Don Matzat

I am a retired Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod pastor, having been in the ministry for 60 years. I received a Master of Divinity degree from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri in 1965 and an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1998.

I served congregations in Indiana, Michigan, New York City, St. Louis and Pittsburgh. I took an eleven year break from parish ministry and did talk radio at KFUO in St. Louis and WORD FM in Pittsburgh. I retired in 2010 but continue to serve as a part time pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Wentzville, Missouri.

Back in the 80's and 90's I had four books published by Harvest House Publishers out of Eugene Oregon. They included "Inner Healing: Deliverance or Deception," "Christ-Esteem," "Truly Transformed" and "The Lord Told Me, I Think." I have since updated and published them via KDP publishing.

About fifteen years ago, I tried my hand at writing a novel. I felt that so many so-called Christian novels were of the "Hallmark" variety appealing only to women. What about men? So, I wrote "The Redemption." It was not geared for men who occupy pew space on Sunday morning but bar stools on Saturday night. I have since authored three other novels, "The Reconciliation," "The Atonement," and "Sinners and Saints." I find it fascinating and challenging to weave Christian truth about Jesus into a novel format.

In 2016, I read a Wikipedia notation about Katherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of the infamous King Henry VIII of England. The note indicated that her treatise "The Lamentation of a Sinner" included a high degree of self-debasement, not appropriate for a queen, and she embraced the Lutheran concept of justification by faith. This piqued my interest. I discovered this treatise in a large anthology and self-published it as a stand-alone edition. This remains the only edition available and is the first time it has been published since 1562. I wrote a larger biography of Queen Katherine titled, "Katherine Parr: The Life and Faith of a Tudor Queen." The book was picked up by Amberley Publishing out of Gloucester in the UK. It has been enlarged and is available on Amazon and numerous other book distributors. The book is titled "Katherine Parr: Opportunist, Queen, Reformer." It is a unique biography of Queen Katherine, taking issue with other biographers. The book includes the treatise, commentary on her key theological points, plus 16 pages of color prints.

Dianne and I have been married nearly 60 years. We have four children, eleven grandchildren ranging in ages from 6 to 29, and two great-grandchildren.

I truly hope you enjoy reading "my stuff." I welcome your questions and comments.

donmatzat@hotmail.com