Todd Engstrom

Category: personal

  • The Calm Before the Storm

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    Todd Engstrom
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    These last two weeks have been very restful. College ministry has been winding down for the year, and I had a full blown retreat with our staff and a mini-retreat with the Nearly/Newly Wed class Leadership team. I realized Monday, however, that I have ~5 weeks before The Deuce (baby #2) comes along, and it’s…

  • Inconvenience

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    Todd Engstrom
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    Small inconveniences are a good opportunity to slow down and think. I’m waiting for my tire to get fixed, and it’s been a good forty-five minutes of nothing to do. I’m reflecting on my last post and asking God to continue to tie threads of gospel truth from my head to my heart, and this…

  • Redeeming Love

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    Todd Engstrom
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    At The Austin Stone today, Aaron Ivey led us in worship to song called “Praise for a Fountain Opened” or more commonly, “There is a Fountain Filled with Blood”. The last line of the fourth verse, and the anthem we camp out on is: Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be til I…

  • The Holy Spirit

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    Todd Engstrom
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    I’ve been dwelling on the Holy Spirit as I read Jaeson Ma‘s book The Blueprint. Here is my simple, yet difficult, thought that arose: the degree to which the gospel is central in my life is directly correlated to the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit in me and through me. If I want to…

  • Managing Time and Relationships

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    Todd Engstrom
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    I’ve been pondering proactively managing my time lately as my ministry slate continues to get more diverse and challenging. The difficulty for me is scheduling specific time for study and stillness when there are so many pressing issues and meetings. I definitely need to grow in faith and obedience to God that time spent praying…

  • Resurrection Hope through Death

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    Todd Engstrom
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    I am reflecting on the cross of Christ this Good Friday, and anticipating celebration of the resurrection on Easter Sunday.  I think I am more painfully aware today of our simultaneous joy and sorrow as I am reflecting on the cross of Christ. It was at the cross that the fullness of God’s character was…

  • iPhone Blogging

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    Todd Engstrom
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    Enjoying writing this from my new iPhone!

  • Coffee Kills

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    Todd Engstrom
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    Ever wondered how much caffeine it would take to kill you? You can find out here. Below are my results:

  • A Future and a Hope Conference

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    Todd Engstrom
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    I attended and helped greet at an adoption conference this weekend with Olivia. There were three main sessions and a panel: Kristin Wong spoke on God’s heart for adoption from Ephesians 1 Julie Kouri presented myths to adoption and highlighted the basic adoption process Jason Kovacs shared some insight on funding for adoption through organizations…

  • Reflections on the Ministry : Rick McKinley

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    Todd Engstrom
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    This was a convicting message for me to hear from Rick McKinley of Imago Dei in Portland. The art of unbusyness and unneccesariness is essential to the being available to God. There is disaster awaiting the one who gets bogged down with doing good, and not dwelling in the excellent. It is our job to…

  • Random Thoughts/Anecdotes on a Slow Day

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    Todd Engstrom
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    Here are some random thoughts and anecdotes for Friday: GTB decided to go on sleep strike last night.  He literally cried for five straight hours, and we have no idea why.  He finally fell asleep at about 5 am, then woke up at 8 ready to go for the day.  Weird. I’ve been thinking about…

  • Why do I do stupid things?

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    Todd Engstrom
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    A lot of times I feel like the kid in this picture.  I do things people tell me not to, ignoring wise counsel, just to see what will happen. Bottom line, sometimes you have to be stupid to learn the lesson.