Hey everybody- don't know if any of you guys remember me anymore since I haven't posted in over a year so... let me reintroduce myself. My name is Jake Monseth. I'm a Christian, and I am homeschooled, although next year I'll be going to public school.
In less than 48 hours, I'll be on a plane heading for Haiti. Remember the country that was ravaged by that massive 7.0 earthquake in 2010? - that's Haiti. Honestly, I have no idea what to expect. This is for the most part my first missions trip ever. Pretty much my first glimpse of severe poverty. And right now, I'm supposed to have prepared a testimony that I can be ready to share there if needed. It's not prepared- not even started. So, first of all, I'm asking for prayer that I'll be able to prepare an effective testimony before I leave at 3:00 a.m. Thursday morning. The testimony will be my only tool for witnessing in Haiti, so it's pretty important.
Secondly, I'd also like to ask prayer for my neighbor who lives right across the street- Blake Robinson. I think he's 16... and I'm pretty sure God has something powerful to do in his life in these next 2 weeks. Blake isn't a Christian. I truthfully don't know what he believes, but I think it's atheism. So, why I'm mentioning him is because a little over a week ago, his mom heard about the missions trip and asked if she could send Blake along. There was room for more to come, so Blake will be coming to Haiti. Blake, a non-Christian, is going to be surrounded for two weeks by Christians serving the Haitians. Think about what an influence and a light that could be to him! I KNOW God is at work right now. So please, if you're reading this right now, pray for Blake. Pray that his heart will be changed by this experience.
Lastly, could you pray for me? I feel inadequate. I feel like it's a waste that I am going to Haiti when there are so many others who's presence would impact the people down there so much more powerfully and beneficially that my own. Pray that I would be able to fulfill whatever God's will is for me while I'm in Haiti.
Philippians 4 : 6-7
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Jake
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Meet Frodo...
my family's new puppy. We just got him yesterday, and he's the best dog on the planet.
I know, I know, Frodo shares pretty much no features with the Lord of the Rings Frodo: no curly dark hair, no huge, grayish blue eyes, ect. But hey, you have to admit, it's a great name for a dog.
I know, I know, Frodo shares pretty much no features with the Lord of the Rings Frodo: no curly dark hair, no huge, grayish blue eyes, ect. But hey, you have to admit, it's a great name for a dog.
It's funny how the name came about though. So my mom was searching the Internet for pics of dogs, since my family has been set on getting one since the start of 2010. My mom came across a photo of this huge poodle with mounds of long, loooong white-gray hair. My mom asked me what I thought about it, and I laughed and replied sarcastically, "It looks great. We could call him 'Gandalf'." That conversation led to other Lord of the Rings names until we came to Frodo- which my family actually took seriously. And therefore- Frodo became the name of our new miniature Golden doodle.
And he's a GREAT Golden doodle. He never barks- only when he's really scared, like the first time we put him in his kennel yesterday. He completely freaked out and started clawing frantically at the cage. After that display, my family dreaded putting him in his kennel for the whole night, but when we did- he did nothing but sit and lay contentedly and peacefully on his blanket... for the entire night. It was really cool. And then he's extremely mellow- I mean, he's not wild by any means. When he plays, he's gentle and constantly wants to be petted and have attention. All in all, he's an amazing puppy. And looks awesome too-
I haven't posted or commented in a while cause I haven't even been home since two days ago. I've been in Colorado on vacation. And trust me- it was an incredible vacation. I'll try my best to post about it tomorrow, but with blogging and me, you never know, cause if there was a contest for most inconsistent blogger, I'd easily take first prize. *groans*
Later,
Jake
Monday, June 28, 2010
Are... You... Kidding Me?!
1/3 of summer... is gone.
...
...
...
I can't believe it. Everything is happening so swiftly. Everyday is filled with activity. It's a whirlwind. And now- I can already see that shiny, brand-new Algebra textbook smiling sinisterly at me from my desk- not to mention a new heinous history curriculum. Argh. But hey, I'm not going to complain about this first segment of summer- these last couple weeks have been incredible.
