Living Hazzardously

Little pieces of our journey with Jesus

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Where are “Joshua and Caleb?”

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When men stand up and be mentors to other men.

So often I see women’s groups flourish at studying the bible, helping each other out and being social… but men? I haven’t been in a men’s group for over ten years, not because I am not interested but rather because men’s groups always seem to be the same story… If your church has a men’s group, it’s likely serving widows (which is great), a basketball game on Thursdays (which is healthy) or a men’s breakfast that happens every few months (nothing wrong with this either). Or maybe I am missing something?

I had a man tell me his story about trying to start a men’s group that digs deep and studies the word of God. He was met with negativity, complicated requirements and very little encouragement from leadership… Shortly after his failed attempt, the same guys that explained how the idea was “stupid” started to develop a “men’s group”. This group did “guy stuff” shooting, fishing, sports… He watched a group of guys put together a “fun day” with a short devotional at the end, but was never asked to participate at any level… Have you ever experienced this? I did some digging and sadly I discovered this is very common.  

What is it about men? Are the only things we care about is the latest sports score? The largest walleye? And how the “buffoon” made them laugh in the last episode of “the Simpsons’ or Family Guy” or “Al Bundy insults everyone” … Is that who men have become now? 

I called some area churches a while back, asked one simple question: “Do you have any men’s groups at your church?” The answer was no, universally every church I was able to connect with and every man I asked was a simple no, and some answers sounded like they had never even heard of a men’s group to study the bible. 

December 20, 2025, I dove into a topic that is important to me, “Exploring Masculine Identity Struggles”… I cant give you all the details, but lets just say, being a man these days is definitely not “PC”… The common issues are 

  • Persistent feelings of pretending
  • Guessing rather than confident decisions
  • Anxiety about being inadequate
  • Craving order but never finding it
  • Difficulty in meeting standards for fear of criticism
  • Not being supported in emotional reactions causing shut down

In short, men need men to find healthy masculine pathways, feedback that supports growth and accountability of balance between assertiveness and softness… 

Fast forward to today, I have asked so many guys… “Would you be interested in helping us out at Sams Place by mentoring or helping lead a bible study?” Where are the men that the bible talks about with “IRON SHARPENS IRON” Where are the men of God, the strong, valiant and fierce men of God? 

Where are “Joshua and Caleb”? The man who led the Israelites across the Jordan into the promised land as leaders who serve the people and represent a model of faith, military leadership, and covenant obedience…. 

When men step out, back and down from the roles God has appointed to  them to do, things go wrong. 

Joshua and Caleb who returned and reported after 40 days of scouting: The land is good and favorable. The other ten came back and reported about the giants and there was no way to win? They had “defeated themselves” even before they started.

Are we men of God like Caleb & Joshua or the other ten, fearful of failure… that is entirely up to you. I suggest we stand up today and say “HERE AM I, SEND ME”.

We are never too messed up (like Sampson), Poor of speech (like Moses), foolish (like a talking DONKEY) or criminal (like the murderous King David) to be used by our God…

May the peace that supasses all understanding be with you today, C.

The Electrician who Preaches

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We started attending Deer River Bible Church a while back. Pastor Steve and I started talking every week and we immediately discovered “we had a lot in common”. Jess and I scheduled a meeting with Pastor Steve so we could talk doctrine and verify how well our beliefs line up with DRBC. All went well. It just felt like we were home. As we continue to get to know DRBC, we share the story of Sam’s Place with everyone that gets caught in the coat room with us.

For the Community “Thanksgiving Meal” Steve asked us to share about Sam’s place. We had about 15 minutes of “Q&A format”. We are always eager and willing to meet a new microphone, especially when it comes to talking about Sam’s Place

Even though Pastor Steve was a licensed master electrician, I decided we could overlook that shortcoming and we would continue to become friends. (its kinda a tradesmans joke, I always think its funny)

Pastor Steve eventually asked if we would like to be interviewed for his new YouTube channel ps66.16, and so here we are, MOVIE STARS AT LAST!!

Although Jess and I have a combined story reaching only a few hundred hours, we talked for just under an hour. Pastor Steve now has his first YouTube video uploaded. I am honored to be part of glorifying our Lord. I am honored to meet this Pastor, connect with him on our shared passions and become part of the family at DRBC. Please watch this video. Although our story does have more detail than a video can present in under an hour, it gets some of the big points covered. We poured out our lives as we walked into Sam’s Palce and the front doors of Deer River Bible Church.

Steves YouTube channel and our Blog Post have the same basic goal, glorifying GOD and giving him honor and praise. 

Here is a Link, Please subscribe to Pastor Steves YouTube channel and as always, PLEASE subscribe to our blog https://livinghazzardously.com/

Thanks and God bless you all, C.

