Richard on the summit of Mt. Sinai in Egypt.

Grandchildren: Micah & Nathan

Phillip Emily & Katherine

As vital to life as air and water, words are essential. In “Job the Oratorio” Job complained with harsh words against his counselors who had turned critical against him:

“Words break the heart…
They wound, they scar, they trouble the soul.
They create discord.”

But he also lamented to God,

“O that with an iron pen,
My words were etched forever!
With lead and iron and stone,
I wish to be remembered.”

Words, music, poetry and meter form a pulse for all of us who listen, think or attempt to communicate, with one another or oneself.

I have served as a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America since 1966, and as Bishop of the Virginia Synod, ELCA from 1987 until retirement in 1999. Now I lead occasional retreats on spirituality for clergy and laity, write, travel and enjoy remote places. As the author of eleven books, my most recent is “Forced to Pray: God’s Chosen Under Pressure.”

I am a graduate of Newberry College (1962) and Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (1966), and hold honorary Doctor of Divinity Degrees from Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, and from Newberry College, Newberry, South Carolina. I am married to Mary Ann, and we have three sons, John, Aaron, and Andrew. Our five grandchildren are Katherine, Emily, Phillip, Micah and Nathan.