all nighter... what am I thinking

being a youth pastor is something I LOVE! However, spending the entire night awake with a bunch of 13-18 year olds might just do me in. I like to think of myself as an energetic person. Someone who isn't an old fart yet. So why am I dreading being up all night tonight? Well, I think that there are a couple reasons for that. Here are the highlights.
1. I like to sleep.
2. There will be one kid there that is just weird on Mountain Dew and will drive me crazy. I don't know who it will be yet, but it will happen.
3. The hours of 4-7 are going to go SO SLOW it isn't even funny.
4. I don't get to spend new years with my wife and son :(
5. I get to spend my day off sleeping. Not the way I would envision it!

Don't get me wrong. Tonight is going to be a BLAST! I am looking forward to the broomball and dodgeball the most. It just takes me longer to recover from the night is all. At least I am not as old as my good old friend Doug Fields who says "My idea of an all nighter is making it through the night without having to get up to pee." I am not that old yet!

I'll keep you posted

100th post

Yeah... my 100th post is on my new laptop from my new house, sitting on my couch after finally getting the wireless network going. Life is good.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and have a great new year!

Chris

Merry Christmas Everyone

For the couple of you who actually check this from time to time, I am sorry for the lack of posts the last.. like... forever. I may get back into it after the first of the year. It is going to be one of the new years resolutions... Something I don't like to do, but am going to do this year.

This week I have been super busy getting ready for Christmas. We had our Christmas party for our student ministry. Complete with Egg nog bobbing for Candy canes. The rest of my time has been spent getting ready for preaching on Sunday. Its by no means my first time preaching, but it is my first time preaching here in St. Croix Falls during a Sunday Service. Now if I can just keep from getting the sickness that Kate and everyone else has, I'll be in good shape.

I am actually excited to preach. I'm talking about the unwanted gift of Christmas. Can you believe that people (King Harod) actually rejected the gift of God in Jesus? unfortunately its still happening today.

Thats all I got for now. Can I suggest that instead of waisting time checking blogs every day, you subscribe and get a blog reader so you can check all your blogs at once? Saves tons of time for sure!

On My Mind Right Now

• I have a cold
• I don't want to shovel again
• I made some tasty cookies last night
• we need to get the house ready by Sunday
• I am excited for Wednesday Night's Challenge
• I got three new Books to read
• I may or may not read them soon
• I need to get to work
  

Stupid Woodpecker!

So this stupid woodpecker went to town on a tree outside out bedroom yesterday morning. 2 hours of work and look at that hole! Its crazy! That is one big bird too! Man I wish I had my paintball gun... or something bigger. Oh well, Caden liked to watch him, so it wasn't all bad. I guess I will be cutting that tree down soon. It was dead anyway.

In the House

Finally we are in our new home! Its great to have a place of our own! Its not the biggest house, or even the nicest house I have ever seen, but it is ours and we like it! We like the big yard (2 lots) and the location (right next to the school) but most importantly we like it because it is ours. How fun is that?
We've never owned a home before, so this is big stuff for us! Yet, when you think of it, its just stuff. We get so excited about it, and we commit ourselves to it (mortgage) but in the end, it will burn, or rot, or be torn down. This week has been a tough one for me. Lots of stuff going on that reminds me what is important. Specifically family, and my relationship with God. I have seen first hand what happens when one, or both of those things slip away from you.
So... we are excited to be in out new home. Yet at the same time we are remembering that its just a bunch of wood held together by nails. Its just stuff. I think that too often I forget that. I am so focused on getting stuff that I forget that its not coming with me.

On that note, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Chris

a year ago today

One year ago today I was eating my first breakfast in Africa. I wasn't sure what I was eating for sure. I knew that it was eggs and some sort of spread that I put on the toast. It wasn't bad, but I would soon learn that it wouldn't be the worst meal I ate there!

What a wonderful time we had in Africa. We spent almost the entire month of November there! We even celebrated Thanksgiving there! Obviously something they do not do. I am lonesome for Tanzania right now! I want to see the smiling faces and hear the amazing music! I want to be a part of that again. Some day, I pray, I will return. If not to Tanzania, to another part of Africa. It is an amazing place. If you ever have the chance, GO. In fact, MAKE IT A PRIORITY to visit Africa!

