Judson & Kristina Bartels

Potential Logo - Subject to change

We are so excited to announce the start of something new in the Great Northwest! Coming in 2010, a brand new church will launch in Shoreline, Washington! We have a passion to reach that city and beyond!

We are Sound Church! We have a sound, solid team of people God has brought together for a very specific purpose! We exist to amplify Jesus by reaching UP, OUT and IN!

The Sound of a Sound Church is coming to the Puget Sound!

We will explain more about our vision in subsequent posts, so keep you lids peeled!

Loudly,

Pastor Judson Bartels

I have such a desire to make a difference in the lives of others. One of the biggest challenges is to care, but not to get weird about it. Have you ever met one of those people that seem a little too in your business? Or you can’t figure out why they care?

Shake it up right nice!

Of course, it is great to have someone care for you, but there is usually a reason.

• What is it we can do to make a difference in the world around us?
• How can we shake it up?

I like to look to the Big Shaker! Jesus is still famous today because he shook things up in His generation. And the results speak for themselves!

The challenge for men and women of God today is to be able to shake it up, but not to lose relevance. Rather, to create our own relevance! Jesus brought out real solutions to the problems plaguing the people in His generation. In large part, they are the same issues our friends, family, co-workers and schoolmates face now. Only talking about fishing and farming is like talking to my Grandma about Twitter!

• What are the best ways to reach our generation?
• How can we speak the language of the people we see and interact with everyday?
• How can we make a real difference in their worldview?

Please comment below!

Our new years eve had a different type of excitement this year! Sure there was the fun of getting to spend time with loved ones and count down the seconds,

make New Years Resolutions and pray in a blessed and prosperous season; but this year was different. We got a 2nd car. I (Judson) am finding alternative income right now, though we are still in leadership at DCC.  So it required another form of transportation other than the beloved 2007 VW Jetta.

So, after months of research, we still concluded that a 2009 Jetta is still the best bang for the buck.  Even looking at used cars did not compare in payments unless we got a pretty old or high mileage vehicle. The new one is pretty much a twin of the older one, except for a few minor details and that it is “Salsa Red”.  Kristina has wanted a red car for some time, so we indulged her desire. The only downfall is that she thought that the red car was automatically hers… so we are going to trade off week-to-week

We looked into many other vehicles and I test drove others in the same price and payment range. They do not stack up in comparison in price, features or fun! So while this is not intended to be a commercial, perhaps it is due because of the sweet deal we squeezed out of Burnsville VW (Thanks Lance).

As for us, Leasing made the most sense. It is not for everyone, but if you are driving less than 12-20k miles a year and want a car under warranty, it is the cheapest route. Please see this for more info. How do you feel about leasing? (Leave a comment below)

So it is that we enter the new year with a new set of wheels. But more than that, we have a renewed vision and a new hope for great things ahead and we trust and hope in God (NOT the VW). May you have an incredible New Year with the favor and blessing of God, regardless of the woes of our present times.

We have already put on plenty more!

So it has been long enought that I can talk about it now…

A few month ago, I had the great pleasure of grabbing some tasty morsels at a local McDonalds Restaurant with a good friend.  My friend shall remain nameless, but he is the brother of a great friend of mine who is a worship leader at a prominent church in Burnsville… Not to manetion any names.

McDonalds University passed a flunkie

The young cashier behind the counter was very courteous and friendly and obliged my friend’s request for 2 sauces with his chicken nuggets.  That was the point in which the manager came by and removed the sauce from the tray as my friend was taking his food off the counter. Additionally, I paid an extra fee for a larger box of fries (not that I should) and they appeared quite empty. Upon my request to fill them, he weighed them and tried to explain that as long as the weight is there, that empty boxes are acceptable.

I am not suggesting they should go hog wild, but if a customer mentions it and it looks nothing like the photo, don’t you think it is worth satisfying the rare customer who asks?

So I paid the manager the 31 cents for the extra sauce for my good friend, and then informed tha manager that this time, all it took was $.31 to lose a customer. Maybe I am over-reacting, but I am tired of being bullied around by companies that I am paying. I am not begging for their products and services, I am choosing to support their job with my patronage. My dollars are not many, so they need to be earned and valued.

If you agree, maybe you can send a clear message also. The McDonalds in question is off of Cliff Road and Nicols Rd in Eagan, MN (4565 Erin Ln Eagan, MN 55122

(651) 452-3179). Feel free to call them or stop by to let them know.

If you prefer not to, then that is okay too. Just know I will boycott you too, and I won’t invite you to my tea party in Boston!

This has been such a mixed bag of events in our lives lately…good and bad.  Sometimes I am not sure how to categorize certain events:

• Lead role is the Gospel According to Scrooge
• changes at DCC (change is part of growth, remember puberty and shin splints?)
• the housing market… economic woes… yes, we are even feeling it now…
• The concurrent job hunt… in a time when many places are laying off employees.

But I know that God has something in mind.  On Saturday night, Pastor Jonathan Brozozog spoke at DCC and in his prayer, he spoke about how good God’s credit is with him… and for me, I find that true as well. God has not left me high and dry.  When it has seemed that way, His bigger plan has eventually shown itself.

He also spoke about the plan and direction of God can many times be like a GPS unit.

God can give Turn-by-Turn directions in your spirit

When a turn is coming, the GPS will notify you.  In the same way, we feel a turn is coming.  We are excited and full of faith that what is ahead is gonna be great! We just can’t tell how much longer we have on this road before the turn comes.

Kristina’s Parents drove here from Seattle earlier this year. The drive was pretty nice and uneventful, not counting the fact that they are driving a 30-foot RV

30 Foot RV's attract insects while driving

wth a Jeep Liberty in tow. But just before they got to the Twin Cities, they hit some really bad roads just south of Owatonna. They had to slow down to about 35-40 miles an hour. Perhaps that is the best way to describe the bittersweet feeling of life right now.  We are excited for the next turn, but not enjoying the bumps right now.

This much is true, Kristina and I can sense great things ahead, and we are full of faith that God will see His goodness prevail! We are getting primed to step in faith.  I would rather be soaking wet as Peter was after stepping out of the boat than one of the other 11 disciples, wishing I did something.

This weekend at church, we presented Louie Giglio’s DVD called “How Great Is Our God”.  it was an incredible experience, and in a very real way, it was a dream fulfilled.  Scripture tells us that a dream fulfilled is a wellspring of life!

It was incredible to actually see the vision of it all come together and impact so many lives! It is easy for us to allow sin to creep in, making us think of ourselves as bigger than we are by justifying our decisions, and shrinking God down in our minds all the while. I think every person needs to see this, and should probably see it often enough to keep perspective of the enormity of our Great God and how small, yet valuable each of us are!

Center of the Milky Way Galaxy at Incredible magnification

The overall weekend was a terrific experience! I shared a thought for the offering about the Dung Beetle.  How many other people show clips of bugs and poo in a weekend church service! LOL

And one of the best things about it all, for me anyhow, was that I get to do all this stuff with my gorgeous wife working hard beside me! I love Kristina with all my heart and aside from her day job, she is passionate about God and seeing lives changed!

If you want to see it for yourself, call or drop by Destiny or your local Christian Bookstore.  952-890-1477