[working draft]
Senior pastor Kekel seems like a big fish because he's the fixture in Graham. Davis married-off Tanya to him & Tanya is Verna's adopted daughter. This's his claim to fame. A Davis creation; much like Denis, except Denis was always in the field & RWD didn't have another daughter.
Comparatively, M.C. Kekel is an also-ran/a never-ran stay-getter, excepting the daughter accoutrement. He bucked pastor Davis' policies & chases the world, what can he offer? Stay-getter, senior pew-sitter, respected? He's unfit for command.
This brief satire (now part 1 of 3) is a first-person-narrative of once-wunderkind Michael Craig Kekel. Who malaprops quit means quit & not conduct/behave, for one example. This's memorialized in his 2011 message "Quit you like men".
♪♫
Jeez-louise golly-gee will-lickers, nepotism (incest's less popular cousin) never garners respect. It's a pall over any accomplishment (you have to have an accomplishment). Has it ever dawned on Mike his calling is to keep Tanya geographically close to Verna & sated? For Tanya's sake, for Verna's sake, for Davis' sake; takes the pie & leaves the cake. But, hold your fire everyone, rev. Kekel's still accomplished. His blessings may've started with nepotism & his history may be lousy with nepotism, but he's on tv now! Watch his tele-churched variety-show.
But, his pioneer go-getter spirit never leaves Graham & Davis never makes him, for Verna's sake, which's for Davis' sake. RWD & everyone else now knows, Mike'd be a dud if he went out. To compensate, Mike tele-rails against his congregation, while recording it & to further punish us, it's online as NTCC-tv. He won't lift himself up, but he'll pull you down. Davis put a bully in his bullies pulpit. Yet, Mike scorns our scorn? Hypocrite. Infant.
Though derisive, Mike won't hold himself accountable & gets crazy/angry when others do? Well, hold your own self accountable then. Find a spine. He presents as pretentious/portentous farce online. Some whirlwinds never change. Bloviators blow & go stay forever. Maybe this's why Mike won't leave, but he should also stay in the green room. The lazy are the harshest critics of the doers. Doers are the hardest critics of themselves.
The one-crazy-secret rev. Kekel doesn't know is, nobody cares what he's not done. No one knew what he's not done, until he started telling us about all he'd done. But he first wrote about it, before we knew about it, from his telling us about it. Now he wants us to ignore all the things Mike hasn't done, after he told us about them. Fuhgeddaboudit.
We all compare things in our mind. Then, we brag about ourselves or belittle others, driven by a comparison from our imagination & Mike does both. Yes, we all are occupied with thoughts (some folks reasonings are dark, see following also), but bragging, boasting & fault finding motivates folks to verify our claims. But, he has to justify his imaginings which no one previously knew about because it was still in his head. But, ask Tanya about his lack of control.
Pioneering would stop his brag & moderate his boast. The just-brat would be left. Plus eliminating, in one fell change-of-address, the firm footing his enemies stand on. Which is, this administrator is a stay-getter. He wouldn't even need's be successful; just going-out is winning. Just going-out would shut many up. But, I don't care, school is just in session.
The past 5 weeks, after being made aware Mike's on tv, I was immediately floored by what I saw: Mike is an outrage, an affront, a child, molesting eye & ear holes & perverting thinking with his propositions. Like luring candy from a baby. So, reviewing these old posts I see he always was (although, tanya was a mature 14). This warranted my sudden change to using Mike, Kekel, MCK, Michael Craig Kekel, bosses sil, et al where I had used permutations of Reverend almost exclusively. Now I just call the cult leadership whatever I want. More freedom. Just when I thought there couldn't be more. Come on in, the waters better than yesterday.
