Musings on 25 years of Ordained Ministry--Part 3

Early influences...continued:

I could go on and on about significant people in my life who shaped who I am today so I'll try to narrow it down a bit--

In Jr. High we attended an Evangelical Free Church. The congregation was quite conservative but for some reason hired a fire-cracker of a music person named Jere Mae Francis. Jere Mae was the organist (she also played accordion). Not one you would expect to rock a congregation. But she did. She started a music program for Jr. High/Sr. High students, allowing us to do "our kind of music." This was in the early days of Jesus music, or what was to become Contemporary Christian Music. In addition to putting together an orchestra, we started doing contemporary musicals that included music that sounded like top 40 hits combined with some acting. Those few years in the youth choir had a profound impact on my life at that time and really planted the seeds for what much of my ministry would look like today. This was back in the 70's, so this stuff was radically new. And the long-time members weren't all that crazy about it. I had a meeting with the pastor and head deacon, both of whom were upset with the music (I was 15). The deacon said that one of our members had complained about our music because one Sunday he found himself tapping his toe in church! Scandalous. But it was music that connected with my generation and I began to discover the power of music in sharing the Gospel.

I attended a Christian High School. It was a great 4 years. I met Jan there! But one of the most significant influencers in my High School years was my band director, David Hepburn. Dave was a Salvation Army guy who had a deep passion for Jesus. In addition to leading the band, Dave put together a music group of High School students. The music once again was contemporary. I usually played in the band but had the chance to sing occasionally. We traveled around the midwest singing in churches and even did some tours to other states. One year we put on a musical (If My People--a musical written for the 1976 Bicentennial) in the Minneapolis Auditorium. Dave taught me about passion, communication, the power of music and the power of events.

My college years were mainly spent at the Lutheran Bible Institute in Seattle. This was a great preparation for ministry as the whole point of this particular school was to dig deep into Scriptures. The piety of the school was heart-oriented, focused not just on learning, but on being formed by Jesus. I was a part of a music group at that school. I was able to do some speaking as well when we would tour the Seattle area. Two teachers in particular stand out: Pastor Lunder (he was a friend of my grandpa's and always reminded me of him.) Pastor Lunder had a contagious enthusiasm for Jesus and for teaching the Gospels, particularly Luke. He was a help to me when I had to make a decision about my schooling. Pastor Rismiller also had this remarkable ability to make any book of the Bible sing. Imagine making Leviticus interesting. But he was able to do it. All of the teachers and staff at LBI were an important part of my faith development.

Seminary was a very different experience from LBI. Where LBI was a more devotional study of the Scriptures, Seminary was a more theological/rational study. And I loved that experience as well. It's fashionable to bash Seminaries. But my seminary experience was fantastic and gave me a good start into ministry.

Again, there are all sorts of other people who influenced my life. Steve Swanson, my roommate at LBI and best man in my wedding, and I did a radio show for awhile in Minneapolis. Contemporary Christian music was still in it's early stages and we were on one of the first CCM radio stations in the country. We did a one hour show. Our point wasn't to be preachy, but to have some fun and draw in people who wouldn't listen to religious radio, using music that sounded like pop music but with lyrics about Jesus.

Tom Eggum is another guy who helped make me what I am today. Tom is an evangelist who early in his ministry smuggled Bibles into Russia and China. To this day, some 30 years after meeting him, every time Tom speaks God stirs my soul. A part of me has always wanted to be like Tom. Tom and I, along with Walt Kallestad, took a trip to Korea and China back in 1985. It was my first overseas trip. We did a little smuggling of Christian literature into China. I ended up bringing Tom on staff at Community Church of Joy back in the mid-80's.

Many different congregations played a role in my faith life from our little Lutheran church (Ascension Lutheran) in St. Louis Park, MN to the Westwood Lutheran Church in St. Louis Park where I participated in Choir school and learned music to Hope Presbyterian in Richfield, MN. Hope was Jan's church when we started dating. It was a large congregation and it gave me a glimpse of what the church can be. Bob Dickson, the head pastor was a great role model as was his associate, Ron Davis, whose preaching had a huge impact on my preaching.

To come somewhat full circle, my grandfather's ministry was a main catalyst for my call to ministry and a shaper of it. Evangelist and Lutheran is an oxymoron. But Grandpa was both. A Lutheran who was passionate about bringing people to faith in Jesus. He was in many ways a Lutheran Billy Graham. His style of preaching, his passion for leading people to "assurance of faith," and the way he did ministry really did set the agenda for my ministry. I used to tell people that the "seeker ministry" we did at Community Church of Joy for so many years was really an updated version of the kind of ministry my grandpa did back in the 60's and 70's. When I was in Jr. High grandpa's ministry (the Lutheran Evangelistic Movement) held yearly youth events in Minneapolis. Thousands of young people would come out for it. He brought in the best speakers and the latest in music (here's this old guy bringing in bands to play for young people!). I got to meet some of my heroes of that time like Tom Skinner and Leighton Ford. It was through one of those events that I met Tom Eggum. And first heard of a guy named Walt Kallestad, who at that time was in a music group singing music we kids loved but older folks...not so much.