Heading To Missoula

Hey folks - just a heads up to let you know that I'm going to be offline for a fair portion of the upcoming week. On Friday afternoon we'll be leaving for Bozeman, where we'll rendezvous with Shane Sunn and family and then head on up to Missoula on Sunday. Our families will be vacationing there together (*gasp* - did Christian say 'vacation'??? Yeah, I did... it'd pretty bad when your 10 year old daughter says 'Wow!!! We've never been on a vacation before!' and she's actually right... Whaddya know, there's a first time for everything.)

At any rate, we'll be vacationing up in the Missoula area. Which means a) I probably won't be answering much email, and b) I'm looking for recommendations. If you have any suggestions for 'things ya just gotta do when you're in Missoula' please let us know. If you LIVE in Missoula (or know someone who does), talk to me sooner rather than later and maybe we can find a way to connect while we are there. I'm looking forward to the coffee shops, pubs, mountain biking, fishing, and general relaxation which I am sure awaits us...

We'll be sure to take lots of photos, and I may even be able to post a little bit while we're there if I can find a wireless hotspot. So until next week...

Room With A View

This past weekend, Yukon Cornelius, Master Aegidius and I all headed for the hills to make a mad dash into a distant lake. Unfortunately, we had to turn back only 6 miles (and some 3500 vertical feet) into the trip, all on account of . . . on account of WHAT? A raging grizzly? A massive landslide? Frostbite on Froze-To-Death? WHAT???? (How's that for a cliffhanger?)

Wondering what happened? Well click on over to the photoblog and then scroll up to see the story unfold!

Please Pray

Please pray for our dear friends Ryan and Rachel today - details over at SLD.

(for those of you who don't know them, Ryan and Rachel will be moving with us next year to help plant a church in Missoula)

Lego Civilization

If you haven't seen it already, you must check this out: Micah has just completed a brief documentary on the history of civilization... Lego civilization, that is. In all its stop-motion glory. You really must check this out - it's hilarious!

(and yeah, he spelled 'civilization' wrong on his post, buy cut him some slack! After all - he's homeschooled :-)

Why Did Jesus Have To Rise (Part 2)

This past Sunday I preached the second of a two part sermon series on why Jesus had to rise (Eph 2:1-10). If you'd like to listen to it, it's available online here.

As always, comments and feedback are welcome...

Welcome Master Aegidius

Welcome, welcome, to another family member! Master Aegidius emerges from the shadows and joins the blogging crew! Click on over and say hi (and if you don't understand the name, ask him to explain it!).

Secret's Out

The secret is out, our cover has been blown - our real identities have finally been revealed. For years you've known we were no ordinary family (the adjective 'whacked' comes to mind), but who would have suspected this...

(actually, we just decided to adopt a family theme for our profile photos)

Please note: none of us are wearing capes!

Sunlight and Water

Last Thursday Marilyn and the kids headed to Red Lodge for the day. Micah took lots of photos, and several of them turned out particularly well.
Sunlight and water is truly amazing amazing... There are a couple more over on the photoblog... Nice job, son!

Why Did Jesus Have To Rise (Part 1)

So why DID Jesus have to rise? (Jn 20:9) Yesterday I had the privilege of preaching (part 1) on that very question here at my home church here in Billings, Montana. If you'd like to listen to it, it's available online here.

Part 2 happens this coming Sunday (these sermons are part of the reason why I haven't been posting much lately - life's been busy the past couple of weeks!). If anyone has any comments, feedback, suggestions please feel free to share; like most aspiring pastors, I need all the input I can get...

[Admin note: the link was broken yesterday; should be fixed now]

Montana Mike Online

Hey, just a word of welcome to Montana Mike (my dad, and the kids' grandpa) who is now up and running with his very own blog (I know, wonders never cease). He has some nice flying photos posted, so you may want to bop on over and welcome him to the neighborhood.

Star Wars Lego Trailer

Hey, Micah has figured out how to embed video in his web page and has put up a Star Wars Lego movie that he found online. It's pretty cool, so you might want to click on over and take a look! Now I want to see HIM animate some Lego characters like that!

Hellroaring Highlights

I've been meaning to post for a couple of days now, but it's just been too hectic to get around to it. SO, here's hoping late is still better than never...

Christian & Marilyn on Hellroaring Plateau

On Monday, July 4 we all got up bright and early (at 4am, there is a decided emphasis on the 'early') and headed to the mountains outside of Red Lodge, MT to day hike into the Hellroaring Plateau area. It was a gorgeous day: we saw beautiful wildflowers, amazing scenery, caught some trout, and had an all around great time. You can check out the photoblog if you'd like to see the day unfold in photos...

South By Southwest

Pryor and Beartooth Mountain Ranges, looking south by southwest
from Billings, MT, an hour before sunset.