Our Seattle Sojourn

Rain Outs!

2009-03-22T18:14:00.000-07:00

So games were supposed to start last week. In total, we had six games cancelled.

Here's hoping that this week we see more sun.

Forcast does not look promising.

Daily Weather Forecast for Everett, WA (98208) - weather.com

It's not much different than June is it?

It's Baseball Season

2009-03-15T15:33:00.000-07:00

Well, it's that time of year again when I dust off the ol' blog. Seems I'm only here during baseball season. I don't know what it is that makes me want to write during this time of year...but here goes.

This year we'll be rooting for three (four if you count both of Kyle's) different teams.

Kyle is playing for the brand new high school in town. He is a Glacier Peak Grizzly. His select team has time off for the high school season and will kick up as soon as it is done. He'll be playing with the North Corner Tribe in the summer.

Josh is in 8th grade and the middle schools here don't have baseball programs. A crime, I think. He is playing for the Maltby Battle Cats. We have our first tournament on the other side of the state at the end of this month in Wenatchee. I'm sure you'll get updates.

Andrew and Brett are playing AAA for the South Snohomish Little League Indians. I have been really impressed with their coach thus far. I've never seen a more organized practice for kids at this age level. Once again, Brett is the smallest guy on his team - by a long-shot. I'm quite confident he won't play the smallest...if you know what I mean.

Should be fun. Now, I have to get the schedules straight. Yikes!

On Our Anniversary

2008-11-21T12:15:00.001-08:00

Pioneers vs. Settlers

2008-06-26T12:15:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the encouragement many of you left on the last post. It'll take me a while to get ramped up, but I'll commit to blogging my thoughts as they hit me - they just don't hit that often. :)

I've been thinking about what it means to be a "pioneer". Those who risked so much to pursue a dream. Those who see what ought to be and are willing to pay any price to pursue it. Has our culture lost this? Have we conquered all that we can see and become settlers? Where do we see pioneering taking place in our culture? Who are the people paying the price to pursue what ought to be?

I guess the reason I'm thinking about this is because I had a conversation with a guy who has been coming to Pathways for a year or so. He informed me that his family is stepping away. They feel like it costs too much to be involved here. They don't have the time to invest in what we are doing.

What does it mean to be a pioneer when it comes to following Jesus? Have the church let the pioneering spirit be quenched because we "conquered the land"? Why do the settlers seem to shoot at all of the pioneers?

I don't have answers, but this is what I'm thinking about today.

Refresh vs. Refuel

2008-06-17T15:44:00.000-07:00

Well, we are coming to the end of the baseball season. Andrew and Brett had their last game on Saturday. We took 4th in a tournament of 12 teams and lost to the eventual first place team. It was so much fun to see and be a part of them playing "real" baseball. Now, I am getting ready to leave home for the second to last game (Saturday is the last) for Josh's team and Sunday marks two team parties. We had the opportunity to play on some summer tournament teams but have turned them down so that we can actually go on vacation and have family time.

Today, I had a great conversation with my friend Ryan and he was kicking my butt (in a nice way) about writing something on my blog beyond baseball. So here it goes...today was a good day. It started with a pretty lousy hour and half drive to a meeting that I didn't end up having (another story), but on the drive there I spent it listening to a podcast that really challenged my thinking about the priority of where I spend my time. That was followed by an hour long conversation with Ryan and our conversations are always both encouraging and challenging. I made it back to Mill Creek to engage in a conversation with Josh Williams, our Worship Pastor in which I was talking about all of the challenging things that I was processing. It was a great morning.

Bottom line: I am discovering the difference between being "Refreshed" and "Refueled". When I am exhausted, either physically, emotionally or spiritually, my first response is to run toward refreshment. What does that look like for me? Baseball games, away time with my family, or simply quiet time alone. Those all refresh me. However, when I get back to the grind of church planting, the exhaustion overwhelms me almost instantly. Why? Because I have not refueled. It's like taking your car to the car wash, but never gassing up. The car feels good, looks good, and smells good, but it's still not going anywhere. What I often fail to do is gas up the engine of my soul. That happens for me through Bible Study, listening to leaders speak about leading and pastoring, challenging conversations with friends, and getting away from it all to listen to God (not necessarily talking to Him). Those things cost. They require investment, but the dividends are outrageous - it fuels me.

I obviously need both refreshment and refueling. How do you find each of these things in your life? (I'm veclempt. Talk amongst yourselves.)

I Don't Know Words

2008-06-11T08:43:00.000-07:00

My parents are missionaries, but not missionaries in the sense of being planted in one place overseas and staying there. They live here in Washington, but travel about seven months of the year to differing locations to teach and lead leaders. Last week my parents came home from one of their many overseas trips. They often bring back things for my boys and tell them a little bit about what they experienced on the trip. This trip was to Tajikistan (a first for them) and they brought back some handmade bookmarks for the boys (who are avid readers). Jamie, my youngest, is about to turn four this month and did not understand the purpose of the bookmark he had been given. I explained that when you read a book and want to stop, you put the bookmark in the book so that you will remember where you stopped reading.

Jamie's face got really sad and he looked at me and said, "But I don't know words". Pretty dang cute. Now he wants Mom to teach him to read. We'll give it shot this summer.

This is June???

2008-06-10T16:26:00.000-07:00

For some odd reason, they canceled our tournament game today. I must admit that at this time of year, I long for Arizona weather to play baseball in.

The Seattle Aquarium with 2nd Graders

2008-06-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday I went to the Seattle Aquarium with Brett's class. I love going on field trips with my kids. I was a volunteer in their class all year, so the kids know me pretty well, which makes it all the more fun. I did this trip with Andrew's class last year, so I knew the drill, but this year they added something that we did not do last year, which was a classroom experience where a marine biologist talked to the kids about things that you might find in a tide pool.

Why am I blogging this? I guess it's a follow-up to the "Gulper Eels Don't Poop" post.
We learned:

Starfish vomit their stomachs onto their food and digest it outside of their body and then reswallow their stomachs with the food.

When you disturb a sea cucumber, it will completely poop out it's intestines and stomach, hoping that the predator will eat that and leave it alone. It then regrows it's innards.

Sea cucumbers also smell through their butt.

With information like that in a classroom of second graders - you cannot fail!

Awards Banquet

2008-06-02T15:04:00.000-07:00

Last night I accompanied Kyle to the end of the year awards banquet for his school. It was yet another reminder to me of a thought I had thunk years before (yes, I know "thunk" is not a word). Schools need to hire church worship pastors to help them figure out how to do banquets, concerts, graduations, etc...because they either don't put any thought into it or they just stink at it.

Anyways, this banquet was a big deal because the varsity team won the state championship this year, something that they last did in 1998. I enjoyed seeing the varsity coach get all veclempt as he talked about his team. Next year, another high school will be opening (which Kyle will be a part of) so this was the final year of one school in Snohomish - it's a big deal in this little town.

It was awesome to be there as the Freshmen were honored by their coach. There were only four special awards given to individual players and Kyle was one of those. He was named the Most Improved Player of the Year. For a kid who has never played with players of this caliber, I was pretty stoked for him. He hit .421 on the year, had some good pitching outings and struggled through a couple of tough ones, and played some awesome first base. In fact, after the coach had announced the individual awards, he said he wanted to name the top offensive and defensive plays of the year. He ended up calling Kyle back up to give him the C0-Defensive Play of the Year award for a "Willie Mays" catch he made running to right field with his back to home plate.

I guess a blog that few people read is as good a place to brag about your kids as any.

1-3 .714 Happy Birthday

2008-05-28T11:42:00.000-07:00

What you might ask would the title to this post be referencing? It's all about Memorial Day baseball.

Game 1: RiverCats come out strong, scoring 10 runs in the second inning, and going on to beat the Narrows Baseball Club for the first win of the tournament. Josh goes 2-3 with a hit by pitch and an RBI.

Game 2: We played one of the better 13 year old teams in the state - the Brewers. There are three kids on this team that Josh has played with before, two on all-stars and one played on his team for the past two years. This team is composed of kids from all over Seattle (North/South/East/West) and is truly a powerhouse. Maybe I'm saying all of this because we got crushed 15-0. Josh went 0-1 with a perfect sacrifice bunt.

Game 3: The RiverCats played one of their best games of the season. Going into the final inning of the game, we were up 2-1. (To give perspective, the SBA Yankees, took the Brewers into extra innings before finally losing by one run.) The RiverCat problem was that two of our best pitchers were unavailable. One with a sore arm and the other on a Caribbean cruise with his family. When our pitcher's arm went "noodly" we had to go with one of our non-regulars. He promptly walked the bases loaded and gave up a bases-clearing double. Ouch! We lose 6-2.
Josh goes 1-1 with a double, a walk and another sacrifice.

Game 4: Playing Power Alley, we are officially depleted of pitchers. Our strong-armed SS pitches after a few minutes of instruction from the coach, but it was the first time that he had pitched - ever. Pretty tough situation for the team. We have six strong pitchers, but without two and the others being used already, you bring in the hardest thrower on the team and try to teach him to pitch a half hour before the game. We lost 8-4. Josh went 2 for 2 with a walk and 2 RBI's.

So, we go 1-3 in the tournament and Josh hits .714. That was Memorial Day Weekend for the Kuest family.

Oh yeah, after the final game we had a big family picnic to celebrate Leslie's 40th birthday! She gets to test the water on the 40's and let me know what it's like before I get there in October.

