My most embarrassing moment
When I was in fifth grade, I won second prize in my school’s “prose and poetry” contest for an essay titled “My Most Embarrassing Moment,” which is how I got my start as a writer. Since then, I’ve written seven books and let’s-just-say lots of essays, editorials, newspaper columns, and more. I am also a Presbyterian pastor.
From Wheaton to … the Hague
I served churches in Wheaton, Illinois, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and (for five years toward the end of my career) Zürich, Switzerland, where I reached a moderate level of proficiency in standard German. I recently returned from a nine-month interim-pastor assignment in the Hague, Netherlands, where I did my best to learn the Dutch language but, alas, Ik ben niet zo goed. I now live a few miles north of Holland, Michigan, a few steps from Lake Michigan. My most recent book—Chasing After Wind: A Pastor’s life—was published in 2022. It’s my memoir, and it’s my fifth book with the Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
I learned stuff
I attended Calvin University (formerly Calvin College) in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and received my undergraduate degree in philosophy. I’m no longer sure why, except that there were some exceptional teachers in that department. I received my Masters of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey.
Marriage and family
My wife was an attorney in private practice for much of her career, and before she retired she was executive director of Habitat for Humanity in Broward County, Florida. My older daughter is a Presbyterian pastor, and my younger daughter is a health economist. Both of them are married, have children of their own, and live way too far away.
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Please use douglas.brouwer@gmail.com to contact me.
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Here are my books, which are available on Amazon or from the publisher: