Official website of Richard Klender - Frequently Asked Questions

Interests
Richard's Interests

Let’s see, someone suggested I let others know about my interests. I love doing so many things so I’ll have to think about this a bit…

Songwriting
I would say my favorite pasttime is writing songs. I love to start my day worshiping at a piano and writing if there are ideas floating around in my head. I also love to sit down with other professional songwriters and come up with songs of worship or songs that lift up the name of our Lord. As a past staffwriter I've written about all kinds of things but I have to tell you that nothing is quite as fulfilling as writing a song that honors God and our Savior. What was I thinking all those years I wasn't writing Christian songs? Aaaah! Oh well, I'm thankful for God's grace and patience with me and I think He smiles while I'm sitting here with a pencil tucked in my ear agonizing over just the right word that would bring Him the honor and glory He deserves. It's fulfilling and I feel so fortunate to be able to write songs for others to listen to and ponder.

Nature Videography
My latest passion has come from rediscovering nature. I did a lot of nature stuff as a kid, camping with my family, and I think it is coming back full circle. These days I love to hike with my tripod and camera and appreciate the beauty that our Creator has put all around us. I’ve spent a lot of time hiking in the CA Sierra mountains over the last two years. I'd probably be called a slow hiker by many sportsman since I like to stroll and really appreciate any small details I can pick up on. It has since inspired my first NaturEscape DVD titled “Peace in the Sierras”. I hope this will be the first of a series of DVDs designed for personal worship, meditation and reflection.

Serving Others
I have learned that serving others is one of the biggest gifts God has given us. When helping others it takes the attention and focus off ourselves and that is a good thing. In a world that tells us “Me, Me, Me” it is a powerful part of sanctification to serve those around us. There is no greater feeling than to see the smile of someone we have freely served. I highly recommend you get involved at your church or in your community – the rewards are greater than the work involved. That’s one of the reasons I founded Day of the Child.org which has become a focus in my life.

Recently, our church sponsored a day where we served the community and, can I tell you, it was just awesome. There were 500 volunteers spread all around the town doing things to bless others. We washed 64 cars in about 5 hours for free. It was fun to serve others - met some cool people, too. The most fun part was when the wealthy recipients were trying to force $20 bills into our hands and we were able to respond, "No, no, it's free. If we were to take the money then we would never truly be able to bless you. So bless you and have a great day - enjoy your clean car; God loves you." That was a great feeling - to actually "be the church" that entire day. Try it - it's amazing how happy you'll feel!

Fellowship
I have to include hanging out with friends and good movies; enjoying good food and conversation as one of my favorite things. Especially friends who like to dig in a little deeper and talk about stuff that matters (more than the weather or the latest ballgame score). I love to discuss and chew on subjects that force us to think why we're here and what we're supposed to be doing on this planet. I'm fortunate to have some friends who can think deeper thoughts and who are not afraid to philosophy a tiny bit. And I'm also fortunate enough to have some friends who can make me laugh and smile and teach me not to take myself quite too seriously, since I have a tendency to be a bit intense. It's not intentional but I thrive on going a little deeper. In fact, I hope you'll listen to my music a second time and go a little deeper with me (of course you can listen to it on different levels). Hope I get the opportunity to have some fellowship with you sometime, too. Bless you.