Hello Monk Friends!

Hello to all my friends at Monk!

Drew asked me to put together a short biography of, well, me, since I’ll probably start working with some of you soon and very soon. The temptation when writing a biography is to provide a lot of pithy, self-congratulatory fodder that no one besides you and your mother want to read. I promise I’ll spare you from that!

What I will provide you, in the true form of blogging, are a few bullet-point lists for easy scanning.

With that, get ready to learn everything you ever wanted to know about me:

Family

  • I grew up in West Des Moines, IA.
  • I still live there.
  • I have a fun, witty, smart and sassy wife, Kerry.
  • We have a son, Finnegan.
  • If you’re wondering where West Des Moines is, click here.
  • My dad is a school teacher.
  • My mom is an office manager.
  • My brother is a hippy banker in Denver.
  • My sister is a mega-star food blogger.

School (Both Old and New)

  • I graduated from Valley High School. Our claim to fame is winning a Grammy and Shawn Johnson.
  • I graduated college from the University of Northern Iowa. Our claim to fame is beating Kansas in last year’s NCAA basketball tourney. And the Interlude Dance.
  • I graduated seminary from Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, MN. Our claim to fame is … um … I guess when John Piper (professor) got Greg Boyd (also a professor) kicked off of campus. That was cool.

Work Experience

  • My favorite job was working at a law firm as a courier.
  • My least favorite job was working in the cafeteria at UNI. I’ll spare you the details, suffice to say I knew it was time to go when I had to work the “liquids” station in the dish room.
  • I worked as a housepainter all through high school and college.
  • I worked as a server for a summer, an experience everyone should have at least once. (You tip better that way.)

Hobbies

  • I love to run. I ran my first half-marathon here in Des Moines last October. I can’t wait to do another one.
  • I like to read. A lot. If it’s got a social media and/or theological bent, I’m on it. I’m currently reading Thank You Economy and The Supernatural Ways of Royalty.
  • I grew up Lutheran. I’m not sure that’s so much of a hobby as it is an explanation.
  • I like to blog. I have one here and here and here. Oh, and sometimes here.

If you want to connect elsewhere, you can find me on Twitter or Facebook. I’ve also got a digital business card, if that’s your thing. At any rate, I look forward to working with you and visiting Old Town sometime soon!