State Champs!

2008-05-27T11:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Kyle's high school varsity baseball team won the 4A State Championship, played at Safeco Field in Seattle. Pretty dang awesome. We got to go to the Semi-Final game at Safeco on Friday night, but missed the championship game due to Josh's Memorial Day Weekend Tourney (that's another post).

The Semi-Final game included a bench clearing brawl started by the pitcher of the other team. With the Panthers ahead (that's us) 3-2 in the top of the 7th and final inning, two outs and a guy on third, a ball got past their catcher. The Panther runner attempted to score, but was tagged out at the plate by the pitcher. As our runner got up, he grabbed the pitchers jersey. I'm not sure if he slipped and was grabbing ahold of him for support or if he just was overly aggressive, but the pitcher went ballistic and threw our runner into a headlock and they went to the ground. The benches emptied. The pitcher was thrown out of the tournament. We got them out in the bottom of the 7th. Ahhhh Baseball....

Favorite Jamie Picture

2008-05-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

I keep going back and looking at the Ooperman post because it's one of my favorite Jamie pictures. It made me think I should post my other favorite Jamie picture. We were at my parents house and all of the cousins were packed onto one giant hammock. Jamie fell out of the hammock and this is the picture we got as he told us that his hands were dirty.

Enjoy!

Apparantly I'm in the Clothing Business

2008-05-22T23:46:00.000-07:00

Found this website and laughed out loud. Let's all buy a few. :)

Emotionally Exhausted

2008-05-20T15:52:00.000-07:00

This is my friend Alex. I've known him for two and a half years - pretty much since we started our church. He's struggled with depression and wrestled with the pain of childhood sins that were committed against him. He believes in Jesus, trusts that his promises will eventually come true, but can't quite understand how that makes any sense today.

Two weeks ago today, Alex ended his life. I conducted the Memorial for him on Saturday. His family all lived out of town and they were able to be a part of it. His work associates were there as were his friends from Pathways. There is no easy way to deal with suicide as a community, but it is even more painful when it is someone you all loved, but who could not love himself.

Can I Get Some Residuals?

2008-05-18T06:48:00.000-07:00

We're off to a game.

2008-05-17T08:03:00.000-07:00

Mets vs. Cardinals today.

Practicing Funny Faces

2008-05-17T07:56:00.000-07:00

Or "Ooperman's got a boogy!"

Ooperman

2008-05-16T08:42:00.001-07:00

It's not the face of Jesus, but...

2008-05-13T19:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, maybe I'm getting a little bit "post crazy" here, but I am confident that the United States of America showed up on Andrew's leg bruise.

All My Ballplayers

2008-05-13T18:56:00.000-07:00

Here they are in all their uniform glory!

Gulper Eels Don't Poop!

2008-05-13T18:53:00.001-07:00

A second grade boy's animal report doesn't get any better than when you find information like this! Gulper Eels just vomit whatever is left over from their meals. That is just too good.

Panther's Season is Over

2008-05-13T15:16:00.001-07:00

Well, I didn't really do a great job of updating you on individual games throughout the season (you got some great pictures though). Now we're done.

At the second to last game, Kyle was given the Defensive Game Ball for an amazing catch he made at first base. It was in foul territory up the right field line and he made a catch with his back to the plate running full speed. It was awesome. He then came in to close out the game in and pitched a three up three down inning. He was stoked.

In the last game of the season he went 2 for 2 at the plate. He was also thrown out at the plate for the last out of the game. It was awful, because he was obviously safe (to everyone from our team). He tried to score from first base on a double and it would have put us within one run from tying the score. Instead, it ended the game. Bummer, but that's baseball.

He ended the year with a .421 batting average and a .608 on base percentage which is pretty outstanding. I never hit like that in high school. I'm proud of him, not just for his stats, but the courage and character he has shown through the year.

Rick, The Waver

2008-05-13T15:15:00.000-07:00

Today I met Rick, the Waver. We’ve crossed paths hundreds of times, but never met before this morning. Rick is a guy who walks his dog along a street that I drive daily and everytime that I pass him, he waves with a smile. Today, as we passed and waved at each other, I felt this compelling need to tell this guy that he encourages me daily even though we don’t know each other. So I whipped the old Pathfinder around, stopped, and hopped out to greet the man who has waved at me hundreds of times. I think I may have startled him at first as I walked up, shook his hand and thanked him for waving with a smile. He told me that he’s from the Midwest and can’t help himself. (Does everyone in the Midwest wave?) It started when he was jogging in Chicago (there for a doctor’s conference he was attending). He went out for a jog (he used to jog until he had back problems and had a disc removed - it’s amazing how much you learn about someone in a short conversation) and was flipped off by dozens of people. He decided that he would wave and smile back at them.

Well, Rick is an encouragement to me. When I see him coming along the road, it changes my mood instantly. Thanks, Rick.

How can you be an encouragement to someone today?

Baseball Update

2008-05-06T10:25:00.000-07:00

Kyle: His season is almost over for the high school. He has two games this week and then the annual "Bean Bowl" in which the Freshmen play the Junior Varsity next Monday. It has been a really good season for Kyle as he has never played on a team of this caliber before. It has challenged him and stretched him (see pictures below). I'm really proud of both his character and his performance.

Josh: His team is perhaps only half-way through their season. They play about three games a week and the work is paying off. The RiverCats are really coming around. The team is made up completely of 13 year olds and they are playing quite a few 14 year old teams in the mix. I think that has really paid off when they face teams their own age. Josh bats either lead-off or second generally and probably has one of the highest On-Base Percentages on the team. Recently, he has been unconscious at the plate (in a good way), roping the ball all over the field and playing a solid second base. Josh is also becoming a catcher - out of need. The team has one of the best catchers I've seen at this age, but he also pitches and he likes to pitch to Josh, in spite of the fact that he's never caught before.

Andrew and Brett: Their season is just getting started. I'll get some pictures posted soon. Currently, we are 1-2, but much better than our record suggests. We have another game today (weather permitting) and Andrew is scheduled to pitch. They are having so much fun. Andrew has two doubles already and Brett has made a few outstanding defensive plays. Brett is only eight and is playing on a team with 9-11 year olds. He's tiny out there, but he knows what he is doing and is improving weekly.

Just Call Him "Stretch"

2008-05-06T10:21:00.000-07:00

How to Get Out of Trouble...

2008-05-06T10:15:00.000-07:00

Last week, I was home alone with Andrew (9) and Jamie (3). I was upstairs, they were downstairs. I heard a cracking sound and Andrew bursting into tears. I correctly interpreted the sound as a toy being cracked over Andrew's head. Andrew, crying loudly, began the trek upstairs to report the crime to me. Jamie, in spite of his mere three years of age, already knows what is about to take place and devises a plan in head to avert the tragedy that may soon fall upon him. What I encounter is Andrew coming up the stairs with Jamie following behind him, pleading, "Jesus loves you, Andrew. Jesus loves you". When he saw that this was not working, his pleading turned to anger, "ANDREW! JESUS LOVES YOU! ANDREW!"

It was everything that I could do to keep from laughing.

Kyle on the Mound

2008-04-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

I love this progression of pictures.

For My Arizona Readers

2008-04-20T13:03:00.000-07:00

Occasionally, you will notice big green leafy things in the background of photographs. We have these things everywhere up here and the locals call them "Trees". Just wanted to bring you up to speed on anything odd you might find in the pictures.

P.S. We got 10 inches of snow on Friday night!

Great Shots of Kyle

2008-04-15T23:25:00.001-07:00

There is a Mom of one of Kyle's teammates that takes some great pictures and puts them on her website. Here are a couple that I really liked of Kyle.

A Couple Shots of Josh

2008-04-11T01:06:00.000-07:00

Picture from Last Summer

2008-04-05T00:38:00.001-07:00

Another of my favorite pictures. I also appreciate remembering the sun and warm days when I look at this one. We took this in Moclips, WA on the beach. There is not much to do or see in Moclips, but that is part of what made it an amazing vacation.

It's Snowing...

2008-03-28T08:55:00.001-07:00

...that's all I have to say.

Safe at Second

2008-03-25T16:06:00.000-07:00

Kid's Baseball Clinic

2008-03-25T15:58:00.000-07:00

Kyle's team put on a baseball clinic a couple of Sunday's ago. He got to work with the pitchers and had a blast. Some of the kids had zero experience while others were pretty skilled, which makes for a difficult experience. Anyway, here is a picture of him working with some of the kids (and with his eye on the camera).

Baseball Weather???

2008-03-23T03:50:00.000-07:00

So Joshua had a 9:30pm baseball game on Friday night. They are trying to make up the games of the tournament that were rained out last weekend. You know you are not in Arizona anymore when the coach emails everyone to bring "snow gloves" to wear between innings!

Here was the weather report from weather.com for the hour that the game finished up!
11:00 PM
Partly Cloudy 40°F
Feels Like 37°F
Dew Point 33°F
Wind From SSE5mph

Now it's bad enough that you have to endure weather like that for a baseball game. The worst part is that the game ended in a 3-3 tie in regulation and tournament rules stipulate that they do not play beyond regulation until the championship bracket. What does that mean? We ended with a 1-1-1 record in our first tournament and did not advance.

We got home close to 1:00am and Josh had a scrimmage double-header later that day. The boys were pretty tired but had a ton of fun. The weather had actually warmed up and was pleasant. The other team brought BBQ stuff and they ate together between games.

