“Preserving a gentle spirit in a heartless world
takes extraordinary courage, determination, and resilience.
Do not underestimate the power of gentleness
because gentleness is strength wrapped in peace,
and therein lies the power to change the world.”

— L.R. Knost

Who am I?

One of my greatest passions as a Spiritual Director is to listen with deep curiosity and a gentleness that is (as L.R. Knost describes it): “strength wrapped in peace.” I believe that listening has the power to heal and transform the one who is being listened to, which in turn has the power to heal and transform the world. I am open and affirming of LGBTQ+ folks.

While I completed a certificate in Spiritual Direction with Sojourners Institute in Minneapolis in 2021, I bring decades of experience to my practice as a Spiritual Director. An ordained pastor of the ELCA since 2006, I have served as Village Pastor at Holden Village (an isolated retreat center in the Cascade Mountains of Washington state) and founding leader of Emmaus Table at 7400 Woodlawn (a neighborhood center for community, arts, and spirituality in Seattle).

My interests and passions are diverse and wide: from Ignatian spirituality to Taoism, from centering prayer to Taizé chants, from Anti-racism work to Eco-Soulcentric Human Development, from the art of pilgrimage to a neighborhood-rooted incarnational expression of church, from baking bread to a daily walk.

I live in St Peter, Minnesota with my partner, Elisabeth Cherland (a choral conductor & professor of music) and our two sons, Elijah and Leif. In 2019 we moved to St Peter and moved into a house built in 1875. I look forward to welcoming you to the Backyard Cloister with a cup of hot tea and a warm fire.