Strike Zone

Last night, my wife and I were flipping back and forth between the Monday Night Football game and the Yankees/Rays baseball playoff game. Now I grew up playing both sports and attended a school where football was king and every kid played baseball since the time they could hit off a tee. My wife on the other hand attended smaller Christian schools where the choice of athletics was limited. She loves basketball and volleyball. But unfortunately one of those sports is in a major labor dispute and the other one is barely on TV. Being the loving wife that she is, she puts up with a lot of football and baseball.  Last Wednesday night, which many consider the best night of regular season baseball ever, she didn't have a clue. And a few days later she asked me, "Did something happen the other night with some baseball games?"

Yes babe, something did happen.

All of this leading up to last night. My wife has a hard time understanding some essential parts of both baseball and football.

In football, she cannot seem to grasp the concept of the downs. You have 4 downs to get a 1st down unless you get 10 yards on any given down which then makes it 1st down again. But on 4th down you can punt because you may not get a 1st down. It's quite hilarious listening to myself trying to explain something to her that I have understood since I could hold a football.

But last night the discussion was on baseball. What is a ball and what is a strike? Essentially the conversation boiled down to the strike zone. What it is and who decides it. We were watching and she was guessing what the pitch was. The handy, dandy strike zone tracker on TBS certainly helps! But sometimes the the ump would call a strike when the pitch seemed to be on the edge. Her mind couldn't handle the discrepancy and the subjective opinion of the ump. I then tried to teach her about setting up a batter and a infield shift, along with a sacrifice squeeze.

These things from baseball and football are second nature to me and most guys (and girls if they're from Iowa). I've grown up around sports and the lingo. But the discussions with my wife brought another thought to my head. What about the Gospel?

How do we explain the Gospel? What do we say to a person who has not been exposed to the church and the "lingo" all their life? We need to keep things simple and realize the message of God's love through Jesus Christ must be kept simple to those who have never heard it before. On Wednesday nights, I've been teaching through an outreach curriculum that uses a technique which condenses the Gospel down to 10 words: Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead. Now, is that everything there is to know about the Gospel? No. But we must be patient and understand that many people don't have the background to be jumping into talking about the hypostatic union and the 4 creatures found in the book of Daniel. Sometimes we need to start at the basics of who God is and what he has done for us.


Remember, not everyone knows what the strike zone is and how to get a first down, so start simple and see what they learn!

The Love of Mowing

I love to mow. 

I love to mow alot. Just ask my wife! When we moved to Mason City we considered several different things and consulted several different people but one thing that I liked was the opportunity to volunteer out at camp. Now I am not handy like my dad, I can't cook, and you don't want me in the office...so what can I do? I mow. And it's awesome! My favorite days during the summer are my Mondays because they are my day off and I get to mow. That's the thing about grass, it usually keeps growing! 

My affection with mowing started when I was young. I would follow my dad around with my toy mower while he would be mowing the yard. Soon after that I would be the one mowing. Then I got a job with the J&S Turf Team in town and that's where my addiction finally paid off...literally! I learned how to stripe the grass and how to mow around trees properly. How to mow a lawn and not blow any grass on the driveways and sidewalks! Plus, the mowers we used were a lot bigger than the Lawn Boy mower at home!

It's amazing how God works things together. I still get to mow. I turn on the mower, I turn on my iPod, I put on my sunscreen ;-) and I tune out the world! It always feels when you finish mowing some grass. You really accomplished something until you need to do it again and I love it!

Spiritual Leadership

Welp...it's been a while since my last post! About 3 months to be precise. Now I know all of you have thrown your hands up in protest but I am sorry. I've been a bit busy, part lazy and a lot forgetful. So here we go...hopefully I'll be a bit more consistent in the near future!

We've started up our weekly bible study for our Senior Highers this past week. The girl are going through a book entitled "A Young Woman Who Reflects the Heart of Jesus". The guys will be starting this week, we're reading "Spiritual Leadership" by J. Oswald Sanders.

I've read this book several times and highlighted many of the pages but it's been refreshing to read it again now that I am in a position of leadership. Not only as a youth pastor but as a husband. God's command to husbands to love and direct and lead their wives is apparent in scripture. It is something that I think is lacking in today's churches. It's interesting to look at the strong women in the church but where are the men? I am not saying there are no men who are spiritual leaders anywhere but there should be more! We need to man up and take our God given responsibility to lead our families and churches in a Godly, selfless way. It's amazing to see how God works when we work how He wants us to!