That's a lot of baseball in 24 hours.

Panthers now 1-1

2008-03-20T22:36:00.000-07:00

We went to Kyle's game in Stanwood tonight (about 30-40 minutes north). We didn't arrive until about the 3rd inning, which is when Kyle entered the game in right field. We were ahead 2-0 at the time. It was a well played game on both sides. Kyle's first at bat was a walk to lead off the fourth inning, followed by a single. It was looking like some insurance runs were on the way. That was until the triple play. Yes, you read that right. The next batter drilled a shot directly at the first baseman, who tagged the runner and threw to second before Kyle could get back. Stunned shock. Big bummer. There really wasn't anything he could do, especially since they kept pushing him for larger and larger leads at second.

His next at bat came with two out and the bases loaded in the sixth (we play seven). We were up 3-2. He hit fly ball directly to the left fielder. Good contact, no bonus points. Stanwood tied it in the bottom of the sixth and shut us down in the top of the seventh. In the bottom of the seventh, a couple of hits and they score a run to end the game 4-3. Nobody likes to lose in the bottom of the last inning, but it really was a good game - nothing to hang your head at.

Next game Monday.

Looking Through Pictures

2008-03-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

I was going through older picture files on my computer and came across this one of my boys at Chris and Andrea's wedding. Andrea looks gorgeous and is obviously the star of the show, but I think my guys add to the aura as well. :)

Mom said there would be days like this...

2008-03-18T11:47:00.000-07:00

Sunday brought game number 2 for the Cats. They played a HUGE team from Federal Way. I was at church, so I'll give you the details as communicated to me through Josh.

Mitchl (different than Mitch, who pitched yesterday) did a great job on the mound - he has such a nasty curveball. We were ahead for the first few innings, but as Mitchl got tired, they started hitting. Josh was pretty deflated because he made three errors at second base. This is rather startling considering he played the entire season last year without a single error. His coach, who he is in his third year playing for, was incredibly encouraging and pretty much told him to shake it off.

Anyways, we lost 6-2.

It looks like the tournament is going to be extended to next weekend. We have a Friday night game at 9:15pm. We play a team that is 0-2 and if we win, we have a very good chance of advancing to the quarter-finals because we have only allowed 6 runs in two games. This is the first tie-breaker for advancement.

Baseball Saturday

2008-03-18T11:38:00.000-07:00

Our games this weekend were in Tukwila, which seems like a long way from here. Luckily, my in-laws live about halfway in between. We stopped there before heading to our first game only to discover that our first game had been rained out - again. We did get the 5pm game in, so we can now officially say that the RiverCats have begun their season.

I don't think I sat down for the entire game. If someone could somehow capture my nervous energy and utilize it for the good of the world, we'd solve the energy crisis. Josh batted second. He walked in the first inning and came around to score as the RiverCats put up four runs. It was all they would need.

The pitching was outstanding as Mitch, Zach and Jake threw a shutout for game #1 and the defense was near perfect. The good guys win 6-0.

Josh's highlight was lining a double over the right fielders head in the seventh inning. The runner on first attempted to score on the play, but was thrown out at home to end the inning. Kinda weird, cause that is the same thing that happened to Kyle in his first game.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

2008-03-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

We were slated for two ballgames today and now we are down to none. Kyle's high school game was postponed and Joshua had his first game of the season (in a weekend tournament) rescheduled as well. I think that means that tomorrow is going to be crazy. Josh already had a 5pm tournament game. Now we'll probably have one before that as well - at a field a good hour away.

A Game of FIRSTS

2008-03-13T11:34:00.000-07:00

So Kyle's FIRST game as a high school student was full of FIRSTS.

Kyle did not start in his FIRST game. Nick, whom you may or may not remember as the fastest thrower in Joshua's league (on the Yankees) in his first season with the Cubs, started. He throws incredibly hard and can throw about 5-6 different pitches. But that also leads to control problems. He ended up giving up 4 runs in 2 innings.

Kyle made his FIRST pitching appearance in the THIRD inning. He got his FIRST strike-out on his FIRST batter - swinging. His SECOND inning pitched he pulled another FIRST with a three pitch inning - three easy pop-ups on the infield. He ended up getting the first two outs of the third inning, but it was apparent that he was getting tired. The next batter was his FIRST walk. The following batter was the FIRST hit he gave up. He then walked his SECOND batter on four pitches to load the bases. The coach came to the mound and I really thought that was going to be the end of his outing, but the coach encouraged him to suck it up and get one more out to finish the inning. The batter complied by popping up to second.

As for coming to the plate, his FIRST at-bat resulted in his FIRST strike out. It wasn't pretty as he got badly fooled by a curve ball in the dirt. However in his SECOND at-bat he got his first SINGLE - a blooper over the third baseman's head. A runner on second tried to score (we were looking for the FIRST RBI), but he was thrown out at home plate.

The Panthers defeated the Bearcats 8-4 and Kyle was the winning pitcher! A very nice start to the FIRST game of the Kuest boy's season.

A Tradition Begins Anew

2008-03-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I haven't blogged here for about two years. But Liz has encouraged me to blog my boys baseball games so that family and friends outside of the state can follow along. It'll be a full season for the Kuest family.

Kyle made the Freshman team at Snohomish High. It is a school known for a great baseball program - they took second in state last year. 48 kids tried out for the Freshman team and they only kept 16. He'll pitch, play a little first and a little outfield.

Joshua had an outrageous season last year on a team that was 28-3. Two of their losses came in the Tournament of Champions at the end of the season where they took second place out of all of the Little League teams in Snohomish County. This season he'll play on a select team for the same coach and many other kids from last years 12 year old all-star team - The Snohomish RiverCats. So keep an eye out for further updates.

Andrew and Brett will play in the Minors this year for the Mets. We bumped Brett up to play with the big guys so that we would not have to have four boys on four teams - four on three teams will be crazy enough. It will be their first year playing "real" baseball. I am the Assistant Coach for their team. So far, we look pretty good, so I'm excited about what the season holds for us.

Jamie is Watching

2006-07-19T13:00:00.000-07:00

Jamie Peeking Over Chair
Originally uploaded by ConKuestador.

He might be the only one watching this blog anymore - except Donna and Jill. So, Donna and Jill, here is a picture for you!

Hi Donna!

2006-03-31T11:34:00.000-08:00

Since you are the only one who misses my blog, I thought I'd write you a little note of Hello. :o)

Can't wait to see you in Seattle!

I am slow to learn

2005-07-02T23:49:00.000-07:00

IMG_0026
Originally uploaded by ConKuestador.

Slowly but surely I am figuring this out. We have spent the last two weeks getting in and partially settled into our new place. We love it more and more all of the time. Click on the picture and it will take you to more pictures of the new Kuest household on flickr.com

Josh Pitch 1

2005-06-18T23:22:00.000-07:00

Josh Pitch 1
Originally uploaded by ConKuestador.

Still trying to figure out how to put pictures on my blog. The only way that I have figured out thus far is to go through flickr.com and blog about one photo. I'd like to put more photos up on a blog, but I still don't have that capability (I'm slow).

Anyway, I love this shot of Joshua pitching. Look closely for the "Thoughtful Tongue".

Baseball Season Ends in Washington

2005-06-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

It has taken me a day to blog this entry, partly because I am exhausted and partly because I don't want to let go of a baseball season that was so much fun and in which we interacted with so many great people.

Joshua, once again, was the starting pitcher for the Twins against the Mariners. Once again, Joshua was outstanding. He pitched three innings, struck out five or six and walked one. At the top of the fourth inning, the score was 1-0 Mariners. We brought in our next pitcher, who probably throws the hardest on our team and he was throwing harder than I have ever seen him throw. In fact, harder than I have seen any 10 year old throw this season. But for some reason, the Mariners drilled him. We brought in our next pitcher, who is as talented (but not always as strong upstairs if you know what I mean) as any kid in our league and he was toasted as well. It didn't help that our defense completely fell apart behind them and when it was all said and done, we lost 12-0. They looked as sharp as any team we have played all year and we looked as bad as we have all year. I think part of it was the exhaustion of the kids on our team - after two extra inning games and one that lasted two days, Joshua told me as we rode home that he was "kind of" glad that the season was over because he is so tired.

We take possession of our new house tomorrow. Moving begins and the exhaustion continues (but it you weren't tired, life would be boring, right?). We are all so excited about the move and can't wait to have our own place once again. There are neighbors to meet and a community that needs to be impacted. Let's get it on!

Twins Play Like Pros

2005-06-12T23:19:00.000-07:00

If you want to see some GREAT baseball, you need to come watch the Twins play. I can now say that I have seen one of the greatest Little League games of all time. (Okay, so I'm a Dad who is a little partial, but I can't help it.)

The Twins played on Saturday afternoon against the T-Bird Red Sox. The Red Sox are what you would call a "stacked" team. They have 10 year olds bigger than me. They are a powerhouse and it shows. The Twins, on the other hand, have some great talent mixed in with some kids that are less talented, but the coaches have done a great job of getting them to play as a team.

I'll give the short version, because nobody really wants to hear the long version (I could go on & on & on...)

