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