Just going-out would ease his shame. He's not aware of this? Maybe this keeps him from taking the flying-leap. Confining his failure to Graham. So, a plus? He's daily living with the fear & frustration of facing a life un-propped by pastor Davis since 2014 (someone bring him a fancy chair). But, continuing flailing also outside of Graham would mature his ego & he doubtlessly would fail. Go or stay he fails. The only lesson earned, based on the help he's spurned. Consider:
"No matter where you go, there you are." - Hazleton Collegian (1955)
"A new address won't fix it." - greg_s (2025)
"...the pride of shame." - RWD (coined about the philippine peoples, but not original)
"Pride's the end of good starts." - KJV (1611) [if you're proud at the start, you fail]
Many women & men in senior pastor Kekel's congregation would show him how it's done. The same ones he denigrates during online worship, or are these also workshops now? A workshop by ministers who did it would be a refreshing change. Any who've gone out one time & are now pew-sitters in Graham, are go-getters & merit merit. Not Mike, who's never gone out & parrots parrots. Although, he does chase after secular corporate humanist writings (SYNERGY, for one example) for his serial inspirational flailings in Santa Fe. A dangerous presence who inspires mediocrity. Like a restaurant with too many half-assed dishes & children for staff & the books are a till.
Pew-sitter is an official executive board member slur, meaning baby-sitting the pew. How very clever (head pat), now run along pew-sitters. Be proud of your accomplishments, not his grifted titles. He's proud of the gifted titles, not your accomplishments & he's also the senior-pew-sitter (43 years to date). Has anyone ever heard Kekel laugh a real laugh? All I remember is his back-in-the-day laugh, which he uses still for his tele-churched variety-show. I still don't know how to characterize it expressly, but smarmy also always comes to mind. A snigger like Muttley? Is this why he's aka Kackle?
He would have to go by himself though. Tanya won't leave Verna & Verna wants Tanya close. Her mothering was hampered by RWD, who quashes all things he doesn't understand or value in anyone's life, which is much. Unprecedented for a trained psychologist, even at only $100/hour. VD, more than anyone, has a much better life since RWD died & has a lot of catching up to do. I'm happy for her; I know how life-draining an overbearing man can be. I hope she welcomes a great-grand. Happy as a tick on a puppy & twice as thankful. Not as thankful as the puppy.
If you even get the chance in Graham or Arizona or Florida or Missouri or Hawaii or Michigan or Rome, ask the Kekel's about the time pastor Davis took them to the Philippines @ Cagayan de Oro to get a tourist's taste (like space camp) of being a missionary & is the basis for one of his awards. They will tell you how they couldn't stand it & never want to go back. If Graham & this account are an indication, they didn't want them back. Too hot, too loud, too smelly, too humid, too dirty, too foreign. Too typical.
Complained the whole trip. The flight was too long (it's very long, but not any longer than it has to be, otherwise take a boat), crappy (it's not) food & dirty (they aren't), ignorant (they aren't) people. What would they say about the Negritos? The same? They would still be wrong.
Yup, he's not been challenged at an away-game (stay-getter), barring the previous mission-camp paragraphs, because he married the boss's child, so could have confidence any trial was only very temporary & he would be respected. Dad would bail her out & therefore him & he would still be respected. What's good for Tanya is also a routine and regular stepping stone for senior pastor Kekel & he would continue to be respected...and he lived happily ever after. Job well done!
With RWD gone, how's senior pastor Kekel doing 10 years after? How would you rate him on the Rate My Professor (RMP) website, since he's also the senior professor (another job)? Well, graduating classes are tiny, locations are closing & conferences are as unfocused as Graham now is. At least attendance is always way down. This's why you don't see the congregation in videos. Anyone in a suit or sweater-set, has graduated or is still in school & this is most of the congregation. The old chapel would be way big now. Not many civilians at Graham since 2014 & they know ex'rs are always watching, so they adjust camera angle accordingly.
