I was born a Lutheran, attended a Mennonite college, have been part of the Christian Reformed Church for the past 20 years, and regularly attend Catholic mass.
I’ve been a member of Trinity Christian Reformed Church in Ames, Iowa, for the past 17 years. I’m a high school Sunday School teacher, Children & Worship leader, worship planner, and faculty advisor for Areopagus, our campus ministry at Iowa State University.
I started this blog to share notes and reflections about worship, using art and music in Sunday school classes, Reformed hymnody, books, campus ministry, gender & the Bible, the intersection of religion and academia (the topic of my research), and other topics connected to my church life. Most of the posts are from notes I’ve made for various ministries I’ve involved in at Trinity.
I’m married to Nancy Berns, author of Closure: The Rush to End Grief and What It Costs Us. (Here is her TEDx talk on Beyond Closure). We have two daughters, Lydia (15) and Chloe (12). Our baby boy, Zachariah, went to be with the Lord in 2001.
Nancy and I received Ph.Ds in sociology from the University of Illinois is 1999 and are sociology professors at Drake University and Iowa State University respectively.
— David Schweingruber
Greetings! RE: Our God Reigns. The pub. company you mention in your article approached me. I asked them to print at least three verses of my song. They offered two. I said fine. Then, they came back and offered to print one verse. I said they must be able to find room on the page for at least two verses. They dropped me, without further discussion. I guess they lost patience with me 🙂 Lenny Smith
Lenny:
Thanks for the information about “Our God Reigns” and thanks for composing such a glorious hymn. I’m unsure about why the Lift Up Your Heart editorial team would not want your other verses in the hymnal. I’ll make an effort to see that “Our God Reigns” remains part of our congregation’s repertoire despite no longer being in our pew hymnals.
Best wishes,
Dave
I am currently working on an adult Bible School lesson on Zechariah and came across Naomi Friend’s Sunday School drawing which led me to your site. I noticed a previous request for using such drawings and have included both your site and Naomi’s in my presentation and lesson. Thank you for sharing such God-given talent.
One more thing. Is the Mennonite College you attended Bluffton and is your father Dr. Don Schweingruber? I am a 1979 alumnus of Bluffton and have a high regard for Dr. Schweingruber. Just thought I would ask.
Respectfully,
Ricky Fricke
Ricky:
It’s always good to run across another Bluffton graduate. I’m glad you found my site and Naomi’s artwork. Thanks for sharing them.
Don Schweingruber is my dad. He turned 75 earlier this year.
Best wishes,
Dave
Dave,
I was in your dad’s basic group at Bluffton. He made us feel like we were a part of your extended family. Praying for you and yours during this time!