Granitepeaks

Merry Christmas from the Cryders

2007-12-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

Christmas Day, 2007.
Merry Christmas from the Cryders.

October Spawning

2007-10-18T16:03:00.000-07:00

So it's been a while since I've posted anything. Not because we haven't been up to anything, but because we've just been so dang busy. Today the kids had a day off school, so we took all of them for a little fishing trip. Was it worth it? I think so...

Rebekah caught a nice little Kokanee too, don't you think?

There's a few more photos available here.

Gone Fishing (Redux)

2007-05-31T15:03:00.000-07:00

Did I mention we went fishing a second time?
This time they were even bigger. And there were more of them. Heh heh heh... :-)

Obligatory Family Photo (Cryders)

2007-05-30T10:29:00.000-07:00

The light's not on, and we're not home...
(L to R: Malachi, Rebekah, Christian, Micah, Marilyn)

Gone Fishing

2007-05-02T21:30:00.000-07:00

So why do we want to plant a church in Montana? Hmm, I'm sure it has nothing to do with any of this. Honest. Really. I mean, sure I like to fish, but don't you think you can find little minnows like these just about anywhere?

So today, my friend Marc invited me to go fishing with him. Aren't you glad I went? These shots here are just a representative sample. We had close to 40 hookups, with nearly 20 fish landed. The smallest were between 3.5 and 4 lbs. The largest (landed by Marc) was between 9 and 10 lbs. The biggest one I landed was pushing 7 lbs - my biggest fish ever by quite a bit!

Easter Sunday In Missoula

2007-04-08T20:55:00.000-07:00

So today was our first Easter Sunday in Missoula, and it was beautiful. There are some photos over on the photoblog for your viewing pleasure...

Legion Baseball Update

2007-04-08T20:47:00.000-07:00

So Malachi made the Mavericks (Missoula's legion baseball team). Pretty cool news, and we're extremely proud of him - looks like two and a half months of winter workouts paid off (the last day of practice, he actually hit an in-the-park home run in scrimmage. Very cool!).

Of course, now the fun (and work) really begins, as we have to come up with $400 bucks and he needs to get sponsors for another $700 or so. So if anyone feels like pitching in with some support, let us know... We'll keep you posted.

Marilyn's Sourdough Flapjack

2007-04-05T06:38:00.000-07:00

So Jack is officially "In the market, so to speak." Here's the skinny...

AKC Yellow Lab (English style), 5 field champions in line, certified hips (excellent). Jack just turned 6, weighs about 80 lbs, and he's one of the smartest dogs I've ever known - great hunter, laid back personality, awesome w/ kids. Plus he's pretty darn good looking, if I do say so myself (more pictures available here).

Seeks well qualified female in heat (all for the sake of enhancing and extending the noble labrador line, of course).

If you have a lady dog that might be interested in getting acquainted, please contact Christian @ 406-529-5568 (we're in Missoula).

Sunset Tonight

2007-03-21T21:14:00.000-07:00

Sunset was beautiful in Missoula tonight. Looking to the north, towards SnowBowl.

Robinson Crusoe (MCT)

2007-03-21T21:03:00.000-07:00

So pictures of Rebekah's world premiere as Oscar Octopus in the MCT production of The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe are now up and online. Give it a look and tell her what you think...

[NOTE: the link was broken - it's fixed now (3/30/07)]

Harrison Ford at 60

2007-03-21T19:35:00.000-07:00

So I'm sitting at the breakfast table the other morning, when the conversation turns to Harrison Ford and the upcoming Indiana Jones movie:

Marilyn: So I hear that they're considering Kate Blanchett for the new Indiana Jones movie... (Marilyn digs Indie).

Me: So honey, would YOU actually kiss a 60 year old? (I mean, the thought of it sounds kind of creepy to me - sweet young Kate, sucking face with a 60 year old, even if he is Harrison Ford...)

Rebekah: But Dad, you're 37!

Wow. I had no idea how to respond. Nuff said.

Catching Up

2007-02-22T15:14:00.000-07:00

Ahem. I see that I haven't exactly been posting to beat the band, lately (Aside: Christy the Wordsmith, should you ever read this blog - where the heck did that phrase 'beat the band' come from anyway? Inquiring minds (well, MY mind anyway) want to know).

So here's what's happening in a nutshell. Ryan and I are still planting a church here in Missoula (I know, you knew that). Marilyn is busy helping out at C. S. Porter middle school. Rebekah is starring in MCT's world premiere of Robinson Crusoe this coming Saturday - well, maybe not 'starring', but she's playing the role of Oscar Octopus, which is a living critter, which means you're moving up the 'ol totem pole in MCT acting land. Malachi is busy with winter workouts for Maverick baseball, hoping he'll make the cuts when tryouts roll around in April. Micah is busy with art club. Everyone's looking forward to fishing when Spring rolls around (speaking of fishing - we've got a couple of Orvis rods on the way, for real this time - I'll say more about that once they show up).

Did I mention that I've been blogging about coffee? You can read a little blurb which got accepted over on the New West site, all about Coffee Shops in Missoula. Cool.

That pretty much covers it for now - we're meeting lots of people, having them over for dinner, getting to know the community. If you happen to be in the neighborhood Friday afternoon at 5, swing by the Kettlehouse and get a taste of what makes Missoula such a cool community.

Until then...

Valentine's Day and Public School

2007-02-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

So Micah (our 8th grader) brings home a permission we are supposed to sign, for the upcoming "Valentine's Day" thingy at his school. This isn't actually for the big day itself - instead, it happens a couple of days before - they pull the kids out of school for a half day to take them to a nearby elementary school where they will help little munchkins make valentines.

Me: "What the heck??? What's THAT have to do with education?"

Micah: "Well, it's kind of like 'Pumpkin Day' - we did the same thing right before Halloween, went and helped the elementary kids carve pumpkins. And if I don't go I get in-school suspension...

Me: (incredulously) "Pumpkin Day???"

Micah: "Yeah, Connor's kid threw up on him."

Me: "Threw up on him? You mean, like all over him?"

Micah: "Nah, just all over the table right in front of him. Connor had just cut open the pumpkin to clean out the guts and he said, 'Hey, I'll give you a quarter to stick your hand in the pumpkin.' The the kid said 'Ok!' and stuck his hand right into the pumpkin and then just barfed all over."

Marilyn: "Did Connor get in trouble?"

Micah: "Nah. I mean, how could he have known the kid was going to throw up when he stuck his hand in the pumpkin?"

Me: "Hey, you could help some little squirt come up with a really good valentine, like 'Will you be my girl from Nordakota?' (with Molly's joke on the back of it)."

Micah: (turning beet red) "DAD!!! That's just WRONG! Now can I go or not?"

Me: "Ok, ok, just tell me where to sign..."

Wow. I had no idea public school could be so much fun.

Winter Walk in Missoula

2007-02-03T12:21:00.000-07:00

There's some photos from yesterday afternoon over on the photoblog, if you're interested.

Rebekah on a Sled

2007-02-01T22:07:00.000-07:00

This was one of those "blink and you miss it shots" (and I just about did!) - but I kind of like the way it turned out, even the composition. Kind of reminds me of a penguin... :-)

Moonrise over Missoula (II)

2007-02-01T22:02:00.000-07:00

And a closer shot of that very fine moon...
(zoomed in as close as I can get w/ my Canon - I took this shot freehand, just leaning across the top of a neighbor's car to try and keep it as still as possible. There's a fair amount of noise in the photo, but overall I still like the way it turned out)

Moonrise over Missoula

2007-02-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

Moonrise over Missoula (beautiful w/ the fresh snow we had today...)

Crazy Mountains in Winter

2007-01-19T17:39:00.000-07:00

Crazy Mountains, heading west from Billings back to Missoula this past Monday.

Montana sure is beautiful (and yes, cold) in the winter.

Childhood Photos #2

2007-01-12T16:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I've gone and put up Childhood Photos #2. If you're interested, just click the link and head on over to the photoblog...

Brrrr.... Cold!

2007-01-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

3 below this morning. Brrrr. Not exactly "biking weather" (I know, I know... call me a wimp). Of course, it could be much worse - as the Missoulian notes this morning, Butte hit 33 below last night! Ah, life in the bananna belt! :-)

Looking Back on 2006

2007-01-10T14:26:00.000-07:00

So here we are are, just now finally getting around to writing a Christmas Letter (I know, it's a little late - but hey, better late than never, right?). So now that we've weathered the annual storm that is the holiday season, I thought it might be appropriate to pause for a few minutes and look back on 2006. After all, there's been a LOT of water under the bridge since this time last year.

SO... here are some highlights of 2006!

For those of you who'd rather just browse the photos, here's the appropriate set of links from 2006 from over on the photoblog (most recent first).
For those of you who'd rather read have a summary, along with links to key posts, etc, here's that perspective...

January - waaay back in January (seems like years ago now) we stepped gingerly over a cliff and started raising funds to plant a church in Missoula. Very scary, to send a letter to friends asking them to support you financially. Yet very encouraging (and humbling) to see how all of you responded. It's also done wonders for our family to see how fundraising is actually a beautiful thing. And right in the middle of all this, there was a Saturday night gale which will stay with me forever.
February - ah yes, the month of images: the big snowstorm in Fischer Park, the great shot of Rebekah daydreaming by the window, and then that disc of childhood photos. Isn't it amazing how pictures play such an important role in our lives. Maybe its because they nourish our imagination, something vitally important for the fostering of faith.
March - yep, March was a month of reflection on some really important things, like preaching the gospel to myself daily, getting naked relationally, and realizing that Jesus is not glue. It was also the first time in a long time that I picked up my guitar and wrote a song (called 18 years).
April - we started things off with a family photo, sang our first ever Song of the Camelback Trout (huge fun w/ my buddy Jeff McRobbie!), and then took Malachi back out to Billings for baseball while I flew all over the country to work on fundraising. Oh yeah, there was that couple on the plane doing zero to sixty at 36,000 feet. And then there was that phone call, "Hello Pastor..."
May - May was the month where I finally finished up 4 years of seminary and actually graduated, which was a great opportunity to decompress and reflect - on women's issues, on "Christian" music. I also wrote a couple of interesting papers, one on Sex in the Song of Songs, the other on Women in Ministry. And then it was time to throw one last party, pack all our belongings in a U-Haul and head for home.
June - Malachi pitched his best game ever, Christian lost his best camera ever when he should have been at home studying for ordination, and we met new friends Daniel & Jen and our awesome realtor Mindy as we started house-hunting in Missoula.
July - we saw Pirates of the Carribean 2 for the first time, went fishing on the 4th, and Christian kept studying.
August - then in August, all the written exams were finally done. We took a couple of days to head for the mountains (since, after all, it never rains in August), we finally found a house in Missoula, and before you know it, we were moving to a whole new part of the Last Best Place.
September - of course, as soon as we got there, Christian had to start studying again, this time for oral exams. (Gee, I wonder why there are no links for this month? Hmmm... ;-)
October - then, just when it seemed as if we could hold our breath, God exhaled for us, and Christian was ordained. Wow. Only then could we finally start working on the house, and taking in the view(s). We also got to start talking to people, and boy did it get interesting quick (be sure to read the comments). Oh yes, we also went antelope hunting and carved pumpkins.
November - Thanksgiving in Manhattan (Micah got his first deer!), and lots of work on the basement.
December - and then came Christmas, w/ a whole lot more work on the basement. We managed to get the boys moved into their new room on Christmas eve, we finished flooring, painting, and electrical by New Years. And now there's just some finish work remaining. In the middle of all this, we took a trip out to Washington to surprise my mom for her 60th birthday, and we had Jake and Jen and my folks up for Christmas day.

