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Serving as bishop of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America since 2007 is an honor, a challenge, and a joy. It has given me the opportunity to work with many gifted pastors and committed people of faith. We’re creating communities that make disciples who serve the world in Jesus’ name.
For information updated weekly (sometimes daily) on news, events, ideas, books, schedules, and so on, visit my blog.
Evangelism is one of my passions, and our synod’s highest priority. Evangelism is making fully devoted followers of Christ, who taught love of God and neighbor as the greatest commandments. Every congregation is a mission, and every pastor is a missionary.
Together we plant new congregations, send missionaries, prepare rostered leaders, support companion synods, camps, campus ministries, and more. Our vision is to be a network of growing, Christ-centered, outwardly-focused congregations passing the faith to the next generation.
Biographical Information
Born: August 2, 1961, Columbus, Ohio
Wife: Susan
Children: John and Yuliana
Parents: Warren and Patricia Rinehart
Undergraduate studies: Bachelor of Music in organ performance from Valparaiso University, a Lutheran university in northern Indiana, 1983
Seminary: Masters of Divinity from Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio, 1988.
Lenten calendar templates are a great way to keep a daily discipline during Lent. It doesn’t involve making false promises about sitting down for thirty minutes a day and praying, studying, or meditating, and then feeling guilty when I fail. On the calendar template, choose a word or name for each day, write the word in a space, and draw or doodle around it. As you draw, let the name or word fill your heart and mind. If words come to you, pray them. If not, sit quiet. Think of each mark or stroke of color as a wordless prayer. This process can take three minutes or thirty. Each day is different. You’ll love the accumulation of words or peoples’ names in a visual tapestry.