Me — a Personal Snapshot

I’m Brian Casey. I was raised as a Christian. As a Church of Christ member, to be more specific. As an adult, I’ve lived in 7 states from Delaware to Kansas to Colorado to New York. I’m divorced and remarried (and not proud of that fact, though glad to be married to Karly). We have a young son, Jedd Garrett, born May 18, 2009, and he’s handsome.

Vocationally, I’m a musician. More specifically, a conductor. But I was more of a generalist until the last 10 years or so: I have experience with choirs but have a mediocre voice; I play horn in bands, orchestras, and chamber groups; and I arrange and compose. I’ve written more than 100 Christian hymns and songs and have arranged loads more; brass and mixed instrumental works make up most of the rest of my portfolio.  I have worked in banking and computer technology and was overjoyed to be extracted from those lines when the third big merger presented me with the opportunity to take the severance package and run.

Now, in my discretionary time, I work more than I need to and am a power Windows user who abhors all things Mac. I also like to organize things and communicate with people. I prefer plain potato chips but love salsa and spice and horseradish; I like veggies and all fruits and berries I meet, and I do eat cow (and crow, sometimes).  I ride on two wheels (both the motorized and non-motorized kinds), and I like baseball and frisbee and racquetball, but not football, and definitely not soccer.  I should work out more, because it’s getting harder to shed a few pounds.

Personally, I’m 42.8% obsessive, very verbal, and somewhat high-maintenance. I’m not a natural listener (I work at it because it’s so relationally crucial), but I am naturally empathic. My words and thoughts are too quick on the draw sometimes. I wish I were more wise. I’m an INFJ/P, and in some situations more a left-brain thinker than a right-brain one. I’m cynical about society, the entertainment and sports “industries,” laws, over-confident “scientific” studies, big business, and most other institutions, including churchianity. I love the beauty and grandeur of nature and have climbed two of the tallest mountains (14′ers!) in the country despite having bad foot joints and arthritis before my time.

Spiritually, I sense that my personal faith has been stronger than it is these days, and I’m anxious about that. I am deeply inspired by Jesus-centered, well-grounded-in-scriptural-reality faith. I’ve had a great lovers’ quarrel (read: conflicted feelings of affection and frustration) going with the Church of Christ for most of my adult life. I persist in valuing her and in cherishing many of her historically held ideals (if not all of her de facto practices).  One of my greatest and truest callings is to guide hearts in worship of my God, both in the assembly and out.  My wheels are always turning about such things.

Lots of thoughts. Lots of conflicting thoughts. Lots of angst, actually. I hope somehow that whatever thoughts make it here will help me, you, or the everlasting Reign of God in human hearts–in some fashion.