So, any wingtips or cardigans in Graham's tele-churched videos were not won there & statistically (this covers the 2 that didn't) all had go-getted out of Graham at least one (1) time. Has anyone from Pierce County ever prayed for salvation at Graham? From King? Has anyone from Pierce County ever graduated from our bible college? From King? Are they working a church somewhere? Where are they? Is Holy Ghost Baptism still a thing? When was the last time? Are they permitted by current policy to visit local-family when required to come to Graham? This question addresses the cult-tactic of isolation. 'cult-tactics' yields millions of results at Google. Mike does cult-tactics. He shows them on tv now, for reasons dumb I'm sure. Breathtaking. Don't be like Mike.
If everyone wore a name tag this sunday, with the name of the NTCC pastor who sent them to seminary (ashmore for me), how many Davis' or Kekel's would there be? None of us knew Davis wasn't building for God. He was on the run, this was his drive, force, motivation. To hide from his indiscretions, he needed the place wherever he landed to last for life. A desert island of anonymity, Olson as Tattoo. All other resources at arms reach. Mike was & is ill equipped, beyond his depth & not hiding (prey he would, their moving to arizona can't come soon enough), so maybe less motivated?
So Davis coasted (why work to bequeath, when milquetoast-mike will spoil) since he's now set-for-life financially & he's not allowed to replace Mike (otherwise rodger's mistake might have to be admitted & also for tanya's sake, which is always for verna's sake) + He couldn't lead Mike (not much to work with [full stop], plus mike wouldn't drink instant or sell his motor cycles or stop going to frontier park w/lesbians) + He couldn't follow Mike (har, har, har, that's rich little-buddy). So pastor Davis and others get out of Mike's way. Many grizzled field minister's stay away from Graham & don't go to the lodge because they don't respect Mike. It's a long list, with more surprises than Epstein's. He was tedious way before RWD died. How much more since 2014? He's always acted like he married the bosses daughter. Well, now he's also overbearing (i've seen video), like he married the bosses daughter (told ya). Kekel proves nepotism's more harmful than the Peter Principle. The kekel principle, I may develop this later. I'll start it here: the kekel principle is...you can finish it in the comments. Change's not always progress, unless it's a diaper.
I assume the Kekel's are still staying in their motor-mansion & not the lodge? So I would stay at the lodge now. Cool. The lodge is stellar. Many folks stayed, out of loyalty to Davis only. When Davis died they left, as Kekel's arrogance goaded them out the door. The wait & see saw enough. He's now self-destructing on tv with nothing for succor but his shame, pride & Tanya's singing.
I wonder if Tanya has buyers remorse? She's so young, so sheltered. She couldn't tell how average Mike was, she had nothing to compare. Drawn to her 14, he's exceptional at only 24. Like men in women's sports. Too young for a drivers license, but Mike didn't want Tanya for driving, he had a car. Where was Davis' hedge during this? 14-year-old Tanya was mature for her age (she knew 'cause senior pastor kekel told her over & over) & MCK was immature at only 24-years-young. So their ages were more like 14 & 24. See, more evenly matched in context. So hold your fire everyone, we all can move on now. #ididnotgothere
[needs work] The She-child wanted a mate & being inexperienced, she was frantic from being rebuffed throughout the go-getter clan, till she found the only outlier. She liked that Mike didn't object she was a mature 14-year-old, 'cause this had been the sticky point for all the go-getter clan. He considered it a plus. So Mike was perrrrfect & would soon be 25 (sorry, just finished auel's series this year).
Mike cared she was mature 14-year-old, a lot. She had an old-soul & her daddy was an ally, to everyone's surprise, since the weird-NTCC sex-stuff hadn't infiltrated or been uncovered.
Davis wanted to unload this ticking hot-potato, since she's showing signs of delinquency (another long list of witnesses on the saint louis side). He also didn't care his daughter was 14-years-old. Cha-ching, win, win, win. A trinity of desire giving pastor Davis what he wants.