To start it off, I received the opportunity to perform the worship for my church three weeks ago with my brother Alex, my guitar teacher Andy Schultz, and Hannah from Aspire. And I didn't only play acoustic guitar- I sang too, which was a pretty bold step for me. I'm not the most comfortable guy when placed in front of an audience or large group of people so I was pretty apprehensive. But it was a great experience. The highlight of performing was when, during the last song, The Stand-
Chorus:
I'll stand, with arms high and heart abandoned
In awe, of the one who gave it all
And I'll stand, my soul, Lord, to you surrendered
All, I am, is yours
(ring a bell?) numerous members of the congregation were just raising their hands to God in praise and worship. It felt so good to be a part of that- that my youth or inexperience didn't hinder me from being able to serve God and my church in that way.
Also, three weeks ago, I was invited back to Roselawn Stables horse camp which I've been attending for five years (I wasn't intending to go this year since it was quite expensive) to help out with my younger brother, Matthew's, five day camp there along with my good friend Hunter Fraser (Travels of a Teen). Eagerly, I accepted the invitation and was able to assist the camp for the week. I helped construct a goat pen, assisted campers who were struggling with their horses, worked hard rolling huge stacks of hay weighing 80+ pounds (just to let you know, I weigh 79 pounds, so they were heavier than me and required pretty much back-breaking strength, for me at least, to move), and ran various errands for the head instructor of the camp. It was a fantastic experience, and something I can put on my resume. ;)
Finally, my baseball team is 7-0-1 right now. Seven wins, zero losses, and one tie, making us the top team in my league. :D It's SO awesome. What's more, I even have some awesome nicknames which include Frank Sinatra (Franky) and Oceans 11- whose meanings shall remain unknown.
Now, enough about me, music is what's dominated most of this first period of the summer. Blink, Revive, Spacebound EP, Group 1 Crew, Stories, Addison Road, and Life, Beckah Shae, all just released this June, have kept me consumed with music, not to mention the songs, Lead Me, Sanctus Real, Something Glorious, Revive, Walking On the Stars, Group 1 Crew, Yours to Take, Jimmy Needham, Empty My Hands, Tenth Avenue North, and Avalanche, Manafest.
Phew... and that's only half of what I've done this June- there's so much more that's happened... and I still have a whole two more months of this bliss.
Suddenly, that sardonically smirking Algebra textbook and heinous history curriculum seem farther off than I once thought. :D
Jake
...
...
...
I can't believe it. Everything is happening so swiftly. Everyday is filled with activity. It's a whirlwind. And now- I can already see that shiny, brand-new Algebra textbook smiling sinisterly at me from my desk- not to mention a new heinous history curriculum. Argh. But hey, I'm not going to complain about this first segment of summer- these last couple weeks have been incredible.
To start it off, I received the opportunity to perform the worship for my church three weeks ago with my brother Alex, my guitar teacher Andy Schultz, and Hannah from Aspire. And I didn't only play acoustic guitar- I sang too, which was a pretty bold step for me. I'm not the most comfortable guy when placed in front of an audience or large group of people so I was pretty apprehensive. But it was a great experience. The highlight of performing was when, during the last song, The Stand-
Chorus:
I'll stand, with arms high and heart abandoned
In awe, of the one who gave it all
And I'll stand, my soul, Lord, to you surrendered
All, I am, is yours
(ring a bell?) numerous members of the congregation were just raising their hands to God in praise and worship. It felt so good to be a part of that- that my youth or inexperience didn't hinder me from being able to serve God and my church in that way.
