John Murchison
John loves to
read at local coffee shops, play soccer, & play bass guitar.
John's 10 "must have" albums (in no particular order)
Nickel Creek – This Side, David Crowder Band – A Collision or (3 + 4 = 7), The Beatles – Abbey Road, Mute Math – Reset, Howie Day – Stop All the World Now, John Coltrane – Giant Steps, Radiohead – Kid A, Mae –The Everglow, Coldplay – X&Y, The Normals – A Place Where You Belong. Other great artists who didn’t quite make the cut (or might have made the cut if I were in a different mood) – Counting Crows, Nick Drake, Jars of Clay, Ben Folds, David Gray, Gillian Welch, Derek Webb, Copeland, Mat Kearney.
If John could spend an evening with anyone who lived within the last 1000 years, he'd spend it with C.S. Lewis. Not only did this man have a lot of wisdom, but he was able to share it with others in many different and effective ways. He used children’s fiction, adult fiction, and nonfiction all equally well to communicate his thoughts, and his ability to share his wisdom with people of various ages is something I aspire to. I would also love to hear from his own mouth about his life before and after becoming a Christian."
Favorite Bible verse:
Ephesians 2:4-9, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
Life Story
I became a Christian relatively early in life, around 2nd or 3rd grade. I don’t remember exactly how old I was, but I do remember sitting on the front steps of my house, pondering things that I had been learning from my parents, my older sister, and my church. I knew that I had done some bad things in my life, things that God did not want me to do. But I also knew that He loved me and had sent Jesus to die in my place, and that if I believed these things, and that Jesus rose from the dead, that God would forgive me and I could live with Him forever. I prayed right there on the steps, just as I had learned in Vacation Bible School, and told God that I loved Him and wanted to follow Him. I know God’s timing is perfect, because it was shortly after this event that I encountered some large challenges in my life. Without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I cannot say for certain that I would have been able to make it through.
That is why I am so passionate about ministering to children. I know first hand how important it is for children to have a close relationship with the one true, active, living God. I know that it is just as important for children to know Jesus Christ as Savior and to have the Holy Spirit as a guide as it is for an adult. It is my prayer that all children who come to Austin Stone will come to intimately know the One who created them, the One who saved them, and the One who loves them. I consider myself very blessed to be a part of what God is doing in the lives of the children at our church.