hillbilly vegas meets paris.

Fortunately, there are only about two people who ever look up this blog. 


Today is the first day I have had time and thought to write any sort of update on my life. Currently I am sitting inside a cultural anomaly called "Vintage Paris," a coffee shop and fine wine grocer just outside Branson, Missouri, of all places. The typical fair here in Hillbilly Vegas usually consists of deep fried meat of some sort later to be determined depending on the consequence. Needless to say, this Parisian styled coffee house represents a well rounded island of humanity, at least for me it does. A good cup of coffee is worth its wait in gold here in Branson.


The past few weeks I have been at Kanakuk Kamps, a group of Christian sports camps in southern Missouri. Believe it or not something good and worth it does exist in Missouri, be it localized and almost in Arkansas. This is my fifth and (most likely) last summer at Kanakuk. Humility has been the theme of this adventure.


My time here has been interesting. Normally each day is filled with tasks, goals, lists and projects to complete in order for the camp to run well. This year however my role is much different. The time has come for new leaders to step up and fill the role. Though I admit a certain level of difficulty accepting this feeling of obsoleteness,  God has given me great joy and peace throughout the past weeks. How great and sovereign He is over even the little things like staffing. My joy at camp this summer comes from watching young men step up and learn to lead. Of course new leaders can not begin to lead unless the previous leaders step back. This has been my role, to step back and encourage. James 4:10 says that we are to, "Humble ourselves before the Lord, and He will lift us up." This verse has been the echo of my heart since the first day of my time here this summer.


So what does the life of Chris Gorney look like after camp this summer? Simple really, just returning to my internship working with midtown Kansas City communities, studying for end of the summer comprehensive exams for Grad School, continuing the ever present pursuit of paying the bills and trying to figure out how to appease the travelers appetite within me. My goal will be to update more often but the problem is when I have so many great friends around to share life with, my need to share them with the Internet lessens, but I will try. 


Until that next post, God is good beyond our imaginations. He is an active and loving Father. Breath that deep and let it be the Truth that defines life.

pot holes that make you curse

If I had to be honest, I would live in the mountains. I wouldn't wear shoes very often and the most staple item in my wardrobe would be a beard. These are the thoughts that wander to and fro inside my head. My struggle comes in that I truly believe that the very centrality of the Gospel calls us to where people live. In many cases this means calling Christians back to the city proper.

Today I spent much of my morning cycling outside of Lawrence, KS. This is one of the greatest places to ride a bike...as long as you are outside of the city. Inside of the city peril awaits around every corner. One must be a sort of pot-hole ninja just to avoid a head of heels death of a crash. That, or your primary concern will be a voice raising bump. Towards the end of my ride I found my way to such a large and elusive pot-hole that I thought my bike was about to explode. At this point many a curse word came close to escaping my lips. Luckily I think I spared most of the passers by from expletives.

No place is perfect, that is for sure. Kansas City is a great place for variety. Neighborhoods are chaoticlly scattered here and there creating a mosaic of culture. Block by block the culture changes drastically. It is big and at times really feels like it. Spread out and broad, Kansas City is not a personal town. Lawrence is much different. Today I am sitting in my favorite coffee shop drinking my favorite iced coffee enjoying the promenade that is Mass. Street. So much to see and do and so many people to meet in such a focused area. This is preferable to me in almost every situation. But to be honest Lawrence is not perfect either. Whether it is the unbelievably undisciplined screaming kid sitting next to me or the pot holes that take me back to 2nd grade, Lawrence too has its imperfections.

Why is this important? It is much more important how we live than where we live. Is your worth and happiness in your surroundings or in Jesus? This is a lesson I have had to learn this year. If my worth and joy are found in my environment I would be sad and disappointed often. Hope, Identity, Joy.

Though it is true, there are people in lots of places but it makes the most sense to go to where the most people are. After all, Paul the Apostle did that and he is certainly an example to follow. So to conclude, the point to this ramble of a post is that life is much more about hoe you live than where you live. If your hope is found in Jesus your Joy will be likewise. It is easy for me to associate my happiness with my surroundings but there is certainly a difference between happiness and joy. That perhaps is a different post though.

home field advantage.

Home. What a concept.


Being back in Kansas City has admittedly put me into a sort of daze, a spell if you will. How easy it was to step back into old routine.


Wake. Coffee. Eat. Study. Coffee. Eat. Study. Eat. Sleep.


Maybe something is askew inside of me but being home again made me see life in two ways simultaneously. At the same time I want to travel and to stay. I want to run and I want to sit. I want to wander and I want to dig-in for the long haul. Truly my heart is conflicted.