Holy cow a lot has happened this past year. No wonder I feel dizzy at times. But God has been good and we are extremely gratefull.

If you're still reading, you obviously have an iron butt or care deeply about our family! We appreciate your interest, and look forward to hearing from you (and hopefully seeing you as well!) this coming year.

Marjorie

2006-12-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

So last night, my daughter Rebekah hands me a copy of a another poem she wrote in school (her first one was Girl Who Loves Horses) - this one is about her great-grandmother, Marjorie Lauson. And I thought it was cool enough to share with all of you.

Marjorie (Portrait poem for school)
I remember your frail hands
they held me tight on Christmas day
I remember the joy in your eyes
I hugged the little doll tight
she was beautiful
with a red suit, blue eyes, and blond hair

I can see the little bird in your hat
your green shawl wrapped tightly around your shoulders

I hugged you tight
but not tight enough
why did you ever leave me?
why didn't you wait to say good bye?
Did you even love me?

If I could have one wish granted
I would wish you back

I can still see your smile as you held the purple boguet
As I look back on the few years we spent together
I wish that there had been more.

Well done, sweet daughter!

Thanksgiving in Manhattan

2006-11-25T22:24:00.000-07:00

So we spent most of Thanksgiving week down in Manhattan, with my brother Jake and his family. As you can see from the photo above, Micah was successful in his quest to bag his first deer! If you'd want to know what else went on, bop on over to the photoblog for all the juicy details (and the photos to prove it!)...

Hunting in the Homeland

2006-11-18T21:46:00.000-07:00

So today the kids and I went hunting - we didn't get anything (other than a grouse), but we sure did have a good time. I love spending time in the mountains, and the only thing better is to be there with my kids, teaching them the things my dad taught me. SO... if you're interested in deer and elk and mountain sheep and grouse, click on over to the photoblog to see what happened today!

Thoughts on Blogging

2006-11-11T19:53:00.000-07:00

Scot McKnight has written an excellent post over on Jesus Creed about his philosophy of blogging -how he manages to write so much. Here's a snippet...

My explanation is simple: writing can’t be done on the side because, as James Vanoosting says it, “Writing is not pedagogy but an epistemology” (160).

In other words, writing is a lifestyle, a way of life, a way of being, a modus operandi, a way of breathing and eating and drinking. Better yet, writing is a way of learning, a way of coming to know what someone wants to know, a way of discovering.

Writing is not something to do when everything else is cleared off the desk; no, it is something that makes order of the desk. I don’t get up wondering what I will write about, but I write about what I’m wondering. (That’s almost Chestertonian.) In other words, as Augustine spoke of “faith seeking understanding,” so writing is a pen seeking understanding.

I really appreciated his response here, because it expresses (much better than I've ever done) much of my own feelings about the whole blogging phenomenon. So for those of you who wonder why I'm such a fan of this particular genre, well, read Scot's post and see if it shed's any light on the subject...

'Twas the Night Before Halloween

2006-10-30T22:42:00.000-07:00

Yes, 'twas the night before Halloween, and the kids and I decided it was time to carve up the yearly pumpkin. This has become something of a yearly tradition for us, and this time around we pulled out all the stops. The result? Mr Sun and Brother Moon. You should be very frightened, my precious. Oh yes, very frightened indeed!

You can see it all over on the photoblog...

Christian's Spicy Swiss Chicken

2006-10-29T14:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, so Marilyn had to play in orchestra all afternoon, leaving me to feed the kids. Feeling the need for something a little different, we experimented and came up with a very good chicken recipe (sorry, no picture - it was all eaten before we thought about it). Here's what we did:

4 chicken breasts (fresh or frozen)
6 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1-2 hot red peppers, minced
3 Tbsp virgin olive oil
1 tsp rosemary
3-4 fresh tomatoes, sliced
4 slices swiss cheese (better if you're slicing it yourself off a thick slab)
Adobo (or salt & pepper)

Basically, we started by thawing the chicken. While that was going on, I minced all the garlic, hot peppers, and rosemary, and then mixed it in with the olive oil to form a fairly thick mixture (this is what we'll use to baste the chicken while its cooking). Put the chicken on a hot grill, and spoon the mixture onto the chicken. Season w/ Adobo (Adobo is a Peurto-Rican seasoning that goes good on just about everything).

Once the chicken is cooked about half way through, scrape off the mixture (back into the bowl, so you have enough for the other side), flip the chicken, and then reapply the mixture (this time you will leave it on for good). Season again, then lay the tomatoes on the chicken. When the chicken is almost done, layer the swiss cheese on top, wait till it melts, and serve piping hot!

Viola! Christian's Spicy Swiss Chicken. I'll bet this would go really well with fresh vegetables cooked on the grill, along with a nice glass of chilled white wine! Next time I make it, I'll add a picture of it as well...

Hunting with the Kids

2006-10-24T06:07:00.000-07:00

So I was going to post about this last night, but blogger was having problems, so I had to content myself with pushing up some photos and eating Marilyn's homemade pumpkin pie (really rough - see previous post).

This past weekend was another busy one. I took all three kids and headed for Melstone (eastern Montana) to hunt antelope. Marilyn stayed here, because she's playing in the pit orchestra for a local production of Cats.

For those of you who don't know Montana (or "eastern Montana" in particular) - it's dry. Really dry. Think 'badlands' kind of dry. Or at least, that's the way it usually is. This time, however, was different (think 'It Never Rains in August'). A cold front rolled into the state early last week, and it dumped moisture all week long. By the time we got to Melstone Friday morning, it was pouring (and had been for quite a while). And when it rains in eastern Montana, it really rains - and then all that dry Montana clay turns into the most amazing, truck devouring gumbo.

Speaking of gumbo, we discovered that firsthand on Saturday, when we got ourselves stuck. As in, really stuck. We are talking, "so stuck that our right front axle as high centered" in the stuff. Good thing we brought a shovel. And also a good thing that there was another guy just up the road from us (who had also gotten stuck earlier that morning). When he saw our predicament, he promptly walked down with his shovel and we started digging, pushing, pulling, etc.

All to no avail of course. We were REALLY stuck. This stuff was so sticky that the shovel itself would end up completely covered with clay - and then you couldn't get it off. At the end of the day, we ended up on hands and needs pulling big chunks of clay out from underneath the truck with by hand. And then it started raining and snowing and blowing.

Ah, antelope hunting in Montana! It just doesn't get any better than this! :-) Finally, we DID manage to get unstuck, when the guy who was helping us brought his truck down and we were able to jerk ours backwards by a couple of feet. Very very dicey. And after that, we promptly headed back for the main road (which was still pretty muddy itself).

Fortunately, we did get some antelope. Malachi shot a dandy little buck early in the morning (and I missed one that was right next to it). Then later that afternoon on our way out I shot a little yearling. Not big, but it will be tender.

Did I mention that we just about hit some elk on the way up to Melstone? Two days in a row we ran into a herd of them, right off the highway - the first day we just saw them; the second day, I came within ten feet of hitting three young spike bulls (picture my 7000 lb Ford Excursion, loaded to the gills, barreling down the highway just before dawn, suddenly slamming on the brakes and taking evasive action - there's a reason these things have anti-lock brakes!). There were probably 60 elk - and one of them was a decent sized bull. Right there on the highway in the middle of the prairie. Wierd. Too bad you have to draw a special tag to hunt them there...

At any rate, we got back to Billings LATE Saturday night, quickly unloaded and re-packed, had a quick bite to eat at Grandma's house, and then headed for Bozeman to rendevous with my brother Jacob. You see, I needed to be at GVPC first thing Sunday morning to help with Bryan Clark's installation service. And then that afternoon, after Jen cooked a fine lunch, Jake and I headed out to some state land with the boys in order to look for a few mule deer does.

We did happen to shoot one doe - right as it got dark, of course. We also happened to see one of the biggest bucks I've ever seen in the field. Malachi was within 30 yards of him; Jake came within a few feet. And the buck never budged (we were watching the whole thing through binoculars 800 yards away). Instead, he calmly sat there and waited for Jake to walk by, then slipped out through the middle. Amazing.

Unfortunately, we were on private land where we could only shoot does. So we wouldn't have been able to take him anyway. But boy was he big. Micah was salivating (since he only has a buck tag). But it'd almost be a shame to shoot a guy like that your first time out - you might go the rest of your life without ever shooting anything bigger, and that'd end up a little anti-climactic. (See Micah, doesn't that make you feel better?)

At any rate, Jake shot a doe right before dark. Literally. And then we had to drag her about a mile back to the truck, through cliff an dale. Ah, deer hunting in Montana! We got back to Manhattan about 8 PM, had a quick bite to eat and then jumped back in the car and headed out for Missoula by about 9 (I had told Marilyn we'd probably be leaving by 7 at the latest...).

Then, around 10:15 PM, just past Butte at the Fairmont Hot Springs exit, I heard a BOOM - a tire on my dad's trailor just blew out, and I had no spare. Off to the side of the road we went.

