My name is Zachary Klein. Thanks for stopping by - hopefully it'll be worth your while. If not, at least it was free.
I'm not sure I like long introductions myself, but I suppose a bit of background is helpful. I'm the oldest in a homeschooling family of fifteen. So, yeah, now you know exactly where I'm coming from. My dad is Dave Klein, who some of you may know as a conference speaker and the author of "Grails - A Quick Start Guide". I am the owner and lead developer of Silver Chalice, a web development and consulting company in St Louis, where I live (still at home).
My technical interests center around Groovy/Grails, as well as other JVM languages (especially Clojure). I'm a big fan of the NFJS tour and it's associated acts. So expect to see that reflected in my blog. I like to think of my self as an all-around geek, or at least an imitation one. I do my own server/database administration, am a big mobile tech user (my iOS devices are due a jailbreak in the near future), and I'm a big Linux/OSS fan, though not a religious one.
In the "real" world, I enjoy woodworking/cabinetry, home improvement, and auto mechanics (although my success rate is a bit anemic). I enjoy working with my brothers (well, most of the time), and it seems there are plenty of opportunities for "improvement" wherever we live. Of course, I consider working toilets an improvement.
I like to consider myself a musician, with guitar being my primary (heh... only) instrument. I enjoy writing, dabble in songwriting/poetry, and read more than I probably have time for. Our family sings together regularly at home, and I have undertaken the task of arranging the various singers and instruments to ensure, well, variety at least. You never know what to expect with a family our size.
I'll be honest, this last section is the hardest to write. I'm a Christian. My family is a Christian family. We have family devotions twice a day. I believe the Bible is the inspired, authoritative word of God, and that it is without error. I have seen it's trustworthiness borne out time and time again, throughout history and in our time. And I stake my faith on this book. Perhaps some of my views will be considered harsh or intolerant. I make no apologies for this. It is not my intent to preach through this blog, but I've made my position clear, and I can't promise it won't come through occasionally.
If you're still here, congratulations. You're either a believer or you have an open mind. Or maybe you're a screen scraper. Good luck.
For the curious, you may wonder about the title of my blog. It's taken from of the title of a song by Petra, which happens to be a favorite band of mine. I'll leave you with the full lyric below.
Gazing out across this desert world
There are thirsty souls everywhere you go
Searching for a drink to satisfy
Their thirsty hearts till they overflow
They come up empty when the sun goes down
And they look around and they wonder why
Their grand delusion seems to quickly fade
When their own supply leaves them high and dry
They could be drinking living water til they're satisfied
Whosoever will won't ever be denied
The water is alive, there is no doubt
The water is alive, feel it flowing out
Alive - coming from within
Alive - I will never thirst again
And now beneath the desert stars tonight
The oasis waits for those who roam
It seems so hard to think there was a time
That I used to call this wasteland home
He lets me drink the living water till I'm satisfied
Whosoever will won't ever be denied
Now and forever it will satisfy your thirsty soul
Now and forever living water makes your spirit whole
You could be drinking living water till you're satisfied
Whosoever will won't ever be denied
God bless.