We got to do some awesome stuff! I took this picture of the Elephant on our safari. If you want some interesting reading, go and read the posts from November on 2006 on this blog. In fact, YOU MUST read this one. Talk about a memory! So much fun!

What I will miss most about Africa is their simple, yet true faith in God. In America, we are Christians so we can go to heaven when we die. In Tanzania, they are Christians because they need it to survive the day! They trust in God like few Americans do. They worship God like few Americans do. They believe in God like few Americans do. And i am including myself in that statement! Why is it that we put some many things, so many people, so much money before our relationship with God? We are a selfish nation, we are selfish people.

Today I miss Tanzania! thank goodness I am planning another trip to Africa (hopefully) within the next year or so!

Back with a bang

For those that actually are still checking this thing.... might only be you Ali. Well, I am back! What better way to come back than with a BANG! I have started a new tradition at youth group to start with a super sweet drum solo. Only problem, I don't know how to play the drums. I still give it my best shot. hey, its worth a laugh or two!


Anyway, I found this great drum solo that I thought I would re-start the blog with! Trust me, it is worth watching!

More to come later this week.

Chris

News of the weird!

So a quick stop to check out the current news at wcco.com and here is what I find. I don't know, is it just me, or is something wrong with this picture/story. Its bad enough to have a guy mugg you. It just makes it worse that he sucks your toes while he is at it!

As sad as it is to say, this guy has got to be on something! What would bring a person to the point of sucking someone else's toes during a mugging? I guess you could also ask the question, what would make someone mugg someone too. Strange people out there, that is for sure!

You can read the whole article here.

(on a side note, we still don't know much about the house situation)

the house

Put an offer in on the house this morning. Its low, but its all we can do. Hoping that it will be accepted! We will know by Monday!







(its possible this isn't the exact house we put an offer on)

A new house?

Thinking hard about buying a house! Meeting with the bank, checking back with the realator, deciding if we really want to pull the string, Making an offer low enough for us, but good enough to be accepted, its all very frustrating at times!

I'll keep you updated

I decided to take a different way home yesterday and stumbled upon this field of deer. It was fun to just sit and watch them! There were about 10 in all! Some of them didn't appear until they got up from laying in the grass!

I am not a big outdoors/hunter guy, but it was fun to stumble across this field last night.

Night of Adventure

Tuesday Night I went to see Borne Ultimatum with a friend. It is an amazing flick! Just make sure to sit toward the back of the theater because it features the "Borne shaky cam." All in all a great flick though!

During the movie it dawned on me that I locked the keys to the apartment in the garage. Long story short, my friend had to shimmy up the deck pole, and go in the deck door. Thanks Nate! I guess I am not used to having Katie and Caden gone.

Time to hit the hay. Kate and Caden are in Wadena. I am going to see them tomorrow night, actually early Friday morning. I am so lucky I get to spend my anniversary evening with the elders of our church at a meeting! How romantic!

Later!
Chris

Fun Sunday

Got to spend Sunday afternoon with a bunch of college friends at Luke and Ali's place! It was a fun day of grilling, playing Wii, boccie ball in the yard and just plain connecting with friends that I had not seen in a long time. Thanks for a great day Petersons! It was a blast!

Hope to do it again soon

Cambodia

Today as I sit and read stories about the 35W bridge collapse, I am thinking about just how lucky I am. I don't get into the cities a ton, but any time I do, I pass over that bridge. I was at twins game and crossed the bridge on the way there and on the way back. Life flashes before us so fast!
Thank GOODNESS we live in a country where we all have the opportunity to hear the Gospel and are free to respond to it. I do not know the lives of those who died in the River yesterday, but I think it would be safe to say that they have had the opportunity to respond to the Good News of the Gospel. I don't know if they had accepted it, but I do know that they probably had the chance to.
I was just reading an article on the CMA website as I was investigating different locations for an upcoming mission trip. Cambodia has mad it illegal to share the gospel of Christ unless it is done within the walls of a government approved Church building. It is also illegal to convert a Buddhist to Christianity through food distribution or service to the poor. This is a major setback to the work that is taking place in Cambodia!
I am glad to be in a country that allows me the privilege to hear and respond to the message. Unfortunately, some, even though they have heard, do not respond.