At this point, I'm thinking all kinds of really sanctified thoughts because I'm a pastor now. Of course they're all highly technical (seminary teaches you to swear in the original languages), so I won't pass them along. Suffice it to say, this was NOT in the game plan.

Eventually we got it all figured out though - transfer all the animals from the trailor to the roof of the Excursion; all the duck decoys into the space back there with Jack; then a tow truck from Butte to pick up the trailor; and now I'm headed back there this morning to pick it up and bring it back to Missoula. Ah the joy of hunting in Montana! Seriously - that's the thing about all those great hunting stories - you have to actually go through them first! :-)

Well, that's pretty much a wrap. We're all back in Missoula, with the firstfruits of our hunting harvest hanging in the garage ("Look boys - here's how you skin a deer!"), and life is beginning to get back to normal again, at least until next weekend.

If you'd like to see some more pictures of the whole thing, click on over to the photoblog.

Suffering and Misery

2006-10-23T20:51:00.000-07:00

Yes my friends, I am suffering for Jesus. Sitting here eating a slice of very hot, homemade pumpkin pie (thanks to my lovely wife Marilyn!), slathered with whipped cream. I know, I know, you really wish you were me right now. Tough luck, pals! Mu-ha-ha-ha-ha.... :-)

Monday in Missoula

2006-10-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

Looking south towards Lolo

So here I am, this drizzly Monday afternoon in Missoula, sitting in front of the fireplace sipping from my cup of Lapsang Souchong (for those of you who don't know what Lapsang Souchong is, it's a very strong black tea, which smells kind of like smoky, dirty old socks - we always used to tease my dad about this growing up - "Uggh! How can you drink that stuff? It smells terrible!!!" - but then I grew up and actually drank a cup and discovered what my dad learned long ago - Lapsang Souchong is really great tea. And since I like tea when I'm feeling under the weather, that's what I'm drinking right now).

Speaking of the weather: I've already mentioned that it's dreary outside, a steady mist keeping everything wet, with dark gray clouds kissing the tops of the mountains that surround Missoula. This isn't a bad thing though - here in Montana, we can always use some moisture, and as long as things are warm and cozy inside, well it's kind of a nice change of pace.

This past week has been a whirlwind (the past 4 months, actually) - and that's probably why I'm feeling a little bit under the weather myself - the long days, late nights, with very little sleep are all finally catching up with me. I spent most of last week trying to finish up framing the basement - then on Friday evening, my dad, my brother Jake (who happens to be an electrician), and my brother-in-law Matt (who happens to be a plumber) all drove up from Billings / Bozeman to spend Saturday helping me get the basement whipped into shape. We made a lot of progress, too - probably 95% of what we had hoped to get done.

Of course, that meant we had very little time for shooting the breeze or lounging around either - we hopped in the car(s) at about 7:30 PM Saturday evening, drove BACK down to Billings, where I was officially ordained as a minister in the Presbyterian Church of America. (I was ordained at the PCA in Billings, not Missoula, since there is no PCA church here in Missoula yet... after all, that's the work we've been commissioned to establish).

May the LORD be your keeper; may the LORD be the shade on your right hand.
May the sun not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
May the LORD keep you from all evil; may he guard your life.
May the LORD keep your going out and your coming in, from this time forth and forevermore.
- pronouncing the blessing, from Ps 121:5-8

At any rate, it all made for a rather long day on Saturday (we got into Billings at 12:30 AM Sunday morning), and then I had to speak briefly during the Sunday school time on Sunday, followed by the installation ceremony, and then a dinner at the church afterwards. Very, very enjoyable. This marks the end of one very long phase in our lives - from that fateful day some 6 years ago when I told Marilyn, "I think we really need to be praying about going to seminary" (and then lost my hi-tech job in Santa Cruz a mere two weeks later, due to the bursting of the internet bubble) - and the beginning of another, that of fulltime church-planting ministry. I am now officially a "Reverend," which is a little strange since I don't feel that much different.

But it was a great culmination to the whole process, and it was especially rewarding to be ordained in our home church back in Billings, in front of family and friends of have stood beside us and encouraged us over these past few years. I want to extend a special thanks to those of you from outside our church who joined us for this service as well - it means a lot to us that you would come be a part of this special day with us.

And speaking of "special" - I think the most meaningful part of the day, for me, at any rate, was getting to lead God's people in the Lord's Supper as my first official "act" as an ordained minister. Very special indeed, and not something that I will soon forget. Thanks to all of you who were there to be a part of it.

Near Big Timber, looking north towards the Crazies

After the service (and the luncheon that followed), we spent a couple of hours up at my folk's place, planning for an upcoming antelope hunt this coming weekend. And then we hopped in the car to head BACK to Missoula. Doing a 5 hour drive twice in two days gets old quickly, but we were able to stop in Manhatten on the way back for a couple of hours, to have dinner w/ my Jake and Jen. To celebrate, we left our kids to watch their kids, while we adults went to Sir Scott's Oasis in Manhatten. If you ever go their, order the 22 oz prime rib, medium rare - absolutely the best steak I have ever had, and it was HUGE! You simply cannot find a better slab of beef, and it's a great price to boot (a mere $25 bucks a plate). Throw in a Bozone Amber and you can almost hear the angels singing. Wow.

The only downside to this whole thing was that we finished dinner about 9:30 PM, and still had to drive another 3 hours back to Missoula. Ouch. Hopped in the car, and away we went. But it made for yet one more really late night, and I think it all finally caught up with me this morning - I didn't wake up until 10 AM, and now I have a sore throat and a congested chest and all I feel like doing is sit on the couch sleeping. Which fortunately, I can do today. And it gives me a chance to get caught up on email, etc.

So that's the scoop. Kids are doing well, back in school. Work progresses on the basement. I'm officially a Reverend now, and the Missoula Project moves forward one more step. Lot's to be thankful for, and even more to look forward to over the coming weeks and months. Hopefully, my blogging will be a little more regular now...

Summer's last gasp
[Note: I hear it's snowing in Billings today, so you can imagine
that bee and all those little flowers covered with white stuff...]

More House Photos

2006-10-08T20:00:00.000-07:00

So a while back I promised more house photos, and Ryan reminded me tonight that I hadn't followed through on that yet. So here are a couple of shots...

This is our living room (looking to the southeast). Like the blue wall?

Here's the same room, but looking to the northeast (so the blue wall is out of sight just beyond the right hand side of the picture). Note the kids power lounging on the floor. I think they're happy to be home.

Here's Marilyn in her kitchen. Note that she's looking pretty happy to be settling in as well. Like the red wall in the background?

Another shot of the kitchen (looking almost due west, w/ my back to the living room). I bought the house solely because of the hot lady in the kitchen. :-)

And that's really all I have for right now. I'll try to take some more soon...

Missoula Last Thursday

2006-10-08T19:14:00.000-07:00

(click here for a high-rez version)

I put up some photos from Malachi's football game last Thursday, along with some shots of the storm that rolled through the area about that time. Beautiful. If you'd like to see them, click on over to the photoblog...

Finished in the Fall

2006-10-02T20:06:00.000-07:00

So seminary / ordination exams are now officially complete - I took my oral comps last Wed / Thurs, and was approved to be ordained in the PCA. Woo hoo! We're all very happy to say the least, as this represents the culmination of 4.5 years of hard work and stress (not just for me, but also for the family). So I think everyone is relieved to have it all over at last. The ordination service will be held in Billings on October 15.

So anyway, Sunday afternoon we went for a bike ride and I took some photos. Rather than put them up on the photoblog, I decided to try a new Picasa Weblog feature - I'd invite you to check it out and see what you think...

Pros:

it's very, very fast and easy to post (and then edit captions) - especially since I already use Picasa to adjust the contrast on all my photos
you can change the size of the thumbnails (pretty slick)
you can view it as a slideshow

Cons:

you only get 250 MB free (which at the highest res, translates to about 250 photos... so I'll run out of space in no time)
it's hard to see the photos in high res (you have to download them individually)
I can't customize the background or anything

I'd be curious if anyone has any thoughts about it. At this point, I'm probably inclined to keep using my photoblog since it's a little more customizable and there aren't any limitations on space. Thoughts? Comments? Let me know...

Catching Up

2006-09-10T21:28:00.000-07:00

Not enough time (or bandwidth) to post very much, but I wanted to share a few photos. You may want to jump down a bit and then scroll back up...

And then looking down the river to the West...

2006-09-10T21:27:00.000-07:00

The Clarks Fork at sunset...

2006-09-10T21:26:00.000-07:00

And then later in the day I went for a bike ride in the evening. Nothing like being able to fish right in the middle of town.

2006-09-10T21:25:00.000-07:00

Marilyn and Rebekah, just outside of Polson (on Flathead Lake). Looks like somewhere Mediterranean, doesn't it?

2006-09-10T21:20:00.001-07:00

Here's a little closer shot...

2006-09-10T21:19:00.000-07:00

So this afternoon, we drove up to Flathead Lake, and on the way we spotted a forest fire burning in the Mission Mountains, just outside St. Ignatius.

Good Morning!

2006-09-10T20:57:00.000-07:00

This is what it looks like at sunrise in Missoula, taken from our living room. The sky is mighty red these days, due to all the smoke in the air, but it sure does make for a pretty sunrise...

Landing in Missoula

2006-09-05T20:40:00.000-07:00

Hey folks! Just wanted to let you know that we have officially landed in Missoula! Special thanks to all those of you who helped us load up in Billings (especially my dad, who managed to fit WAY more into the U-Haul than any of us thought possible), and to those of you who helped us unload / get settled here on the Missoula end (Kerry Skiles & kids, Daniel & Jen Nairn). We REALLY appreciate all your help, and things are more of less livable at this point - we're in the house, able to cook / eat / sleep (and undress at this point, now that we have curtains on most of the windows).

Christian has been building shelves in closet, pantry, etc. And Marilyn has been slowly unpacking all the stuff that has been in boxes for the past 4 years. And the kids... (dramatic pause here)... went to school today for the first time ever and actually survived. It was kind of funny because Rebekah was the most worried of the three, and yet (just as we expected), came home all excited about how she's already made 3 friends etc.