Also, three weeks ago, I was invited back to Roselawn Stables horse camp which I've been attending for five years (I wasn't intending to go this year since it was quite expensive) to help out with my younger brother, Matthew's, five day camp there along with my good friend Hunter Fraser (Travels of a Teen). Eagerly, I accepted the invitation and was able to assist the camp for the week. I helped construct a goat pen, assisted campers who were struggling with their horses, worked hard rolling huge stacks of hay weighing 80+ pounds (just to let you know, I weigh 79 pounds, so they were heavier than me and required pretty much back-breaking strength, for me at least, to move), and ran various errands for the head instructor of the camp. It was a fantastic experience, and something I can put on my resume. ;)
Finally, my baseball team is 7-0-1 right now. Seven wins, zero losses, and one tie, making us the top team in my league. :D It's SO awesome. What's more, I even have some awesome nicknames which include Frank Sinatra (Franky) and Oceans 11- whose meanings shall remain unknown.
Now, enough about me, music is what's dominated most of this first period of the summer. Blink, Revive, Spacebound EP, Group 1 Crew, Stories, Addison Road, and Life, Beckah Shae, all just released this June, have kept me consumed with music, not to mention the songs, Lead Me, Sanctus Real, Something Glorious, Revive, Walking On the Stars, Group 1 Crew, Yours to Take, Jimmy Needham, Empty My Hands, Tenth Avenue North, and Avalanche, Manafest.
Phew... and that's only half of what I've done this June- there's so much more that's happened... and I still have a whole two more months of this bliss.
Suddenly, that sardonically smirking Algebra textbook and heinous history curriculum seem farther off than I once thought. :D
Jake
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
A Post (FINALLY)
OK, I'm not even going to bother apologizing for my inconsistent, negligent posting- I've done it on virtually half of all of my posts. But, I thought I should update you guys on what's going on in my life. Well, in my last entry, I talked about Tenth's new album, Light Meets the Dark.... *drumroll* UNDOUBTEDLY, COMPLETELY, INDISPUTABLY BETTER THAN OVER AND UNDERNEATH! And I was stunned when I came to that realization. Over and Underneath was amazing but LMtD? WOW! It was totally worth the iTunes purchase. Also, I've been listening to another artist lately- Train. I don't know if you've heard of them- I have no idea how popular they are, but I'm crazy about their song, Drops of Jupiter. I showed it to my brother and cousin, and they mocked me for liking it. *glower* jk. But anyway, I was flabbergasted, cause I thought the song was AMAZING. I've practically memorized the whole song now. Just to add to the mix: Walk on the Water, Britt Nicole, Everything Falls, Fee, and Lead Me, Sanctus Real- Incredible.
What else have been doing besides listening to music? Well, I'm just starting to finish my books in school- I finished two language arts books today and will be finishing my math textbook this week. But history- *moan* I'll be doing that until July. I have to read practically 130 or more pages a day for the history reading. Right now, I'm reading one book called, "Blue Willow". *gag* It's about some nine-year-old named Janey who is sad because she doesn't want to move from this big desert plain but might have to. Then the story continues with her getting to stay and meeting a friend called Lupe, which is pronounced "Loopy". *laughs* They go to this fair, and Janey wants to read books so she goes and reads books while Lupe goes on rides. Ugh... But don't get me wrong, there's some good books, too. But "Blue Willow"? ... All I can say is that I've lost all respect for blue willows.
Also, for the memorial weekend, my dad, three of my brothers, some of my neighbors, and I got to venture to the Boundary Waters (up in southern Canada) for a weekend of respite and relaxation. And did I ever RELAX! I'd say half of the trip was consumed with reading and playing chess and Settlers of Catan. But if that was all I did, that would've been one boring trip. Therefore, I also swam numerous times and had canoe races with my brother, Alex, and friends Mitchell and Brandon.
One more thing- I just got back from my first baseball game of the season. My brother and I are on the same team, which I think is pretty cool, and I performed reasonably well in the game, despite my nerves. You see, it's a little intimidating playing on a baseball team where the majority of your teammates are at least a foot taller than you. Just to let you know, I'm not very tall. A little under-average so yeah- I was pretty apprehensive. But I did well. I played at second most of the game and didn't allow a ball past. I batted three times, hit a nice single, and then struck out twice. ARGH! But I can promise you I nicked the last pitch of BOTH those strike outs! Well, at least I'm pretty sure...
