Ever ask yourself, "Who are these people who write for Forward in Christ magazine?" Through this series you can find out. Read on:

If Pastor Michael Woldt, who serves at David's Star in Jackson, Wis., had to choose one word to describe himself, it would be grateful. "I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve in the public ministry; for a loving and supportive wife; and for the Lord's rich blessings of family, coworkers, and friends throughout the years," he says.

In describing his hobbies, another word comes to his mind: running. "I've completed seven full marathons and a number of half marathons in the last ten years (none of them very fast!)," he says.

Woldt grew up in Milwaukee where his father was principal at Atonement Lutheran School. "Like most other boys in Milwaukee at the time, I wanted to play for the Milwaukee Braves or Green Bay Packers," he recalls. "The trouble was I didn't have any athletic ability. By the time I entered high school, I thought I would follow in my father's footsteps as a Lutheran teacher. It wasn't until my senior year in high school that I decided to attend Northwestern College to prepare for the pastoral ministry.”

After his first year at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, Wis., Woldt accepted an emergency call to teach at Northwestern Preparatory School in Watertown, Wis. Upon graduating in 1981, he received a call to tutor at Northwestern College on the same campus. "I have always considered it a great blessing that I didn't have to choose where I would first serve when I graduated from the seminary," says Woldt. "The Lord's path for me was far better than any I could have mapped out for myself."

Woldt's first parish call was to Christ, Oakley, Mich. He has also served at Martin Luther College, New Ulm, Minn.
Woldt and his wife, Betsy, have been married for 27 years and will enjoy the weddings of two of their four children this summer. 

Regarding his FIC devotions, he explains, "I try to write in a simple, clear style, free of theological jargon. My prayer is that every devotion I write will somehow remind the readers of their sin (law) and also assure them of forgiveness through our crucified and risen Lord Jesus (gospel)."