Since the Fall of 1992, I have been Pastor at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, in Peoria, Illinois. The photo of me was taken in Zion's Parish Hall in June 2009, as we were setting up our "Summer Chapel."

In addition to this web site, you can find me on the blogosphere at Pastor Zip's Blog, where I offer occasional reflections (on all sorts of matters, though usually related to the Faith and the Church) from my perspective as a Parish Pastor. My other blog, 21st Century Whig, occasionally reflects on public life from a perspective that has gone out of fashion.

At the time I was born Canoga Park was already transitioning from a small rural community at the end of the Pacific Electric Red Car line (where my dad had been born and raised) to a major suburban community fueled by the space program. Growing up we regularly heard the rumble of Rocketdyne's giant engines being tested in the Santa Susana Mountains for the Apollo missions

I broadened my horizons beyond the West Valley by attending California State University, Northridge, graduating in 1982 with a B.S. in Business Administration (Accounting). (In 1994 CSUN would become more famous as the epicenter of the Northridge Earthquake.) During this time I also worked at the Sears, Roebuck & Co. store in the Northridge Fashion Center. I was living in Van Nuys when in 1985, shortly after transferring to Sears Savings Bank (a savings and loan Sears then owned), I returned from a trip to Israel with some other members of my church, and responded to a long-suppressed call to the ministry.

Going to seminary meant doing something I'd never dreamed of doing -- leaving Los Angeles. The only Lutheran seminary in the West is part of the Graduate Theological Union, next to the University of California. So it was off to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1988. Okay, that link isn't completely accurate. San Francisco is a nice city to visit. And it's heaven compared to Berkeley, which was a real dump when I lived there. Though the view of the City from the seminary is gorgeous -- when it isn't fogged in.

an expatriate Californian:

born in Hollywood, playing in Peoria.

I fell in love with baseball thanks to the Los Angeles Angels who then played at Chavez Ravine. I lived and died (okay, mostly died) with them when they moved to the Big A as the California Angels. It became hard to follow the Anaheim Angels quite as closely from Peoria -- even in 2002 when we became the World Champions of Major League Baseball. But thanks to XM Radio, I can keep up more closely with my beloved Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, who are now consistently at (or near) the top of the American League West. How about another World Series in 2009 -- this time against the other LA team?

Other things I enjoy include: science fiction, space exploration (yes, I Wanna Go!), short wave radio, popular music of many eras, history, politics, and automobiles. But to be honest, most of my life revolves around the Church, from the congregation I serve to the theological discussions and debates that happen across the nation and beyond. Watch as more links slowly appear here and around my entire site.

Well, it's not LA or the Valley,

but I have found Peoria (pictured here at dusk from across the Illinois River) to be a nice place to live.

To get a feel for this city I sometimes call "home" I invite you to check out these links:

The Peoria Journal Star, a morning* newspaper.
(* - Real newspapers, of course, are published in the afternoon or evening. Alas, try finding one of those today.)

After a 10 year interregnum affiliated with another major league team, the Peoria Chiefs of the Midwest Baseball League re-affiliated in 2005 with the Chicago Cubs as one of their Class-A farm clubs, with Hall-of-Famer Ryne Sandberg managing in the 2007-08 seasons.

Minor league baseball can be quite fun to watch and the Chiefs have often had one of the better teams in the league. Interestingly, it was during years the team played poorly that future major league players like Rick Ankiel (early 1998) and 2005 National League MVP Albert Pujols (Midwest League MVP in 2000 and NL Rookie of the Year in 2001) played in Peoria. Since 2002 the Chiefs have been playing at the wonderful downtown ballpark, O'Brien Field.

Go ahead. Click it and find out.

For over thirteen years I've continued to add links and branches to this site as I've had time to tell you more about things that interest me. Thanks for stopping by. And please do surf by again!

E-mail me if you'd like.