We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ken Franklin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ken below.
Ken, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
My optimism grows naturally out of my faith. I have witnessed many miracles in my life, not only as a family physician, but as a husband and a father. The first was when I was nearing the end of my Family Medicine training.
I was given my tenth-choice assignment after residency, to an Army base in a very remote area. My very pregnant wife, Terri, and I drove there for a house-hunting trip, and we were very dejected at the end of our first day.
We were crying in each other’s arms that night – when we both suddenly stopped. We both had heard the same small, still voice: “God has us there for a reason.” Now we were both Christian believers, but our faith had been pretty lax. That voice led us to pray, “We put ourselves in Your hands.” The next day, the house we dreamed of came on the market, my future supervisor assured me that I could design my own job, and Terri scored an interview that started her health care marketing career.
Since then, I have taken any hint of despair as a challenge to look for the deeper hope. That attitude has led resulted in astounding blessings on more than one occasion, most notably my Godgift bride, Debi. We both lost our first spouses to cancer (Terri passed away in 2010), but God brought us together, and we celebrated 11 years of marriage this month.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I work three days a week at Family Health Center Paterson in Kalamazoo, Michigan. There I provide comprehensive medical care not only to disadvantaged people, but to refugees from around the world. I delight at the opportunity to immerse myself in my patient’s challenges and culture, so that I can meet their medical needs where they are.
The rest of my week, I have the privilege of designing tabletop board games. I have been on the design team for 9 games so far:
-The Mansky Caper (a heist set in Chicago, 1925), by Calliope Games;
-Imagineers (a theme park simulation), by Maple Games;
-Tsuro: Phoenix Rising (a tile laying game set in a Japanese fantasy setting), by Calliope Games;
-Back to the Future: Dice Through Time (based on the hit film trilogy), by Ravensburger Games;
-Flash Point: Legacy of Flame (a game of cooperative firefighting and rescue), by Indie Boards and Cards;
And 4 upcoming titles by Calliope Games.
Finally, I am a Lay Servant in the United Methodist Church. I frequently write devotionals, and assist in worship services. I have given sermons in several churches to fill in for pastors when needed; most recently, I have felt led to emphasize that Christ’s grace includes every person on the planet, regardless of how they identify themselves. I believe that we humans often make the mistake of substituting our sovereignty for God’s. That belief led to my book, “Spit Out the Apple”, which I self-published on Amazon, Kindle, and Audible.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
First, I believe that my love of games and puzzles has taught me lateral thinking. This has enabled me to quickly look at the information in front of me and come up with creative solutions. In medicine, this leads to a diagnosis more quickly, allowing me to start treatment sooner. In game design, this allows me to see problems in a design and come up with changes in the rules and components that improve the fun for players.
Second, I have been raised to value integrity. I work hard to establish trust and speak honestly in all my dealings with others. This, I believe, puts patients at ease in the clinic setting; and in business and networking, it allows for the rapid establishment of productive and trusting relationships.
Finally, I strive mightily to value every person I meet. I want to see every person with Christ’s eyes: worthy of love, worthy of caring, and worthy of relationship.
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
At age 68, I think about that quite a bit! I like to think of each day as cooking a new recipe of living.
First, the ingredients: acts of loving toward my extended family (especially Debi); an act of kindness or generosity to at least one stranger; giving my best to every patient I see; and creative time working on game and puzzle design.
Next, I take those ingredients and combine them in a thick broth of devotion and faith. I borrow a line from William Paul Young, author of “The Shack”: I pray, “God, what are we going to do today?”, listen, and obey the answer.
Finally, I ensure that all of these ingredients simmer slowly in self-care and pacing. I value each day. I don’t want to rush past it, and I don’t want to ignore it.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @KenPlays2Grin
- Facebook: Facebook.com/drkenfp
- Twitter: @KenPlays2Grin