Twins, beep ball, and the Wii

Last night I was able to go to the twins game with my grandpa. Its alway nice to get to a game, but even better to be able to go with gramps. It was a great game with amazing pitching! Even almost got to see Tyner hit the long ball! 3-4 with a single, double, triple isn't a bad night though! Especially when he is now trying to fill the shoes of Castillo! What a dumb trade! Anyway it was a great night at the ballpark!
Before the game, we were able to watch about 20 minutes of Beep Ball. It is baseball designed for blind people. The ball beeps so they know where it is. There are 2 bases, one down each foul line. Once the ball is hit, one of the bases beeps. The hitter runs to that base. If they can touch the base before the fielders control the ball, it is a run! It was so much fun to watch! I am so glad that those guys get the experience of playing baseball! It reminded me how lucky I am to be able to enjoy watching and playing baseball!
And finally, I can add two more 300's to my record! for some reason I just figured out how to bowl on the Wii! Its fun stuff! Especially since Kate and I will be in a friendly couples bowling tourny in September (hopefully). Fun times, fun times!

300!

So today I was sitting at home, waiting for Youth Group. Its boring sitting around your apartment when you wife and kid are up having a good time at Big Sandy Camp. So... I decide I have time for a couple games of bowling on the Wii. I do my usual warm up of a couple games of tennis and then it is on to bowling. The first frame, strike, second, strike, third, strike, forth, strike. At this point I am getting nervous. I am used to getting 3 and even 4 in a row, but over that is a big deal! I go all the way through to the 9th frame... STRIKE! 10th frame, strike, strike, 9! Are you kidding me? a 299 for the game! I was upset!

I thought to myself, you know, I should try one more game. Strike, Strike, Strike, Strike, Strike, Strike, Strike, are you kidding me? 9th frame, strike, 10th, strike, strike, STRIKE! A perfect game! Lets just say I was so excited I did a celebratory belly flop into the lovesac! It was a good time. Too bad I was in my apartment all by myself! I actually had to leave the Wii on, go to church, get my camera and take a picture. Then drive back to church to blog about it because our camera cable is up at camp with Katie for caden's blog.

Anyway, I just had to share! It was good times for sure!
Anyone wanna play!?

its hot out!

SO... We just had to pick the hottest week of the summer to spend up at camp! I guess it is never a bad time to be up at camp, but wow is it hot! At least we are in Loon with the air conditioning! That makes things much better, especially with Caden!
My favorite part about being "camp pastor" is just being able to hang out with the staff and pray for the week at camp. I firmly believe that being at camp can be a monumental time in young people's lives, but its also just one week. One of the recurring prayers I have had is that what is being communicated and experienced is not just a week long experience, but a beginning to a lifetime commitment.
I love camp, especially Big Sandy! Its just good to be a part of it!

That being said, I have made my way back to St. Croix Falls for our final youth group night of the summer! It will be a hot one, that is for sure! I am excited as we spend out last night together before taking August off to give our volunteers a break, and for our leadership team to gear up for next fall! I am so excited for September! It will mark our first annual Yuck Fest! Should be a great time!

Time for me to get to bed,

Chris

So I guess it is that time again...

Its been far too long since I have updated this blog. So long, that to be honest, I am probably writing to myself at this point. In any case, I am glad to be back to the blog and sharing my thoughts and adventures with you... even if "you" is just me.
Kate and I have stayed very busy with Caden. I think that he has officially logged more miles in his car seat than an over the road trucker! He has been everywhere! We are so glad that he is a great traveler! Good thing, cause we will be hitting the road again this weekend!
Speaking of hitting the road, if you are a reader of cadenfolkestad.blogspot.com, you know that we were up at Big Sandy on Monday. It was a quick trip, but well worth it! The best part about the trip was being invited back to spend the entire week up there! So Monday morning we will be heading back up north to spend the week with our friends at Camp! Should e be a good time.
Caden's blog will be updated often while we are there.
Thats enough rambling for now, talk to you later.

Chris

I'm back and ready to blog

Just not yet. I will blog about LIFE, Caden, the Twins and other stuff soon.