Within this short blog post and among this conflict of emotions I find a blissful tension. I realize that no matter where I am, home or away, nothing will ever satisfy me except the love of my true Father in Heaven. In Him my Hope rests firm. By Him I am loved and redeemed. By Him I have joy. By Him I am given mercy. In Jesus my identity becomes one not yearning for approval and acceptance but one who is loved and saved. In this is freedom and peace.


Truly nothing but Jesus will satisfy the hearts of men. Nothing. Void of Jesus there is no hope.

marlin and moon tattoos

People are interesting. I am not sure you could find many people who would disagree with this socially acceptable standard. Even more interesting is life when you are traveling. Right now I am sitting in the Houston International Airport. I have coffee on my right, the floor beneath me and homework awaiting on a different screen. Though I should be working on a final paper for school I can not get something off of my mind: First impressions.

I am on my way home from New Orleans where I went on my first deep sea fishing trip. Now to many of you deep-sea fishing may sound lame/boring/crazy. Even more so may be the idea of traveling half way across the country and 50 miles into the Gulf of Mexico smack dab in the middle of finals week. Perhaps not the best choice but as a wise man once said, what is done is done.

I have to admit that fishing does not particularly appeal to me. However, before all of you die-hard-hook-wranglers get your line in a knot, let me tell you about Fletch. Oh what it is to describe Fletch, Adam Fletcher to be sure. The esteemed and sure handed First Mate of our vessel, the Phoenix, a boat that has seen many a trip to sea. Fletch described his life in four words; drinking, fighting, fishing and one last “F-word” that I will leave up the imagination of readers.

Now Fletch was at first impressions a rough, tattooed (a marlin piercing the moon of all things…), smoking, leather skinned and tank top wearing man. I was not sure of Fletch at first but boating 50 miles into open water lets you get to know someone. Though rough for sure, Fletch cared more for the people on that boat than one could imagine. More specifically he cared for and taught patiently the two 11 year old boys on the boat. Never was there a more patient first mate than Fletch. When faced with two boys trying to grab anything wet and finned within reach, Fletch calmly controlled the tone of the boat ride. We all knew that if Fletch was in control we were alright. WE all knew that if Fletch said we would catch a fish, we could. He had an almost magical ability to know what fish was coming up on your line before you could even see it. He could practically charm the fish on to our lines from 200 ft below.

Now to my point, as I sit here watching people get ripped off by airport priced Starbucks and various nicknacks. People are much more than they seem. I know that at this point you may be thinking, “Wow, this guy is a genius,” but give me a moment to explain. How often do we meet and write people off because of how the look, talk or move. How are we to ever know what is in a man’s heart. As I sat on the airplane just now I thought about all of the people around me. I have been many places in many different parts of the world and I can tell you that there are always, and I mean always, deeper issues of the heart than one might think.

There truly is a God who created, loves and cares for us. Within this understanding I find pause and patience to bear through life with people. How much more is it to ask one more question, spend one more moment and take one more step to meet and walk with people? Or is saving 1 min by moving on worth it…

As I sit here I think of Fletch. He was a good man, a rough man, but a good man. I wish I could have spent more time getting to know him. Here at the point of deep relations do we find out where people hurt, where they need love. So in the end of this rambled blog that I hope to edit a bit more I will say that to love deeply we must live deeply (fishing pun). We must get to know and dive into relationships with those around us. You do not catch big fish in shallow water. If you want to make the big memories and love deeply, you must go to deeper waters.

No more fish puns for now.

and away we go...again at least...

Well hello to the 2 people who may have read my last blog, the fabled "Euro-Gorn." That season is all well and good but is now over. For the time being at least my feet are planted stateside. Today I decided to begin a new blog considering the ramblings and daily oddities of life in a wanna-be-semi-downtown-urban-type-place that is Kansas City. Something like that anyway...

So what is it all about one may ask. You might be saying to yourself, "Self, what is going on?" Well the point is mere conversation and consideration. I do not claim to be wise, intelligent or even well mannered, but I do desire Truth. This blog is my expression of searching for Truth in a world of so many devilishly alluring untruths.

As for today and right now, I will count this as my first blog. Partially because I want to see if this will stick and because I have homework. Oh yeah, I started Graduate School. And no, I dont know why I thought that was a brilliant choice and the time. All is well that is well though. Summer and future posts await...

Urban-Gorn.

me and the roomies.(I am the one with the mustache)