First and foremost you need to know I am a sinner who has been cleansed by the blood of Jesus. I believe my life is fully in him. I feel good about my training to be a pastor. However, my heart's desire is to simply be a servant of Christ, used by him to help people experience fullness of life in him. Sometimes I think I’m smart. Sometimes I think I’m funny. But I count all of this as a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ and being found in him. My favorite book of the Bible is Romans, and if you have to pin me down, my favorite chapter is Romans 8. Personally, I think this matters more than knowing I’m from Minnesota, or that I was graduated from Lutheran schools starting with elementary school. Curiosity might lead you to ask about my wonderful wife, Lynn, and four children, but I would probably exaggerate about their greatness and how helpful would that be? If you really want to know other positions I’ve held, honors I’ve received, etc., you can ask and I will try to remember. But when you walk away from our conversation, this is what I want you to remember about me – I am a sinner who has been cleansed by the blood of Jesus and I believe my life is fully in him. And if, in my contact with you, some of this rubs off on you, and you share the same perspective with greater conviction, I will count it a blessing.
Amen