Chris

Things I am looking forward to doing with Caden

So I can't wait to start traditions with Caden. Twins games on the couch are currently our favorite. There will be things like catch in the backyard, Twins games, road trips, fishing trips, sonshine trips, so many things.... but this father took it to a new level! click the link to read the article.

I can imagine the dad as he is flown away in the helicopter spitting out and yelling, I WIN!

Crazy!

This just might be my favorite picture of Caden so far! I like it because he is so often NOT like this! He doesn't throw big tantrums! But this night, he thought that he would. He posed great for the first couple pictures (cadenfolkestad.blogspot.com) but then freak out! If anything says STOP this picture and face does! Gotta love it!

Matt Roth

One year ago today, Matt Roth went to be with the Lord. I continue to miss him. I am also encouraged by his story.

I'll never forget his smile, his laugh and his love for his friends and family. I will also never forget about what he taught me about ministry, faith and death.

caden's own blog

Caden doesn't like to share. He started his own blog at cadenfolkestad.blogspot.com. From now on, that is were the pictures of him will be. He has an attitude already! Sarcastic like his mother! Go check it out, he is lonely over there.

Chris

more pics of the little man

sleeping after a big meal

posing in the Love Sac. I think he could get lost in this thing!

Here is more pictures of Caden. This picture is the "vital statistics" of Caden. I prefer to call them stats. Vital statistics sounds like an obituary! Its fun stuff for sure!








Grandma was upset that she didn't get her picture up here too. She wants everyone to know that she came to visit. Like she wouldn't! She is a proud grandma!









Grandpa and Caden sitting in the chair. I think that he is a Grandpa's boy! Or maybe I should say, Grandpa is a Caden's boy. However you put it, its fun to watch!

Caden says "any girls wanna date me?"

Here are some more pictures for you to look at! There will be plenty more to come!

He's HERE!

Caden Glen Folkestad was born on May 25th at 11:58pm. He's a cool dude who is the greatest kid ever to be born. I may be a bit bias on that one though.
All is well with both Caden and Katie.
This daddy is tired, I will post more tomorrow!
Chris

Wii Update...

Kate had a doctors appointment today. Here is what the doctor ordered:
1. Continue to play the Wii, the bowling lunges are good for you.
2. Bring the Wii to the Hospital, it will give you something to do.
a. I am not sure if she wanted Kate to bring it so Kate could use it, or so she could.

Its doctors orders, I guess we got some Wii to be playing tonight! Kate has turned into the Wii salesperson!

If this doesn't get labor started, what will?

So, Kate is ready to have this baby! She said that she would do about anything to get it over with. So I suggested that we possibly make an investment into something that just might help. So we bought a Wii. Actually that isn't really how it happened but it sounded better than, chris wanted a Wii and Golf Clubs, Katie said he could have one of the two. But either way, we now how a Wii and BOTH of us love it!

In fact, we had to take a break from it for a while because our arms hurt so bad. I have to be honest Kate is good at bowling. She has some practice times set up for today for her golfing and tennis, but as far as bowling goes, she is good! (I beat her still though!)

So, anyone looking for a fun evening with the Folkestad's, look us up! The Wii is always on!

Here are a few photos for you to enjoy of our first night with the Wii! It was a special night for sure! I just have to see if the doctor will let me bring this to the hospital room! It would sure help the time go by!

Thats all for now
Chris

Ultimate Frisbee

Last night was the first of our Ultimate Thursdays. I forgot how much you have to actually run during Ultimate! It was a great time, with a less than Ultimate Frisbee disk. Looks like we need to fine a new one before next week.
The one downfall is I had a bit of a mid air collision with Travis in the end zone. His knee met my thigh, and now I can't walk well. Poor me I know. It wasn't severe enough to keep me from on Tuesday or Ultimate next Thursday! Now if Kate will just please check my schedule before she decides to go into labor, we will be all good!

All for now,
Chris

at what cost?

Katie and I watched Blood Diamond last night. WOW that is a movie that makes you think! It's a bit predictable, but it is a powerful movie! It makes me wonder how much our "luxuries" really cost!

If you are looking for a movie to watch with the kids, this is not it! But if you are looking for a movie that is filled with thought provoking moments, I suggest it!

It earns its R rating, so be aware.

Twins, church softball, and wi-fi news

I am watching the twins right now. It is in the 10th inning with Morneau is up with 2 outs! Man just get a single. WOW a homerun that was awesome! He hit that a mile! That was amazing!