Speaking of friends, if you live in the Missoula area (or are just passing through), please feel free to drop in and say hi. We have a handful of people we hope to connect with soon, and if you know of someone who lives here, we'd love to have you introduce us to them. I'd love to tell you about some of the folks we've already met - our neighbors next door, Shannon at Home Depot, a guy who owns one of the fly fishing shops downtown - but it'll have to wait for a bit. At this point, we still don't have our own internet access yet, so blogging and email will be sporadic at best, at least through the end of the week.

That pretty much covers it for now. We appreciate your prayers, and look forward to settling in here in Missoula. Come see us when you get a chance...

We're Moving!

2006-08-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

Hey folks - it's official: we got the house and move to Missoula next week! Which means... we're looking for friends to help load in Billings (and possibly unload in Missoula). Here's the schedule:

Tues afternoon / evening - we are loading the U-Haul in Billings (down behind the Peacemaker building at 2590 Holman Ave [MAP]). If you have time and inclination, we'd love to have you help us pack up. This will start about 2 PM, and run until late in the evening. Feel free to drop in and help out for as little or as much as you'd like.
Wed morning - we'll be finishing up our loading and then heading for Missoula
Thurs morning - we close on our house in Missoula and then take possession of the house at 2307 River Road [MAP]
Fri through the weekend - we'll be unloading and moving in! If anyone wants to come help us unload on the other end (and stay through the weekend), you'd be more than welcome to make the trek up with us. Just bring a sleeping bag and you can crash on our floor once we get there...

If any of these opportunities interest you, and you want to help out, could you please ping me or Marilyn so we can keep track of who's involved? Thanks much...

(ps - I have a whole bunch of photos from last week that are gradually getting put up over on the photoblog, but Blogger is having some hiccups today so they may not all be there until early next week)

It Never Rains in August

2006-08-26T22:04:00.000-07:00

So one of the standing jokes we have around the Cryder house now is how "It never rains in August" (because after all, this is one of the dryest, hottest months of the year here in Montana!). Now all this came about because last year, Taehoo came to visit and he got drenched in the mountains. And the year before that, the kids and I went camping and the same thing happened. So surely lightning can't strike three years in a row, right? Hmmm...

As most of you know, I've spent most of the summer house hunting in Missoula and studying for ordination exams. Well, on August 11 I finished my last written exam, and we decided to take the whole family to the mountains the following week for some much needed R&R, because after all, "it never rains in August..."

At any rate, I've finally got all the pictures up from our 4 days of vacation. We did get rained on a bit. And we certainly hiked a lot more than we expected. And we didn't catch very many fish (at least not initially). But we saw some beautiful scenery and had a lot of fun, and it's all there over on the photoblog for your enjoyment.

So with no further ado... here's what we did last week (and I think you'll find there are a LOT of great photos in here):

Enjoy!

More House Hunting in Missoula

2006-08-13T21:33:00.000-07:00

Well, as some of you know, we headed back up to Missoula again to try and find a house one more time, before we resorted to renting. The good news, we think we got one (we'll know for sure in a couple of days as we attempt to work out the details). I've finally had the time to put up photos both from this trip (#3), and from the previous trip (#2) - so if you are interested in seeing what we've been up to (aside from studying for ordination), bop on over and take a look. There are some great shots of the kids (and relatives) to enjoy as well.

Speaking of ordination - this past Friday I finally finished my last written exam (there were five of them total, each ranging from 2 to 4 hours in length). I think they all went well, and I'm extremely glad to have them over with. Now all I have to do is prepare for orals in September. Thanks to all of you who have been praying about both of these things, and please keep it up.

One final note before I sign out for the night - I think we're going to take off for a couple of days later this week and head to the mountains for a couple of days. So hopefully, we'll get some much needed R&R, and I'll have a chance to make up for my lack of photography so far this summer... Talk to you more soon!

Crazy Mountain Sunset

2006-08-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

So two weeks ago, we took a whirlwind tour up to Missoula to look for a house - didn't find one that day, but we sure did score a beautiful shot of the Crazy Mountains (from I-90 looking north) at sunset on our way back home [hi res version here]...

Happy Birthday Nicholas!

2006-07-15T21:27:00.000-07:00

Hey, today is my brother Nicholas' birthday! If you'd like to see some more shots of him (and the rest of our kooky family), click on over to the photoblog! Happy Birthday, little brudder!

4th of July Fishing

2006-07-04T22:43:00.000-07:00

So today the boys and I headed out with Ron Tenharmsel for an afternoon on the Bighorn River. No pictures, unfortunately (the replacement for the camera still hasn't arrived), but we did have a great time - we caught a lot of fish. Malachi and Micah each caught two, I caught five, and Ron must have caught close to fifteen. Mostly nice fat rainbows in the 16-18 inch range, with an occasional brown mixed in for good measure. Ron actually tied into one of the hugest browns I have ever seen personally - it went airborne twice, before he lost it, and it was easily 24+ inches. HUGE. All to say, we had a really great 4th of July! Special thanks to Ron for taking the time to show us the ropes...

House Hunting in Missoula

2006-07-02T20:12:00.000-07:00

So we drove up to Missoula on Friday night, looked at houses all day, and then drove back Saturday evening. If you'd like to see some photos, click on over to the photoblog and take a gander...

Latest News

2006-06-27T15:41:00.000-07:00

Couple of quick updates, just to let you all know what's been going on.

First of all, for those of you who've been following Malachi's baseball career, the bad news is that his team suffered a brutal loss in the playoffs. They hit the ball extremely well in the quarterfinal game, but their defense smelled worse than stagnant pondwater. The other team played similarly, and the game was eventually stopped due to darkness after 7 innings with an 18-18 tie.

The 8th inning resumed the next day (BEFORE the semifinal game) - Malachi's team batted first, scoring 3 runs, and then they only needed to hold the other team on defense. The made the first two outs quite easily, and then twice they had the final batter to 2 strikes, only to give up significant hits. The other team ended up scoring 4, and that was all she wrote. Sigh.

Here's the good news though - Malachi made All-Stars, for the first time ever! Woo hoo! We are extremely excited and proud of him. Of course, it means another month of baseball, which just kills our evenings, but oh, well, we'll suffer :-)
Second, as some of you know, Micah has been saving for a fly rod for a long time now. He had ordered an Orvis for his birthday, which then got back-ordered, and then back-ordered yet again (eg. end of July if lucky), so we cancelled the order and got him a Winston rod instead. Nice rod. Made in Twin Bridges, Montana. Lifetime guarantee.

Micah practiced casting for a couple of evenings, and then on Saturday we headed down to the Bighorn River with Grandpa Mike and Uncle Jake - poor Malachi, he had All-Stars practice! Actually, he didn't miss much, because we didn't catch a thing. Skunked. Awful. Actually, what made the whole thing worse was the fact that a) we could actually see lots of fish (big ones, HUGE ones, like 5+ pounds big), and b) the schmucks floating down the river behind (the ones who couldn't cast a fly rod to save their lives) - well they absolutely KILLED the fish. As in 30+ fish while we caught nothing. All I can say is that they had a darn good guide, who evidently knew the river like nobody's business.

The bright note? Well Sunday afternoon Micah and I ran up past Columbus to fish for a few hours on the Stillwater, and MICAH ACTUALLY CAUGHT A FISH!!! Woo hoo! It was really great! And I got pictures and everything. I'm very proud of him - he is officially a fly-fisherman now. Way to go son!
Rebekah is the proud owner of a brand new mountain bike. Actually, its a brand-new-really-old mountain bike that Grandma Clarice has never really used. Grandpa fixed it up for her and now she's riding all over the place on it. Now all we need is one for Marilyn.
You may be wondering - Christian, where are all the pictures??? Yes, it's true, I usually post pictures when I blog. And yes, its true that I actually TOOK a lot of pictures over the past week or so. The problem however is that after Micah and I finished fishing on Sunday evening, I set the camera down on the hood of the car (you see where this is going, don't you?) and then forgot about it and drove off. All this to say, there's a really nice Canon digital camera somewhere in a ditch between Billings and the Swinging Bridge fishing access site above Columbus. But I don't know where exactly - believe me I looked. Sigh.

The problem is, we use (and need) a digital camera. And so last night I went online and bought a replacement. Should be here in 5-7 days, so don't expect much in the way of photos over the course of the next week. What sucks is that these things are not cheap. Sigh. There went the bike for Marilyn...
Finally, it looks like we're heading back up to Missoula this weekend to look at houses in person, rather than just over the internet. Pray for us, if you think about it. The market is tight and our wallet is not as thick as it needs to be to get the kind of house we'd like for ministry. So ask God to do something surprising (but preferably not 'Elk Tent on National Forest Service land' kind of surprising!!!!)

That's pretty much it for now! We'll keep you posted on how things go. Feel free to drop us a line and let us know how life is treating you in your neck of the woods!

New Look

2006-06-22T22:33:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm playing with a new look - what do you think? I'm not sure whether I like it better this way, or the way it was (or whether it still just needs some more tweaking). If you're curious where the image came from, take a look at the Thunderstorm Rising entry on the photo blog.

Game Ball & Krispy Kremes

2006-06-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

So this is Malachi's first ever "Game Ball," and the box in the background contains what's left of the Krispy Kremes we bought afterwards. We've long had this standing offer - hit a home run, and you get Krispy Kremes. Now, he didn't hit a home run tonight (although he came close), but he DID hit a triple, and then subsequently drew an intentional walk. Where he really contributed though, was with his pitching.

This was their first game of the Little League Tourney (well, second actually - they were good enough this year that their first game was a bye). After two pitchers in a mere one and a half innings, we were already down 5 to 2, and there were two runners on when the coach put Malachi into pitch. He gave up two runs early, bringing the score to 7 to 2, and then he settled down and pitched the next five and a half innings to close out the game. He's never pitched more than three innings before ever.

Final score? 11 to 7. We won, and it was a HUGE comeback. After the game, the coach gave him the game ball (something I've only seen him do once or twice in the previous three years). Since we figured that this was something to be celebrated, we took a vote and swung by Krispy Kremes on the way home. Micah and Rebekah said that it was a tough pill to swallow, but they were willing to do it for their big brother. :-)

All told, Malachi is really beginning to look like a baseball player, and I'm extremely proud. He's worked really hard this season, and he had one heck of a game tonight. Next stop, Wednesday night...

