April 8, 2010 3:29 PM PDT
... My parents claim they made two major mistakes in life: 1). adopting me [ probably true, they'd just lost their own daughter in an accident / I'd never fill Janie's shoes / 3 yrs later they adopted a girl ]; 2). making me a "jr"... They expected to get a doctor, lawyer, or corporate CEO out of their investment --- I was essentially disowned @ 17 for expressing my desire to go into the ministry... They didn't want "Rev John Robert Whitelock, jr" reflecting poorly on Dad's reputation --- so, without actually changing my name (legally), I sought an option... Shortly later, our ministry Vice Pres started calling me "Zeke" --- when I asked where that came from, he explained that Ezekial in the old testament & John in the new testament had a lot in common --- from calling to vision of end-times / glorified Christ...
... I couldn't argue with that, and have been "Zeke" ever since...
... Picture was taken @ a Christian festival site quite a few years ago (Discovery Festival in Brevard, NC)...
... BTW --- Tho I've never met her, my birth-mother prayed that I would "grow up in the love & admonition of [her] Lord Jesus, to someday serve Him and lead others to His Saving Grace"...