Do average Christians know what their pastors' lives are really like? In this collection of vignettes from forty years as a Christian minister, the author reveals, with insight and humor, the joys and heartaches of ministry. This volume touches on matters of faith and life common to us all-issues of doubt and trust, death and life, distress and healing, and of a host of moral choices we may face along life's way. But most of all, this book is about the faithfulness of a patient, loving and gracious God who loves each of us, and expresses that love in and through the family of faith. Joe Nilsen was born and raised in Staten Island, NY, where he was educated in New York City Schools. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in History from Wagner College, and also Degrees of Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary in Minnesota, and a Master of Theology in Pastoral Care and Counseling from New Brunswick Seminary in New Jersey. As a Lutheran pastor he served churches in Hialeah, Florida, and Fairfax, Virginia. For many years he also served as a Board Certified Chaplain in health care institutions in North Carolina, New York, and New Jersey. After retirement he moved to Crossville, Tennessee, where he lives with his wife Evy. They have two grown children and two grandchildren. During his career, he was a writer of articles and reviews for religious periodicals and professional journals. He is also the author of Lost and Found, a novel about a man of faith caught up in a world of political intrigue.