily attracting already. For close to a year, I participated as a part of The Eucatastrophe in Fort Worth, a holistic community of hope and in many ways still belong to the people in that community. Recently (July 2008), I joined the staff of First United Methodist Church of McAllen, Texas (in my hometown) as the Director of Youth Ministries, and am looking forward to growing with this church that has an amazing history of mission and service in a unique multicultural setting.
WHAT'S NEXT:
I am trying to enjoy the journey with my beautiful wife, Tara. I am also trying to be the youth pastor I can be as well as a catalytic voice in our new faith community. I am continually working towards practicing leadership development consulting for churches, and helping congregations facilitate healthy, ethical change efforts.
THIS BLOG:
My blog has a name, and when I thought about how to explain the reason my blog is called 'blurried', I thought my reason might sound cliche or trite, but that doesn't really matter. What really matters is the truth, so here it is...it is called blurried because it is about the Kingdom of God.
Jesus preached about the Kingdom of God, and showed us how we ought to live. He told us parables as a way to illustrate what that kingdom looks like. The problem is, I think if we are honest, that picture isn't always easy for us to see - at least it isn't for me. There is so much information, knowledge, perspectives, and noise that make the picture seem blurry. As I reflected on this, I began to realize that the picture itself isn't blurry, but sometimes the lenses I view the world through are.
This blog, then, is about trying to see the Kingdom of God through many different lenses in hopes that my own lenses become less blurried. I hope that somehow by trying on all these lenses and sharing what I see, my ability to see God's Kingdom will improve. One of these lenses is the MSOLE program, some are music, some are books, and some are people. This is why the lens metaphor is a consistent theme on my blog.
Sometimes I see God's Kingdom clearly. Sometimes it is easy to perceive - like the "E" on the top of the eye chart. Still, though, I am committed to trying on other lenses than my own frequently. This practice has proved to be useful in helping to bring The Kingdom into sharp focus, or provide a snapshot of what it looks like.
So, as long as I am alive, I hope to continue trying on different lenses that will make my vision less blurry. I am determined to continue to try on lenses because I am determined to see the Kingdom of God more clearly through my own blurried lenses. I suppose, there is also a hope that in doing this, someone will peer through my blurried lens and see God's Kingdom a little more clearly.