Joshua started pitching and only had three innings left (you can only pitch 6 innings per week). The Red Sox scored three in the first inning on a squib hit, a solid hit and two errors (the third out popped out of the right fielders mitt and turned into a two run double - those things happen in 10 year old baseball). Josh struck out the side in the second and then faced the top of their order again in the third and shut them down. In spite of the runs in the first, it was one of his best outings of the season considering the level the Red Sox play at.

We scored a run in the second and two runs in the third to tie it 3-3. It stayed that was through six innings (which is regulation in little league). Our tournament rules say that someone has to score to win, so we kept playing. Three more innings and two rain delays later it is still tied 3-3. Amazing! Everyone was playing perfect defense. We also had our leadoff man and quickest runner (twice) thrown out at home plate. Finally, they called the game because of wetness and scheduled it to be played out today (Sunday).

Today we showed up to play until someone scored. Joshua led off the game (we were visitors) and got a hit, but was forced out at second when the next batter hit it to the shortstop. A single and a walk loaded the bases for our "least likely to get a hit" player came up and what does he do? He swings, which he always does (at anything) and drives the ball between third base and shortstop. We ended up scoring two runs.

If your still with me you are either a die hard baseball fan or you are up late at night with nothing else to do so I'll give you the controversy. The Red Sox showed up today with three of their least talented players absent. This is important because these are the batters who were up to bat in this inning. They claimed that they refuse to play on Sundays. Who can argue? But I am sure if it were three of their best players they would have sung a different tune. So, they get skipped in the order and up comes the top of their order. I wish I could say that we held them and won, but with our top pitchers all having pitched yesterday, they started banging the ball around and promptly scored three runs to beat us. An amazing game.

We now move into the Loser's Bracket and play again on Monday and probably every day after that until the end of the tourney on Saturday. We'll keep you posted.

I Forgot to Mention

2005-06-12T23:17:00.000-07:00

Regarding the end of the Red Sox season, the tears were wiped away when one of the players older brothers showed up with 12 pie pans and 12 cans of whipped cream. Saddness turned to chaos and laughter as they had a MASSIVE pie fight to end the season. Sorry, no pictures.

Red Sox Season Ends

2005-06-12T19:12:00.000-07:00

Baseball Equipment
Originally uploaded by ConKuestador.

It was an incredible ride while it lasted. The Red Sox took first place in their league and then lasted five games into the city tournament and on Saturday afternoon, they bowed out to the Thunderbird Marlins 6-3. It was one of those games where we had every ability and opportunity to beat the other team, but the big hit or the big defensive stop at the right moment never came. We are really proud of their team. It is definitely not one of those "powerhouse" teams that we see in Little League on occasion. It's just a group of boys who are learning to be a team and as a team, they play way above their individual abilities. We really enjoyed the new relationships that we developed with families and were greatly impressed with Coach Wilson and the way he helped teach teamwork and other important nuances of the game. Great year, Red Sox.

Kyle sold his birthright for a chocolate cream pie!

2005-06-10T22:50:00.000-07:00

We are still in the tournament. Tonight Kyle played his fourth game of the tournament. Three must win games have all been won and they continue...

Tonight we played a team that had beaten us in the regular season and exacted revenge. It was probably the ugliest game I have ever seen us play. We are usually a solid defensive team, but our defense was atrocious tonight, but timely pitching and timely plays saved the day. Kyle came in to pitch in the top of the fourth with the Red Sox down 3-1. He threw two shutout innings and our offense finally came alive to give a 6-3 lead going into the final inning (6th). Kyle came in and made it interesting for all of us. A couple of walks here, a bobbled grounder there and the bases are loaded with nobody out. Kyle got pulled (put at first base) at that point and our hardest thrower was brought in. Luckily, he was throwing strikes. He got two outs on KO's while two runs ended up scoring on a hit and another one of those errors. So here we are with the tying run 60 ft. away from home and two outs. The batter hits a ground ball to our shortstop, who fields it cleanly, takes a few steps to first (I thought he was going to run over there and hand Kyle the ball), and fires the ball into the dirt. Ol' stetch over there at first base reaches out and digs the ball out of the dirt, lifts it into the air and the umpire calls the third out. Game over.

Now at the end of every Little League game on the planet earth, there are snacks. All little leaguers love snacks - except for the Red Sox in the playoffs. Oh, we still have snacks, but they take a back door to our playoff tradition. A Pie. If we lose, we eat the pie. If we win, all player names go into a hat and one is randomly drawn. The drawn name then gets to place the pie wherever they choose - usually a face. Up to this point in time, this has been funny, but today, Kyle's name was drawn. I am sure that there are many people who deserved a pie in their face and I can think of many reasons why I did NOT deserve a pie in my face; however, reason did not prevail in this instance and I was the recipient.

Joshua will now inherit the oldest son's portion!

A Slice of Little League Heaven

2005-06-08T22:33:00.000-07:00

Kyle's team (Red Sox) is fighting for their lives in the Loser's Bracket after being upset in their first game of the tournament. Tonight they played their third game of the tourney against another Red Sox team from Bellevue West L.L. I'll boil this one down quickly. Kyle was the starting pitcher and threw three shutout innings and our Red Sox scored 10 runs quickly to bring on the mercy rule and win the game 10-0. Kyle got the game ball. (I'm not a proud papa or anything.)

Joshua played tonight as well and was the starting pitcher for his team's (Twins) game as they played the #1 seed (Rockies) in the whole tournament. He threw phenomenally - allowing only three unearned runs in the first inning and shutting them out the next two innings. Here is where the story gets intense - cause this was probably the most emotionally exhausting game I have ever seen played - at any level! When Josh left after three innings, the score was 3-2 in the Rockies favor. In the top of the fourth, we went ahead 4-3 and held them in the bottom of the inning. The fifth inning got dicey. We did not score and they came up, scored the tying run with guys on first and second with one out. At this time we inserted our ace pitcher who had been on the shelf with a sore arm for the tourney thus far. He came in throwing BB's and struck the guy out (out #2). He and the catcher thought that was out number 3 and started celebrating as the guy from second took off for third. He realized (parents are screaming at the top of their lungs) what was going on and gunned it to third in time to nail the guy for out number three. (Whew!) The sixth inning was stressful, yet both teams failed to score - but not without dramatic moments. (I'm sorry, I can't relay every dramatic moment to ya'll - you had to be there)

Now it gets a bit heated because there are some different interpretations of the rules. Little league games only go 6 innings. Thus, many on the Twins side of the fence believe that the game should be called due to time constraints - reverting back to the last full inning in which a team had the lead - making us the winners. The Rockies obviously did not see it that way. And as it turned out - neither did the umpire, who declared that we would play until we had a loser.

Up come the Twins to put 10 runs on the board in the top of the 7th; thus invoking the mercy rule, and we emerged victorious 14-4.

That was simply the most amazing little league game I have ever seen played - and these are 10 year olds.

Now we both move on - the Twins in the winner's bracket still and the Red Sox fighting their way through the loser's bracket. The Red Sox play on Friday night (they play four straight days if they continue to win) and the Twins play again on Saturday morning.

Stay tuned for more updates.

You Know You Are In Seattle When...

2005-06-08T08:38:00.000-07:00

Leslie and I have been looking for some children's furniture as we get ready to move into our new home. If you've heard of craigslist, it is an online ebay sort of site only you can view things that are in and around your city. All that said, we were looking for a crib and came across this ad on craigslist.

"Solid Oak Crib with mattress and Changing Table - $200
Solid Oak Crib with mattress and Changing Table with padded mat. Very good to excellent condition. Non smoking and No pet home. Extra crib matress included. (that's two matresses total) We also have a matching dresser (it is in excellent condition and currenlty in use) it can be included but that would make our asking price significantly higher. If you voted for George Bush or Dino Rossi DO NOT EVEN think about it just go away."

I am not trying to make a political statement - just trying to say that this made me chuckle!

Tournament Update

2005-06-06T23:15:00.000-07:00

I know that most of you are not interested in following little league baseball in the state of Washington, but our family if fairly consumed by it right now - and I love it. Kyle's team won tonight in a nail biter. The final score was 9-9, but because of little league rules that won't allow play beyond 2:15 from the start of play, they went back to the last team with a lead at the end of an inning -which was the Red Sox (us). Kyle went 2 for 2 with a walk and three runs scored. Have I told ya'll how much I like little league baseball?

On a really cool note, I have had some great conversations with Joshua's coach. When he approached me about Joshua playing all-stars, he began asking me about how I knew I should go into ministry. It started a conversation that has not ended yet. He had a daughter who died of cancer at age nine - he had told me that in a previous conversation. He then said we should get together for coffee so he could tell me the story of his daughter. I am calling him tomorrow morning to see if he can do that coffee. I pray that God will give me His heart and His words as we talk.

Way Overdue...Your Voice Has Been Heard

2005-06-06T13:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, it has been ages since I have put my fingers to work in updating you on our Seattle Sojourn. I want to encourage you to visit our other blog if you are looking to know what is happening with Pathways Church, but this space will primarily be used for blogging our family life. I'm recommiting myself to blogging here more often, so here's to a new beginning - spread the word.

Both the Chandler's and the Kuest's are in the process of closing on homes right now. Both of us will close around the 15th of June - so that has added to the hectic environment around here as well. We are really excited about the house that God has provided for us. It is far more expensive than our house in AZ (our mortgage doubled) but will fit our family perfectly. (I wish that I knew how to put pictures on here - I'll have to ask John how to do that.)It is in a fairly new community and is in a cul-de-sac which is perfect for the boys. We don't really have a backyard as the pictures will show, but instead have a downgrade that leads to forest/greenbelt. It is gorgeous and has a 700 sq. foot deck that is stunning. It will be great for having people over and sitting out on the deck and chatting or eating.