Church softball was good tongiht. We played Alliance 1 who is the old guys from the church. We played well but lost by a run. Oh well. We had a good time!

Great Wi-Fi news! The St. Croix Falls Regional Hospital has Wi-Fi in the rooms. I will be able to give updates on the labor! I am sure Kate will be excited about that! Anyway, look forward to that! :)

Thats all for now, just wanted to give a quick update, but now I need to go and celebrate the Twins Win with a quick shower and hit the bed.

Go Twins!

6 hours I will never have back

WOW - that is 6 hours that I will never have back! Kate and I spent our Saturday in the basement of the hospital learning about breast feeding and birthing possitions! Thats exciting stuff!
Now don't get me wrong, I am glad we went, but wow that is a long time to sit there and talk about weird things. It was fun to watch the faces of all of us future dads at some weird moments! Even though it was good information to know, it was still... um... 6 hours I will never have back!

I'll feel a lot better after the baby is here and we are past that point.

Thanks to Brad for sending the draft and Vikings updates! I had to take several "bathroom breaks" to get a signal for the updates. I was keeping the other guys updated!

Quote of the day, week, month (when ever I decide to add a new one)

A Quote From Peter Drucker...

"Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things."

What it must be like

I just came across an article about the family of the gunman at VT. Can you imagine what they must be feeling and thinking? Can you imagine hearing about such a senseless act, then finding out it was your own brother who committed the act? I am guessing they are scared, afraid and grieving all at the same time!
Would you still be able to love your brother if you found out that he did that? Would you be able to attend a funeral in his honor? Would you be able to forgive him? Would you be able to show your face in public without being afraid for your life?
Those are all things that this family is going through right now. For the sounds of it, they are taken by as much surprise as any of us are! I can only imagine the feelings that they are having. I would even say that they are feeling as much or more pain than the families who lost loved ones! Not only did their son die, but he is also the one responsible for the death of so many others! Wow.

What could you tell the family to ease their pain? I don't know that there is a good answer to that.

God is a forgiving God, one whose love is stronger than anything that we could ever do or imagine. But do you really believe that? Do you really believe that if this wacko lived, and repented, that he would be forgiven? Would you want him to be forgiven? Thats a hard questions to ask. I want to answer "burn in Hell" but that isn't the right answer.

Wow, we were just as bad off before we encountered Christ as this guy! We may not have run around with guns and killed people, but our eternal reservations where for the same restaurant! Kinda puts things in perspective I guess. this dude needed the Lord! But so do we.
Those are sometimes hard words to take! If you want to read the article, it is here.

I am still alive

Just a post to say that I am still alive! I will post more soon. Its been crazy around here for awhile.

well its official

So here I am sitting in my new office overlooking State Road 35 in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin. It is a good, and weird feeling. The walls are still blank, the bookshelf only half full, but the work is already starting to stack up! Wow, crazy stuff!
I think that change is good. It's good to try new things and new areas. I just wish that moving didn't have to be part of that change! Wow! Everything unloaded from the truck FAST, but its gonna take a while to get everything put away. Right now, all we have is boxes, boxes, boxes! CRAZY!

I better get back to work. More updates to come, I am sure.

Global Warming~

Someone alert Al Gore! Global warming has reached a new level! Its so hot here that we went from no snow to 9 inches of snow overnight! This is an outrage! Switch your lightbulbs now! If we don't hurry, the world will blow up!
I guess I am just bitter!

Chris

So tonight, I decided to try things that could maybe get me fired.... Because what are they going to do, fire me? Just kidding. This is a great game that we played tonight! Its called the Trout Toss, but I couldn't find any Trout. I had to settle for the Tulapia that they had a Wal-Mart.

The students had to toss the fish across the room (over the heads of the others) to see who could toss it the furthest. The only rule was that they had to through it with their mouths! Wow that is fun! They actually really liked it! What better way to lead into Noah and the Arc? I cant think of any!

The best part of the night was when a 7th grader (the same one who hit on all the girls the night I announced I was leaving) yelled out A WORM right during the message! Priceless! A worm fell out of the fish when it hit the ground and was still crawling around on the floor! Needless to say, the girls were freaking!

