When – Summer after Freshman Year at Pillsbury
Where – Camp in Virginia
Who – Jason Johnson in the background (member of Camp Team)
What – trying out the new diving tricks we learned
Why – who really knows…

Last Friday night the youth group got together for boot hockey. We had a great time, although I am not sure if anyone could walk very well for the next two days! There was only one split chin/bitten lip but that was not due to my game, but by someone’s desire to try to do the moonwalk. I always thought it was dangerous.

Renatito graduated from elementary school this past year! Congratulations, little brother!

Brandon loves the new bed which the family recently brought into the house. I slept on this bed for years growing up. It was the bed on which my older brother cut a chunk of his eyebrow off with a pair of scissors (a moment of sheer boredom, I assume). It was the bed which housed a misplaced squirrel until I accidently disrupted his sleep and he made a mad dash around our house (shredding a window screen and terrorizing my mother). It now has begun a new life at Nate and Darla’s house. May the bed legacy live on.

Isaiah 53:6
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Sheep are not the brightest animals. They are known for their lack of defenses, intelligence, and general personal care. The gratifying aspect of it all is that throughout Scripture we are constantly being compared with them, and rightfully so. We are weak, defenseless, and sometimes just plain stupid. This makes me so grateful that Jesus is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11)

I have not posted on the blog for awhile due to a variety of reasons.
1. This Website was sort of consuming my alloted internet time. It is our Youth Group’s site which now has the capabilities to hold photos, our Bible lessons, calendar of events, and other things which I hope the teens and parents will actually look at!
2. The Tortuga Ultra Marathon, run while down in Mexico, was a big event. There will be more posts in the future about how it went. We did survive. Surprise, surprise.
3. Classes – Crystal and I have been finishing up a fall weekend course, I have been reading ahead for next semester’s classes, and I am taking one independent study which requires reading and memorization time.

I suppose those are the three top reasons why I haven’t posted for awhile. I will try to catch up on the exciting things that have happened.

The Lord wants us to be hospitable, but it does not always turn out like we might like it to. I think that today was sort of one of those times. We had guests over for Sunday dinner, which is always interesting with Seth being a pastor and us having one car. That means that he is at church for a while after the services, and that I can’t go home early to get things going. We also had a meeting after the service, so that put us back a while as well. I generally do a majority of the meal in the crockpot for Sunday dinners (have I ever mentioned that I think that was one of the best inventions ever made?). So, other than being delayed in getting home, everything was going okay until…I was trying to check if the meat was done in the crockpot and the peas boiled over. Then, as we were trying to stop that and get the bread done in the toaster over, I realized that trying to put to many rolls in at one time does not work as I started smelling a very bad smell…smoke. I opened the toaster oven and realized that the rolls were actually on fire! We then had to try to get the rolls out so the fire could be taken care of. Then, because we have our table basically in our kitchen area, I needed to air it out so we could breathe while we ate. I had to open the door to the deck (in Minnesota, in January) to get some fresh air inside. Needless to say, Seth and I ate the very “well-done” rolls. I felt like I had been cooking over a camp fire. But, it was a good afternoon, because we were able to spend time with people from church and they could realize that we are very real people, just like everyone else!!

Beginning a new opportunity! We are both excited that Crystal is now joining the “Women in the Word” Bible study on WCTS Radio. You can join the discussion on their blog by clicking here or you can listen to back studies at the WCTS site by clicking here. Crystal is featured on studies 77-83. She will periodically be speaking and contributing to the blog this coming year.
We are thanking God that Crystal will be able to learn from these wise women as she ministers to others.

Is the purpose for which you live bigger than yourself? If you were to
finish this statement would it include something which will outlive
you? My goal in life is to________________.

If not, how sad.