South Valley Community Church ~ Getting to Know Pastor Jeff

A Glimpse Into the Life of .......

Pastor

Jeff Kristenson

1. Do you play any musical instruments?

I mess around on the piano. I studied it for 5 years; and I DO read music. Just didn't apply myself; a huge regret now because I would love to be able to just sit down and play. 2. Who is your favorite band or singing group?

I LOVE the Newsboys!! 3. What's your favorite song?

It varies - "I Am Free" or "Friend of God". Depends what mood I'm in!! 4. Where were you born?

Newton, Kansas

Pastor Jeff ... thinking ... thinking ....

5. What's your motto or favorite saying?

(Jeff's secretary.)

6. How many languages do you speak, and what are they?

English; and a smattering of German. I actually remember more of my high school German than I do of the college Spanish course I took!! What can I say, it was a morning class!
7. If for some reason you could not have become a pastor, what would you want to be right now?

There was a point when I was in college that I was going to pursue a career in criminal law and then on into politics, but it was an environment that involved too much compromise and I would have to compromise too many of my values to stay in it. But my whole intent even when I was considering criminal law and politics was that I knew I wanted to make a difference.

8. Tell us about the first time you were ever behind the wheel of a car

Actually my school teacher taught me how to drive. I had a paper route, and she felt it would be so much faster for me in a car than on a bike. I was a freshman, and she taught me how to drive a stick. My first car was a 1978 red Pontiac Sunbird; my 2nd car was a '79 Camaro, and next was an '86 Camaro.
9. Do you like to cook?

I DO!! 10. Can you?

(my daughter)

11. What's your favorite food?

(Dad's mom)

12. What do you do with your free time?

(Doing all that he does to serve the Lord at SVCC.)

(in this position)

13. What is the last movie you saw?

"Night at the Museum"
14. Have you ever met a famous person?

Governor George Dukakis; but I have since repented!!
15. What was your first job and how much were you paid?

My first job was paper boy; I don't know how much I was paid but I got ripped off! My next job was grocery clerk, and I was hired at $3.51 per hour, which doesn't sound like much but at the time it was more than other kids could make. It was enough to make a car payment, and pay my way through college. I worked up from stock boy to checker, to cashier, and actually was head clerk, locking up and looking after the money. This is really something considering the store let me do that at age 20. I think everyone should have to be a service clerk. In my daily life now I am so much more understanding of how it feels to be on BOTH sides of the counter, and it helps me handle situations better. Everybody needs that.

16. How many times did your family move when you were a child?

Only once as a child; it was in town. But Sherry and I have moved SIX times! 17. Tell us about a favorite event of your childhood

Family vacations 18. What is the strangest thing you ever saw in the sky?

A missile launch from Vandenberg - FREAKED ME OUT!! It was a strategic defense test, and it was absolutely a beautiful sight!

19. Did you ever adopt a wild animal?

Yes - I was age 9 or 10; it was a baby blue jay. It was outside squawking, and seemed to have been abandoned. So I took it in; fed it tiny bits of hamburger. I would get up close to it, flap and blow on it, and it would open its mouth to be fed. Then one day I decided it was ready to be let go, and right after I did let it out, I watched its sibling hop under the fence of our yard and the neighbor's dog grabbed it up and shook it hard and killed it. I was so afraid the same thing would happen to mine; but he made it! Then there was also a baby robin after thatЕЕ
20. Sunrises or sunsets?

I prefer sunsets.
21. Baseball or football?

Football
22. If you could return to your youth, what would you do differently, if anything?

I still feel young!! I wasted college; I would have loved to have gone to a Christian college.

23. Name something you can't do now but you COULD do when you were a child.

I don't know; touch my toes? I suppose if I tried I'd find a lot of things. 24. What's something you do well that most people don't know about?

They probably wouldn't know of my musical ability 25. Next to Jesus Christ, who has had the most influence on your life?

"Keep it simple, keep it Biblical, keep it practical, and keep it relevant."

26. What character from the Bible can you relate to the most and why?

The person I respect the most is Joseph. The ones I most relate to and want to meet in Heaven is between David and Peter.

27. What is your favorite scripture and/or book of the Bible?

II Timothy 2:15
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

This is the passage my pastor wrote in my Bible when I was baptized. He wrote it in the front of my Bible and stuck a penny in there with that current year on it and hand-wrote that it was the year of my "spiritual birthday".

28. What's the craziest thing you've ever done? (Other than what we've seen you do here in church!)

Most of the craziest things I have done WERE here!! (Zip lines, etc.) And it's only just BEGUN!!! We have a GREAT year planned!!
Pastor Jeff thinking .. thinking ...

29. What's the first thing you want to ask Jesus when you get to Heaven?

Beyond "Did I do ok?" ЕЕ I don't understand why children suffer.

Pastor Jeff explaining an assignment to his secretary, Teresa Caudell ....