Hard Questions: About Life, Death, and After Life

This book, although about my life, I hope you experience it as a narrative about the questions, challenges, and decisions we all make in life. Often, we're afraid to ask hard questions, fearing the start of a word war, ending in a communication catastrophe, or family collapse. Asking hard questions reduces being defined by an organization or someone who wants to limit or categorize you. When I don't ask hard questions of myself, my motives, or my actions, I typically settle for the minimum out of life instead of embracing all that life can deliver. Reading this book or using it in a group setting will open your mind to seeking greater connectedness and increased self-awareness. Asking hard questions can stimulate deeper thinking, help define purpose in life, and generate enthusiasm for living in new, more fulfilling ways. It's taken a lifetime to realize a lack of questions leads to ignorance, failure, and despair. I'm a grandfather, husband, and father who grew up as a mid-west farm boy, one of eight children, where stability and connectedness were cornerstones of our traditional family and community. I like leading small groups, preaching, speaking, and traveling. I'm a busy amateur photographer who takes long walks. I have a BSME and MDiv; both took ten years to achieve. I started a software development company in my thirties. Twenty-five years later, after my M.Div. I received a call to a Lutheran pastorate. I'm retired and live with my wife of 55 years in the cold north. We have two adult children, two grandchildren, and a dog. I have not arrived; I don't believe we ever reach perfection; humans are imperfect, but we're always striving for a taste of the life to come.