The church is officially incorporated with the state and IRS now. We have our banking account set up and are in the process of signing with Mill Creek Elementary school to have our worship services there. It is in a great location on a main street that is directly across the street from most of the new housing that is being built.

Our family doing great. In the midst of all of the stress, we find that God is more than enough to meet us where we are at. It has been difficult at times for Leslie and I as we have coped with stress in different ways. When you think about leaving a good job, having no income for 8 months, living with your parents/in-laws, homeschool your children, try to plant a new church, and then deal with everyday stuff that we all deal with - that is a pretty stressful recipe. Leslie has been amazing through it all as have her parents. It really could not have worked out better at their house. All the while, God refines us in the midst of all of this fire. We have had some great talks about this and are looking forward to our new home that will give us our own space and allow us to "be" in the community of Mill Creek.

We are getting information and registration ready to put the boys in public school next year. They are all excited. Kyle will be in Middle School and Josh will be in 5th grade, Andrew in 1st grade and Brett will be in Kindergarten. We will be in the Snohomish School District which has a really good reputation. We think that homeschooling was the right decision at the time that we made it and that public school is the right decision for our family right now.

The boys are doing awesome. Baseball is so much fun. Kyle's team (he's 12) finished in first place in their league and are now in the city tournament. They were upset in the first game on Saturday and so now they have to fight their way through the loser's bracket. They have a big game tonight. It will be tough so we'll see what they are made of. Kyle is probably the most well-rounded player on his team. He plays SS (even as a lefty), 1B and Pitcher. He's not the most overpowering pitcher on his team, but the most consistent and his defense is solid. He made an amazing stab at first base in their tournament game on Saturday. Plus, he hits far better than his father ever did. He's hit some shots that sailed over OF'er's heads, but none that have cleared the fence yet - he's a gapper.

Joshua's team finished their league in third place, but are far better than that. They are in the city tournament as well and won their first game on Saturday. Joshua (10) was the starting pitcher and went three solid innings. Coach says that he will start again on Wednesday for their second game. Josh is the most consistent pitcher on the team and a coach favorite. He is not fazed by stressful situations, which is why the coach likes him to start these tournament games. He is a great glove in the field and plays 2B when not pitching. He hits better than I did - but don't most little leaguers, but that is the area that needs the greatest improvement in his game. The coach uses him as a clutch bunter because he lays some beauties down and is a left-handed hitter - quick to get down the line. Can you tell I love little league?

The one thing I am grieving over is that both of their coaches approached me about them playing all-stars and we just can't commit the time needed to let them play. We are closing on our house just as the city tournament ends and moving 30 minutes away. Getting them to the practices and games would be impossible.

Andrew is still all about people. I think he is more extraverted than I am! He loves Kindergarten in the homeschool group that we are a part of and can't wait for public school next year. He did not get to play little league this year because trying to schedule all the boys going in different directions is a bit much. We are going to sign he and Brett up for soccer in the fall instead. Andrew can read better than most high school kids (that's an exaggeration, but not by much). He is a reading machine and is almost finished reading Stuart Little by himself.

Brett is still the boss of all of his brothers at age 5. He loves taking charge and wants to read like Andrew. He is well on his way. That has been one of the greatest thrills for Leslie and I about homeschooling our kids - watching them learn to read and developing a love for learning. Brett loves anything Basketball or Baseball and quickly became a Mariner fan because their second basemen has such an excellent first name - Brett. He is also unable to talk about baseball without mentioning Ichiro!

Jamie is now 11 months and jabbering like he knows what he is saying and that we should understand as well. He is quite the character. He still has not conquered crawling but that does not prevent him from getting places. He's got the military crawl down to a science and moves very quickly from place to place. He lives with four brothers an inch away from his face constantly and I am convinced he will grow up being a "close-talker" and having no concept of personal space.

We miss Arizona. Don't be shy about leaving messages here or emailing!

Giving Up

2005-02-24T02:19:00.000-08:00

I was looking through my journal tonight and found this from last year at this time. A poem of sorts.

Giving Up

Teach me to lose myself in you
Teach me to lose myself
my desires
my plans
And be consumed by you
your desires
your plans
I'm giving up my fear
I've been hanging on too long
It drives me from your doorstep
And parks me in the alley of indecision
I'm giving up

www.pathwaysblog.com

2005-02-10T22:48:00.000-08:00

A new blog is up and running that will keep you up to date with Pathways church in Bellevue, WA. Click here to get there.

I will continue to post here regarding our family stuff, but will now be posting things about the church there. Add it to your favorites!

And God Said, "It is Good."

2005-02-05T08:42:00.000-08:00

Today are the tryouts for Little League Baseball for my 10 and 12 year olds. All is right in the world.

Take the Quiz and Comment

2005-02-03T22:40:00.000-08:00

Okay, this will only be interesting if you actually take the quiz and comment on it. Here is the deal. Below you will find a list of 14 belief systems. Rank them from 1 to 14 with 1 being the strongest belief system to which you hold yourself. I did this in a class and it really made me think about what I really feel strongly about what is only theory in my life. In the comment, list how you ranked them.

Law and Order: elimination of crime and unrest

A Comfortable Life: a pleasurable and successful life

A World at Peace: a world free of war and conflict

Your Life: protection of your life

Equality: brotherhood, equal opportunity for all

Lives Of Our Loved Ones: survival of your loved ones

National Defense: protection from attack

Personal & Family Security: safe and free from worry

Respect From Others: looked up to, admired by others

Salvation: saved, eternal life

Self-Fulfillment: developing myself, my life fully

Wisdom: a mature, satisfying understanding of life

Democracy: a truly democratic representative government

All Human Life: the survival of all human life

Back

2005-02-03T22:35:00.000-08:00

The rain followed me to San Diego then it followed me to AZ - cleared up and the clear followed me to Seattle. Weather does not get any nicer than it is here right now.

San Diego was awesome in that Leslie and I got to spend time talking, praying and laughing with John and Sherri Chandler. We are so excited they are coming to Seattle.

I also got to spend time with a guy named John Hickman - one of my new heroes. He has been a pastor in Spokane, WA for 26 years. Recently, he has become more and more convinced that God was calling him to start a new church - one that would reach out to a younger generation. He left his church, which did not understand, and has stepped into the unknown to follow a call that God has laid on his heart. Awesome! But that is still not nearly as awesome as the heart of this big guy. Praying with him in tears as he lifted John and I up before our Father was a holy moment.

Off

2005-01-24T01:09:00.000-08:00

San Diego tomorrow morning (this morning technically). Pray for us. We are looking forward to seeing and being able to think, pray and talk with John and Sherri as we seek God's heart for the future!

Party at the Cabin

2005-01-23T15:00:00.000-08:00

Kyle, my oldest, turned twelve yesterday. So for his birthday, I took him along with Joshua (younger brother) and Kyle's two best friends up here to Grandpa and Grandma's cabin for an evening of twelve year old heaven. That's right - GameCube, all the Mt. Dew and Dr. Pepper you can drink, Pizza, Chips, and Ice Cream with no curfew. It was like a twelve year old bachelor party.

The following morning (they eventually crashed around 3:30 with some encouragement from myself) we hiked to the top of Huckleberry Mountain which is just behind the cabin.

Great times were had by all, but I was ready for a nap after the hike - they were still going strong.

From Religion to Incarnation

2005-01-21T14:40:00.000-08:00

I got to take in a church planters get together at Mars Hill in Seattle this week. It was probably the most thought provoking exercise I have taken in since coming to Seattle. They dished up hot breakfast and lunch (free) so that guys could interact and then Mike Gunn of Harambee Church laid out some stuff that he has been processing. I'll share thoughts (that's what a blog is for - right?).

The church is far too known for what it stands against rather than what it stands for. Take a poll on the street and you will find people are very clear how the church feels about homosexuality and totally fuzzy about what it means to be "saved". Why? Because the church is much better at pointing fingers at people and their behaviour than it is at pointing to Jesus through demonstration of His love and grace. This is why the church has lost it's influence. Leslie Newbiggen says correctly, "The church is the hermeneutic of the gospel." In other words, the world interprets the gospel through the observation of the church. We have been an embarassment (on the whole) in this department. If we want to penetrate our communities with the gospel, it must be demonstrated in the mission of the church.

What is the function of the church? Mission - Bearing witness to bring glory to God

"The church in our culture; however, is more structured for maintenance than mission."

The Glory of God is the mission of the church, not evangelism, conversion or growth!

"Mission can no longer be thought of as simply soul saving, but must also include the creation of Christian communities, the struggle for justice, and the stewardship of creation."

Pendulum Warning: Evangelism brings glory to God and is part of mission. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water. However, what we have done in the past is focus solely on Evangelism and World Missions (with an emphasis on evangelism) to the exclusion of justice and liberation from oppression. If we would lead in these areas, I believe the world would be much more willing to hear our voice and we would be much more effective as evangelists.

San Diego, CA

2005-01-21T14:29:00.000-08:00

So the church planting organization tells me a few months ago that we need to go through "Boot Camp" soon, but they can not find one in an appropriate time frame up here in the Northwest. So they say to me, we have to send you to San Diego in January. Now I can think of a lot of places that I would NOT want to be in January, but San Diego is definitely not one of them. Someone has to do it.

