Ugly Sweater Contest

Last night at youth group, we had an ugly sweater contest!  It was a ton of fun to see many of the students come in their mom or dad's sweaters.  I did receive a facebook message from a mom "complaining" that her daughter wanted to wear one of her sweaters to the ugly sweater contest. :)

It made for a very fun night.  I am sure that it will not be the last time that we have an ugly sweater night!  Guess I need to keep my eyes out for next year's sweater.  I was not a part of the contest, but I think that I would have had a good shot at winning if I were.

To capture the night, we brought in a photographer to take pictures of everyone.  Here is the picture of my sweater.

My last week...

I realized that I haven't made any updates about my week on the blog yet, so here it goes.

I am now the daddy of the cutest little girl ever!  Avery Joy was born on December 10th and was a whopping 6 lbs 4 onces and 18 inches long.  We've really enjoyed having our Christmas present come early!  She is so much fun to cuddle with.  Since we got a stocking from the hospital, we thought we better take the "Christmas Picture" so here it is...

I also got to spend Monday night in the ER with Caden.  He had a croupy cough and was having troubles breathing, so we brought him in.  A couple Nebulizer treatments, 2 x-rays and 3 hours later, we were home.  I was able to be back in bed by 4am.  He did a great job at the ER.  Didn't fuss a bit and let the doctor do all sorts of different tests.  They did have us get a nebulizer so that we can avoid trips to the ER in the future, which will be very nice to have.

here's a pic of Caden in the ER.  doesn't it look fun?

That's what's been happening in our world... What has been happening in yours?

Things to be thankful for

Today is thanksgiving, and I have much to be thankful for.  This year, because of our little guy that's on the way, we were not able to travel back to Wadena to celebrate with our family.  Though this was a bummer to us, we still found ways to celebrate here in SCF.  It was a good thanksgiving, but I have to admit, it just doesn't seem the same not being with our extended family.

The day started with a trip to Wal-Mart to pick up a few items for the meal we were preparing.  I picked up apples and whip cream and brown sugar for the pie, and eggo waffles for breakfast (just cause they sounded good),  Walked to the check-out line and checked out.  I grabbed my bag and headed out the door.  As I pull out of the parking spot, I notice this big 6'3, 300+ lb guy come barreling out of the store.  I smirked at the sight, but didn't really give it much thought till I hear him knocking on my driver side window.  Struggling to catch his breath, he asks if I had purchased brown sugar.  I told him I did.  He informs me that I had forgotten one of the bags on the carousel and that he would bring it out to me if I drove up to the door.  He smiles and takes off running back into the store.  Sure enough, I pull up and this out of breath guy hands me my brown sugar.  As much as I wanted to break out laughing at this dude completely out of breath over a bag of brown sugar, I couldn't help but be thankful for his thoughtfulness.  The smile on his face was a clear indication that he was glad to help me out.  I don't know that man, but today I am thankful for him.

We were able to have a nice Thanksgiving lunch with good friends, the Scottums ( - Nate).  Because they were going to be having turkey for supper, we decided to go with a smoked ham on the egg.  Great decision! It was so tasty!  Smoked Ham, green beans with bacon, cheesy potatoes, and biscuits made for a great thanksgiving feast.  It's always great to hang out with good friends with good food!  I am thankful for the friends we have!

I am also thankful for the nap that I enjoyed after they left!

After my nap, we put together a new shelving unit we picked up at IKEA.  its for the baby's clothes.  Its fun to see us starting to prepare our home for our new addition.  Tomorrow, we get to go and see another picture of our little guy!  I am excited for that!

Finally, we hung out in the living room, read bedtime stories with Caden, and watched the Gophers win!

I am thankful for many things, but today I am so thankful for my family!  Kate and Caden are the greatest people to spend time with, and today I got to hang out the whole day with them!  I hope that everyone had a great thanksgiving and nobody spends too much on Black Friday... but if you feel the need to spend money, I would love an ipod touch.

I'll leave you with this picture of our smoked ham.  Come on over for left overs!

Need to get back to the blogging

Here are a few things that are on my mind right now:

1. My desk is a mess and I need to clean it up
2. How can people hear stories of missionaries and just think, "that's neat" but do nothing about it?

- You can give

- You can pray

- You can go!

3. Can't wait to see my new son! Now if only we could give him a name...

4. This is going to be a different Holiday season with the new one on the way. Thanksgiving and Christmas will more than likely be spent with Kate, Caden, #2 and I (Hopefully Christmas is the only one he is actually here for). excited non-the-less.

5. I have a great family, job, and life...

I will try and stop by the blog more often. That is if there is anyone besides Brad who still stops by...

True Hall of Famer

This past week, David Robinson, Michael Jordan and others were inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame. This is the biggest honor for Basketball players and coaches. As always, each of the individuals were able to give a speach, thanking the appropriate people and saying whatever it might be that they would want to say.

David Robinson was one of my favorite basketball players growing up. I loved the fact that he was good, and a Christian. One of the things that continues to stand out is that he is a man of class. I hope that when I am older, I can carry myself in a simular fashion. Please take the 8 minutes to watch David Robinson give his speach. It is worth it. Especially listen to the end.

Jordan also was inducted and gave a speach. Jordan is probably the best basketball player to ever live. He played at a higher level than anyone for a super long time. As a basketball player, he has earned the respect of many, including myself. I am not here to say that his speach was bad or selfish... you can make your own decision. I do think that it is interesting though that David and Jordan gave their speaches on the same night, and they couldn't have been more different. Watch and see what you think. **Be Warned... he does swear once at the begining of the speach** if you don't have time to watch the whole thing, at least watch the last minute or so of his speach.

Thoughts?

My thought is this: David Robinson has class! What a great role model... still today!

Caden and I went to the St. Paul Saints game last night with some friends. It was so much fun! Twins games are great, but Saints games are were the fun is at... especially with kids! And the fireworks that followed the game were the best fireworks I think I have ever seen! Next year, grab some friends and tickets and go to a Saints game! And what's best, our tickest were $12.00 and that was the most expensive ticket we could have gotten! Great seats!

In the Line of Fire

I like working in the Christian and Missionary Alliance. There are good people, great churches and I believe that theologically, its a sound denomination. What I really like about being a part of the Alliance, is the deep history of missions that is continued with a continued passion for covering the globe with the message of Christ.

This passion is an expensive one. The value of the US dollar continues to put a strain on the missions work through the Alliance. In an economy that is causing people to re-evaluate their giving, and causing others to stop giving all together; the mission of sending others becomes a daunting one.

This morning I came across this link that reminds me of two things:

1. The "cost" of missions is high

2. The cost of missions is worth every penny...and life given.

After reading this article and seeing this video, I am again reminded of the importance of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. But even moreso, the importance of doing our part to bring the message of Christ to the nations. What part can you play?

http://www.cmalliance.org/about/history/in-the-line-of-fire/