Anyway, I'm going to leave it at that. Little House on the Prairies on, and it's a really good episode.
Later,
Jake
What else have been doing besides listening to music? Well, I'm just starting to finish my books in school- I finished two language arts books today and will be finishing my math textbook this week. But history- *moan* I'll be doing that until July. I have to read practically 130 or more pages a day for the history reading. Right now, I'm reading one book called, "Blue Willow". *gag* It's about some nine-year-old named Janey who is sad because she doesn't want to move from this big desert plain but might have to. Then the story continues with her getting to stay and meeting a friend called Lupe, which is pronounced "Loopy". *laughs* They go to this fair, and Janey wants to read books so she goes and reads books while Lupe goes on rides. Ugh... But don't get me wrong, there's some good books, too. But "Blue Willow"? ... All I can say is that I've lost all respect for blue willows.
Also, for the memorial weekend, my dad, three of my brothers, some of my neighbors, and I got to venture to the Boundary Waters (up in southern Canada) for a weekend of respite and relaxation. And did I ever RELAX! I'd say half of the trip was consumed with reading and playing chess and Settlers of Catan. But if that was all I did, that would've been one boring trip. Therefore, I also swam numerous times and had canoe races with my brother, Alex, and friends Mitchell and Brandon.
One more thing- I just got back from my first baseball game of the season. My brother and I are on the same team, which I think is pretty cool, and I performed reasonably well in the game, despite my nerves. You see, it's a little intimidating playing on a baseball team where the majority of your teammates are at least a foot taller than you. Just to let you know, I'm not very tall. A little under-average so yeah- I was pretty apprehensive. But I did well. I played at second most of the game and didn't allow a ball past. I batted three times, hit a nice single, and then struck out twice. ARGH! But I can promise you I nicked the last pitch of BOTH those strike outs! Well, at least I'm pretty sure...
Anyway, I'm going to leave it at that. Little House on the Prairies on, and it's a really good episode.
Later,
Jake
Monday, May 10, 2010
Just a couple more hours...
until The Light Meets the Dark comes out. I'm in ANGUISH!!! All I've done this whole week is wait expectantly, anxiously, painfully- for this. And now I'm only 5 HOURS away from finally getting the cd. I can already see myself, armed with a 15$ iTunes gift card, treasuring every type as I insert the gift card's code, the delight as the 15$ appears on my iTunes account, more than enough to purchase the entire album. *sighs longingly*
I've been listening to the songs on Over and Underneath, Tenth Avenue North's first album, and I've come to realize that Love is Here, By Your Side, and Hold My Heart, aren't the only inspiring tracks on the cd. I mean, I've always overlooked the others, but now I'm finally seeing the power and meaning behind each song, and everyone one of them is a masterpiece. A lot of bands make a couple good tracks on their albums then the rest are either tedious or terrible. But Tenth? No, every song is amazing. Times, Beloved, Satisfy, ect. They're all spectacular. And now I'm even more exuberant for all the new songs on Light Meets the Dark. I've heard some clips of them on Tenth's "Preview Light Meets the Dark" website, and also some of the singles on iTunes (I haven't bought any of them cause I'm waiting to get them all when the cd comes out), and they all sound extremely good. Well, I better stop ranting- we'll all be able to behold the splendor and sublimity of Light Meets the Dark in 4 hours. :D
Jake
I've been listening to the songs on Over and Underneath, Tenth Avenue North's first album, and I've come to realize that Love is Here, By Your Side, and Hold My Heart, aren't the only inspiring tracks on the cd. I mean, I've always overlooked the others, but now I'm finally seeing the power and meaning behind each song, and everyone one of them is a masterpiece. A lot of bands make a couple good tracks on their albums then the rest are either tedious or terrible. But Tenth? No, every song is amazing. Times, Beloved, Satisfy, ect. They're all spectacular. And now I'm even more exuberant for all the new songs on Light Meets the Dark. I've heard some clips of them on Tenth's "Preview Light Meets the Dark" website, and also some of the singles on iTunes (I haven't bought any of them cause I'm waiting to get them all when the cd comes out), and they all sound extremely good. Well, I better stop ranting- we'll all be able to behold the splendor and sublimity of Light Meets the Dark in 4 hours. :D
Jake
Sunday, May 2, 2010
I DID IT!!!
