jskogerboe.com :: one thing

This fall I began a long walk through a series of posts called “Pursue Joy.”  You can read the introductory post (“God wants to wreck your life”) here.  It’s what I believe about life and theology – in a nutshell.  So far I’ve hit three out of five pillar ideas in past posts. First this.  God [...]

In one of the greatest stories in our family lore is the tale of “Bob’s Beans.” My wife’s mom, Gloria, has for years and years made a delicious baked bean, hamburger, and bacon concoction that redefines savory goodness.  It’s like Bush’s Baked Beans on steroids.  As far as I can tell, the family has been [...]

The primary difference between Moms and Dads, as far as I can tell, is the length of leash with which we are comfortable letting our kids run.  While 99% of the time Dads know that their children can run far afield with no more than a few near misses, the occasional potential debilitating accident, and [...]

Certain stories in our family have a way of finding new legs year after year at our family gatherings.  One such story has its roots in my parents’ small farm town upbringing in the upper northwestern corner of Minnesota, where the North Dakota plains have invaded the landscape, and families earn their bread in the  rich [...]

p It was like a bomb hit my office.  Both scary and exhilarating. And I know that those of you who visited my office 15 years ago at Emmaus Lutheran Church are certain I’m talking about my decorating style, what with my, um… free-form approach to filing sheet music and whatnot. But that’s not it [...]

October 30, 2011. Living Hope Church in St. Michael-Albertville, MN.  Sunday night service.  This message is taken from Isaiah 43:1-7. It’s a message to Christ followers who are going through extremely difficult circumstances… times the old testament writers would refer to in poetic, idiomatic language… “going through water and fire.” In these desperate times, Isaiah 43 brings [...]

I’m pausing briefly in my series on the pursuit of joy (check out part one, two, and three) to make this important announcement: Seth is out of the family.  Man, I loved that kid, too.  It will be hard to lose him, sure, but he did, after all, leave the dishes half finished.  Levi is [...]

I always want to be a better dad.  When I finally achieve “best dad of all time” staus, I’ll still want to be a better dad.  Today’s post is meant to inspire us dads to be intentional in our dadliness. My friend Carlos Whittaker (known in the Twittersphere as @loswhit, father of viral video star [...]

  I’m wildly in love with my wife.  She’s smart, she’s quick-witted, she’s beautiful, she loves Jesus, she’s a great mom, she is discerning, she’s wise, she really loves people, she’s beautiful, she cherishes relationships, she’s not satisfied with “fine” or good enough,” she loves our kids intentionally, she’s beautiful… I can literally do this [...]

You know what drives me nuts?  I mean just frothy lipped, make-it-stop, face twitching crazy? Carly Simon’s 1972 hit, “You’re so Vain.” Yes.  I recognize it has been thirty years.  What’s that you say?  Let it go? I can’t go for that. No how. No can do. Lo, these thirty years later I am still [...]