Daniel Ruen was born in the South Bronx, NYC, where his father served at St. Peter's in the Bronx. Raised in Milwaukee on healthy doses of Led Zeppelin, Dr. Dimento and Haugian pietism, he soon journeyed to the University of Minnesota to major in Ultimate Frisbee. Having left the church at 18, he was drawn into weekly Torah study at the Jewish Student Center, where he learned how to read scripture like any Lutheran should: heavy on the argument, quick with the wit, and intoxicated until one can’t tell the difference between good and evil (which only happened once a year on Purim). After graduating from the U of M, he worked as a graphic designer and illustrator to feed his Frisbee addiction. He accidentally entered seminary at Luther in St. Paul in 2001. He is now in a state of ‘permanent recovery’ from both seminary and Ultimate Frisbee. Serving his first parish in Evanston, IL, Pastor Ruen also performs live at bars on the north side of Chicago with his wife, Clare, as ‘Reverend Ruin and The Wreck Angel,’ where they drink good beer and evangelize as needed. He served as Staff Coordinator at Holden from 2005-2006.