Hi! I’m Jim Lindemann, born and raised in New York City, but throughout my ministry have come to also really value the life in smaller centers. With my deeply appreciated companion and wife, Tricia, our family bulges at the seams with four natural, two adopted, a variety of foster children, and now grandchildren (as well as cats, dogs, birds, fish…) – there is no end to the competition against getting the offered books finished. As retirement is at the doorstep, perhaps there may even come a time to pursue my Master’s interest in carpentry. Or not.

I have been a pastor for over 35 years, ordained into the Lutheran ministry, and am the recipient of perspectives, concerns and interests handed down from a long line of pastors (note the example of “Exaudi, 1857”, sermon from my great grandfather, Fredrick Lindemann; and the example of “11 Sonnt n Trinity,” a sermon from his father, Johann Christoph Wilhelm Lindemann). My grandfather, Fred H Lindemann, amongst other books, wrote the four-volume series, The Sermon and The Propers, in which he related the texts for a given Sunday to its seasonal theme as well as to the Sacraments, providing direction for what a sermon might encompass.

I call my publishing company, “RFLindemann & Son, Publisher,” in reference to my Dad, Robert F Lindemann, who loved his work and his Lord. There were many subjects within his faith about which he was deeply interested, and he shared these pursuits with me. It was not difficult over the years for me to become infected with these interests, which have provided the seeds for these books. He was the fountain that watered these subjects, often through long discussions.

Then, sadly, one day he was gone. Mom encouraged me to put into print these topics over which he and I had wrestled. It has not been easy going it alone – I have missed his input as well as his delight over some newly realized Biblical tidbits. The Covenant study in particular has been a journey of over 20 years. Unfortunately, Mom did not get to see the completion of her vision.

However, the journey through these topics has indeed been well worth the trip for me. There have been insights that made me step back in wonder and humility at what God has done. I have had to come to terms with certain issues and some opinions have been clarified or modified. It has been a delight to assemble the pieces of information and insight as if to a jigsaw puzzle and to be transfixed by the picture that has emerged.

There is still much more to learn and errors will still be made. There are still seeds to cultivate. Sometimes the frustration is to figure out how to narrow the coverage down before the book becomes too large and the reader’s inclination to read it proportionately diminishes. Still, these topics are too valuable to merely say nothing. Hopefully, these books will at least start a dialogue, not just with me, but with one another. If this material gets people thinking, asking questions and investigating further, then what more could I ask for?