It's easy to get pastor D to do what he already wanted. Just give it to him. the reason Denis was Davis' golden-boy & what Denis taught me. The ministers who bought Davis the Henry knew; give pastor what he wants, whenever he wants, wherever he wants it. Whatever. [needs work]
[needs work] So, Mike got the job & took care of Tanya, for motives only Michael knew. So this new-wunderkind, ever since that fateful day she flounced his orbit in the rooms of forest avenue, is more outlier ever after. While Mike was eagerly counting birthdays, they went on to finish vacational training at her daddies institute. Mike instinctively knew, if he typed hard, talked fast & faked good, someday he would become a real senior pastor. So, he bucked pastor's policies & chased the world & eventually his dream was gifted his. Between this & sandwiches, they're set for life. [needs work]
All Kekel had was Tanya, but she's trump, so Denis still lost. After Verna goes, Mike will still only have Tanya, but she's no longer trump since 2014. Her gravitas also came from Rodger. She'll be low-key shunned. Roni gave Davis what he wanted & everyone gave Tanya what she wants. Verna get's Tanya what she & Tanya want. Davis gives Verna what Verna wants & the beat goes on. Tanya gives Mike what Mikey likes. They're not the same. But for Tanya, Davis would have choose Roni, since Denis gravitas came from works, what he could do for Rodger, not Davis' fretless daughter. But, we already said this.
Yes, a child is a prop to some people, just like a spouse. But it's an essential prop for a pastor, and not as effective if the children are teenagers, especially if they start misbehaving. Pastor used to say "if you want to have your way with a girl, find a pastors daughter". It's then reported Davis found their wives also. So, the writing was on the stall for blossoming Tanya? Off-load her before she blooms delinquent, a liability in Davis imagination. Then she's someone else's problem. Then, no matter what she did, his façade would remain intact. So, the answer folks want to know is, was Tanya prop, was she bought? Evidence indicates it has a high-percentage of probability. Narcissism before nurture. This's proactive & classic Davis.
This's why Mike thinks he can do what he wants. Change policy with aplomb, watch lesbians, create content. Mike says it's because Davis respects him (from his ceo blog). Davis 'sez' this's* because Mike's a narsissy (this's the only reason mike is davis-lite), online & elsewhere, so he humors him for Tanya's sake. Surely Mike would never plead gravitas. Too absurd, almost as absurd as Davis respecting folks, Mike & me included. Mike acts like he was the b.m.o.c. & g.o.a.t. because he's the boss's daughters husband. He conflates coat-tails & his pride in them, as accomplishments. Like I said, a strong case is being made Mike is dumb. On the other blogs already accomplished & now on youtube. His ongoing failure to preserve what others also built is his only legacy of success. The other churches are paying his church bills & Graham still struggles? *Amusingly, this's applies to anything connected to Mike; to 10 years of separation.
If you want to know what Graham would be without other churches paying their bills, look to the Lina-Limpert-memorial-classroom. A replica of Hephzibah-NTCC's church-building, very small & also made with reclaimed lumber. Not much else would be in Graham if they had to pay their own bills, if that; other than the executive's mansions. They could level & build up the campground into estate parcels. Just spit ballin'.
Also, reverend Denis is the reason Graham has the big-green-church behind the fence. Denis made it happen. Plus, when he pastored Woodbrook, he shoveled a lot of cash into Graham's building fund (i did his books for a bit). Denis started the 'let's each give $2,000 to build pastor Davis a dream church' movement in a student-chapel fellowship-meeting. The math led to some absurdly low numbers. Like only 1,000 pledges e.g. & it would be paid stock & barrel. Most everyone had paid their pledge by next conference. Folks used to be motivated at NTCC. Ah, the good old days, when we could get watery-eyed for reals & folks were thankful & not complainers.
This would have been before they raided all the local churches for Graham's big-green, just like Denis did later in founding HOP (he learned it from our cult). He copied it from what pastor Davis did at Parkland, et al. So thanks to Denis' go-getter leading from the front & all the other churches also sending money, Mike has a church to tele-pastor, tele-workshop, tele-monolog, tele-market, tele-bark, tele-clown & tele-whine from. Pastor, Monologue, Bark & Whine. Sounds like a law firm. Dewey, Cheatham & Howe.