Saturday Night in Missoula

2006-06-17T19:56:00.000-07:00

So it's Saturday night in Missoula, and I am sitting in Liquid Planet sharing a fine cup of coffee with Marilyn while a young man named Chris Miles plays some classic Jim Croce on his guitar.

We got into town last night and met two virtual friends, Daniel and Jen. D & J are a great young couple who live here in Missoula, and they were kind enough to host us for dinner, and then let us crash for the night at their place (the shot above shows them cooking breakfast for us the next morning). Before we hit the hay though, we drove on over to The Big Dipper.

The Dipper is a really cool ice cream shop in the university district. We visited it last summer with Shane and Jean, and were amazed at how many people hang out at this place - all shapes, sizes, and colors, just chilling on good ice cream and talking to one another. Of course, it hasn't changed much since last year.

No sooner did we start walking through the parking lot than we met two of D & J's friends - Ted and Rosio. Ted's a long time Montanan; Rosio is from Ecuador. It doesn't take long to strike up a conversation in Missoula, and this was no exception. Ted spotted my Cabela's cap and asked if I liked to fish. Um, yeah, although that might be putting it mildly.

Turns out that not only is Ted an avid fly fisherman, but he also owns a piece of real estate down in Bolivia (think giant peacock bass). He's passionate about conservation, and so he's put together a group of investors to help help protect South American rainforest by wisely developing it - the point is not so much to make money, as to make enough money to keep it from being developed for other uses. Very, very interesting, and I'm looking forward to connecting with him again this Fall.

Missoula is full of people like this - people who see life a little differently, people who care about things like the environment, the community, their city. And I must confess, I like it. There are certainly lots of problems, but there are lots of gospel impulses in this secular city. I am looking forward to living here, to making friends and investing in lives.

Of course not everyone is a tree hugger or an artist. Missoula is a party town too. Just this evening I was walking Jack through Caras Park along the river, smoking my pipe and enjoying the evening sun. A couple of young guys in their twenties hollered at me from their park bench:

"Oh man, what are you smoking?!? That smells good! What a beautiful dog..." So I stopped and chatted for a few minutes. Before I know it, one of them is showing me his pipe, asking if I have a little of mine to share. Fair enough. I offer him some of my Cattleman's Gold.

"So how do you guys like Missoula? I think I'm going to be moving here this Fall."

"Oh man, you're going to love it! Missoula is a drinking town, man!" (He's leaning back, pretending to tip back a bottle).

Yeah, they were a little stoned. But they were nice guys, and they very willing to talk. Turns out one of them has been here six months; his friend, a mere week an a half. So this is Missoula - people who are looking for something more in life, willing to try just about anything to find it. It's beautiful, and it's sad, all at the same time. Already, I find myself loving this place.

One of the things that is going to be hard is housing. We know that we want to be within easy biking distance of the downtown and the campus, and housing prices are through the roof. We can probably afford a 2 to 3 bedroom place - but we need 4 to 5 bedrooms with enough room to throw a party for 60+ friends. Hmm. This is going to be challenging.

We talked with one realtor this morning and we're meeting another tomorrow. And in the meantime, we've been driving all over the city trying to figure out where we want to live, and where we don't. We're also trying to think outside the box - buy something small and add on? buy something dumpy and bulldoze it so we can start over? The cheapest _lot_ we've seen was for $50K. Most of them (the few that there are) are closer to $75K. But most of the 4 bedroom houses are over $300K, and this for something that still needs work. Ouch.

All told, housing is going to be a huge challenge. We'd appreciate your prayers about this. And if you have any creative suggestions, please drop us a line.

Well, time to get a refill of coffee and then head to bed for the night. Nothing like a Saturday night in Missoula...

What We Left Behind

2006-06-14T13:20:00.000-07:00

So this is what we have left behind. It happened less than a block away from our house, 3 days after we left. My kids walked the dog by the scene of this crime every day for the last 4 years.

Philadelphia - Police were scrambling yesterday to track down killers from a bloody weekend, but made no arrests in the slaying of an 18-year-old man at an Olney park or a 51-year-old man shot dead in Southwest Philadelphia.

In addition to the killings, six other people were wounded - at least one critically - in shootings around the city during the weekend, police said. No arrests were made in any of those shootings.
...
The 18-year-old, a Latino shot in the head, was found dead Sunday evening in Fisher Park, at North Seventh and West Spencer Streets. The 51-year-old, also shot in the head, was found about 2 a.m. Sunday in the 5500 block of Pentridge Street.

As of yesterday, the number of homicides in Philadelphia stood at 149. During the first five months of 2005, there were 155 murders.

You can read the whole thing here...

What's interesting about this is that I don't simply feel relieved, or glad to be gone. This was our neighborhood. I find myself wondering if I would have recognized this young man who was slain.

It must have happened right here at the base of this tree. Here's our family photo taken this spring less than 50 yards from the very spot. And here's what it looks like in winter - beautiful, white, pristine.

I am indeed thankful for God's protection while we lived in Philly - we grew to love our neighborhood, and especially the people we met there. Lots of hurt, lots of brokenness, but all created in the image of God, and then fallen in the image of Adam. I'm not simply thankful to be gone - I really find myself longing to see these neighborhoods redeemed. News like this actually makes me miss it more, in a wierd kind of way, since I'd like to be back there trying to be part of a solution.

The gospel is the only thing that is going to truly solve our problems in society, and change will only happen one heart at a time...

Westminster Milestones

2006-06-01T19:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I've just put up a bunch of photos from last week over on the photoblog - If you'd like to see graduation shots, or pictures of our trip back out west, click on over and take a look...

Home

2006-05-29T16:16:00.000-07:00

Well, we are home. Got in last night about 11 PM. Here's a shot of the sun going down just past Sheridan, Wyoming, about 9 PM last night. Those are the Bighorn mountains in the background, as we are driving into Montana on I-90. Sure is beautiful country...

Shower Races

2006-05-28T04:14:00.000-07:00

So we are staying in the "Econo-Lodge" in LaCrosse Wisconsin (not too bad either - the beds were comfy, or else we were all just too tired to notice). Worst thing about them: no coffee pots in the room (ouch). Funniest thing this morning - shower races! Christian lathered, shampooed, and rinsed his way through his morning shower in 42.6 seconds. Malachi took 27.7 secs. And Micah (drum roll please), took a mere 13.8 secs. Wow. My response? Did you REALLY lather and shampoo everything??? I guess we'll find out this afternoon, by seeing who starts to stink first.

As for this blog post? 3.25 secs. Bam. Gotta run.

Packing in Earnest

2006-05-21T17:20:00.000-07:00

So here we are - packing in earnest. Friday night was our official "End of School Party" (with some 35 friends from school, church, and coffee shops, the evening was highly successful - the last folks left at 4 AM). And then Saturday night we went to a party at Nan's (she's a fellow student, and it too was a wonderful time). But tonight, it's Sunday, and that means it's high time to be packing (if anyone wants a decent hideabed, it's sitting on the curb in front of our house!).

Next up - graduation on Thursday afternoon, loading the truck that evening, and on into Friday morning, and then hopefully by late afternoon we'll be hopping into the car and heading west. If blogging is light over the next week, you'll know why!

If anyone wants to say goodbye before we leave, just stop on over on Thursday evening or Friday morning - we'll have plenty of time to chat (just bring a pair of work gloves ;-)

Bookstore Binge

2006-05-18T07:45:00.000-07:00

So the good folks at the Westminster Bookstore do something special every spring for graduating students - they offer a one time 20% discount off everything in the store (and that's on top of their regular prices, which are already discounted up to 30% on list). So it's basically a really great time to buy all those books you are going to need for future ministry.

Of course one of the things pastors rely on are commentaries. Now, there are 66 books in the Bible, and each commentary generally runs anywhere from $35 (on the low end) to $70+ (on the upper end). You can do the math - it ain't cheap to stock a good library! At any rate, I've been saving book money this past year in anticipation of this event, and then for a graduation present my folks added a sizeable chunk to the kitty (thankyou!!!) - so yesterday afternoon, I walked into the WTS bookstore knowing I could spend $1000 on books.

And 66 commentaries later (isn't THAT ironic - I didn't know this was how many I bought until I counted them up this morning), the total bill rang up at $1501 (that's after the discount). Ouch! Now on the plus side, this is a great bargain, probably worth almost double what I was being billed for it. On the down side, it was $500 more than I had budgeted. Hmmm.... what to do? Bite the bullet or put books back? Hmmm...

Well, as you can tell from the receipt up above, I bit the bullet. It will probably be a long time before I have the opportunity to splurge like this again, and I can definitely use these sooner rather than later. Mark Traphegan told me later this was the largest sale he personally has rung up yet (although I know they've had bigger ones).

Now here's where this all get's humorous. I think both Marilyn and I were wondering how we were going to actually pay for this. Then last night about 11 PM we had a call from a woman whom we hadn't seen in years. She had stayed in our house a couple of summers ago, and had ended up not having enough money to pay all the utilities, etc. And she was calling last night to say that she had not forgotten, and a check for $317 was in the mail (which was actually more than she had owed). Not that we expected her to pay. She was in a tight spot when she left, and we were more than happy to help her out. But here she was, nearly two years later, calling to say hi, and thanks, and to settle up.

That says a lot about her, I think. And it says even more about God. He really is good, he really does provide for our needs. It's going to be exciting to see where he leads us next...

Cutting Board

2006-05-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

Last night we went over to a Taehoo's house to have dinner and say goodbye. (You may recall that Taehoo visited us in Montana last summer). At any rate, Taehoo, being the man of many talents that he is, has taken up wood working, and he presented us with this very fine going away present: a hand-crafted cutting board!

It is simply stunning - the woods, from the outside in to the center, are: Wenge, Cherry, Cocobolo, Purple Heart, Black Walnut, Curly Maple, and Bubinga. It's absolutely stunning - the picture doesn't really do us justice. It was kind of funny last night - Micah and I both sat there and simply drolled over the wood for a good half hour or so, eventually deciding that we want to try and make a chess board this summer. So we'll see. In the meantime, I just wanted to share this fine picture of Taehoo's craftsmanship! Thanks Taehoo!

Happy Birthday Micah!

2006-05-15T07:22:00.000-07:00

And Monday, May 15th was Micah's Birthday! (This piocture was actually taken on Saturday, when Marilyn's folks came down for lunch to celebrate with us!). Can you believe I now have 2 teenagers in the house? Wierd...