Mmmm....Lobster!

Ok...it's been over a month and I haven't posted. I've been busy with graduations, mission trip preparation, VBS preparation and all kinds of other things, but mainly I've been too lazy to post! Obviously I can't keep up with my own challenge! But I hopefully will do better here in the coming months to stay up to date with things going on in my life!

This past Monday I went out to IRBC (that's Iowa Regular Baptist Camp aka the coolest camp in the world for those of you who don't live in Iowa) and volunteered. My plan is to volunteer on my days off over the summer because I love camp and I like being outside in the summer! But this is what also brings me to my topic today...Sunburn.

Pastor Dave knows I like to mow, I like to mow a lot! So when given the opportunity to mow the Old Golf Course at camp I jumped at it! I had my iPod ready, with my 32 oz Dr. Pepper from Kum & Go (they have cheap fountain drinks during the summer, check it out!) and the ExMark riding lawn mower. Knowing that my wife would be upset with me if I didn't put sunscreen on I found some SPF 30 from one of the special camp counselors. I lathered up and headed out!

4 hours had passed from when I started and it was lunch time. Of course we had Camp Mac & Cheese, a favorite of the head cook's husband so of course she will always serve it! I sat at the table and realized my arms were a bit red. Now understand, I am a connoisseur of sunburn. Ever since I got my first blisters on my shoulders when I was young it seems I can classify the severity and time of the burn. This sunburn was a mild burn, one from a day spent out side at the pool or a ball game. The thing is I had only been outside for 4 hours. I believe my skin is an overachiever and can get burned a full days burn in only 4 hours. Needless to say I headed for the office looking for more sunscreen.

Julie Nicholls, the camp secretary, bless her heart went and found some sunscreen for me. She found SPF 8. Putting SPF 8 on me is like building a toothpick dam along the Mississippi River, it's just not gonna do the trick. But without any more potent substitute I applied a layer. Not only to my arms but also my knees. My knees don't see a lot of sun now that I wear pants and sit in an office. My white knees and the sun are not best friends.

By the time supper rolled around I was wearing a long sleeve shirt with the collar popped and my shorts were almost off my behind because I kept pulling them down to cover my knees. I looked like a boiled lobster and felt about as good as one too I reckon.

I made my way home and showed my wife. All she could do was laugh and say you will never learn. And the sad thing is, I probably won't. I still imagine myself with a glowing bronze tan (no thanks to my best friend Ryan Sauser who can tan in the middle of the night!) mowing across an open field. But now I am stuck with red knees and an addiction to aloe vera. Oh well that's life and the thing is guess what I'm doing next Monday?! I'll be out at camp again because grass doesn't stop growing and I'm pretty sure I won't stop burning!

Try and keep up!

Shhh!!!! It's A Suprise!

My birthday is in two days. I'm going to be the ripe old age of 23. I know I should probably start looking for retirement homes! Anyways...my family was never big on birthdays, we still got presents and my parents told me happy birthday and my grandma would make me my favorite meal (you'll get bonus points if you comment and tell me what it is!). But all in all, it was another normal day.

I am still not big on birthdays. You're another day older, so what, want a cookie? Why are you any more special than anyone else, we all have to be born on some day, right?

Well, Keri is on the other side of the argument. She loves her birthday. She's not one of those crazy, psycho, I'm going to cry if I don't get my way birthday people...but close ;-) And another thing about Keri, she can't keep a secret. I'm sure if you ask her to keep a deep, personal secret, I think she could but other than that, not really! I have an example!

The other day she came home from work and after pouring her traditional after work bowl of cereal she sat down and stared at me. Not like a normal look but one that said I did something for you that you don't know about.

I simply said, "What."

She himmed and hawwed and went back and forth telling me to guess and than not guess and asking me if I wanted to know something. I told her if she wanted to tell me something she was more than welcome to! Then she let one thing slip..."it's about your birthday".

I told her that if she wanted to keep her surprise she should walk out of the room before she let any more go...but she couldn't handle the suspense of me not knowing! "I got you a cake" she announces immediately followed by "arghh...I can not keep secrets, why do I always do this! Act like you're surprised on Saturday ok? Ok."

