About

Galen Ryman

I am a follower of Jesus, a husband, father, and pastor located in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. This website is an intentionally created space where I can share different thoughts and ideas through different meduims, but have one central place where it can be accessed.

Family

The best part of my life is being a husband to Justean and a father to Lillian, Shiloh, and Dawson. Together, we love hanging out with family, meeting new friends, exploring the outdoors, cheering for the Kansas City Chiefs, and finding new coffee shops.

Education

  • Pastoral Ministry – Mid-America Nazarene University
  • Masters of Divinity – Nazarene Theological Seminary
  • Doctorate of Ministry in Spiritual Formation – Liberty University

Church

I also love our church, Chicago First Nazarene Church in Lemont, IL, where I serve as the Lead Pastor. Our church has a historic past, beginning in 1904, but is reaching young families in new ways around Chicago today. Our unique oppertunity to reach our community comes through our preschool that serves 120 kids a year and our recreation program that has about 2,000 registrations a year. We love the church and our community! See more about the church at firstnaz.cc.

Some Recent Moments

Wait for it! Family worship got a little crazy tonight! 😂 love these little moments. 12 Years Today! Happy Anniversary! Happy Mother’s Day to @justeanryman! Watching you be a mom to our little family is one of my favorite things in the world. You are so empathetic, unbelievably patient, and your gentle and persistent love is the secret ingredient to our family. Our kids are so blessed to have you as their mom! Long days in the sun with family and friends are so good for the soul! He is risen! There were such powerful moments as we remembered Good Friday together. Thanks for coming to reflect on Jesus’ death, pray together, and receive communion. We will see you this weekend to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection! Happy 5th Birthday to Shiloh! To know her is to love her and experience joy! Just a cowboy and his girls! Thanks for coming to March Madness @firstnazchurch!

Life Goals

Just for fun, here a few of my items from my Life Goal list, both completed and yet to be completed:

Completed

  • Run a Marathon (Chicago, ’16)
  • Go Skydiving
  • Ride in a car capable of 200mph (Lamborghini Gallardo)
  • Summit a 14,000′ mountain (Mt. Evans, CO)
  • Visit a Greek Island with my wife

Not Yet Completed

  • See the Northern Lights
  • Preach the Gospel in 20 states, 6 countries (7, 2 currently. Inquire about speaking availability under Contact.)
  • Take my daughters to a fancy play
  • See Lake Louise with my wife
  • Harvest a Bull Elk or Moose
  • See a sequoia
  • Publish a book
  • Take each child on a special adventure of their choosing
  • Climb the “Mountain of God” in Africa
  • Read 500 books or 175,000 pages

Know of someone who can help us check something off the list? Let me know below!

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