On a serious note, we will be studying the "Nuts and Bolts" of church planting this upcoming week. Please keep us in your prayers. Leslie and I are really excited about this. We were even more excited when we learned that John and Sherri Chandler felt called to come work with us and the CEA offered to pay for them to come to Boot Camp with us. It will be a great time of formulating the heart of what we pray God will do through us in Seattle.

Following San Diego I get to make a four day trek back to good old Mesa, AZ. Good times.

For those of you keeping track (which might only be my children):

January 24-28 - Boot Camp in San Diego
January 28-Feb 1 - Mesa, AZ

Moved by an "Evangelical turned Agnostic"

2005-01-06T21:59:00.000-08:00

I love to backpack. I love taking my wife and boys out into the wild and living in it. I don't do it enough, but we have spent many a night along the Wonderland Trail of Mount Rainier as well as nights in the mid-summer air of Mogollon Rim of Arizona. Nearly heaven.

So, I subscribe to Backpacker magazine. The December issue came and finding myself too busy to really sit down and read it, I finally picked up the magazine during a quiet moment in a small room adjacent to my bedroom (if you get my drift). My eye was caught by an article written by Michael Perry who described himself as an "Evangelical turned Agnostic". Being a pastor, I had to read his artlice, "Running the River Righteous".

I looked online for the article, but it's still on the newsstands and you can't find it online. I wish I could type it out for all of you to read, but it would take days (the man is prolific). It describes a rafting trip that he took through the Grand Canyon with 34 other people who were all fundamentalist Christians as they "toured" the canyon for proof that the earth was created in a literal 6 days.

Let me pause here for those who may not know me well. I believe in the God of the Bible. I believe that it holds the truth and that God has used Scripture as a tool to commicate His heart with His creation. At the same time, I am not sure that I believe that the world was created in six literal days. I fully believe that the Bible can be understood very clearly as saying that the earth was created in six periods of time (See Hugh Ross). I find it disconcerting that many Christians are so militantly against anything but a literal six day creation, when there are so many more important things to discuss in Scripture. That said, let me get back to the article.

Perry says throughout the article that he comes from a great home, with a great family. He speaks of enjoying the morning and evening devotionals throughout the trip and the rousing hymns that were sung around the campfire. All throughout the article he speaks of wanting to believe. Yet, his intellectual understandings of an old earth keep him from claiming their truth. That and the sermon he heard before the trip started. Let me quote.

"After hymns and prayer, a preacher from ICR got to going, and brother, could he bring it. I like some good preaching, and this was that. He paced the riser, he found his cadence, and he worked it. He took it up, and he took it down...He mentioned Carl Sagan, and did a little billions and billions impression. Then the preacher came to a full stop, stage right, and looked out at us...then said, "By the way, ol' Carl knows what's going' on now!" The congregation bubbled with chuckles...And I'll tell you he lost me right there. You want to lure me back, brother, show some compassion. Before honor is humility, if you'll allow me a little Old Testament. Dropt o your knees and pray through tears that our fellow sinner Carl might yet be redeemed. What you had here was a jig danced on a lost soul. I'd heard those chuckles before, from peple of my own congregation, as they listened to one of our preachers recount how he turned his back on a struggling member after he caught her wearing shorts. From that day I have tried to reconcile the deep goodness of my childhood church with its poisonous little seams of petty certitude. I found myself doing a similar thing the canyon, trying to reconcile the chuckles on the rim with the sincere smiles around me.
The thing is, as we float deeper into the canyon and creationism, I want to believe...

He ends the article with a statement, The jouney of faith is constant - there is grave danger in assuming you have arrived."

I have little left to say but my heart was broken because Christians have allowed an inexact science and cinicism to allow Perry to walk away from a nine day boat trip with only good memories and a further commitment to staying clear of those who think they have arrived.

Connecting

2004-12-30T21:50:00.000-08:00

There is something that is so powerful about connecting with someone with whom you feel some sort of kinship. Today I had the privelege of connecting with three such people.

This morning I had a Starbucks meeting with a young guy that I have never met, but have interacted a bit with on John Chandler's blog. He is the son of a missionary who is in the states completing Bible College - about to hit the last semester of his senior year. I told my wife, he had a humble nature about him, yet when I asked him what he wanted to do after college, he replied, "I want to change the world." There was no air of cockiness in that response, just a heart-felt desire to make a difference. I love that. Too many college students are more worried about when the next X-Box game is going to be released than they are about pursuing the passions of God's heart (which, by the way, is to change the world). I felt that spark of connection - he has a faith to believe that God can use him to do big things. I pray that the world (or the church) never beats that out of him.

For lunch, Leslie and I met with her old youth pastor and his wife. I had briefly introduced myself to him once, but had never really interacted with him prior to today. Leslie was really drawn to the two of them when she was young and really wanted to reconnect. I now understand why. They're hearts filled ours. They planted a church in Issaquah, WA sixteen years ago and have lived to tell about it. We were able to talk about mistakes and hurts and all of the other things that make what we do worth it. Leslie and I really see them as potential "coaches" in this church planting process and look forward to more times around a table together.

Beyond just face to face contact, we have been so encouraged by emails and letters we have recieved from so many friends who are lifting us up in prayer and believe in the ministry that we are giving ourselves to. There are no words to describe knowing that beyond our "reach" friends around the United States are going to battle with us. This is how it should be!

Would you like to be a partner?

2004-12-27T13:25:00.000-08:00

Many of you have responded to our notes and letters asking how you can be a part of our team as we plant this church in the Seattle area. First, please pray for us on a regular basis. This area is known as the most unchurched area of the United States (along with Oregon). We have talked to many different church planters in the area who are struggling to make it. It is not an environment where churches thrive. Second, many of you have asked how you can give a one time gift or be a regular giver to our ministry. We are not yet incorporated as a church as of yet, that should come in the Spring of next year, so until that time, the Christian Evangelistic Association (the church planting organization that we are working with) is taking in our funding for us.

You can mail donations to:
Christian Evangelistic Association
Re: Dean and Leslie Kuest
P.O. Box 92
Edmonds, WA 98020

Thank you for caring about what we do here in the Northwest!

Kuest Boys Declare Christmas Best Ever!

2004-12-27T13:21:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas has come and gone and we at the Kuest household feel blessed. We were able to spend Christmas Eve with my parents up in Arlington and then spent Christmas Day with all of Leslie's Family. It was a bit overwhelming for us. We are used to fairly quiet Christmas' as we have never lived near our parents and immediate family. However, there is no better feeling than being surrounded by family and celebrating the birth of Christ. (I also think the new Gamecube contributed to the boys Christmas excitement.)

Faith and Sight - A Paradox

2004-12-19T13:25:00.000-08:00

Coming out of church today, I was overwhelmed with such a strong sense of God's calling us to this place. It is not a feeling that words can describe, simply an inward confidence and certainty that we are where God wants us.

At the same time, certainty does not mean that I have things figured out. It does not mean that fear does not creep into my heart as we begin to wonder where our financial support will come from and wondering where the exact location of our church will be. As someone said to me in church today as they were asking about our church plant, "My faith is a lot more easy when I can see where I am walking." He said this tongue in cheek, but I believe that this is a problem for me and for Christians all over. We say we have faith in God, but then fail to live a life that depends upon Him. We risk very little in our country by saying that we believe in God. Even a simple tithe is risking very little in the big picture of things. What do we do to lay our lives out there and say, "Lord, take me and use me no matter the cost"?

It is becoming so clear to me through this process that my life has been lived with faith that requires sight. True faith is lived when we "walk by faith and not by sight." I am praying that God will continue to exersize my "faith muscle" as we continue this journey. It strikes fear in my heart to pray that prayer, but I am confident that it will draw me closer to the heart of God.

Small World...Big God

2004-12-15T19:41:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while you have those moments that make you feel like the world is as small as your home town. Those times usually involve seeing someone from your home town in a rather far away place. This is what Leslie and I just experienced.

My parents live about an hour north of us in Arlington, WA, so when we want a quick get-together, we usually meet in the middle. The middle is often the area around Alderwood Mall, which is just north of Seattle. My parents were out of town when we celebrated Joshua's birthday, so we called one of our get-togethers. We met at Cold Stone Creamery - we'll use any excuse we can find to do that, in Alderwood Mall. Afterward, we decided hit the mall for a bit of shopping. The first store we ventured into was the Disney Store. Now this is a huge mall and the Disney Store itself was good sized. While wandering around after my younger boys, I heard, "Well, if it isn't Dean Kuest." Now I know very few people in Washington and even fewer who would be at Alderwood Mall. I looked up to see Pam Melton, who was heavily involved in our youth ministry back in the early to mid ninety's.

She has been in Washington for about three years. She came out when her oldest daughter graduated from Seattle Pacific University, got married and stayed in the area. The odds of running into someone from our past up here like that are so astronomical that Leslie and I are convinced that God was at the center of it.

Please say a prayer for Pam. She just finished six months of chemotherapy as she is being treated for Hodgkins Disease. This is generally a curable form of cancer, but her's reached stage four before it was discovered. She is in remission at the moment, but will not be considered "cancer free" until after five years.

