Welcoming the New Year

Every year we have an opportunity for new beginnings. A chance to start over and do things differently. However, as I look at this past year and what I see coming, there's not a whole lot I want to do differently. Naturally I always find room for improvement. But the overall trajectory of our life is full of God's blessings, making it easy to find our joy in him.

My wife and I have gotten plugged into a great church this year and we intend to continue to grow with this community and the friends we've made there. I enjoy the spirit of leadership I've seen in the men of Grace Church and I believe the overall congregation has a heart for God's call on their lives and a willingness to submit to that call. So after almost a year of seeking a church that has a balance of both gospel and community, Elise and I agree that we have finally found "Home".

My job is moving in a positive direction and I plan to continue my employment there and see where it takes me. I am so grateful for this job because without it my family and I would not be where we are at today.

Regarding our farming ambitions, this year is going to be another small stepping year as we plan, plant and grow a garden in the back yard. More than anything I just want the experience. With every student loan payment I make to the bank, I see us taking one step closer to being legitimate farmers. So as things move slowly, I will continue to read everything I can get my hands on so I am mentally equipped for life on the farm.

So as we enter this new year, looking back on how far we have come, and the journey we still have ahead of us, our new beginnings of this year are simply a continuation of the year gone past, for everyday has its own new beginning.

Christmas 2011

This year I am having a hard time getting in the Christmas spirit. My guess is, it has to do with the lack of snow. For crying in the mud, we live in Minnesota! We should have multiple feet of snow on the ground, children riding on the backs of snowmobiles, frozen lakes and warm homes to retreat to.

But here we are, snowless, wrapping gifts, creating gifts, and doing what it takes to get in the Christmas spirit. I'm trying to change our mindsets to dwell on our savior, who came for the purpose of redemption. The Christmas season is full of "stuff" to get us off track. I am trying to change my mindset from the picturesque Christmas to the Christmas that point to the birth of Jesus.

As the head of my home it is my responsibility to show the importance of Jesus' birth and the tree he died on, not the tree in our living room with the lights on it. As a father this is my first Christmas, as a husband, it is my second. So, on this Christmas eve, we are looking to the coming of our savior, Jesus Christ.

5 Minute Gospel

A challenge to present the gospel, in an effective way, before you lose your audience was presented in our discipleship group last Wednesday. No presentation of the gospel is perfect, but it is the Holy Spirit that holds the power to change hearts and lives.

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In the beginning God created everything that is. Everything was created to the glorification of God the creator. In His creation there was mankind, whom were given free will. In this free will mankind chose to sin and essentially say they knew a better way. This transgression has separated us from a holy and righteous God.

The consequences have since been passed down from generation to generation to all mankind, and creating separating form God and his creation. Because God is a good God and a just God, there is a price for sin, and the price is death and the pouring out of blood.

Because God is a good and loving God, He has sent His one and only Son, whom He loves, named Jesus, to live a perfect life so He can be a perfect sacrifice.  In the death of Jesus the sins of the world were assigned to him for the payment of sin, requiring death, could be fully satisfied.

On the third day Jesus rose from death to prove sin, satin, death and Hell have been conquered, clearing a way for humanity to worship God. Trusting in the death of Jesus, accepting the free gift of salvation is simply the only way to God the Father.

One day Jesus will return, calling His followers to Heaven, spending eternity in glory. For those who reject Him, He will damn to an eternity in a tortuous hell.

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In no way is this a perfect representation of the gospel. The perfect representation of the gospel can only be found the the 66 books that make up the gospel. The Holy Bible.

My Gal

A few years ago my life didn't have much depth.  I would work a lot, go to church (awesome and deep), and every once in a while I would get outside of my self and hang out with friends. On a whim I made the trek I swore I would never take... entering the state of California. I guess if there were a reason to go to California it would have to be for the most amazing girl in the world. And that is exactly the reason I went. I sought her, found her and married her. I am the man I am today because of this amazing woman. Daily I learn to love more, protect better, lead with both my mind and my heart and worship Jesus more. 

Not only do I get the most amazing girl in the world, but I also get the most amazing cooking in the world. 

There are so many qualities about my Beautiful Bride that I will spend a life time enjoying and communicating them to those around me. 

 This says it all

The best part... She diggs me.

Minnesota

After living in Minnesota for a year, we have had a lot of things happen. Among them is buying a house in Forest Lake. We are still trying to plan a farm in the near future (about 5 years). But, before we venture into farming we want to make sure our finances are in order. We are not wanting to fail before we set out. Anyhow, this gives us some time to figure out what our farm ventures are going to include and devising ways to make a profit. I have found many books on the subject of marketing and running a business that will be a great help. Some I have read and some are on my list to read. There are additionally a lot of farm books that I have found, some I have read and there some I have on my shelf to read later. Farming is not simply farming but it is a business. Something I am keeping in mind is purchasing at a discount and selling retail. There are endless stories of farmers selling at wholesale and buying retail. Most of those farmers are now former farmers, or they work a town job.
I have spent 5 years working in management for a company called Chick-fil-A, learning the principals of leading a great business. This has given me some awesome insight into how to communicate with customers and guests. Although the business' are completely different, some of the principals are the same. How to treat and talk to people, have a quality product and market your business well.


Some books I need to read or have read:
Good to Great
Guerilla Marketing
Making Your Small Farm Profitable
Salad Bar Beef
You Can Farm
Pastured Poultry Profits
Quitter
QBQ
Raising Beef Cattle
Grass Fed Cattle
Entreleadreship
Small-Scale Livestock Farming
Comeback Farms
Family Friendly Farming
Getting Started With Beef and Dairy Cattle


Charlie “Tremendous” Jones once said that “You are the same today as you’ll be in five years except for two things: the books you read and the people you meet.”


I have spent the first 24 years of my life hating reading, but recently I have found that anything I want to know can be found in a book. There is a list of books about Jesus and theology that I can't put down. I now know my savior in a deeper, more personal way because of the Bible and books written by people who have dedicated their lives to the study of the Bible.