John Gunter

Thoughts on Life and Living

Pain and hope in the midst of a friend’s visit

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KD and John Gunter in Los Angeles
KD and I yesterday in my office (since he still works in a secure location, I needed to block out his face)
I first met KD in September 1999. I had been in East Asia for about a month. KD was a local leader in the tiny, slowly growing church movement. Though he was approximately my age, I had heard of KD, as he was already a very respected man within the local Christian community.

KD was a big man, who could have doubled as a TV star. He was a former college athlete and a clear leader within the underground Christian movement. In short, he was a stud!

We met at the home of John Ellis, who was a mentor and boss to both KD and me. I remember that night being a joy. We laughed. We ate. KD shared with us some of the stories of the local church movement. We walked away as friends.

For the next fifteen years, KD and I served together in various ways and from the vantage point of several roles. We were [Read more…]

Remembering my friend (processing the life & death of Philip Clarke)

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Phil Clarke with John Gunter in the last year of Phil's life
Phil Clarke (right) & me doing everyday life in college

Twenty years is a long time.  Twenty years is but a moment in time. Today I feel the acute juxtaposition of being caught between these two statements.

Twenty years ago today, my friend and brother in Christ, Philip Andrew Clarke woke up in the house we lived in on Ethel Street in Atlanta, Georgia and he entered eternity a few hours later.

Twenty years later, Phil is still on my mind, in my heart, and, honestly, Phil has been reflected in just about every substantial decision I have ever made in life. This statement sounds strange, I know, but it is true.

Today I have been simply looking over the picture above. Though grainy [Read more…]

One year out. . . remembering my life in Asia

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Skyline of Chongqing, China
The last view I had from my friends Rush & Meredith’s apartment in my city in Asia before I headed to the airport one year ago today.
At this exact moment one year ago today, I was on a plane from Asia headed to Los Angeles. As I sit here in a Coffee Bean in Beverly Hills, two blocks from my office, I am thinking back on this day exactly 12 months ago.

You see, leaving Asia was certainly the most difficult decision I have ever made. I had poured my entire life in this wonderful region for 20 years. To say Asia was a part of me doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface.

To be honest, one of the reasons I chose to not blog for over a year was that my life was just too emotional, my thoughts too scattered, my heart too broken. When you love a land, people, and calling as much as I did, the process of leaving is a death of sorts. I knew this intellectually, but I have just not had the emotional energy or bandwidth to “go there” with my heart.  God had called me to Asia in my mid-twenties. I obeyed and went. God has now called me to Los Angeles in my early forties. I obeyed and [Read more…]

Survival in the midst of the barrage of life

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Los Angeles skyline from Runyon Canyon
Took this on a recent hike over-looking Los Angeles
I’ll be honest; I’ve been abnormally stressed these past few weeks. Not proud of this, but it is true.

Work has been beyond busy and I am still getting used to my new life in Los Angeles (and in not living in Asia). Also, there have been several people close to me struggling in profound ways, so I have been carrying their burdens along with them.

The accumulation of all of this “stuff” had left me tired, haggard, emotionally depleted, and a bit discouraged.

I brought all of this to a local coffee house this morning. I opened the Bible, read [Read more…]

After a year of silence. . . I’m back!

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My view this morning as I type this post (the back deck of my apartment)
My view this morning as I type this post (the back deck of my apartment)
It was exactly 1 year ago today when I last wrote here on my blog. I was in Fredericksburg, VA. I would soon fly to Los Angeles and then back to Asia for one final stretch of full-time service in that great and grand country.

This time last year, I had just completed my 12th year of living in Asia, but my passion for the country and people had persisted for over 20 years.

This time 18 months ago, I was content and even excited about living in Asia for the remainder of my professional career. My life was in Asia. My expertise and passion had been tied up in this wonderful section of the world I had already called home for most of my professional life. I had friends who felt more like family. My job was my passion. I loved being a part of a land and a people who were changing as a society in front of my very eyes.

Now I am here in Los Angeles.  As always seems to be the case in my life, [Read more…]

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