Happy Birthday Marilyn!

2006-05-07T07:15:00.000-07:00

So Sunday, May 7 was Marilyn's birthday! We all got up and made her eggs and toast for breakfast! :-)

New Plates

2006-05-06T16:07:00.000-07:00

Our new plates came in the mail today - and Janine actually came over for breakfast this morning to try out some of Marilyn's Sourdough FlapJacks. Then I spent the rest of the day doing household maintenance - fixing up some minor things that need to get done before we can close on the house. I replaced two toilet seals (loads of fun), fixing a leaking shower faucet, and (hopefully) will get the bathtub fixed tomorrow. But my first final is on Thursday, so I need to start studying soon...

End of School Party

2006-05-05T10:25:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are - it's May 5th, and today is the last day of class in my seminary experience. It's kind of weird to be nearing the end of this 4 year journey, and it's kind of surprising how quickly everything accelerates at the end. The realization really begins to sink in when you stop to consider how many people - friends and acquaintances from class, from coffee shops - how many of these folks you may never see again.

It's kind of sad (to say the least). SO... what we'd like to do is have a party before we leave. If you read this blog and live within driving distance of Philly, you are hereby cordially invited to a one last party at our house, on Friday May 19, before we head back to Montana for good. This will be a stay-as-late-as-you'd-like kind of affair, with good food and drink and lots of opportunities to reminisce.

I'll be sending out an announcement to the cryder-friends list as well. We still need to figure out the details, but for starters, please reserve the date on your calendar and let us know if you'd like to come...

What Kind of Egg is This?

2006-04-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

So, can anyone guess what kind of egg this is? Look closely, then click here to find the answer (along with a couple of other shots). Can you tell we're having a nice restful Sunday? :-)

Hello Sunshine

2006-04-30T11:06:00.000-07:00

While we're at it, here's a nice shot of the flowers that are blooming in front of our house now.

Sunday in the Park

2006-04-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

So I'm finally back in Philly now, after two trips out west over the last three weeks, with only a couple of days home in between. We're entering the last week of school, which means I really ought to be studying, but I feel pretty wiped and today is supposed to be a day of rest anyway. So a cup of coffee, a pipe full of Cattleman's Gold, and we went for a little walk just to enjoy the beautiful weather.

(Kudo's to Becky-Lou, who took this photo!)

Life in the Whirlwind

2006-04-18T19:12:00.000-07:00

So this is my life right now - something of a whirlwind! This past week (spring break), I was back home in Billings to work on fundraising for the Missoula Project. Very, very busy, but very encouraging and rewarding at the same time - not so much in terms of funds raised, but in primarily terms of relationships renewed (or created!).

I had a chance to speak extensively in our sister church in Bozeman, and I cannot tell you how excited I am to see what God is doing in this body. From an outsiders perspective, you can see that things are happening - God is on the move in people's lives, and there is a zeal evident which I haven't seen before. I am encouraged to have connected with so many of you there.

I'm also extremely grateful to have been able to connect with friends back in Billings as well - we hosted a couple of desserts in the evening, and then I met with a lot of people individually. Very, very good to see you all. I can't wait to get back on a more permanent basis.

Speaking of "getting back" (not on a permanent basis, unfortunately), I got home to Philly late Sunday night - and I will be heading back out west on Thursday afternoon - this time to connect with veteran church planter Shane Sunn in Greeley Colorado. We'll be driving up to Billings on Friday for the annual RMCC Missions Conference (Shane's speaking), and then on Sunday or Monday we'll be heading back down to Colorado, for presbytery which will run Wednesday through Friday of the following week.

Is your head spinning yet? Mine is. I have a Hebrew quiz to prepare for before I leave (ouch), and then 2 papers that are due within a week of when I get back (Apr 28). So the end is near. It's crunch time, and we'd definitely appreciate your prayers. Things are definitely busy - life really does feel like a whirlwind right now - but I can also say that God is good and I am excited to see what he's doing. Stay tuned and we'll keep you posted...

Why Personal Support?

2006-04-07T08:45:00.000-07:00

When it comes to fundraising, one of the questions that comes up frequently runs something like this: "Why do you have to raise personal support? Why doesn't your church just foot the bill?"

The short answer is, "They are - very significantly, in fact." Both Rocky Mountain Community Church in Billings (RMCC) and Gallatin Valley Presbyterian Church in Bozeman (GVPC) are supporting us as an official mission work, raising funds through their Faith Promise programs. The regional arm of our denomination, Rocky Mountain Presbytery (RMP), is also supporting us. So we actually have a very strong base of "project level support."

That said, there are a number of reasons why we still need to raise personal support. First of all, we are going as a team - both us and the Sutherlands. This offers some obvious advantages (twice the ability to do outreach and ministry), but it also raises the cost of the work as a whole, because it will need to support 2 pastors from the getgo. In addition, Missoula is a tough place to plant a church - 70% of the population is completely unchurched (and often somewhat hostile to the Christian faith). Because we are committed to reaching unbelievers, the church is going to take longer to grow. Add to that the fact that we are starting from scratch, without a core group, and the plot thickens. We want to be wise and realistic - it may take up to 5 years to become self-sufficient.

That in itself is not a bad thing - there are actually some key advantages to planting a church this way - but it does mean that the task itself is longer and more expensive. It is beyond any one person, any one church. Most church plants fail because of inadequate funding. And that is why we and the Sutherlands are both raising personal support as well - to supplement the project funds which have already been pledged.

Now, here's where things get a little more complicated. When you raise personal funds, you typically do it by appealing to friends, relatives, family, etc. For us, many of these people attends RMCC, and a number of them are already supporting us indirectly through their Faith Promise giving to the church. We are huge fans of missions programs like these - so we don't want anyone to stop giving to Faith Promise in order to start supporting us directly. At the same time, we know that some people aren't giving to Faith Promise yet, and others have indicated they want to support us directly as well.

So what does all this mean? Well, since we don't know who's doing what, we have to ring you up and share our vision and see if you would like to come alongside us in this adventure. As I've mentioned elsewhere, this inter-presonal relationship thing - dealing directly with people rather than just a church committee of missions board - this is part of what makes fundraising a beautiful thing.

At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter to us whether you give a little or a lot, whether you support us directly or through Faith Promise, whether you give money or simply pray. At the end of the day, what we really want is a deeper relationship with you - we want you to be a part of our lives, to participate with us as we move forward in this exciting work. So that's the "why?" of raising personal support. We'd love to have you be a part of it.

Another Kind of Excursion

2006-04-07T07:16:00.000-07:00

Next week is Spring Break, and that means I'll be taking another kind of excursion - this one a short, quick trip back to Montana. There are a couple of reasons for this.

First, Malachi is heading back to Billings just in time for baseball season (like he did last year). This time he will be staying with our dear friends, the Skiles. He will probably be playing up in the heights again, with the same team he was on last year. There's an outside chance, however, that he may be making a jump up to legion ball - he's been asked to try out for the Cardinals. No guarantees, and its probably a long shot (since most of the kids on the team are 15 and 16), but it should be a good experience. Please pray for him if you think about it...

Second, I am heading back to raise awareness (and hopefully support) for the Missoula Project. I'll be preaching in Bozeman on Palm Sunday (April 9), and then I'll be back in Billings for the rest of the week, mostly to try and connect with as many people as possible over breakfasts, lunch, dinner, coffee, even desserts! If you a) live in Billings or Bozeman, and b) aren't yet participating in the Missoula Project, I would love to get together and talk with you about it...

I'll be flying back to Philly on Easter Sunday, and then I'll be back out in Billings again the following weekend - this time with church planter extraordinaire, Shane Sunn, who will be speaking at RMCC's annual missions conference. After that, back down to the Denver area for presbytery, and then finally back out to Philly (where I will basically have about a week left of classes before heading into finals).

As you can see, things are quickly drawing to a close... We would definitely appreciate your prayers over the coming weeks - both as I travel, but also as I get a chance to meet with a lot of people to talk about the Missoula Project. I am increasingly coming to see fundraising as a beautiful thing, and I am looking forward to sharing our vision with others. Pray that God would continue to raise up partners in this effort.

Good News

2006-04-07T07:05:00.000-07:00

Well whaddya know - a couple of pieces of good news all in one fell swoop!

First and foremost, we finally got our Excursion back today (some 3½ weeks and $1000 bucks later). We ended up having to take it to a different Ford dealsership (one w/ certified diesel mechanics), and it even took them a while to figure it out, but it's finally up and at 'em again. HURRAY! What was the problem? A camshaft sensor / synchronizer malfunction. If your 7.3L turbo diesel ever stops dead in its tracks (won't start), this is the thing to check...

Second, we accepted an offer on our house today. WOO HOO! So now we just pray that everything goes through and there are no surprises, etc. But we're encouraged! If you ever need a realtor in Philly, Joanna Bellinger is the bomb.

Next time you pause to speak with God, please join us in thanking him for these things...

Why Fundraising Is Beautiful

2006-04-05T20:40:00.000-07:00

Sometimes fundraising can feel a little uncomfortable - like having to introduce your wife to an old ex-girlfriend, or getting stuck at a red light next to a guy with a cardboard sign that says "Will work for food". Its uncomfortable for you, its uncomfortable for them.

In situations like these, we often tend to look for the easy way out, or else we grit our teeth and just try to grind our way through it as quickly as possible. That's how we deal with discomfort in life; that's how we deal with discomfort in fundraising. After all, wouldn't it be nice if we didn't have to ask for money? Wouldn't it be easier if we could simply "pay our own way"? Be self-sufficient?

Easier, yes. Better, no. You see, one of the things I am learning through the fundraising process is that weakness is beautiful - it is certainly convenient to be strong, to have all you want or need. But God did not design us to be self-sufficient. He designed us to be weak, fragile, needy, dependant. After all, we are all creatures - finite, limited, fleeting. We are also sinners - twisted and twisting, serving ourselves rather than others. And those two features inevitably make for some really amazing train wrecks.

Surprisingly, however, our weakness is not a limitation for God; rather, it's a vehicle for his grace. Self-sufficient people seldom feel desparate for God. The same is true for churches - the body of Christ is at its strongest not when its piety is most visible, when its bank account is most black; rather, the Christ's Church is strongest when she is most aware of her need, when she is most reliant on God's grace. We will never seek help if we do not first sense our own insufficiency and inability and lostness. This is the way God designed it (2 Cor 12:9).