I just got back from my homeschool co-op's "Family Award's Night", where all the kids received awards and also put on a talent show for the adults... and I performed with my brother, Hunter Fraser, and Ben Howe (we're a band) one of our songs called Where Have You Gone. But why is that significant in any way at all? Well, for one thing, I managed to conquer my insufferable fear of performing in public. It's TERRIBLE and has haunted me for SO long. Not to say I wasn't nervous or apprehensive about doing the song- my stomach would not stop squirming and churning, and I'm really glad I hadn't consumed anything before performing, or else I probably would've regurgitated. No joke. But what am I most proud of? I sang... ! ! ! ! !
If you know me really well, you will know I'm extremely reluctant to sing in front of people. It freaks me out. Seconds before I started the verse 1 singing- I wanted to roll up and die. I wanted to some how get myself out of that building!!! However, I didn't want to let my friends down. If I backed out and didn't sing, I'd ruin the night for them. Therefore... I went through with it. And... actually did well. I'll just leave it at that. The band and I got a ton of compliments from the audience after the talent show, and I was so encouraged. I'm so glad I got it over with though. *sigh of relief*
Sorry for taking so long to post- and for my lack of commenting (I seem to have to say this every entry I make!)- but lately, I've been going to my Journal instead of my blog to record my thoughts, but I'll definitely start to pick up the pace with my blogging and commenting over the next couple weeks.
Jake
PS: Tenth Avenue North, Light Meets the Dark, comes out in 9 days!!! :D
If you know me really well, you will know I'm extremely reluctant to sing in front of people. It freaks me out. Seconds before I started the verse 1 singing- I wanted to roll up and die. I wanted to some how get myself out of that building!!! However, I didn't want to let my friends down. If I backed out and didn't sing, I'd ruin the night for them. Therefore... I went through with it. And... actually did well. I'll just leave it at that. The band and I got a ton of compliments from the audience after the talent show, and I was so encouraged. I'm so glad I got it over with though. *sigh of relief*
Sorry for taking so long to post- and for my lack of commenting (I seem to have to say this every entry I make!)- but lately, I've been going to my Journal instead of my blog to record my thoughts, but I'll definitely start to pick up the pace with my blogging and commenting over the next couple weeks.
Jake
PS: Tenth Avenue North, Light Meets the Dark, comes out in 9 days!!! :D
Friday, April 16, 2010
The Light Meets the Dark
Above: the cover of Tenth Avenue North's new album: The Light Meets the Dark.
The album is coming out on May 11, and I seriously cannot wait. Tenth Avenue North is PHENOMENAL. In their last cd, Over and Underneath, they produced three of my all-time favorite songs: Love Is Here, By Your Side, and Hold My Heart. And, I think they've just created another one: Healing Begins. The song, a sneak-preview of the album, has been played on Air1 a couple times already and is GREAT. If my Mixpod is working correctly (it's been malfunctioning a lot lately), you're listening to it right now. But it isn't just a "great" song- it's meaning does deeper. This is what the band said about Healing Begins:
"This is a call to let your walls fall down, let your masks fall down, let your pretense fall down, because guess what? Your walls are glass anyway. We can see through them. You are fighting a losing battle and this is where the healing begins, when you let the light expose the darkness." - Mike Donehey (Lead Vocalist/Acoustic Guitar).
Isn't that AWESOME?! I don't know about you, but I am exhilarated. This is going to be one, amazing album- one that I won't hesitate to purchase on iTunes the minute it comes out. :D
Jake
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