30 minutes later she is still reminiscing over the fact that she can't keep a secret! It's hilarious, I've never seen someone so torn over the fact that they told another person they were getting them a cake! Even yesterday, which means it's been almost 3 days since she let it slip she is still wishing she didn't tell. But she couldn't hold it in!

I told her she was lucky that I proposed to her because no way was she going to be able to keep that a secret! So...the cat is out of the bag. My wife got me a cake for my birthday and I am supposed to act surprised when I get it! I can do that! Because like Jim Gaffigan says, everything is OK when cake is involved!

Try and keep up!

The Race Against Time!

It's been a while since I have posted and I apologize to all of my readers...basically just my mom then! Haha! It has been a crazy couple of weeks. I've had Counselor Training at IRBC, Easter services and a whirlwind trip to Michigan.

Keri's grandfather passed away about 2 weeks ago. He was a believer and a wonderful man of God. It is a tough time nonetheless when someone you love passes away. Of course we were not going to miss the funeral so we loaded up our car and took a road trip to Michigan. Although it was for a funeral, it was great spending time with Keri's sister and brother-in-law and their two boys, Jack and Silas. It was a blast, it was also good seeing several relatives who I met at our wedding and haven't seen since and meet some other relatives for the first time.

It was a great but fast trip. We left Tuesday evening and were back by Thursday evening. One aspect of Keri that I appreciate is that our travel philosophy is the same. Only stop when you need gas or someone is going to get sick. When I am on the road and heading somewhere, I am on a mission! That's how we traveled when I was a kid and am glad that Keri feels the same way.

I grew up reading an atlas, my mother taught me and that is what she always used to direct our vacation and were rarely if ever got lost. But now there are things called GPS. I like GPS as well as an atlas. But there is something about a GPS that helps Keri and I pass the time. It's called the "Estimated Time of Arrival".

It has become a game to us. We plug in our route and see when the GPS thinks we will arrive at our finish line. And then we try to beat it! Of course the easy way is to speed a little, and I'm not going to say I don't but I do go with the flow of traffic. This estimated time of arrival has turned our gas stops into pit stops, where we run in and out of the gas station, going to the bathroom as fast as we can just so we don't lose time! Of course you always lose a little, and I know that my wife and I are not the only people who try and beat the GPS. Am I right or am I right?!?!?

So next time you plug in your GPS you better get in the passing lane or draft behind some one or don't drink any liquids ;-) because it's a race against the clock!

Try and keep up!

The Smartest Man Alive!

Most people in the world will probably say that Albert Einstein was one of the smartest, if not, the smartest men in the world. Sure, I can understand that with all the talk about relativity and quantum physics and that math junk. He wrote books and theories and papers and hypotheses and dissertations and all that intellectual stuff. I'll give him that but I think I may have found a man that has given him a run for his money....my dad.

I told you all that my parents visited Keri and I about a week and a half ago. While they were here my dad helped me with several jobs around the house that I didn't know how to fix or didn't want to screw up! Out of the day they were there, the time I enjoyed the most was talking to my dad while we did little projects. We fixed (and when I say we I mean my dad) a ceiling fan, put in new outdoor lights and several other little things. I realized or rather keep realizing something about my dad. He's a genuis, sure maybe not mathematical or scientific, but he knows stuff that I wish I knew. About cars, about electrical wiring, about money, about computers (I'm catching up to him in that!), but most importantly about life. I just enjoy listening to him talk about life. Little things he picked up here or there. What Dave Ramsey is saying about this. Or why an anhydrous tank is parked in a certain direction in a field. Just random cool stuff that blows my mind. He has common sense that isn't too common any more and he loves his family.

If I knew half the stuff my dad did I would be a better man and a very smarter one too! I appreciate him and what he has done for his family. And for all the stuff he taught my sister and I when we didn't want to hear it.

So eat your heart out Albert Einstein because in my book the smartest man alive is my dad.

Try and keep up!

Arghhh...Snow Balls!

