Welcome. I am Pastor Johann Caauwe. I currently serve as the pastor of St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church in Wood Lake, MN. Previously, I have served congregations in El Paso, Texas, and Modesto, California. My wife Sara and I have been blessed with nine precious children.
The purpose of this blog is to share my thoughts and experiences with those people who might possibly care about the things I think or experience. It is not primarily a blog about the ministry of Trinity congregation, or even about my work there. In other words, this blog is more personal than professional. However, it is nearly impossible to separate the two. What I believe, teach and confess in my vocation as pastor are the same convictions with which I aim to live in my home and in the community. The things I teach and preach at church find application in every aspect of my life.
I don’t have a specific audience in mind when I write. It’s not exclusively written for my members, or other pastors, or my family. I try to think of people who might be interested in the things going in my life, but who wouldn’t otherwise know these things. And even for people who are close (like members of our congregation) it gives me an opportunity to share things that I wouldn’t ordinarily share in a sermon or Bible class. I might have the opportunity to share a little about the things that interest me, like technology, Twins baseball, photography. But most of the time I’ll be sharing thoughts about my family, confessional Lutheranism, music, liturgy, and how that all intertwines.
Crucifix
The crucifix depicted in the blog header is the processional cross from the chapel at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. Information on the picture can be found here.
A Shepherd's Story 