What drew you to ordination and the priesthood?  It's in my blood from way back, since I was an ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) pastor for seven years, from 1990-1997.  As soon as I got settled in at St. Anne's 4 years ago I was really challenged to think of a reason why I shouldn't be using my previous training and skills.  The environment at St Anne's was and is

 incredibly supportive of everyone in the community finding and using their gifts for the common good.   

I think without that encouragement I might've stayed "in the pew" rather than discerning about Holy Orders.  To me, the ordained ministry is really about exactly that - helping others use their gifts for the common good (more on that below) and its based on something we all share - our baptism into the death and risen life of Christ.  We ALL share Christ's priesthood together, not just the sacramentally ordained bishops, priests and deacons... and that sacrifice is directed to the whole creation as the prayer for Christ the King Sunday we just prayed a few weeks ago, in order "to renew all things in Christ."

What are your passions in ministry? Or as Rob Bell would say, what is the most important thing?   The most important thing for me in ministry are the powerful tools Christ left behind for us so we can continue his work of healing the creation.   Christ is made present to us in the Word and words of the Scriptures - whether that is through meditation or study individually or together or preaching.  The other way that ministry comes alive for me is through the Sacraments - especially Eucharist - there is nothing to compare with being blessed to break and pour and share Christ's body and blood at the Table God has already set for us all.

What exactly happens at an "ordination"?   Yikes!  A lot of different activities, but Ramona and I will be presented by God's people to Bishop Brian Prior who will lay hands on us and join the assembly in prayer to grace us to become servants (the meaning of the word deacon) of God to minister to the needs of the world.  This begins a brief transitional period during which we move toward priestly ordination.  I was reminded by my friend and fellow servant Alla Renne Bozarth last week of the relationship between diaconal ordination and the larger concept  of ministry.  She will forgive me, as I hope the reader will, for my quoting her directly at length: "As you approach ordination to the priesthood, never forget that most of your lifetime ministry as a specialist in Holy Orders will be diaconal, this ministry of direct service through what I call the Sacrament of the Word and Work. The Sacrament of Divine Mystery we celebrate in Holy Eucharist is the pinnacle expression of the soul's communion with Christ, but it is the deacon's bread-baking ministry of practical application that will take most of our time and energy, and this is true for priests and bishops alike."  

At the 7:00pm evening service here, you have often played the guitar - can you tell us a little about this interest?  I've played guitar chords (more like banged along with Kum-by-ya!) since high school - but about 2 years ago I decided to step it up a notch  and pursue classical guitar lessons - what started out as another notch in my IPhone calendar for practice and lessons quickly became a means of worship and also relaxation for me.  My first guitar teacher talked about the need for "focused awareness."  The art of meditating on scripture (lectio divina) is such a large part of my Benedictine oblate background which uses a similar idea - it's hard to explain but I liken it to when runners talk about being in "the Zone."  Everything else seems to fall away and its just you and (you fill in the blank - scripture, guitar, the road, God).  If you see me with my eyes closed at worship you can safely assume I'm in the Zone... not the Zzzzone.  :-)

What is the name of your dog in the picture?   That is Jack the dog.... our family dog for the past 14 years.  People often ask his breed.  He's like Velveeta - a blend of three different cheeses.... I mean breeds.... Bassett, Beagle and Spaniel.  He has been living with cancer this past year - so please pray for him!