It was a great night! The message was above average with GREAT response form the students! Next week is going to be the last Plunge! I am not looking forward to doing that! But it will be good. I have something special planned!

Thanks for reading

CHris

its been awhile

So, its been a while since I have posted. I am sorry about that. But really, I don't think that there is anyone who is checking this thing anymore anyway! So, if there is someone who checks this, let me know.

Today was fun! Sebeka was out of school for the day, so Joe brought over his Wii to the church for a little bowling, tennis, boxing and baseball action! It was good times! I have to see if a Wii fits in the personal budget, and if Kate will go along with it! Its good stuff!

All for now,
Chris

Trip Number 2 to S.t. Croix Falls

So.. After looking at MANY houses and seeing that we could only afford a crack house that "Needs TLC" we were VERY discoraged. However on the way home, we got a phone call from a message we had left earlier in the day.
2 bedroom apartment, very resonable, NOT EVEN COMPLETED YET, Garage included! So, tomorrow morning our deposit check is being mailed out and we have a place to move to! Good stuff! It buys us more time to look for a place we can buy. We have one place we really like, but just don't know yet.
All for now...

Chris

Saying Goodbye is never easy...

Tonight, I told my youth group that Kate and I would be moving to Wisconsin. It was a tough decision we prayed about for over a month. Little did I know, it was easy compared to telling the youth I was leaving. It was tough.
The hardest part is trying to explain to them that its nothing they did, or didn't do. Its nothing they could have changed. Its hard to answer their questions of "why?"
I have never loved a group of people more than I love the youth here. I have never cared more for any group of people either. Its going to be hard to leave, but I do know that God has great things in store for us, and for the church here. Someone new will come and do a great job.
On a lighter note, one of the 7th grade boys went around to the girls after and told them... "Its ok to cry, you can hug me." TOTALLY macking on jr. and sr. girls! It was awesome! That is what I call turning a situation in your favor!

Tough night...
Chris

lazy day today included...

Pancakes in the morning
driving to Loren's (Dumb idea!)
shoveling
cheese ravioli
blogging...
Heard that Larry won his match at state.

Ahh... I better get to work. I think I am going to head in and make sure that things are set up for sunday.

Yep, thats my day,

Snow, a movie and dinner. NICE

Just saw the schools were closing early. I headed over the gas station and picked up a couple movies before the kids wipe out the small selection. Should be a fun nice at home.

Spegetti, a movie and maybe some popcorn. Should be good!

Are you smarter than a 5th grader?

Did you see the new show on Fox? Are you smarter than a 5th grader! Is America really that stupid? Tonight, a graduate of UCLA had to rely on a 5th grader for each of his 3 questions he was asked! And when we was out of cheats? He dropped out of school, took the money that the 5th grader earned him, and said, "I am not as smart as a 5th grader."
Its an entertaining show, but it is kinda sad. Especially since I was stumped on some of the questions myself! AAAHHHHH! Another example of useless information.

Welcome to St. Urho Island!

A quick video we made for the valentine dinner at church. Fun stuff. I don't think these guys will ever trust me again!

Ok... I am back

Ok, I am back. Sorry about the big delay! I didn't know that my big brother was so interested in daily happenings of my life!

Not much is new here. Just finished up our big Valentine banquet on Saturday night! Had 1600 bucks come in, so that was nice! It was a fun night with lots of help from the youth. Everyone said, "Can't wait till next year!"

That is about all the new news I got right now. I might have more to talk about next week.... You never know.

Later
Chris

Touch of class in Indianapolis

so we arrived in Indianapolis today. Got a nice rental car with navigation, had it valet parked (it is cheaper than the ramp) and are staying at a great hotel! However, we have decided that the more you pay for your room, the more that they make you pay for.

Days Inn gives you free wireless internet. Hyatt charges you 10.00 a day.
Hyatt also charges you 2 bucks for the bottled water that they place in your room. WHAT?

I guess this "touch of class" isn't for this boy from Northern Minnesota. Give me a Days Inn with free wireless anyday!

Tomorrow the conference starts in the afternoon. I will fill you in on all the fun and information that we take in. Until then, I need to go and digest this buffalo wildwing meal!

Until tomorrow
Chris

I am headed to Indianapolis!

