Who Am I (2024 version)

So I've been thinking...

I know most of my current readers come from my Facebook friends. I don't think many come from my Twitter (does anyone really call it X?) followers. And I doubt that I have any that just follow my blog.

If you are one of the most from Facebook you know that I have been struggling to put together a bio for a collective that will launch in a couple of weeks. It is a group of people that are flipping the tables on traditional religion that has hurt, disenfranchised, and abandoned so many people. For many years I was a part of such a religious organization.
Damn, I hope that I didn't hurt too many people. I know that I led some in a different direction than I now travel and hope that they can find their way out without too much trauma. The few years that have past since then seem like an entirely different life.

In fact, one friend recently mentioned to me that he had been talking to people in our current church community and not many people know that I used to do magic. 
That's probably not a bad thing.

Anyway, I've been thinking about this bio thing and this is what I've come up with.
There are few (if any) people from my previous evangelical life that will read this. For those of you that know me well or have known me for a long time -- your comments are welcome.

My name is John Hill.

I spent my career as a full-time air traffic controller and a part-time Southern Baptist Evangelist. I spent more than twenty years preaching revivals, crusades, or filling pulpits throughout Missouri. I used magic to share the gospel at camps, schools, and family events. I served as Camp Pastor for kids’ camps, youth camps, and a couple of college retreats.
I also preached or performed in Illinois, Iowa, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Indiana, South Dakota, and Florida.
I served as an officer and a deacon in a local Southern Baptist church and on the Associational Executive Committee.
I was a member and officer of the Fellowship of Missouri Baptists Evangelists, even serving as Vice President and President, and I spoke at many evangelism conferences around the state.

When my beliefs of God loving all people began to clash with the evangelical belief of God condemning everyone that didn’t see things exactly their way, I was forced to part ways.

To be clear -- I am still a follower of Jesus and a believer in what he taught.
I unashamedly believe in God, but that doesn’t mean I have all of the answers.
I struggle to be a good guy. I struggle to make good choices. And I struggle to love all of the people that God has created -- some more so than others.

Although I still attend a church occasionally, I am much less religious than I once was. I no longer feel the need to convert anyone to think like I do. In fact, I am more interested in hearing others' life guiding thoughts and philosophies than sharing my own.

Perhaps there is still value in sharing my past experiences and perspectives on life, religion, the bible, etc. With all of my heart I believe that this collective of people and perspectives will help others that have been hurt by churches or religious people, or are just trying to navigate our God given spiritual desire to connect with our Creator. John

P.S. The Who Am I (2024 version) title comes from having two previous posts Who Am I and Who Am I (again), as well as other posts that gave a glimpse into my being. Here is a more recent (4yrs ago) version of a past John.