More About Me

About Me...

I'm a 40 year-old Christian gay man of European (German) descent. I have a loving heart, a creative mind and a deep spirit that guides my path. I highly value honesty, integrity and faithfulness in all aspects of my life. I am slightly introverted and appreciate time alone to ponder life's exciting turns, life's difficult trials and God's consistent presence in my journey. I have a strong creative streak that highly values the artistic interaction between novelty/change and tradition/order. I often find God's presence within the Creation and I love spending time in the outdoors! I am a person that appreciates smiles, the sounds of laughter and our God-given abilities to make life a blessed and joyous adventure.

I am a kind, thoughtful and generous person that always seeks to find the goodness found in all humans. I judge others sparingly and only after careful consideration of the "beam in my own eye." I am a hopeful person who seeks to inspires others. I care about the suffering that occurs on this planet and I often bravely attempt to do my part in abolishing the world of injustices. Lastly I am patient person seeking to learn even more about the spiritual value of waiting.

My Family History:

Where Introverts and Extroverts Meet

In the early 18th century two women and two men cross the Atlantic Sea in order to discover a new life in America. One couple, George and Veronica Hain, came from the Palatine region of Germany. The other couple, Bartholomaus and Elizabeth Romberger, came from Bavaria, Germany. All of them came to American en route from England ports desperately seeking to escape the war torn lands of Germany. They came to America seeking peace, prosperity and religious freedom. They came to America to discover their spiritual paths. They came to America with dreams in their hearts for their children...and their children...and their children.... They came to America in order to discover a new, resurrecting life!

The Hain and Romberger families are, however, different in many respects. The Hains are an extroverted bunch of folks. They focus on doing in all aspects of their lives. They build new churches and schools, they passionately fight injustices and they tend to become teachers, preachers and educators. The Rombergers are introverted people and they focus more on being and thinking than on acting and doing. Rombergers spend a lot of time in nature and appreciate the beauty and joys of working the land; they tend to stay out of the "doing" of wars and societal battles but are participators in such efforts as philosophers, analyzers, thinkers and organizers.

Together they make up their own understanding of the Body of Christ. The Rombergers are the head and the Hains are the body. I am a result - a proud result - of these two unique peoples.

My "Ideal Church"

My "ideal church" is a church that:

	Remembers and believes that God has called them into existence.
	Believes God is Still Speaking to them.
	Considers worship as their #1 unique offering to the world and strives to create and lead the best worship possible.
	Appreciates and loves music.
	Prays...and plays...together.
	Is self aware and clear about their priorities, mission and vision.
	Is inclusive and hospitable.
	Is Open and Affirming.
	Seeks and appreciates diversity.
	Is mission-oriented and seeks to reach out to others.
	Is radically generous.
	Believes in organic models of administration.
	Strives to be both pastoral and prophetic.
	Is inspired by the Godly forces of order/tradition AND chaos/change.
	Highly values educated clergy and learned laypeople.
	Believes in the "priesthood of all believers."
	Is transparent in their policies and procedures.
	Strives to be self-organizing and self-learning.
	Is intergenerational in their thinking (even if they are not yet intergenerational in their membership).
	Understands that conflict is natural and seeks to appreciate the value of constructive conflict.
	Loves God and loves others as themselves.

The Hain Family

Click here to learn more about the Hain family that I belong to and to see the Hain Family Tree.

The Romberger Family

Click here to learn more about the Romberger family that I belong to and to see the Romberger Family Tree.