September marks the 20^th anniversary of Coram Deo since beginning as a church newsletter in September 1998. A few things contributed to my wife Tammy and I starting Coram Deo. (See this article from R.C. Sproul about what Coram Deo means).
First, people in the church knew that we went to the movies each Friday night. They would often ask if a particular film was appropriate for their children, or themselves, to see as believers. Writing short reviews of the films was a way to get that information out.
Second, for years I used to do the weekly announcements at the beginning of our church’s worship service. A man who only got to church about half the time, expressed frustration to me that he missed important information that was announced but not available anywhere else. The newsletter gave us the vehicle for that information.
Third, we wanted to look at culture – books, movies, music, the issues of the day from a distinctly Christian worldview or perspective.
Our first issue in September 1998 was a combination of church specific information along with looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview, the latter of which we continue today with the blog. That first issue included a monthly article from our pastor entitled “Pastor’s Corner”, a church calendar that listed sermon titles, baby showers, local concerts, choir practice, member birthdays, etc. Originally just four printed pages, we later posted an electronic copy to the church website, and by the time we sunset the newsletter at the end of 2013, it had grown to thirty pages. In late 2013, we began offering both a blog and newsletter, and in 2014 we moved completely to the current non-church specific blog format.
We are still at the same PCA church and are blessed to have the same pastor after 20+ years.  But much has changed since our first issue. I returned to Covenant Seminary and graduated in 2014. I took early retirement in early 2018 after nearly 38 years at State Farm. But today we continue much of what was in that original issue 20 years ago. You can expect music, movie and book reviews. We’ll also have a focus on integrating faith and work, and I’ll share links to articles that I find interesting.
We hope you enjoy reading the blog as much as we enjoy putting it together for you. Please let us know how we can serve you better.

Blessings,
Bill and Tammy