And that's why church planting is wonderful - because God tosses you headlong into the deep end, where there's a very real danger of both drowning and sharks. And in the sheer terror of being in over your head, something amazing happens - we cry out to God; we call out to others. We are forced to look beyond ourselves. We are forced into relationship.

This is why fundraising is so important. At the end of the day, it's not really about the money. Sure, we need that to live, to plant a church, to be about the work of the kingdom. But what fundraising does is force us to reach out relationally. If you are struggling to find a vibrancy in your prayer life, consider planting a church (you will suddenly find it easy to pray like you've never prayed before, because you will suddenly see your need like you've never seen it before).

The same is true of our relationship with others. Fundraising is a vehicle for deeper relationships. I can't tell you how many times I have sat down with someone - we start by talking about the Missoula Project; we end by talking about our lives: How's your marriage? Your family? Your faith? Where are you struggling? How can we pray for one another? These kinds of conversations generally don't happen naturally - fundraising forces us to knock on the door of one anothers' lives, to say "We need you to help us in our lives - how can we help you in yours?"

And that process of crawling into deeper relationship with one another - not just because I like you, but because we are friends and I need you - that process is a beautiful thing.

This is why we are committed to fundraising. Not as something to be endured, but something to be embraced. This is why we are talking to all manner of friends - those in our own church, those in other churches (its a wonderful testimony to the world when we illustrate how the Church really IS bigger than any one denomination). This is why we are asking both believers and unbelievers to participate with us - because for some people, this may be one of the first tastes of real Christian community they have ever experienced.

This is why fundraising is beautiful. The task is beyond us individually, but it is well within our reach corporately, as a community of friends working together in pursuit of a common goal. And what we value most here is the process of being drawn into a deeper relationship with you - learning to share our needs; learning to lean on one another. If this is the type of church we hope to plant in Missoula, one where real community is central, then we might as well start working on it now. What we really desire in all this is not your money - it's your friendship, your fellowship, your participation with us in the work of building Christ's kingdom.

That's why fundraising is actually a very beautiful thing.

Family Photo

2006-04-02T13:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, indeed, Spring has finally sprung, so we all trekked down to the park this afternoon and took a family photo. Another 2 months and we'll be heading west for good...

Janine

2006-04-02T13:14:00.000-07:00

Look who stopped by for dinner and a pipe Friday night! It's Janine from seminary! She was only going to stay for a little bit, but the weather was nice, and no one really felt like studying, so we stayed up till midnight and talked. Janine has an amazing voice (both singing, and characterizations) - our kids loved listening to her read 'Hank the Cow Dog'!

Excursion Update

2006-03-31T07:46:00.000-07:00

Just a brief note, because some of you have been asking. Our Excursion is still in the shop (so we're pushing two and a half weeks now). Our mechanic wasn't able to diagnose the problem, so he took it to the Ford dealership and they have tried replacing 3 major computer systems in the car, all to no avail. So we are basically back at Square 1 and they still have no idea what the problem is. Supposedly they were going to talk to Ford engineers yesterday, to see if they have any suggestions. All this to say - it's not looking good. We'd really appreciate you prayers in this matter ...

FORD - Fix Or Repair Daily

2006-03-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

So the Excursion wouldn't start last night - it left me stranded at Starbucks 30 minutes before closing and I had to call a tow truck just to get it home (well, to the garage, actually). So a couple of hours later (and $75 bucks lighter), I finally walked through the door. And hopefully we'll find out this morning what the problem is.

Of course, stuff like this is often just as revealing of the problems within me - these things serve as a good reminder of how I need to preach the gospel to myself daily. If you have a few minutes, please pray for us - both me and the car.

Saturday Morning Sourdoughs

2006-03-04T08:22:00.000-07:00

So as many of you know, Sourdough Hotcakes are a Saturday morning tradition at the Cryder house - the kids know it, the neighbors know it, heck - even our dog knows it (there's a reason we named him 'Marilyn's Sourdough Flapjack'... or Jack for short). And yes, that's the reason why our license plate reads FLAPJAK. The bottom line? We love them, and you will too if you ever drop in for breakfast on a Saturday morning.

Fisher Park Snowfall

2006-02-12T16:54:00.000-07:00

So with all this snow I decided to go for a walk this afternoon and take some pictures down in Fisher Park. They're available over on the photoblog if you're interested...

Daydreaming

2006-02-12T11:52:00.000-07:00

A nice shot of Rebekah, watching the first few flakes come down yesterday afternoon. I really like the mood this photo conveys...

Snow White and Sloppy

2006-02-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

So here's what it looked like yesterday afternoon (this is Malachi, looking out into the alley behind our house). And here below is what that same alley looked like this morning - white and blizzardy!

Not particularly cold, but wet and drifted in the alley - a good 14-16" deep in places. Fortunately, I have kids who like to shovel snow (but boy, this stuff was heavy!).

We managed to dig out pretty easily and headed off to the late service at Spirit & Truth (the early service was cancelled). It was scheduled to start at 11 AM, but we were one of the first ones there. By 11:30, a good sized group of folks had drifted in (mostly from the neighborhood - we were one of the few people that could actually drive there). So we proceeded to have a small but intimate worship service and it was really great. It's so encouraging to see that the body function in disruptive situations - reminds us that the church is an organism, not an organization, and that means that even without three quarters of your people, it can still function just fine. And that's pretty cool.

Of course, by the time we got out of church, things were beginning to warm up - so it's gone from snow white to just plain sloppy. Nice to have a little winter though. Can't wait to get back to the real thing next year in Montana...

Spam King

2006-01-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I just spammed everyone in my gmail address book this morning. My apologies to those of you who bore the brunt of it. It all started when I received an email from a family member who uses Ringo to keep track of friends. Hey, this looks interesting, I thought, and I preceeded to enter my own info and then try to figure out exactly what it does. What it does, it turns out, is not much - it just allows you to share photos (which I can already do just fine, via my photoblog, thank you very much). But maybe it'll allow me to keep track of folks' contact info?

So I proceeded to play around and then before I knew it I had just sent a message to everybody I have ever sent an email to, along with their brothers, cousins, pets, and long lost chinchillas, inviting them all to 'come see Christian's online photos!' Of course, I don't HAVE any photos up on Ringo, but there's no way to undo it once it was done (you can't tell it to email everyone, saying 'whoops - ignore that previous email'). Sheesh.

So anyway, here I stand, Spam King for a day. Sorry about that. I think I'll crawl back into my hole now...

Letter to Friends

2006-01-31T17:34:00.000-07:00

Many of you have already received a hard copy of this within the past week or two, but some of you may not know where we're at right now. Here's a letter we've been sharing with our friends:

Dear Friends,

Here we are at the beginning of another year, wondering what lies in store next. After four years of intense study (and many new friendships!), our time here in Philadelphia is finally drawing to a close. Christian will be graduating from Westminster Theological Seminary in May, and then we will be heading home to plant a church in Missoula, MT. And that's why I am writing you today – to invite you to join us in the next stage of this grand adventure.

Missoula is a beautiful place to live, but it's a barren wasteland spiritually. Nearly 70% of those living there are completely unchurched. That's not to say that they aren't seeking. Missoula is a destination for people who have rejected materialism to pursue community, nature, the arts. That's good. But the well of postmodern pluralism inevitably fails to quench their real thirst – Missoulians still suffer from high rates of depression and substance abuse; over half of their children will grow up in broken homes; most will end up in broken relationships themselves.

The people of Missoula are surprisingly open about their quest. Many are desperately searching for something more, but they are not finding it. Very few of them have any real understanding of Christ or the Gospel. We want to plant a church that speaks to people like these.

God is already stirring the hearts of others. Our dear friends Ryan & Rachel Sutherland (another Montana couple from seminary) will be joining us in this church planting effort. Our home churches (Billings, Bozeman) and our home presbytery (Rocky Mountain) both believe strongly in this project and have pledged significant financial support. So we’re off to a great start, but we're not there yet. Seasoned church planters have advised us that it may take up to 5 years for a new church to become self-sustaining in the West. This means we need to expand our team of supporters (both individuals and churches) to complete our funding.

I'll be honest – I wish we didn't have to ask for support. At the same time, I am excited to be asking. After all, this is what the church is meant to be about: God's people working together to tackle challenges that are beyond us individually. We do this for the Father's glory, for Christ's kingdom, and for the people in Missoula who do not know him yet (but will through the work of the Spirit). We come to you boldly, asking for your help. Here's how you can get involved in the Missoula Project:

1.We need people to earnestly support us in prayer. We are painfully aware of our own weaknesses and insufficiencies. But we have great confidence in the Gospel, and in the prayers of God's people. Would you be willing to pray regularly for this work?

2.We still need to raise personal financial support. Beginning this January, Christian will step down from his software job to focus on preparing for the church plant and finishing his studies. We have immediate financial needs. Would you prayerfully consider helping? All gifts are tax deductible.

3.We need other churches to support us as well. If you belong to another church body, would you consider introducing us to your pastor or missions committee, or even to your circle of friends? Fund-raising is much more effective with a simple introduction. Ideally, we want 5 to 10 churches supporting the project as a whole. Could you help us here?

We realize that some of you are already supporting us generously through your church's "Faith Promise" program. Wonderful! Please don't stop. But, if you do have resources and are not yet participating in some fashion, please consider getting involved. Some of you might only be able to give $10 a month. That's fine! Other's may wish to contribute larger amounts on a yearly or quarterly basis, or even through a one time gift. That would be great too!

What are we asking you to do? Just drop us an email, and we can tell you how to get involved. We will be contacting many of you directly over the next several weeks to talk about how we can work together in this effort, and to answer any questions you might have.

In all of this, please know that what we value most is you, your friendship. Today we get to invite you to participate more deeply in our lives as we step forward together in the ministry to which God is calling us. Will you join us? We hope so, and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Your friends in Christ,

Christian & Marilyn Cryder

I just want to say 'Thank you!' to those of you who have already contributed. It really means a lot to have you in this with us.

Childhood Photos

2006-01-20T22:12:00.000-07:00

So this will probably only interest family members, but I've put up nearly 70 photos from my childhood (Clarice and Dad sent me a CD with all the old photos they had of me on it - thanks you guys!!!). Mom, if you are reading this, I'd really like to get the same thing from you sometime...