Yet, he critiques & bullies others? Shame over lack of ministerial accomplishment causes his grift-of-administration to manifest thusly. Every. Single. Day. Does his sound-system-ministry count? But, what has he upgraded lately? Is the campground ready for an upgrade? Its only been 30 years. Those are mighty long laurels, deservedly so. Ungrateful & entitled, a winning combo. No empathy. Yet another trifecta. This guy's a real stay-getter. No one cared what he did until he never stopped talking about it. Then folks started verifying, recollecting, comparing, sharing & here we both are.
"The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things." - KJB/MCK
His betters gall-him, his pride goads-him, his ledger mocks-him 'cause the ministers paying Graham's bills need to send more money, so Graham can spend more money. Surely they aren't building any more statement-real-estate with money from store-front churches? Maybe Mike will apologize for his ungrateful & unthankful spirit? He's big on folks apologizing (to him, on the organizations behalf, mostly) & presents as an 'i-blame-others-for-everything' with a double-plus-plus victim whitener.
Like a dictator weighted with medals, you have to keep fawning the flame. Pioneering & missionary stories, shared within earshot, magnifies his lack in his imagination. So, hi-ho hi-ho, it's off to church he goes, with more materiel for another tele-attach, beating his congregation down some more. See? No self control. The result of his entire ministry is folks beaten down (so they are at or below his self-deceived level).
Have you noticed Mike gets smaller in his chair when ministers talk about the work of the Lord? Note this for next time to verify. This will come right before Mike changes the subject to guitars. No surprise, he bucked pastor Davis' policies & chases the world, what else could he talk about? This's why the honorary Awards. So Mike can finally say: 'I'm senior, that's me, that's me & what a good boy am I' for whatever he pulls his thumb from. Then there's their latest vacation-workshop photos & google satellite views to feeds his narsissy ego & it's the best he can do.
If he asks nicely (don't even hab2b sincere) the churches already paying for Mikes tele-pulpit might increase their charity. Make it voluntary? He could still take credit from the pulpit. Or, Graham can have more church services, since they need more money. This's the same fix for i-need-money taught in bible college by senior-professor Kekel. Maybe he should review his notes. If he needs a copy I could send one of mine (4.0 gpa, thanks for the a++ mike & company, i earned it).
I filled post-college notebooks with things Davis, McKay, Kinson, Johnson, Pop, Denis, MacDonald, Hanna, Wright, Ashmore, Barnes, Rodrigues, Crain, Gandy, Olson, et al taught me or said. Plus notes from conferences. I always carry a pocket-notebook to this day. We were all taught to keep learning. I'm not self-made. I'm not the stay-getter alchemist trying to turn scandal's into gold (except when I blog). I'm a follower, which, if persisted in long enough presents enough opportunities to lead. Mike don't know this either. I followers make the best leaders, Olson would be tops.
"If you need more money, have more church services." - RWD
I wonder how long it'll take after Verna dies, before the Kekel's go out into the work of the Lord? This will show if anyone/anything/anywhy/anywho/ anyhow was/has/had ever, actually, really, physically, literally or figuratively kept him from doing anything for/through/by God these 40+ years. This is an interesting thought experiment & the cults historic twisting of language, half truths & whole lies, occasionally necessitates sentences like the one you just 'read'.
You may wonder, why's he also angry? I've seen video too. He's not. His eyebrows are too low on his forehead, he can't help his genetics. Once you get used to it you hardly notice. I'm sure Tanya is brow-blind by now. Angry is just his resting face, but must he yell too? So, instead of owning his face, playing the hand dealt, he opted for 'I'm not surprise, I'm compensating'. Makes one wonder how lifted his truck would be.
He bucked pastor Davis' policies & chases the world, what can he offer? Stay-getter, senior pew-sitter, respected? He's unfit for command.
