Big Day!

This is a big day! I was in our local Wal-Mart today and saw what may be the greatest deal in Wal-Mart history! 2008 Calendar by with motivational pictures from "The Office." Gotta love it! To make it better it is a 16 month calendar. It sounds like a good deal, but really it isn't. They just put the last 4 months of 2007 on one page. Oh well, still great pictures! ALL FOR 2.50! Great deal! Thanks Wal-Mart!

The Power of Google

I think that there are seriously people who think that I can do this on my computer. I know, I am on my computer a lot, but come on. This isn't possible...yet :)

Stuck in the women's department with nowhere to go!

So last night, Caden, Katie and I went on a nice little "buy a carseat date." I have to admit, it was a ton of fun! We went to the Macaroni Grill (with a gift certificate!), shopped at Babies R Us, Target, and Herbergers. It was a great night with the fam! (We even discovered a Jimmy Johns in Forest Lake, though we didn't eat there)

Herbergers however, offered some challenging situations for me. I found a great sweater (75.00 marked down to 19.99) so I thought it was only fair to see if there was anything for Katie. We make our way to the women's department and find a cool pair of pants for her. But apparently women's cloths are different that men's clothes. So she tried on a couple different pair. This left me and Caden's car seat and diaper bag in the middle of the women's section alone!
At first I didn't see this as too big of a problem. That is, until I started noticing all the ladies looking at me strange. Its not like you can just look through the clothing, that is even MORE strange. I didn't know what I could do. Here I am a fat guy, hat on backwards, smack dab in the middle of "no man's land."
So, I did what any good man would do. I positioned myself by the ugliest sweaters I could find, and stood there. There was NO WAY anyone could think I was trying to hit on anyone in this section! These were not your ordinary sweaters! (sorry for any of you who may own one of these). They were so ugly, I pulled out my camera and took a picture! See below.



Unfortunately, I didn't think about the fact that taking a camera out of your pocket and taking a picture made me look even more strange and suspicious. Thankfully Katie and Caden returned from the dressing room soon after and I was saved.
All in all, it was a great night with Katie and Caden, but please, and we not return to the women's department for a while? At least at smaller stores I could have moved to a different section. THE WHOLE FLOOR was women's!

Is Church Condemning?

In preparation Wednesday night, I was reading a book, What's so amazing about Grace by Philip Yancey. I like his stuff! he uses stories and can really keep the readers attention. However, I was disturbed by one of the stories he shares to start off the book. It's a quote from a friend of his from Chicago:

A prostitute came to me in wretched straits, homeless, sick unable to buy food for her two year old daughter. Through sobs and tears, she told me she had been renting out her daughter--two years old!-- to men interested in kinky sex. She made more renting out her daughter for an hour than she could earn on her own in a night. She had to do it, she said, to support her own drug habbit. I could hardly bear hearing her sordid story. For one thing, it made me legally liable - I'm required to report cases of child abuse. I had no idea what to say to this women.
At last I asked her if she had ever thought of going to a church for help. I will never forget the look of pure, naive shock that crossed her face. "Church!" she cried. "Why would I ever go there? I was already feeling terrible about myself. they would just make me feel worse."

How sad. Are all churches really condemning? As a pastor, our church or student ministry to be a condemning place. I want church to be a place that people flock to for help. Yancy reminded his readers that in the Bible, prostitutes and criminals flocked toward Jesus and took refuge in him. Is the church of America too busy with ministry that we forget about those who need Jesus? Are we too worried about what others might think of us to welcome in those who need Jesus? Are we too comfortable with who we have now, that we don't seek to open our doors to others?
My prayer is that the church would be a refuge for people; all people. Each of us are on in a different place in our relationship with Christ. The church exists to help people continue to make steps toward Jesus. It sounds so easy here, but its not. I want to help people become Children of God, and experience what that means.

One word of clarification. Being a refuge for all people does not mean that the church should accept the sin that one is living in. I don't believe Jesus accepted the sin, but He did love the sinner unconditionally. He also spoke truth to them and challenged them to change.

I'd love to hear your thoughts about this. no matter where you are in life, I'd like to hear how you feel when you walk into a church, if you do. How can the church be more of the refuge that Jesus was, while still challenging people to take their next step with Christ?

Santana, we'll miss you

Am I sad Santana is gone? YES... Will my life continue, most likely.

All I can say, is they better be some amazing prospects!

At least he will be in the NL where he can hit. (and we don't have to watch him pitch against us!)

My brother is CRAZY

All the props in the world to my older brother Brad for running in the Brrrrrmidji Polar 5K race in Bemidji this morning. Currently, the weather in Bemidji is -21 with a windchill of -34! That is not the weather I would like to be running in (oh wait, I wouldn't WANT to be running in any weather!)

Good luck Brad, you're nuts!

Wild Game

Had a great night at the Wild game with one of my students, LT. His grandpa supplied the sweet Club Level seats! SWEET!

The Wild didn't do so hot. Only one fight. Down 3-0 in the second period the Wild scored 2 goals in 7 seconds! It was the most exciting 7 seconds of the day for sure, but they just couldn't get anything going. 2 shots clanked the post later in the 3rd period. Oh well, still a great night!

Even more exciting was trying to remember where we parked our car! Hey, at least we were in the right parking ramp!

Quote of the night: "Oh lets just follow these guys, they look like they know where they are going." There were 15 of us in an elevator... ALL of us said the same thing! NOBODY knew where we were going!

Thanks LT (and grandpa!) Great seats... Great game... Great times!

One reason I am NOT a packer fan...

THEY ARE CRAZY! Just saw an article talking about a dad who tied up his young son because he would not wear a Packers Jersey during last weekend's game against the Seahawks. Come on! This just might be taking your team loyalties a bit too far. It just goes to again prove that PACKER FANS ARE CRAZY!

You can read the entire story here.

The big Pooper!

Just saw this post on Caden's blog that he finally did it! He hadn't pooped in a couple days. Its funny to hear his (I mean Katie's) take on what happened! All I can say is that I am proud of him for doing it on his mom's watch! THANK YOU! Go and check it out!

I guess I am not a cool youth pastor

I guess I am not a cool youth pastor. Broadie, a youth pastor friend from our network put his black belt on display at our new year party. Its a good thing I consider him a friend and not a foe. Great Job Braodie and crew. It was a fun new year.
First Baptist may have a youth pastor who can break bricks, but we brought home 4 of the 5 tournament trophies! take that brick breaker!

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)