K. Renato Lings ©

My Life in a Nutshell

I grew up at the younger end of a large family in a rural
part of West Jutland, Denmark, near the town of Herning. 
My father was a schoolteacher; my mother an organist and 
housewife. Both parents were committed Christians and
active in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark.  

My childhood hobbies included studying maps of the world, reading, raising pigeons, and roaming the countryside. Music has always been important. I enjoy singing and playing two instruments: guitar and piano. My favourite music genres are baroque, folk, classical jazz, and African-American gospel.

At university I studied Spanish language and literature. In addition, I have taken courses in modern languages, classical languages, Danish literature, adult education, philosophy, sociology, Middle American anthropology, translation and interpreting, Quaker studies, and biblical interpretation.

As an adult I have travelled extensively. I have worked or studied in several European countries including Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Germany, Sweden, and Norway. In the Americas I have lived in Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Canada, and the United States. 

 My teen years were very lonely. Because of social taboos surrounding homosexuality, I took refuge in "the closet",
the spiritual prison in which lesbian and gay people do not reveal their erotic feelings. Depression was a constant companion. At 18 I was ready to implode and tried to find
a way out of my emotional turmoil. The physician I consulted referred me onto a psychiatrist. The "help"
I got consisted in being told to wait patiently for a few
years until I felt attracted to girls.

At age 22 I joined the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). At 24, during my first year of Spanish studies at university, it struck me that the six long years of imposed waiting had been
in vain: I continued to feel strongly attracted to male beauty. Fortunately I became acquainted with an excellent
psychologist who helped me to come out. At last I was able 
to accept myself as a sexual human being created by God.

The second major turning point of my life occurred
when I was 43 years old. Soon after Christmas I began
to slide helplessly into a deep existential crisis, in
which I faced an abyss of anguish. For several months I
felt lost. One morning I woke up utterly terrified. I got
down on my knees and asked God to show me the way
out of the dark tunnel in which I was trapped.

 The answer came on the third day. It arrived in three parts. Through different channels three well-known Bible passages greeted me, each one shedding new, unexpected
light on my life: Matt. 25:14–30; Nums 6:24–26; Luke
 5:18–26. In the early evening I attended a brief church
service which brought peace to my heart. A few minutes
after leaving, I heard the voice of Jesus speaking words
of healing. The effect was extraordinary: the very same
night all my agony lifted. It was nothing but a miracle.

My vision of Christianity is broadly ecumenical. My
research on the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) has taught
me that this ancient work of art is unique. Its brilliance is enduring. For me, working with the Bible is a labour of love. 
I never get tired of sharing the treasures I am finding.

About Me