Hugh Hewitt's mention of this site on his blog has caused a pronounced spike in the numbers of visitors to Better Living. Thanks so much for dropping by!
I also thank Hugh for linking you here. I'm always honored when other bloggers recommend Better Living. It's a particular honor when the godfather of Blogging does so. (It's easy to imagine that on November 3, Hugh, like another "godfather," broke into several verses of I Feel Good, isn't it?)
Let me tell you a bit about myself. I'm soon to be 51 years old, married for thirty years, the father of two children (a son, 23, one semester away from Bachelors degrees in History and Philosophy; a daughter, 19, majoring in International Studies and set to be married next June), a pastor for twenty years, a lifetime politics and history junkie, and one-time candidate for the Ohio House of Representatives (I finished fourth in a five-way race earlier this year).
I was bitten by the political bug at about age 4. (I know; I was a weird kid.) So intense was my interest that when I was five, Mom and Dad arranged to take me for vacation to Washington, D.C. Eisenhower was President and I can remember hoping that he might drop in for lunch at the dime store diner at which we ate one day.
My first job came when I was about six. I sold Christmas cards and address labels door-to-door. Later, I sold potholders that my mother made to order. I also mowed lawns and delivered newspapers in my young days. I held a variety of part-time and full-time seasonal jobs--from loading docks to highway crews, from factory assembly lines to department stores, from fast food restaurants to janitorial services--as I worked my way through high school, college, and later, seminary.
At one time I was an avowed and pretty rabid atheist. But through my wife and the down-to-earth fellowship of her home church, I gradually came to faith in Christ. It changed my life.
But I understand and sympathize with those who find it difficult to believe, especially when they encounter Christian legalism. (That term is really an oxymoron, when you think about it.)
In 1975, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Social Studies Education from The Ohio State University and in 1984, I received a Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus.
After graduating from college, I worked for a time as a substitute teacher and then managed an unsuccessful congressional campaign. For two years, I was a fund-raiser and administrator for the United Way of Frankling County. After that, I worked on the staff of the Ohio House of Representatives. I left there for seminary, having become convinced that God was calling me to be a pastor.
I'm the pastor of Friendship Church (Lutheran) of Amelia, Ohio, a congregation my family and I started fourteen years ago.
One of my most enjoyable activities these days is serving as vice president of the Boys and Girls Club of Clermont County. A few years ago, I was privileged to serve on five different committees for the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Billy Graham Mission. That was a tremendous experience!
For nine years, I've written a column for a local chain of suburban Cincinnati newspapers. Some of those writings appear on the blog. I also post my weekly messages and other thoughts that occur to me about life, current events, sports, education, and faith.
Recently, I've been doing some outside speaking. Just last week, in fact, I spoke to a group at the Cincinnati Woman's Club, an extraordinary organization. In December, I'll be doing special presentations of the Christmas story at shows produced by my brother, the clean comedian, Marty Daniels.
One thing for which I strive to be a stickler in my writing is fairness, something that seems sadly lacking in a lot of media---including new media like blogging---these days.
Another is honesty. If you catch me being holier-than-thou, please call me to the carpet for it!
Ultimately, I really do try to focus on the things that I believe make life better.
I hope that you find the site helpful. Now that I've told you a bit about me, please let me know about you, too. Feel free to leave comments. God bless you!
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