Gregory
:It's A NIGHTMARE
8 comments:
All that is true Greg and that's why I previously wrote that I may not be any different had I been in Kekel's shoes. It's possible that I'd be much different and it's possible that I'd be no different than Kekel if I would have been Davis' son in law. Having said all that, it still doesn't make it right. Kekel is spoiled and so is Tanya and they act like two spoiled brats.
The NTCC is still a very bad organization to be involved with and Kekel doesn't deserve one dime from anyone. Kekel and Tanya won't ever have a real job because there are still plenty of suckers left who have no problem filling Kekel's pockets. If every sucker left the NTCC tomorrow, Kekel would be indefinitely secure financially. NTCC real estate is worth an awful lot of money. At least 100 million or two if not a lot more.
Yep, Kekel can't truly relate to any other minister in the NTCC except maybe Kinson because at least for the last decade, the Kinson's have been handed a silver spoon as well.
Agreed. Except for one thing, I wouldn't try to justify the unjustifiable, but then I would be out the door, and Tanya would be on husband number 2.
Although, there is no way I would have become husband number 1. I don't like lascivious women, even when I was a sinner. Some women try too hard for my taste.
Gregory
Fair enough.
very good!
Kekel's sacrifices pale in comparison to what others in the ntcc have gone through. When you become part of the ntcc's "work your way to heaven plan", it is apparent that you must have things to brag about in order to get others to respect you. I remember R-dub sharing that in his early days he used to live out of his car and pray that God would get him through to the next revival, (with holes in his shoes). Other pastors in the ntcc would brag from behind the pulpit how that they sacrificed more than anyone in the church so that we all could have a place to worship. They would preach for money, so they could sink it into the Church Edifice in hope that when RWD came around, they would be praised for being great leaders. More often than not, they would take the brethren's sacrifice for granted to toot their own horns.
The problem with SP Kekel is that he really has very little sacrifice that impresses anyone. What has he sacrificed? He suffered in the 60's with his mom and he gave almost an entire months pay one time to help start a work in Germany. Has he ever prayed until his sweat became drops of blood? He can't relate to most of the people around him because many have gone without for the majority of their lives. When I look at Kekel and Davis, I realize how thankful I am to be free from all their manipulation and control. I would rather work for minimum wage and live in poverty than to work for the ntcc and live in poverty off of an E-6 income.
I look back and think about how stupid I was to have nothing to show for 13 years in the military, while they all got richer and richer. Verna once told me that I should have been a millionaire with all the money I was making in the ntcc. They all got rich from people just like me that were gullible and willing to make stupid sacrifices to support their own lavish lifestyles.
DnA
"not had a dependable late-model car..."
Well, not exactly; there was a short interval when he was my roommate in St. Louis that he drove an old beast he got from Mike Marshall. I think he took it on an evangelistic tour. It wasn't late model, but I suppose it was dependable, since we didn't hear any war stories like the rest of us have about breakdowns on the road. But your point is well taken; this aberration didn't last long and pretty soon he was driving the kind of car commensurate with the Great Administrator he was becoming.
Vic,
The stated context of this whole article (and the paragraph you quote from) is the past 28+ years he has been homesteading in Graham.
What he was before marrying Tanya is irrelevant...It's been fat city ever since he became Rev. Tanya Davis (Kekel).
2 years after marrying the founders daughter he was able to move to Graham, build a house, furnish it, drive a brand-new car (Mazda), etc.
Remarkable, considering he has testified he was a broke as the rest of us were when he was in Bible College.
Gregory
Yes, he was broke as everybody in BS, despite having a better job than most. Lack of leadership? I suppose he would spin it as evidence of his penchant for giving his "last dollar" to the "work of God," and point to his current prosperity as the predictable result of that kind of sacrifice. However, your thesis is much more plausible--he hooked up with the boss' daughter (a couple years before marrying her), and the skids have been greased for him ever since. It's obvious to all who haven't been brainwashed.
Post a Comment