I think differently. Every once in a while, I have an insight or a thought that could be useful to others. My background is over 30 years in church leadership & 30 years in social work with Master of Divinity in Religious Education and Master of Social Work degrees [Concentration in Program Directing] – and yes, I do enjoy retirement.

My background and ordination is as a Baptist, but I tend to be ecumenical in my approach.
> God is a great friend even while we keep in mind he is definitely The Holy Other.
> As God’s communication to us humans, the Bible can impact one’s life as it relates to our lives today, if we are open to understanding its message.
> A church is a group of believers who associate with one another for the worship of God, for learning from the Bible about how our lives can be enjoyed through relating to others within the church and outside the church, and for helping with the needs of others. Church can be fun and fulfilling, if we don’t try to kill it with bad attitudes and a lack of love for each other in the church and the community.

My wife and I been married for 50 years. We have three grown and married children of whom we are very proud.  And they have blessed us with seven grandchildren.  Both of us grew up in Washington State, but we now live in North Carolina with a lot of experience between those two points. My wife was my partner in the ministry in every way – but without title or compensation.

My heart is in teaching. And I try to teach in a way that you don’t have to have a degree to understand it. And you don’t have to have English as your primary language, either. Further, I prefer to teach and preach about what we CAN do rather than what we OUGHT to do or NEED to do. The “oughts” and “needs” we lay on others in our teachings just oppress them under the thumb of falling short all the time.

So, join me on this journey we call Life as we explore God, the Bible, church and the world around us together.

Finally, my last name is Norwegian. I thought I would sound it out for you, so you don’t have to wonder: “Is it Mik-kul or is it My-kul?”

[Updated March 6, 2023]