This post was included in the CAUMC newsletter and printed as a bulletin insert, but I’m reposting it here to be thorough.

A few weeks ago one of the members at College Avenue UMC asked one of the members at Abilene First UMC what I was really like. The answer they got was: “John’s quirky, but you’ll like him.” It made my day to be called quirky. I plan to share my faith journey with you next Sunday, but for now, here are some of my quirks:

• I use punctuation, including periods, in text messages. I’m not angry, I’m just 50 years old.
• My sense of humor is “quirky.” I’ll try to keep it under wraps until we get to know one another, but I can’t promise anything.
• I often laugh with my whole body.
• Solemnity is not my default setting, but I can be solemn when I need to be.
• I love books. Both the having and the reading.
• You can just call me John. But Pastor John, Rev. Collins, etc. are also okay.
• I like LEGO building sets to an extent that probably merits an intervention.
• My sermons sometimes make references to classic movies like “The Princess Bride.”
• I love questions (especially theological questions). Feel free to specify whether you want a short answer or a detailed one.
• Sometimes, in a sermon, I’ll ask you “does that make sense?” A tweet from Twitter user @DrAmyPsyD explains what I’m thinking: “When I say, ‘Does that make sense?,’ it’s not because I don’t think you’re smart. It’s because I think that I am incoherent.”
• My wife, Jenny Collins, is your District Superintendent (DS). Jenny can’t be my DS. My DS is Karen Rice Ratzlaff.
• I’m a fan of the Oxford, a.k.a. the serial, comma—I even have a t-shirt. If you feel differently, I would love to have a friendly, ongoing feud.
• I am not good with names, but I’m trying.
• When I talk about “sportsball,” I’m not making fun of sports, I’m making fun of my lack of knowledge about sports. I’m happy to go to sporting events to spend time with friends/parishioners, but it is very unlikely that I will go by myself.
• Sometimes I can guess what you’re thinking, but not often. I can’t read minds at all.
• The photograph (soon to be) in my office of the old KSU football field with the message “Thanks John for being a great wildcat. Warm Regards, Bill Snyder,” was given to my Grandpa John. But having it so close to the current stadium would make him happy.
• I went to Fort Hays State University, but my wife and three out of four of my grandparents went to K-State. I have a great deal of fondness for this University. (Including the fact that it was founded in 1863 as the nation’s first land-grant institution.)
• My daughter, Liz, attends an institution of higher learning 85 miles east of here. Jesus said “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,” so part of my heart is there.
• I love learning new things and continue to study history (my major) in my spare time.
• I’ve been told that don’t always recognize sarcasm. A sign would probably be helpful.
• I get excited when good things happen. This sometimes involves a happy dance.
• I’m not particularly eager to go to places/events by myself. Like most people, I get nervous going to places where I don’t know anyone (or even where I know only a few people). Many, if not most, parishioners want their pastor to be active in the community. The best way you can help this along is to extend an invitation to a ball game, a concert, a play, a club meeting, the parade, the fair, etc. You don’t need to pay my way. What my mother calls “Dutch Treat” is fine, even preferable.
• I have been hooked on technology since the fifth grade when I was introduced to my first computer (a TRS-80) at school.
• I love Phineas and Ferb. My favorite episode is “Rollercoaster: the Musical!”
• My French nephews love my “homemade” (store-bought) cheesecake. They call me “Mr. Fake Cheesecake Man.”
• I love both dogs and cats. (Dogs remind you that you are wonderful, loved, and made in God’s image. Cats remind you not to take yourself to seriously.) However, I tend to be allergic to most of them and so I avoid them. It’s not that I don’t want to make friends with your pet, it’s that I don’t want to spend 24-48 hours sneezing afterwards.
• Feel free to call my cell phone (620-252-9622) anytime for an emergency and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. for non-emergencies. Please note that calls received between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. will be answered and responded to coherently, but will not remembered in the morning.
• I blog at revcollins.com. You can sign up there to have new posts emailed to you.