Down to the Wire

2004-12-11T21:51:00.000-08:00

We are coming down to the time where the decision will be made regarding our location. At this time, both Leslie and I feel that the Bellevue/Redmond area is where we need to be. Several reasons. One, all of the resources and people that we know who would love to be a part of a new church live in this area. Two, there are few churches doing a good job reaching the younger generation in this area. Three, Bellevue is a dichotomy. While it contains some of the richest areas in the eastside, it is also filled with poverty. There are $500,000 to $1,000,000 homes within the same square mile as apartments filled with people living in poverty. We have found very little being done for those families. In other words, there are great needs in this community.

Our other option is Mill Creek/Silver Firs. It is a white suburban area where there are many young families living. We would fit right in. Our selfish nature tells us we would love to live there, but we're not sure it is right to follow those feelings. Our church planting organization tells us that Mill Creek is what they "know." In other words, they know how to plant in a new and emerging community, so they are comfortable with us going there. They have never planted in an established area like Bellevue before, so they are nervous about that possibility, but not against it. They are hiring a company to conduct an intense demographic study of Bellevue before they commit to a decision.

Keep praying for us, we are anxious to land.

Maple Valley Christmas

2004-12-11T21:47:00.000-08:00

This morning Leslie and I took the boys to a Maple Valley Christmas. Some friends of ours have planted a church in that area this year and this was an outreach event that their church put together. It was really well done.

It began with a waffle breakfast for anyone who came - including the opportunity to make a waffle house that you can subsequently eat. There was live music, games for the kids, a train ride outside, ornament crafts and of course the picture with Santa. Over 400 people showed up, which is awesome for a church of 170. Shane and Cathy (the pastor and his wife) are sharp thinkers. It has been fun to get together and challenge each others thinking.

This will be an important relationship for us as we go on toward our launch.

Thanksgiving Day

2004-11-25T20:28:00.000-08:00

We have much to be thankful for here at the Kuest household. We were able to celebrate this day of thanks with both Dean's parents and Leslie's parents under one roof. (And everyone gets along well!)

We are so thankful for our friends and family all over the United States who are praying with us as we start this new church in Seattle. You have no idea how much we cherish your support.

We are also thankful that we our trip to the Emergency Room was short today. What is Thanksgiving Day without a morning Turkey Bowl football game. I took my older boys with me to the local park where a group of guys were getting together a game. About an hour into the game, on a potential touchdown drive, Joshua stepped in and blocked a pass that would have been a touchdown. Unfortunately, in the process, he broke his wrist. He was incredibly brave and never cried through the whole ordeal, even as the doctor set the bones. He brought home his X-Rays to show off to the brothers and is wearing his cast as a badge of honor. He is looking forward to having all of his friends sign it. Can you believe it? Five boys and this is our first broken bone. (Where is the wood? I need to knock!)

Snoqualmie, WA

2004-11-23T15:38:00.000-08:00

I went on a trip with George Johnson this past week. He had a meeting with a struggling church in Snoqualmie, WA and he wanted me to see the area - not to mention that it gave us a good chance to talk.

It is a beautiful area, a bedroom community of Seattle on I-90, about 12 miles past Issaquah. Actually, it is a gorgeous area. If you were a Twin Peaks fan in the 80's then you probably already know that this little town is where the show was filmed. In the past it has been just that, a little, quaint town. But thousands of homes later, it is an amazing little planned community.

The next day, Leslie and I drove around out there. It was easy to picture our family living there, but we are not convinced that the town is quite big enough to sustain a church like we are hoping to plant. It is not likely that we will end up there, but it was fun to dream and help shape our ideas together of where we will likely end up.

I am attempting to meet up with two local pastors in the next couple of weeks to talk about working together in a partnership. We are praying that they could get excited about helping us to launch.

Lost in America

2004-11-23T15:07:00.000-08:00

Was able to attend a seminar at Rainier View Christian Church last week entitled, "Lost in America", which is a book written by Tom Clegg. The book's focus is to help the church regain it's passion for evangelism, but in a relational way rather than in a programatic way. Clegg's argument is that the church has become irrelvant to our culture because it has programmed itself for the people who are already inside. Our programs keep our church members happy and busy and they eventually lose all contact with those outside of the church walls.

Clegg spent over ten years in Africa as a missionary and he brings that mindset with him to his new passion of planting churches in the United States. He contends that if the church is to be effective, then it must become missionary minded. The United States is no longer a Christian Nation. A quick quiz below will help illustrate this fact.

1. What country has the Christian church with the largest attendance in the world?

2. What is the dominant religion in that country?

3. What is the location of the world's second-largest Christian church?

4. What is the dominant religion in that country?

5. In what country do you think the world's largest Buddhist temple is located?

6. Where is the world's largest Muslim training center?

7. What country has the world's largest Jewish population?

8. Which country has the 8th largest Hindu population?

9. Where is the world's largest training center for Transcendental Meditation?

(Answers Below)

1. Korea
2. Buddhist
3. Nigeria
4. Islam
5. USA - Boulder, CO
6. USA - New York, NY
7. USA
8. USA
9. USA - Fairfield, IA

In the Great Commission, Christ told His disciples to "Go into all the world"... today the world is coming to us and we need to be ready with the gospel of Christ.

Good-bye In-N-Out / Hello Burgermaster

2004-11-23T15:03:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I have posted, so I have quite a few things on my mind. The first is simply this - The Baconmaster with grilled onions is now my favorite fast food burger of all time. I did not think that a Double/Double Animal-Style could be beat, but it has happened. Thought you might want to know.

My Psalm 119

2004-11-10T06:13:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity yesterday to spend some time alone down by the Bellevue waterfront. It is incredibly gorgeous at this time of year with all of the trees ranging from green to yellow to bright, bright red. It was warm yesterday for November and so I found a lone dock and sat on it for several hours just looking across the lake to the Seattle skyline. (I need to do that more often).

I only had my Bible with me and spent some time reading. I ended up landing in Psalm 119. It is an epic, but I poured my heart into and tried to allow the words to flow over my soul as I read. It was fairly discouraging.

David was a way more holy and confident guy than I am. Stanza after stanza, David's confident refrain is his guiltlessness, his passion for God and His Word, and his cry out to God for the help he deserves (because of the two prior confidences). As I was praying over these words, I decided to let God know what my Psalm 119 might look like. I think it would be something more like this.

I desire the wisdom of your Word O Lord. My sould longs to know You.
I think about rising before the dawn to cry out to you, but my alarm clock rarely rouses me.
I have hidden small snippets of your Word in my heart.
I meditate on your Word every once in a while, but am usually more captivated by television programming.
Direct my footsteps in spite of my failings. Let no sin rule over me.
I don't deserve any of it, but let your promises wash over me. I am afraid.

From A.W. Tozer

2004-11-10T06:12:00.000-08:00

"The Pursuit of God" - Written in the 1948

"Every age has its own characteristics. Right now we are in an age of religious complexity. The simplicity which is in Christ is rarely found among us. In its stead are programs, methods, organizations and a world of nervous activities which occupy time and attention but can never satisfy the longing of the heart. The shallowness of our inner experience, the hallowness of our worship, and that servile imitation of the world which marks our promotional methods all testify that we, in this day, know God only imperfectly, and the peace of God scarcely at all."

Save Lauren Reed

2004-11-06T07:13:00.000-08:00

One of the blessings of doing ministry in one place over the past 14 years has been watching the students that you have worked with grow up, get married and have children and pour themselves into ministry. As a pastor you get to share the best of times and the worst of times with people as they walk through life.

I want to ask you to pray for Brian and Carrie Reed. I have known Brian since he was in high school. He was extremely plugged into our college ministry and now works as a construction project manager in the Phoenix area. His family is very special to us and they need our prayers more than ever.

Brian and Carrie have a little girl named Lauren (about 3 1/2) who has a Sanfilippo Syndrome. I don't expect you to know what it is, nor could I fully explain it other than to say her body lacks the enzymes to break down old cells; thus, they are simply stored in her body where they continue to build up over time. Her life expectancy, for this reason, is around 10-12 years.

Just yesterday, Lauren underwent a bone marrow transplant from her two year old brother, Nathan. You can read more about it here.

God has already worked miracles in this little girls life. People have come through from all over the world to give them the money necessary for this procedure which will be the first time it is ever attempted at this hospital. Only a handful have ever had the procedure anywhere and there is no surety of success.

Please pray.

The Green Light

2004-11-05T13:26:00.000-08:00

Well, our assessment is over and Leslie and I are so thankful for the time we were able to spend in Portland. I'll give you a quick run down on the happenings.

Arrived Sunday evening - Nice hotel and they put us in a suite. Very nice.

Monday - We meet for orientation. There are three other couples that are being assessed at the same time we are. Two couples are from Canada (two sisters with their husbands) and a couple from Spokane, WA. We also meet our interigators...errr...assessors as well. They are all church planters who have been through the wars...so to speak. It was cool to see that they included the wives in on the assessment. That was one of the really neat things about the whole process...they truly value the husband/wife team. At the orientation, which included a devotion and prayer and a look at the schedule, George and Dottie, the head of the Christian Evangelical Association and his wife shared their story. It was incredible in that it was truly a story of brokenness and healing as both of them had prior marriages in which their spouse left them for someone else. God has truly brought healing to their lives and families and it was such a good way to kick off the time together because it tore down any shred of feeling like you had to present yourself as "superhuman" - which is easy to feel because you are, in essence, trying to sell yourself to these people in order to win their support.

