The "Me" in "About Us"

Don't let the "About Us" tab throw you. The "Us" in the tab is a "me"--John Kramp. For better or for worse, Following-Jesus.com is a one-man effort.

It should be clear by now that I'm no Internet or webpage guru. My involvement in website building reminds me of the guy who interviewed for a new job. The prospective employeer asked, "Are you qualified?" To which the applicant responded, "No, but I've always been interested."

That's how it is with me and building websites--I'm not qualified, but I've always been interested.

I classify this website as a "purposeful hobby." Because I have a very full-time and demanding "day job" in the Christian publishing industry in Nashville, Tennessee, anything I do on this site gets done on nights and weekends. Fortunately, the tools available today make it possible for a website-building novice like me to build a site, share information I care about and believe is valuable, and derive a great deal of satisfaction in the process. By the way, if you're interested in getting started with a personal website or a website for your ministry or business, click on the link below and I'll give you a quick overview of the resources I have found helpful.

Oh, yes. Back to "About Us."

Unless you were around when I was born, I cannot imagine you want or need  much information about me, so here's just enough to let you know that a "real" person is preparing this information for you from a real place, in real time.

Vocation?

As I mentioned, I work in the Christian publishing industry in Nashville, Tennessee and have spent the last decade learning an incredible amount, working with great people at LifeWay Christian Resources. Before that, my wife, two daughters, and I lived in Portland, Oregon where I pastored a wonderful church--Westside Baptist. We had the privilege of helping start that church in 1988 and loved our experience in the Northwest. If you read the pages under the Evangelism tab, you'll learn more about our experience there and what we learned. Before the Northwest became home, I was an associate pastor at First Baptist Church in Garland, Texas--a fantastic church that went the extra mile by both "raising me" (it was my home church since I was five years old) as well as giving me the opportunity to serve on staff after college. I don't know anyone who has had a richer, more varied and challenging vocational experience than I have had so far. I would trade places with no one.

Education?

The kind way to say it is that my educational experience reflects the "unfolding development" of my life. The less-than-kind way to say it is that it's hard to make much rhymn or reason out of my educational trail other than to say, it is diverse and spans three decades. The 70's featured an undergraduate degree in Sociology from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. The 80s added a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas. The 90s capped things with an MBA from Northwestern University, Kellogg Graduate School of Management in Evanston, Illinois. While it may be hard to connect the educational dots, I can honest say I enjoyed each "dot" and have a growing appreciation for how each "dot" prepared me for the future.

Family?

I'm blessed with an incredible family--a wonderful wife and two great daughters. I live for these women and am thrilled to be a small part of the dreams that God is unfolding in their lives.

Writing?

I have published two books, both of which you'll find referenced on this site (a small act of "shameless promotion"). My first book is entitled, Out of Their Faces and Into Their Shoes and was a finalist for the Gold Medallion Award given by the ECPA (Evangelical Christian Publishing Association). My second book is entitled, Getting Ahead by Staying Behind: How to Be A Better Follower of Jesus. It is that second book that shapes much of the perspective on content for this site. In addition to these books, I've written numerous articles for magazines and bible study materials for curriculum.

Music?

 While I've written many songs (including the unrecorded Country classic, Don't Accept No Goodbye Letters Postage Due), my only notable song credit came from Wayne Watson. He was nice enough to record my song, The Touch of the Master's Hand on his first album, and he and my song did well. I'll always be grateful for Wayne for that and still have hopes that he will record my "Postage Due" song on a future album. (Just kidding.)

Contact Information?

If you needed to contact me for some reason, the best way to do so is through email.

Because of that "day job" I mentioned earlier, I can't add a phone number here but will be glad to respond by email.

The Most Important Thing?

So who is the "Me" in "About Us"? I'm a regular guy with a day job who is thrilled to have the opportunity to use the Internet to share information with others who, like me, are seeking to follow Jesus.

The most important thing I can tell you about me is that following Jesus has changed my life. I hope that some of the information you find here will help you follow Jesus with more passion and greater commitment. If you do, Jesus will change your life, too. For the better!

John Kramp

Nashville, Tennessee