I am headed to Indianapolis for the National Youth Ministry Conference. I am looking forward to getting away for a while and getting so sweet training. I am excited about to specific track that I chose... Building an effective team. I should be a great weekend! Even scored some FREE housing at a SWANK hotel! It should be good times. I will blog along the way.

See you in the slightly warmer Indianapolis!

Chris

momma always said it was good to have good intentions

But sometimes, as good as the intention is, its still a bad idea!

Exodus: Crazy

Just started doing a study of Exodus. Doesn't sound like the most intersting thing to do in the world, but to be honest, I have been pleased! Nothing like a date with the Bible, a notebook and a few good commentaries! I am looking forward to getting started in this study!
Here are just a few things that I have discovered during the study.
1. Exodus 3:2 is the first use of "Holy" in the Scriptures
2. Moses is a lot like me: (5 Excuses why he maybe isn't the best person for God to use)
3. Other stuff I can't really put in a list form right now. Its late.


If you would like to enter into a conversation about this Book, let me know. Otherwise, I will just keep my blogging to my notebook.

More to come... Maybe...

Posers = Fakers =Wannabes

Just started re-reading this book! Found it on my shelf and thought I would give it another try. GREAT BOOK. This is a book that speaks honestly about what it means to live a life of Christ. Authenticity is huge to me. Sometimes it is hard to be authentic and a youth pastor - heck a Christian - at the same time. I am excited to spend some more time in this book.

This book is filled with possible quotes to put on your bathroom mirror, but one that stuck out to me is when he Quotes Anne Lomott.

"The secret is that God loves us exactly the way we are and that he loves us too much to let us stay like this, and I'm just trying to trust that." She makes two things plain here: God won't stop working on us until the job is complete AND God doesn't hold back his love because there is evil in us. Got now, not ever."

I would encourage you to get a copy of this book and read it up. But when you are done, don't just set it back on your shelf and forget about it. Put it into practice in your life. Either give away the book to someone else, or find someone to discuss the content with. Its too good to keep to yourself.

The Morning hours

Last night was the first of our "24" a day with God nights at Plunge. We talked about the morning hours. We discussed the differences in how Guys and Girls get ready in the morning. Then... We had Shad get ready like a girl. Shad... You looked great! Thanks for being a good sport!

and now for something different...

So I am preparing for a youth group lesson, one where I will challenge students to place a Bible by their toilet. I have challenged students to this a hand full of times in my 3 years of youth ministry. I just love to see their faces! This time, I wanted to take it a step further. I decided I would see how long the average person is on the toilet. I couldn't find it in my quick search, but I did find this site! Check it out. I'd love to see what the average is for youth workers!
Just think about how much more time you could be spending in the word!

Its cold outside...

So cold that my dog decided that she would poop in the basement! I let her out, she just ran back in. A assumed, that was her way of saying "I don't have to go." I was wrong. I went downstairs to get some clothes, came out of the laundry room and almost stepped in poo! Sometimes I wonder about that dog!

24 - Review #2

The first four hours have proved to be intense! No character is safe! Jack escaping, saw it coming, head of terrorism group wanting peace, I can believe that, Using a son as leverage to get a package delivered, saw it, jack busting in the door just before the "innocent" gets shot, yep... saw it coming, Jack killing Curtis, Unbelievable! The nuclear bomb going off in the 4th hour.... WOW! Did not see that coming!

24 is a great show that just got upgraded to an A rating in my book! You just don't blow up LA in the 4th hour! NICE! I am hooked!

I question the amount of gore they use. It seems to be a bit over the top. Maybe that is just because I was watching it with my youth group, but it seemed to be alot.

Great show though! Sometime I will blog about the racial topics this show brings up. It has provided some good discussion for me so for.

Good show!

24 - Review #1

Tonight was the MUCH awaited 24 premiere. 2 hours of goodness (which will be followed by 2 more hours tomorrow!) I will admit it was a slow start, with Jack being returned and all. But a half hour into it, it was on! Who really thought Jack would be killed at the beginning? Nobody... He signed a contract through next season. But that doesn't take away from the intense.

The writers never cease to amaze me. It might be the most predicable tv show on earth, but it is also the most adicting. Even though you have a good idea of what is going to happen, you don't want to look away. That is good writing! Lets be honest, it isn't the acting that keeps us watching!