SAM’S PLACE GETS THE WIN!!

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Before I explain the great news, I want to say thank you to everyone that has and continues to support our work at Sam’s Place. Without your prayers, financial support and words of encouragement, we would not be able to bring you this FANTASTIC NEWS!

The road started back in 2024, Jess and I wanted to help folks that need stable, long term housing. As we dug deep, learned the system and honed in on who our clients are, we have discovered our client base is very small.  Our facility has its limitations, the services we can offer are limited by the state and county… our staff is amazing! Without our dedicated staff, we would have already failed. 

Who do we serve?

In my mind it’s an easy question, but as I talk to folks, including my own family, I have discovered it’s hard to explain. I will attempt to answer this question today…

First let me tell you what we provide: We provide a warm safe environment, bedrooms with locks on the doors. We manage medications. We provide transportation to and from medical appointments. Transportation for outings. Homecooked meals in our cafe, three times a day. Shampoo, a fresh bed, a clean towel, a clean bathroom, a building with a lock on the front door. We provide a home, not an apartment, not a hotel, not a flop house or a halfway house… It’s a home that helps you live and provides support to help you be successful. 

Our focus is to serve those who are already stable and ready to get life in order. Real people who desire a calm day to go fishing over a bar fight. Low drama. Peace. 

But who fits our program well? I can’t summarize this well with just a word. 

Some of the folks we serve have had hard, troubled lives. Folks that are tired of fighting. Folks that may have mental health challenges. Folks that may struggle to remember to take medications needed to remain calm and level. Folks that have a history of addiction. Folks that want to stay sober and clean. Folks that are in need of a little help. Folks that may not want many friends or none at all. Perhaps reminders to eat, take a shower or change the sheets. Perhaps they need a friend to talk to but don’t know how to form healthy friendships. Perhaps they need a mentor to help overcome the years of being told they are worthless. Or perhaps, cooking a meal for yourself is too challenging so you only eat potato chips. Maybe, just tired of always eating alone, in the corner. Or maybe they just can’t take care of the house anymore. Or maybe people just need help with the paperwork, so they don’t lose healthcare & housing, again. Or maybe they just forget to go to the doctor and need help with the calendar… 

But we can’t take everyone! We interview, run background checks and maintain one of the best BLSS (Board and Lodge with Supplemental Services) in the state and by far the best BLSS in all of Itasca County! We are very strict on our intake. No criminal drug convictions. No convictions of sex crimes. No convictions of violent crimes. But, sometimes, of course, the “law” tries to limit what we can do, check and disqualify potential clients over. 

Sometimes (much less often as we learn more)  we do get a client that doesn’t actually want to follow our rules, we do our best to work with them before we have them move out… Moving someone out can be a very long and expensive ordeal, taking as long as three months (especially if they “work the system”). But in the end, Sam’s Place is mindful of our location, our neighbors and our clients. Sam’s Place is grateful for the fantastic support we have in the community. The Bigfork area is such a welcoming and loving area, we couldn’t ask for more. 

Now the great news:

Sam’s Place had been struggling to secure the right to bill the State of MN for our Supplemental Services for over a year, we heard things like “We didn’t want to start paying you, until we knew you were going to actually make it” When I heard this comment, I became furious and I became motivated all-the-more to “make it”! We asked for community help, YOU came through, WE MADE IT! And the county has finally given us the confirmation to start billing. What merely having the proper state and county licence did not provide. As of December 1, 2025, we can now start billing for services! 

But wait, there is more, we still need help, now more than ever! As we are making plans for improvements at Sam’s Place we need even more support, not to “make it” but to improve, and do more! 

First let me highlight a couple of the economic benefits Sam’s Place brings to Bigfork. We provide 7 jobs in Bigfork. We support the local businesses with shopping, services like construction, electrical, trash, plowing…. and so much more. We bring State funding back into Bigfork. We saved a huge building in Bigfork from the inevitable fate the Effie School ended up with, a bulldozer to push it over. 

We have matching grants from Blandin, Bigfork Community Foundation, IRRRB, Operation Round Up & Thrivent to install Air Conditioning this spring, an Elevator, a Garden with Landscaping, Bathroom Ventilation, Commercial Kitchen Upgrades, Bathroom Upgrades, Mentorship Programs…  we have already installed a wheelchair ramp with a deck to replace the dangerous 1957 ambulance entrance, Upper Level Windows… so much more!! We need matching funds for all our projects.  We are gearing up and not slowing down. We have come a long way, we have a long way to go as we discover new, higher standards of care and better programs. 

The year 2026 marks success for Sam’s Place and will continue as long as we have your continuing support.

Visit Sam’s Place at Samsplacenorth.com

God Bless, C.