I woke this morning to my beautiful wife saying to me, "It's snowing outside." After I had gotten up and ready for the day I actually looked outside with clear eyes and a clear mind. Holy cow was it snowing! I thought that it was going to be light flurries that would instantly melt when hitting the ground. But this was a full on get out the Carhartt's, gas up the snow blower, and start the hot chocolate snow storm. As I am typing right now the snow is lazily drifting to the earth from the heavens above. May I remind everyone that today in April 19th. Spring started officially a month ago. What in the world is going on? People on Facebook, Twitter and other various social media websites are all complaining! I'm including my self in that.

It seems like people love to complain about weather the most out of life's every day things. Why? It's not like we can vote on it, or it's purposely snowing to insure that you have a bad day. I am guilty of this as well. But I am going to tell my self and the few handful that read this to suck it up. We're not in charge.

God is sovereign. You might ask why I am bringing this up right now. It makes complete sense. Most people, when things happen to that they are not expecting or plain out just don't want, ask "why?". They should be asking "what?".

The majority ask "Why God is it snowing? Why is it raining? Why is it so hot? Why doesn't my car start? Why are you torturing me God?". They ask these questions as if God is ruining their lives.

Ok, so maybe not everybody complains to that extent, but don't let the passing comments of the weather contradict your belief about the sovereignty of God. God is in control and He has a plan for the reason that it is snowing today. Why it may rain tomorrow and why the sun will shine in the summer. He is in control and we need to ask "What are you teaching me through this? How can I glorify you through this?". I am constantly challenged to think for the Glory of God. In each situation in life, we are to glorify God. How can you do that today?

Personally seeing the white snow reminds me of this verse from Psalm 51.

"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow" v.7

Especially with Easter approaching we can look to God and say He has made us whiter than snow and bring glory to Him no matter what happens in life or what the weather is doing!

So remember, ask what and not why!

Try and keep up!

Twins

It's been a while since I have posted on my blog. I began to think that I was one of those people who were just going to let it flop. Well, I have been busy with various things. This past Saturday my parents, grandma, sister and niece were able to come for a visit. It was a great time with family and I'm sure there will be a post in the future describing some of our activities.

This Monday and Tuesday were spent down in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. The IARBC State Conference was held at Calvary Baptist Church. The theme was Biblical Counseling. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Duke Crawford formerly of Calvary Baptist spoke 3 times during the conference and did a tremendous job! I recommend you go to Calvary Baptist's website and download his messages.

There was great fellowship (and eating) involved down at the conference. It was good to spend time with fellow youth pastors. We are a different breed and its nice to have people laugh at our jokes!

Something rather peculiar happened when I was at the conference. I guess girls just absolutely hate it when then wear the same clothes or outfit as another girl. Whether its a dress, a shirt, a skirt or who knows what. They hate it. Now we think that that is very vain, very prideful, that they need to stand out. I would totally agree with that. I grew up in a town where the major clothing article was a sports t-shirt that probably 90% of the population owned. So it was no big deal showing up at school in a 2002 State football shirt and seeing 5 other people wearing it. It's just how it was.

I would like to think that that philosophy is still carried by my self today but I think I have evidence against it.

I am 22 years old and I try to look up to date with fashion (you're probably laughing in your head right now!!!). Finding clothes that show that I'm somewhat with it. I was wearing a nice dress shirt during the first day of the conference. While during the opening session they were recognizing new pastors in the state. They mentioned my name and I stood and right after me they mentioned another man's name and he stood up. And would you believe it. He was wearing the same exact shirt as I was. It wasn't a plain white shirt or any solid color shirt. But a shirt with a pattern that distinctly could be seen as the same.

In my mind I was thinking I look like an idiot. It's amazing how fast our flesh kicks in when things like this happen. Of course several of my youth pastor friends make some remarks via shouting and text. I am thinking to my self either he is with it or I am not! Was I shopping in the right section of the store? Did I really think I was 65 years old? These thoughts were racing through my mind knowing that I was being foolish.

I ended up having a conversation with the man and he was very polite and quite wonderful to talk to.

I ended up having a twin at the state conference that I didn't know I had before! Thankfully we both packed a different wardrobe choice for the second day. Sorry Jason Blunk I never got a picture with him but I did happen to get a picture with myself at the Faith Baptist Bible College display. That's a completely different topic for another post!

Until then...

Try and keep up!