Following the orientation, we were sent to our rooms where the next four hours were spent with a rotation of people coming through our doors. The assessors were paired up and they came by in hour intervals to talk about key characteristics that are necessary for successful church planting. They asked questions about our past and how we handled different situations in our life. Then the next rotation came by. It was exhausting, but did not feel like an interagation, but more like a friendly interview. This rotation also occurred again on Tuesday morning.

That evening, after a dinner out on the town, we returned to our hotel and shared our stories. Basically, conversion to why I am planting a church. It's a great way to see people's hearts and connect with them. I wish we had done this first.

Tuesday, more rotations in the morning. In the early afternoon, we headed for downtown Portland to hang out together. This is where they observe us interacting with the environment and each other. We took the light rail system they have into downtown Portland and hung out at a mall. They had gotten their wires crossed and had expected to ice skate in the mall, but it was figure skating night, so I was the only one allowed on the ice. Right. After hanging out, we went to a brewery downtown for dinner. It was election night, so the place was pretty electric around the tv monitors. It was downtown Portland so you can guess that there was not much love for W as he moved into the lead. I'm not much of a political activist, but I have taken a great interest in this election on the basis of the polarization of America. I got to talk to some twentysomethings about the election while I was standing in the bar. Can't repeat what they said on a G-rated blog, but suffice it to say, they were unhappy with G.W.

Wednesday had us surrounded by the entire assessment team as they met with each couple seperately. First they gave us one word descriptions of us. I can't remember what they were, but I loved that one of the words they used for Leslie was "Witty." That proves that she was comfortable with them. They also used the word "authentic" for her. The best thing for me about this assessment is the way that they valued Leslie and built her up. It was so cool.

Following the one word descriptions they listed their concerns for us. They were not concerns about us planting a church, but concerns that they felt we needed to take into consideration AS we planted a church. The first, was simply that with our giftings, they felt that we needed to plant a church with a team approach, rather than solo. This was no new news to me as I have been telling them that from the start. I don't want to do a solo plant. Second, they said that going from a "super-mall" church to a church where we were starting from scratch was going to be a major culture shock for us. Again, nothing we were not aware of. Third, they said that we needed to be aware of the demands of starting a plant and how that would effect our family of seven. 90% of the energy require to launch a rocket comes at lift-off. Good words to consider, but we have counted the cost. Finally, they loved my passion and said it will translate even better as we get more details put into place.

They then gave us the green light. We are officially planting a church with the Christian Evangelistic Association.

Say a Prayer

2004-10-30T23:32:00.000-07:00

Leslie and I leave tomorrow for Assessment. This is our first big hurdle to planting a church. We meet with a team of people who will "assess" our ability to successfully plant. We are not worried about it at all, but really seek to hear God's voice speaking to us this week as we discover more about ourselves and about this process that we are beginning.

Thank you for your prayers.

One of the things I love about Seattle

2004-10-30T23:25:00.000-07:00

I went to Starbucks, which I often do with the rest of this newfound culture that I live within. There, sitting by myself with my journal, I began eavsedropping on conversations around me. The table ahead of me, four Russians (you can pick that language out instantly). The table behind me, an older Cambodian couple (I did not know this until the following conversation took place.) A white man approached the Cambodian couple and began a conversation as if among old friends. He is French and had once lived in Cambodia and was sharing with them all of the things that he loved about their country.

At the playground in downtown Bellevue this morning, it was like a who's who of nations as kids of all colors, shapes and sizes played together. There were Europeans, Asians, Americans and African-Americans all playing as if the world were right. And it was in that place.

I'm Out

2004-10-18T13:43:00.000-07:00

I'll be in sunshiny Arizona for the next week, so the blog will be down.

Forecast

2004-10-17T21:31:00.000-07:00

It started raining yesterday, but they say it should let up by June.

Decisions, Decisions

2004-10-16T17:22:00.000-07:00

My brother-in-law offered me tickets to the Huskies - Beavers game for today. It happened to be at the same time that my beloved Sun Devils played the #1 ranked team in the nation - the USC Trojans. Decision - stay at home camped in front of the TV or spend time with my son Joshua at a football game that I could care less about. Turns out I made a GREAT decision. Josh and I went to the game together and had a blast - with five boys one on one time is hard to come by. As for the ASU game, let's just say that it would have been a long and depressing afternoon at home camped in front of the TV.

A New Era

2004-10-14T11:31:00.000-07:00

I recently read a quote by Henry David Thoreau which says, "How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading in a book!"

There were obviously more elements that played into my life than the reading of one book, however, there is one book that I give more credit than others. I read Erwin McManus' book, "Seizing your Divine Moment" at a time that I was eagerly seeking God, but I was looking for some easy pre-defined (by me) answers. I wanted certainty.

Isn't that ironic. I want to live by faith, but I want certainty. Faith implies a certainty in God's presence in our lives, but it doesn't remove uncertainty from life. It still requires the unseen or there is no need for faith.

A quote: "But don't look for God to fill in all the blanks. Don't wait for Him to remove all the uncertainty. Realize He may actually increase the uncertainty and leverage all the odds against you, just so that you will know in the end that it wasn't your gifts but His power through your gifts that fulfilled His purpose in your life."

Speaking to Our Children's Hearts

2004-10-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

There is a Russian family that lives down the street from us. Their two girls go to the same "homeschool" school that we take our boys to. We saw them at the bus stop last week and realized that they were taking the city bus to school every day. We talked to them and offered to give them a ride on Mondays and Wednesdays (the days we attend). This was the first week that picked them up.

I found out that they have lived in the United States for the past ten years. Elena, the wife, did not speak a word of English when she moved here and still struggles with her English, but is able to carry on a conversation with a little help from her 10 year old, Kristina.

Two things really impacted me in our conversation on our trips to school this week.

First, I began asking Elena about their church. They are Russian Orthodox. I wish that I could explain it in the broken English that she used because it was so cool. She said that in Russia, she did not go to church. Only old women like grandmothers go to church, but she was baptized when she was young. Her husband was raised Muslim. When they were married, he wanted to go "see" a church - just look, not for anything else. He began to read his Bible and has just recently been baptized into the Orthodox church. They seem to have a real hunger for a knowledge of God so join us in praying for Dimitry and Elena, that we would be able to help satisfy that hunger.

Second, she was explaining to me that most Russian familes do not teach their children the Russian language. This is very important to her. I asked why and her answer was powerful. "I cannot speak my heart to my children in English. If they don't speak Russian, I will never be able to share my heart with them." I know many families who speak the same language who could learn a lot from that statement.

Humble Pie

2004-10-09T23:25:00.000-07:00

Part of the process of being a church planter is that of "Assessment." In other words, before an organization will invest their resources into you as a church planter, they want to make sure that it is a good investment. Leslie and I are going through assessment with five other couples in November. In preperation for the assessment we were directed to a website that would distribute three psychological tests that would be used (against us) to help analyze our strengths and weaknesses.

Now you have to understand that I like these tests. I find them fascinating and not the least bit intimidating. Leslie on the other hand feels quite the opposite. So I go first. In taking all three of these tests, it takes a little more than three hours of solid sitting in front of the computer to finish. I was fascinated by the fact that one of the tests includes some math and logic questions rather than the simple, "Would you rather be at a party or sit at a computer" type questions. I like that, math and logic. We homeschool our kids and I teach math and logic to my 4th and 6th grader. In fact, at one time I was pretty good at math having gotten through Calculus in high school.

I attack the questions with eagerness and breeze through it.

Now enters my wife. It's her turn to face the music and she does not like it one bit. I obviously can't influence her answers so I disappear (showing up every so often because I know that the math and logic questions are coming). There were three questions that were particularly tough and I'm just curious as to how she will handle them.

Let me make a long story short. I peak over her shoulder as she answers the tough questions. I really wanted to give her some advice on them, but I refused (gotta keep the test honest). After she had committed to her answers I could finally come to the rescue. "Honey, you got all three wrong, but those were really tough ones." So she asked me to explain how to get the right answers. One by one I explained. One by one she explained how she got her answers. One by one I realized that she was right on every answer and I was wrong.

Burning. Confusion. Frustration. Those were just what I was feeling the next morning when I woke up. "Now they are going to think I don't have a brain cell in my body." "Who is going to let a guy without logic start a church?" Those were just a few of my thoughts. But mostly, it was dealing with the fact that my lovely wife who hates personality tests schooled me in math and logic. God hates the proud and exhalts the humble.

I guess that is what I need to remember as we venture into this church plant. It's not about me...it's about God in me. Abraham lied. Jacob decieved. Moses stuttered. Joshua and Gideon were fearful. Elijah ran away. James and John fought for prominance. Peter denied. Paul fought the very work of God. John Mark got homesick. I can't find anyone in Scripture who did what they did based on their own skill or ability. It was all about God in them.

I'm in the 2004's

2004-10-09T20:19:00.000-07:00

My good friend, John Chandler, still teases me about being stuck in the 90's - primarily because I always want a hard copy of everything rather than trusting a computer. So now, I'm hip with the jive - I'm a blogger! I've been reading several blogs for a while now and John has got me convinced this will be one of the best ways that I can keep in touch with people regarding our church plant here in Seattle. So here it goes. I don't know that you need to expect any words of great wisdom here, probably more questions than anything, but I'm sure that you'll see my heart bleed here every once in a while. Welcome to the 2004's.