Boy do these shots bring back a lot of old memories. And I am amazed at how good the photos are...

Howdy Pilgrim

2006-01-11T08:06:00.000-07:00

Man this family is wacky.... Good thing I'm sane at least.

Happy Birthday Malachi

2006-01-07T19:17:00.000-07:00

What do you do on your birthday? Play poker with your friends, of course (I promise, I did not teach them this. It was those Kelly kids I'm sure...).

So Happy Birthday to Malachi! - 6'2" and 180 lbs at the ripe old age of 14 (to put this in perspective, I was 6'1.5" and 187 when I graduated from hight school at age 18). Holy schmoly. Must be something in the water...

Philly Squirrels

2005-12-31T10:38:00.000-07:00

Squirrels like nuts, right? Not this one - evidently he prefers chicken. We caught this fellow (that's photographically speaking, Jake) sitting outside our bedroom window yesterday, gnawing on an old chicken bone. Kind of kooky...

Y.A.B. (Yet Another Blog)

2005-12-26T15:15:00.000-07:00

Just a heads up to let you know that I've started yet another blog - this one called Wayfaring Pilgrim. Wayfaring Pilgrim will be a place for me to reflect on what I'm thinking about theologically... if this type of thing interests you, please feel free to check it out.

And now, back to your regularly scheduled programming...

Looking Back

2005-12-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

Looking back through photos from the summer, and I came across this picture of Me and Jack - July 23, 2005, on the trail below Mystic Lake in the Beartooths.

Brings back good memories...

Merry Christmas

2005-12-26T08:22:00.000-07:00

So Friday afternoon we all hopped in the Excursion and headed out for Gettysburg to spend Christmas with Marilyn's sister and her folks. Or so we thought. We made it two whole blocks before something happened in the engine - basically we lost all power, and barely managed to get it turned around and back into the driveway, where its still sitting today. Something is evidently wrong in the fuel system - we have to try and get it up to the garage on Tuesday (and that probably won't be cheap).

SO...that left us stranded at home Friday evening, wondering how we could find a way to get to Gettysburg. Solution? Ryan and Rachel left their vehicle at our house over the holiday. Downside? It's a Honda Accord. Nevertheless, when you're in a pinch, you just have to make do - and so that's what we did: all five of us (and Jack!) piled into the Accord and headed west on 276.

As you can tell, it's a little tight. Where's Jack, you ask? Well he's right there on the floor, between Marilyn's feet!

So after a day's delay, we made it to Gettysburg! Much fun was had by all, especially the kids and grandparents. We had our traditional Oyster Stew for Christmas Eve dinner, then visited Brad & Miriam's church for the Christmas Eve Service. And then on Sunday morning...

...Marilyn's famous cinammon rolls with fresh roasted coffee! Ah, what a way to wake up on Christmas day!

We came back Sunday evening, and here we are this morning waking up and getting back into the swing of things (kind of - I'm waking up in my favorite coffee shop, and then I need to spend the rest of the day working on stuff for presbytery). So that's our weekend in a nutshell! Hope all of you had a great Christmas Day as well...

My Little Angel

2005-12-22T20:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's blurry. But it's still a cool photo. And she is still my little angel...

Christmas Village

2005-12-22T18:04:00.000-07:00

One of the cool things about Christmas are Marilyn's Christmas Village ornaments that sit on top of the piano. I took this shot the other night. There's something about Christmas ambience, and actually having the time to enjoy it - tonight we are sitting around the table while the kids playing Lord of the Rings Risk (thanks Grandma C!), while Marilyn and I are working on addressing Christmas cards. Lots of fun indeed...

Making Her List

2005-12-22T16:48:00.000-07:00

Here's a nice shot of Mrs. Claus, making her list and checking it twice...

Moments Like These

2005-12-22T16:36:00.000-07:00

I just want to say that it's moments like these that keep us encouraged and longing for home while we are sojourning out here in Philly (especially over the holidays). On the one hand, its always a bit of a bummer to here what folks back home are doing. On the other hand, it not only brings back lots of fond memories - it also really gives us something to look forward to.

So thanks to those of you who share your lives with us - please keep doing that, whether blog posts or email. You really do encourage us (and we need it!). Also, please keep praying for us - it really makes a difference. If you have a few moments this holiday season, please drop us a line and let us know what is happening in your lives...

Aggravation

2005-12-21T21:10:00.000-07:00

Tonight was fun. First, Molly called and I actually had time to sit and talk and just hear what's been happening in her life these past couple of months (thanks Molly!). Then, the kids and I played Aggravation. For those of you who have never played this game, you have no idea what you are missing (of course, Marilyn absolutely hates it so she wasn't playing).

If you look closely, at the picture, you'll notice an extra set of marbles. We tried a novel concept tonight, where "pink is wild." Basically, whoever starts rolls their own turn, and then also rolls for pink. Then players proceed clockwise around the board, but "pink" proceeds counter clockwise (so when it's the person-to-the-right-of- the-starter's turn, he/she gets to roll pink in addition to his own roll, and the next time around, it's the person to HIS right's turn to roll pink). Effectively it adds up to "everyone plays their own color, but every 4 turns you also get to play pink. Which can come in very handy when you really want to aggravate someone. :-)

Overall it was a very cool twist. You might want to give it a try sometime! And who won the game you ask? It was neck and neck down to the wire, but Mr Incredible pulled it out at the end! Woo hoo to you too!

Finals Are Over

2005-12-17T14:50:00.000-07:00

Well, finals are finally over, and we've begun to unwind a bit. Last night was movie night - we watched Cinderella Man, and then the kids and I took some pictures of each other. And then this evening, the sunset was particularly pretty. I'll write more soon, but for now I just wanted to let everyone know we are doing well and thank you for your prayers.

Why Santa Hates Christmas in MT

2005-12-08T14:48:00.000-07:00

Turn up your volume and then see Why Santa Hates Christmas in Montana. Ah, this brings back fond memories of reading Christmas stories to my kids when they were little (yes, we Montanans are a wee bit warped)...
(HT: Random Mind).

Life Is Busy

2005-11-28T14:14:00.000-07:00

Life is really, really busy (so my apologies for not posting more regularly). You'll have to bear with me for a couple more days at least while I try to wrap up papers. In the meantime, you may want to check out Rebekah's story about a cat named Jasmine.

Ray of Sun

2005-11-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

'Tis the season for papers - seems like that's all I do these days; I have two down and two to go (in the next 12 days). Blech. I am tired of studying. So tonight I bagged study and hung out with the kids instead. We had a good time, but I find myself gloomy nonetheless - it's hard to relax when there is so much going on. Life can get to be such a grind...

At any rate, it's always nice to get something cheerful in my inbox. The other day my brother, Master Aegidius, closed one of his emails asking "P.S.- Where can I get the decoder ring for all the BTY, LOL, web acronym stuff?" So I pointed him in the direction of this to help bring him up to speed, and then promptly forgot all about it.

Until today, when I received this email, not only telling me what he's up to, but showing up his new found web saavy:

Hey there!
Thx for the picture/avatar stuff. Worked better than a .338 Magnum on a bedded down buck at 300 yds.

Funny, but I could of swore that I typed in the same thing and it didn't work.....

Sad news: tell Malachi no antelope skin. The maggots got into it, and it was a little to much even for me. It was ready to crawl away.

I am going elk hunting all day tomorrow. Going to try to shoot a fat cow elk.

How many more weeks till end of term? Two? Three?
Do you have a Christmas/ Winter Solstice/ Kwanzaa term this year, or do you get to kick back for a month?

Warm thought: I will take you fishing this summer on the lower Madison, slapping grasshoppers next to the banks, waiting for big faty Browns to slurp them up. Feeling the sun beat down, sipping a Fat Tire, smoking real tobacco, listening to the waves gently slap the sides of Chrysophylax....

Also THX for the elk photo, FWIW, I was ROTFL, thinking did they ever WYSIWYG. IANAL, but IMHO they exceeded the GVW. Of course the FAQ is: so where did you get it? Well I suppose if I want one of my own, I better RTFM*.

(Read The Firearms Manual: Cow elk @ 200 yds + .30/06 w/ 165 gr. Barnes X = Pull the trigger and ask the questions later!)

TTFN
jacob

Only my brother could say it so well. What I would give to be back in Montana right now :-)

It really is nice to hear from folks back home. Thanks to those of you who drop us emails from time to time (we really do miss you all), and thanks even more to those of you who pray for us (please continue to pray - we really need it).

I'll try to post more soon, but I need to make some headway on my papers first.

Like I Have Time For This...

2005-11-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

...but I took the quiz anyway :-) HT: Karyn (who CLEARLY should be writing papers).

Numenorean

8307 other people got this result!
This quiz has been taken 21918 times.
38% of people had this result.

To which race of Middle Earth do you belong?
brought to you by Quizilla

Spaceship Earth

2005-11-04T20:26:00.000-07:00

So a couple of days ago, I posted about Rock Balancing and Intelligent Design over at SLD. That inspired my friend Karyn to try her hand at this art, first at home, then on campus! (For those of you who don't know them - Karyn and her husband Mark are a delightfully eclectic couple that we've been getting to know of late, first through WTS, then through blogging, and more recently over Sunday evening dinners).

At any rate, Karyn has a serious artistic streak, and she has been so taken with rock balancing that she gave me my own rock balancing "travel kit" the other day. Tonight, while studying in the Westminster Cafe, Malachi pulled out the kit and began experimenting. What you see up above is what he created this even when we got home! I took a couple of photos from slightly different angles, which you can view over here on the photoblog.

Way to go son! And thank you Karyn, for sharing this with us!

Pray for Bridger

2005-11-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

For those of you who followed Ryan and Rachel's journey through the loss of little Joshua last summer, we have another prayer request: Bridger (above) had his two year check up today and the doctors discovered something that concerned them - it seems like Bridger has a heart murmor and arrhythmia (skipping beats).

This has the potential to be very serious, and they will need to go see a heart specialist ASAP.

Please pray also for Bridger, that he would be ok, that this will be something the doctors can fix or at least control. And please pray for Ryan and Rachel in this, as they struggle to rest in God while waiting for a more detailed diagnosis. Finally, pray for those of us who are their friends, that we would know how to love them well in this difficult situation.

I'll post more as soon as we know it.