So far I give the new season a A-. Can't wait for tomorrow!

Change is almost always needed...

But almost always difficult. Our student ministry has come to a cross roads. We are currently too large for our meeting area. This is a great thing! A wonderful thing! A God thing! .... So why is it so hard to make a change that will more effectively minister to this large group of students? I believe it is because we are afraid of change, intimacy and accountability.
In a large group, it is easy to hide in the corner. You can walk in a room with 50 other students and nobody will seek you out, or at least for long. You can sit back and watch the night unfold. I am not saying that this is a bad thing, but I do believe it keeps many people, including myself, from growing.
To address this problem, we are splitting our group and meeting on different nights. We are also adding Small groups to allow students a chance to have a more personal experience as well as connect them with a loving adult. Our new Schedule will be as follows.

Jr High:
Jr. High Large Group - 7:00pm Wednesday
Small Groups - Sunday's - meeting in homes

Sr. High:
Sr. High Large Group - 5:00pm - Sunday
Small Groups - Wednesday - 7:00pm - meeting in homes

Our exception will be the first Week of each month when both jr and sr high will meet together for a large group night. During this first week, no small groups will meet.

Does this sound crazy? Does this sound undoable? I realize that it is different. But I see it as exciting as well. It allows us to better disciple our believes while still attracting seekers and friends to our ministry.

I firmly believe that God is leading in this change. That means that it is the right thing, and that Satan doesn't want it to happen. it is my prayer that our students and families would jump on board with this change. It is also my prayer that we would continue to make an impact on our communities for Christ through our young people!

My wife is having an alien!

So, I just returned from the doctor's office. Katie had her ultrasound today. If you ask me, we're having an alien, but they tell me its a boy. All I can say is I hope that it does some major morphing, cause right now, he looks like an alien! Crazy but exciting stuff! Thats all I got for now. I will try and post the pic up here soon.

Closer the Heaven in 2007?

Pat Robertson recently declared that the US would be attacked in late 2007. Several cities and possibly millions of people would be affected by this attack. He said that God didn't specify if it would be nuclear or not, but he believed that it might have been. This isn't the first time that Robertson has made predictions that "God gave him."
What do you think? Did God speak to Robertson? Should Robertson tell the world that God told him this? How should we react to this?

I have a hard time believing Mr. Robertson. I believe that God speaks to his Children, sometimes through dreams. However, I just have a hard time believing much that comes out of his mouth. Maybe it is a personal thing, but I just have a hard time with him.

I could go on, but I guess I will just wait to see what others think about it.

24 - You gotta be kidding me!

"24" is almost here! To say that I am excited is an understatement. To say, I have the projector, sound system and love sac already set up in the basement is NOT exaggerating! And it doesn't even start until next Sunday Night. Jack Bauer has to be the greatest TV character of all times!

I am so excited for the upcoming Day 6 of "24" that we are doing a "24" series at Plunge. Good stuff! Can't wait. might even need to break out the fog machine for some fun FXs!

Got any ideas? Let me hear them!

Sometimes I wish I could scream!

Do you ever wish you could beat the gospel into someone? Ever wish that you could scream the love of Jesus into someone's life? I wonder if Jesus ever felt that way when he lived here? Did he ever get so frustrated with someone he just screamed, "YOU DON"T GET IT!?" Did He ever just want to punch someone so that they would listen to Him?
Does he ever do that with me now? Does he ever get frustrated with me not doing what I should be? Does he just wanna punch me to get my attention?
The Sunday School version of Jesus I once knew would never have feelings or thoughts like that. But the Jesus I have been reading about and talking with lately has those feelings I think. He sometimes just wants me to get it even though I don't. I think that sometimes I am to him, what some of my students are to me. Bull headed and ignorant of what is best for me.
Today, I am thankful for passion; a passion worth living out! What are you thankful for today?

The new Switchfoot CD

Just recieved the new switchfoot cd! its great! If you haven't heard it yet, go to itunes and download it! Good stuff!

A New Year's Resolution?

I am not into the new year's resolution. I am not into making promises to myself that I know that I will not keep. Are you making resolutions? If so let me know. Just wondering.
Chris