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autobiography

Autobiography
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Hi, friend.

Depending on where you catch me, I might be in the role of pastor, worship leader, singer/songwriter, or spiritual director. Whatever I'm doing, I hope to create places and spaces for connection with God.

 

I'm a pastor's kid born to a couple of pastor's kids. They raised me in the fair state of Minnesota and I've lived here my entire life. My current perch in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul. I love having four seasons, how the water both gathers into lakes and falls in frozen structures from the sky, and how this place births some great music. You've probably heard my favorite Prince song (Let's Go Crazy), so might I also suggest checking out The Jayhawks?

My education followed the winding road. I have a Psychology Major/English Minor BA from Hamline University (St. Paul, MN), then I hit paise to see where my late-blooming guitar skills were taking me. Turned out they took me into playing in bands, learning to lead worship, training for ministry through Vineyard Leadership Institute, then into Canada for a Master of Ministry (M.Min) with a focus on Spiritual Formation and Worship from St. Stephen's University (New Brunswick). The spiritual formation component of my studies eventually led me into a certification as a spiritual director from Sustainable Faith (Columbus, OH), and most recently I studied with spiritual director and author Larry Warner to be able to walk others through the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius. More recently, I have been connecting with the amazing Order of the Common Life (OCL) folks. 

I've had oppotunites to serve in various ministry roles, which I love. Whether it's been leading group contemplative exercises, prayer trainings, workshops, or speaking at a conference, I consider it an honor. 

Artistically, I am the common cog in a group of artists called The Law Collective. We have a motto that "We never create along," which points both to the camaraderie and spiritual aspects of the creative process.I put out worship recording under my name, and now the Collective is releasing worship music as well. I get to rock with The River High, and I have an Americana project called Law to Phx. A friend of mine and I also have a duo called LWN MWR -- We will release our second song when the world is more ready. That's a joke. 

Being a spiritual director and accompanying folks on their spiritual journey has become one of the greater joys of my life. Do reach out if you are interested in talking more about this. 

Thanks for being interested in what I'm up to. I'm interested in what God is up to with us and with you! 

ALIASES

Aliases
Image by Mads Schmidt Rasmussen
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the river high

The River High is a melodic alt-rock outfit from Minneapolis that fuses folk-inspired male/female vocals with classic rock strut.

Check out their latest album, Blood & Darkness

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law to phx

Justin leads an alt Americana outfit called Law to Phx. The band has hit the ground running, playing venues like Minneapolis club Icehouse and opening multiple times for legendary Minnesota band Gear Daddies. Check out their recent album I Got Scared In The Summertime.

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the law collective

Justin takes great joy in making music with friends, and The Law Collective became the umbrella for all his different musical pursuits. Recently, a number of people from the Collective created a series of worship music EPs. One, Two, and Three are out now, with the full album THREE IN ONE arriving in 2023. Take a listen to Three

Appearances

Appearances

While I'd love to see you in person, there's a pandemic out there.

Live events will resume when it's safe for us all to be together.

No events at the moment
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