Easter, Peanut Butter Eggs and 1 Corinthians 15

Easter is coming up and is quickly becoming my favorite "holiday" or rather time of year. There are many reasons for this. In school it meant that summer was quickly approaching, a good meal with Grandma PB was imminent, time with family and friends, Reese's peanut butter eggs (Keri's favorite) and my birthday is several weeks away. These are things that people look forward to, someone of them more foolish than others but still things that put a little jump in your step. However, over the past few years my thinking has been changed.

I still look forward to those things mentioned above but within my soul there is something that is shouting for joy. Christ's resurrection. I have known since I was a child that the stone was rolled away and he was not there. The familiar greeting in church "He Is Risen" was always fun to say as a child. But now by process of something else, Christ's resurrection has taken a new hold in my heart. It started my senior year of high school.

I decided to participate in Talents For Christ. This is a competition where teenagers prepare different presentations, lessons and musical pieces for judging but above all for the Glory of God. I tackled Oral Interpretation of Scripture. I was to memorize a passage of scripture that was 8 to 10 minutes in length and present it with a dramatic interpretation. Being a high schooler and not really having a clue I started looking through my Bible, reading passages and timing them. I tried several well known ones but they were either too long or too short! I finally came across 1 Corinthians 15. It was about 9 min and 30 sec in length, it had great flow and a dramatic finish. Exactly what I was looking for. It's interesting how God works some times. I did not understand everything in that passage and I still don't but the journey of realization of scripture through memorization was amazing.

I have had this passage memorized for over 6 years now and when I talk through it in my head I still notice and learn and am encouraged by different aspects of it.

All of this leading up to say that I love the Easter season because of the hope of Christ's resurrection and what it means for me as a believer. This world is not the end, this physical body is not the end, this life is not the end. It says "that we shall all be changed". Christ's resurrection was a foretaste of what is going to happen to every individual that has ever lived. But let me be clear. That does not mean that everyone who has ever lived will go to heaven. Everyone who has ever lived will live for eternity either in heaven or in the Lake of Fire described in Revelation. Christ talked about this is John chapter 5.
 
^"Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."  - John 5:28,29

1 Corinthians 15 covers the Gospel in the first few verses, moves to witnesses of the resurrection, talks about God's grace in the life of the believer (1 Cor. 15:10). It moves into a logical argument of why the resurrection must be true to validate the Christian faith. It describes the resurrection, how the body is sown in corruption but raised in in-corruption, it is sown a natural body but it is raised a spiritual body. And it ends with the triumph of Christ over death and hades. Christ is the one who gives us the victory, only Him and nothing else.

The final commendation by Paul to his readers is to stand firm, be abounding, and to be faithful in the Work of the Lord. This is how I am trying to live my life.

Easter is in approximately 2 weeks and there will be many activities that will be going on but in my heart I will be rejoicing with Paul as he wrote in 1 Corithians 15. Christ is risen and without His resurrection everything would be in vain. But we can rejoice because Christ has risen, indeed He has. My question to you is, do you believe it? And if you do, have you placed your faith and trust in the work of Jesus Christ, His death and His resurrection? If you have done that, you can rejoice as well this Easter saying, "He Is Risen".

"Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”" - John 11:25

Try and keep up.

Scared To Death

Many of you might know that I grew up in the booming metropolis of Conroy, Ia. I say that very sarcastically. Conroy has a population of around maybe 300 people or less. Depending on the season and and what kids graduate and go off to college. It's a town that I love. I love the people, the coop, Stanerson's implement and the post office. It's a small town but it was the best town in the world to grow up in. I knew all the neighbors. I knew the neighbors' pets. Neighbors would help neighbors out. You would stop and talk while on a walk or bike ride on a beautiful summer evening. Everyone looked out for each other. We felt safe and we were safe. We never locked our car, our house or pretty much anything for that matter. It was a simple Iowa town where I lived for 18 years. I miss it, I really do.

My wife, on the other hand, grew up in a different situation. Much of her early childhood was spent moving because of her father's job. Not that it was a bad thing, but she never really got settled. She spent the majority of her life in a town outside Cleveland, OH. It wasn't a bad neighborhood by any means. I have visited and have always felt safe. But you never left your door unlocked or the keys in your car. It was a different mindset and a different attitude. This has been another adjustment to marriage that we have come across.

