My life began in a large loving family in a small town in Montana. We were seven children. Four joined the family by adoption. Three were born to our parents. I was the middle of the three and the middle of the seven, the first boy with three big sisters and three little brothers. Our parents were both pilots and I grew up with a passion for airplanes and flying. I earned my pilot’s license as a teenager and pursued flying as a hobby for a while before financial and time priorities led me in other directions.

Music was an important part of our family, and the piano was at the center of many family celebrations. I took lessons for about four years then learned to play the trumpet and guitar. I briefly considered becoming a music teacher during my first year of college, but my passion for philosophy and theology enticed me to prioritize those studies.

During my college years I was married with my best friend and colleague, Susan, with whom I have shared life and family and career ever since. We attended graduate school together, were ordained in a joint service, and served as co-pastors for 44 years. Much of that time we job shared. For 25 years we worked at different jobs in the same church in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Together we formed a family. We became parents of two, one born and one adopted into our family. The flexibility of job sharing gave me more time with our children than some of my peers and I am deeply grateful for that time. Our children found spouses and happy marriages, and we now are grandparents of five.

Along the journey of our careers, I have had many side gigs, some for income and some as amateur pursuits. I’ve worked as a school bus driver, a radio DJ, a freelance writer, an educational consultant, a teacher, a suicide first responder, and a sheriff’s chaplain.

I have served on boards and committees in our church’s local, conference, and national settings. I have served as a volunteer and board member of a variety of community organizations. For more than a decade I served as an independent human rights advocate in an agency that provides support for persons who live with disabilities.

A variety of hobbies have given me joy and allowed me to express myself. In addition to flying, I have been a skier, a paddler, a builder of canoes and kayaks, a photographer, and a beekeeper. Together our family has hiked and camped. We have all discovered joy in traveling and have developed friendships around the world.

In 2007, I made a commitment to publish an essay on my website every day. The practice became a habit and the habit a spiritual practice. I published daily essays for eighteen years without missing a single day. Through the process, I learned to think of myself as a writer and became inspired to pursue writing as a passion in my retirement.

There are many other ways that I might tell my story and perhaps I will write a memoir one day. Although I am not as active as some on social media, I do publish essays, poems and prayers on Substack, and occasionally post to other media. You can check me out, follow me, and learn more about me from the links in the media section of this website.