Here's a quick update on the Torkelsons. Mesha just returned from a great weekend with the women of the Good family. They headed north to a resort for some good food and intense scrap booking. Not my bag of tea, but it sounds like they had a wonderful time and the creations that Mesha returned with look great!
In general, we have been keeping busy, but have also had a little more time lately to just hang out. We are trying to motivate ourselves to get all the projects at home done before winter hits. You would think buying a brand new place would make it so you didn't have many projects, but we are finding that not to be true.
The next month, for me, will be crazy busy with two youth retreats, a conference at Bethel and a conference at Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago. I think I am gone 1/3 of the month of October. Pray for Mesha because my business equals some more stress on her. Thanks for understanding and supporting my ministry, Meesh.
Mesha has settle her contract at work and subsequently decided to get crazy busy, there, herself. She has added responsibilities with the WOW (wellness on wheels) van, a new committee, heading up CPR training, and some complicated cases for her everyday work. Mesha is a mover and shaker, though, so I sure she will do very well at all of it.
The exciting news for Mesha and I for this month is the birth of our fourth nephew to my sister Julie. She had a c-section on wed. sept. 20 and gave birth to a 7 lbs 2 ounce baby boy named Liam. We get to meet him this weekend and I can't wait. I love being an uncle. The love and laughter that all my nieces and nephews bring me could not be replaced

I don't like using this blog to whine or complain, and I won't start now. While it is not really whining, what I am about to write may come off that way if read with a particular presupposition. I feel like I am at one of those transition moments in life that are really difficult. I mean like when you graduate high school and move on to some other schooling or work, or when you graduate college and kind of expect to rocket into life only to find getting a career and family started is a lot more difficult than you thought. My wife and I have been married for a little over two years. She makes pretty good money and I have a great job as a youth pastor. We just bought our first home and have decent to awesome cars. I should feel content and lovin life. And, in many ways I really do. I can see that I am incredibly blessed, but I want to keep moving through this transition time. I feel stuck now. We can't have kids, yet, because it wouldn't be finacially responsible. Some people say we should take some great vacations because we don't have kids. Yet, if it is irresponsible to have kids, right now, then what makes taking extravagant trips responsible. I want to be comfortable. Man, I was going to right more there, but I think I may have discovered something porfound in that simple statement. "I want to be comfortable." I don't want to sacrifice the "necessities" of this world to live a life of servitude to Christ. Well, I guess I have news for myself today. That's not how it works. My struggle lately is obvious by what I write here. I am feeling the conflict of the way of the world versus the way of Christ. I don't know if I have felt that conflict, yet, in my life. I have not had to choose between the creature comforts and a life sold out for Christ, but right now maybe that is what I am feeling. Now, don't get me wrong. Compared to most of the world I am not sacrificing anything. Yet, in my context up until recently, I am sacrificing to be in school and to have a job in ministry. Pray that Mesha and I can see more clearly the blessings that we have been given. Pray that we can make wise decisions that bring glory to God's name and put us in a position to serve God and others more. Pray that God's way wins out in us over the world's way, daily. Blessings.

If you didn't know, we have been on edge lately because Mesha (my wife) was facing the possibility of a strike at work. While, I did understand her co-workers plight in terms of wanting to earn what they deserve, I was also concerned with the fact that we had just purchased a Townhouse. Well, the county voted and accepted the latest contract. I do hope the County Comissioners take a look at the turn over rate and the fact that at least a 1/3 of the workers in this union qualify for the services that they provide the rest of the county the next time a contract comes around. Until then, we will be a little less stressed in the Torkelson household.

I know a lot of people have been blogging about Steve Irwin's death, but I too want to express my feelings. Crocodile Hunter got me through the stressful times in college. Steve Irwin's passion for his job and his crazy antics swept me away from the reality of my studies for a few sweet moments. Obviously I didn't know Steve from Adam, but the way he approached his life's work was incredibly influential on me. See, I would make fun of his over-exuberance with the rest of my friends, but when it came right down to it...the man was good at what he did and took joy in every moment. I know I only saw the edited film and so I cannot say I have seen the real everyday Steve, but I can't help believing that the excitement and joy that he portrayed in each segment was something that could not be faked. So, here's to the memory of man that loved God's creation (whether he knew God created it or not) and at least in my mind lived life to the fullest, enjoying all of what he did!