I feel fine leaving the side door to our garage unlocked or the keys in the car while it is in the driveway. Mason City is an Iowa town. Granted it is about 100% larger than Conroy, I still feel safe. If it was up to me, most of the day our doors would be unlocked. I have left home several times without house keys because I know the door in unlocked but when I return I find that Keri has left and locked the door therefore relegating me to sit on the front step looking like a hobo or frantically using my superhuman strength to pull the door off its hinges!

Where am I going with this you ask?

Hang on, I'll get there.

Keri has finally opened up to the idea of leaving the side door open to the garage and I was thankful as that is the door I use most frequently for my morning commute over to my office at the church. This was until last night.

It was a typical Wednesday night. We had a full house for youth group. Had a great time of playing games, singing and learning from God's Word. It was a great night! More often than not some group of teens comes over to our house after youth group. We have snacks and a great time. I received a text from an individual who will remain nameless (Jared Callison) stated that he and two of his comrades will be arriving at our house soon from Wendy's (the fast food place, not from someone's house who's name in Wendy). Keri and I quickly made our way home through the sea of fellow church goers, shaking hands and talking. Finally we get across the street and to our house. Keri asked if I had my keys. I said "no, I thought you left the door open?". She remarked that she had left the side door open to the garage but not to the house. This was ok and step in the right direction for Keri. As we entered the dark garage I thought to myself, I wonder if someone would ever sneak into our garage.

It was one of the those moments in life where a thought you think borders on the edge of predicting the future when you look back on it.

Within a few steps into our dark garage with no lights on. As Keri is putting the key in the lock for the door to the house. We here a scream/roar from 3 individuals who will remain nameless (Jared Callison, Matt Merry, Abby Does). Instantly there is a screaming match between the 3 individuals who will remain nameless (Jared Callison, Matt Merry, Abby Does) and Keri. Keri is smacking the wall hoping that somehow smacking the wall will turn on the lights magically! Keri screams, "I am going to kill you!". Usually that's not what you want to hear from a youth pastor's wife but in this situation it is totally acceptable.

As I finally reach the light switch and shed some wonderful 60 watt light on the situation I see the 3 individuals who will remain nameless (Jared Callison, Matt Merry, Abby Does) crouched between our cars. Keri is on the verge of hyperventilating and constantly repeats the phrase "never again, never again, you will never do that again".

We laugh and joke about it the rest of the evening. It was a good time and Keri eventually calmed down in the end. She has now vowed never to leave a single door in our house unlocked ever again. So I guess it's back to carrying keys around with me.

You may ask what my response was to the scare.

I was subdued, this was the third time they had done something like this to me. Thankfully the third time is the charm. The first two, I screamed like a girl!


Try and keep up!

Grocery Shopping

 Our refrigerator at our house was getting pretty bare. We needed the essentials and for every newlywed couple that includes cereal, milk, deli meat and hamburger helper. Now Keri and I have been married for over a little more than 10 months and have been shopping at Wal-Mart several hundred times I'm sure. But the same thing always happens when we get there. We disagree on how to attack the grocery shopping. It's one of those things you don't think about when you get married. Where do you start your grocery shopping in Wal-Mart. Keri is one who likes to go right from the front with no real plan or design. I, however, like to start in the back working my way forward going down every aisle just to make sure we don't forget anything. I like to have a list, I like to know what coupons I have, I like to have a plan. It is probably my upbringing with a very organized mother but I think it makes most sense. But not to Keri, which is why I love her.

So next time you head to Wal-Mart or Hy-Vee or Fareway or wherever it is you go, think to yourself why do I start where I start and have you thought about doing it differently?

As for Keri and I, we'll probably have the same discussion the next time we go to Wal-Mart!!!

Try and keep up!

Trying Something New

Welp...hello world! I have been thinking recently that I needed to start a blog. So I have decided to start one. I know you are all thrilled and can't wait to see what world changing stuff I'm going to write! I am slowly figuring things out. My dad would be going crazy because there really are not any directions! He's big on directions, but he has never ever put anything together incorrectly that I know of so it must work! I hope to update this from time to time about life in Mason City, about being a youth pastor, about being a husband, son and uncle, about being a huge sports fan, about trying to love and serve my God. I'm sure there will be some laughs and confusion and discussions along the way but that's what makes it fun! Try and keep up!