I was a born and raised in Grand Forks, ND - graduated from High School from Red River and I went to college at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, but I, Christopher Daniel Byars, am a southern boy at heart. You must understand that I moved to Oklahoma after college and that is where I met my wife and she, in her prayers and her and her mother's example, led me back into a relationship with Christ and I was,what many would call, born-again. It was here and moving to South Florida that I changed and have become a southerner. It is not only a location, but a state of mind and is one that I am proud to identify myself with. It's not that I deny or am ashamed of being from North Dakota - I am proud of where I come from, but I love southern food, sweet tea, and the warmth.

Well, after living for a time in Oklahoma my wife, Dawn, and I had the pleasure and privilege to move further south to Florida - most specifically southern Florida - Ft. Lauderdale and Boca Raton, where we became connected to a great congregation - Advent Lutheran - www.adventelca.org - in Boca Raton. What a wonderful congregation to grow in faith and grow my wife and I did (most especially me). Well, this congregation spiritually fed me, along with those that were praying for me (my wife not being the least of those). Well, through all the prayers and the wonderful people that prepared me I finally gave in to the call of God in my life to ministry and am now in the beginning of my internship year at Luther Seminary in Saint Paul. God has been so great and has provided for my wife and I, blessing us with great friends and great churches to work within. My first two years hear I served part time as a youth and family intern at Prince of Peace in Burnsville, MN working with a great group of Middle Schoolers and now I am serving my pastoral internship at Redeemer Lutheran in Fridley, MN - www.princeofpeaceonline.org & www.redeemerfridley.org.

Well, that is just a brief intro on me and over time I will look to adding more to this to discuss my theological thoughts and views on current issues of the church. I hope you enjoy it.